Performance Anxiety While Using Your Hands


Rules Questions


No, not what you were thinking. Shame on you.

How many hands does it take to use musical instruments? Most string instruments are going to take two hands, right? How about wind instruments? Keyboards? Percussion?

Can a Bard still cast a spell while maintaining Bardic Performance if the spell requires Somatic components (and/or Verbal in the case of Wind Instruments)?


Yes.

Bardic performance doesn't require you to use any instrument to activate it. Even if, by fluff, you decide to sing, you can still cast spells with Verbal components.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Any type of bardic performance that doesn't specifically ask for a Perform check is completely separate from the Perform skill.


So even though they need to be able to see and/or hear hear you, you don't need to actually be doing anything? If that's correct, then Bardic Performance is really breaking plausibility for the sake of easy playability.


Oh, you need to "perform", you just aren't restricted in your actions by how you perform except in the way you want to be.

So, by all means, play a violin and the kazoo at the same time, but you are choosing to restrict your ability to cast bard spells (no verbal or somatic) and the ability to fight in combat since your hands are occupied with your instrument.


So if you're fighting with weapons in both hands and using spells with verbal components, what performance type can you reasonably use aside from - possibly - dance?

Scarab Sages

In regards to handedness with instruments:

Most instruments the adventuring bard would have are usually light, easily portable, and durable. Essentially, you won't see many Sousaphone-using bards.

THEORETICALLY, you could design a fixed pitch percussion instrument that only required one hand if you wanted to still contribute to combat and use an instrument, but most instruments (be they woodwinds, brass, or strings) will require the use of two hands. As there are no limits on how good your performance must be to be effective, you could play those instruments with one hand (essentially playing only a single pitch repeatedly, or in the case of brass instruments, using the overtone series, or various fixed pitches on a plucked or strummed string instrument), and most keyboard style instruments are simply too unwieldy for use by an adventurer.

However, many of the above instrument performance styles would sound simply ridiculous when performed, so if you really wanna perform, I'd go with acting, comedy, or singing. If you still want to use an instrument, consider the Sound Striker archetype, just because it provides a way for you to contribute in combat while having your hands full with an instrument.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
HappyDaze wrote:
So if you're fighting with weapons in both hands and using spells with verbal components, what performance type can you reasonably use aside from - possibly - dance?

Acting, honestly can anything be so open ended as acting? What can't you do while acting?

Oratory/Comedy/Singing, nothing prohibits you from incorporating verbal components into a speech, a comic performance, or a song. In fact I expect bards to riddle such performances with magic.

Much less its fairly common for performances of any kind to have momentary pauses. A 6 second gap doesn't mean the performance is over.

And as already stated it doesn't even have to be done well as there is no skill check involved.


I'm now picturing bards with bells hanging from spiked armor and whistling butt plugs.

The whole thing seems to gamey. I don't think it's a good idea to cut the mechanical effects of the performance away from the actual use of Perform. It's almost like someone said - "Hey I want to do all of these cool buffs and enchantments, but can we just ignore the performance angle?" and the writers just said "Sure." But then when someone asked if we can have non-LG paladins, THAT was too radical...

Scarab Sages

HappyDaze wrote:

I'm now picturing bards with bells hanging from spiked armor and whistling butt plugs.

The whole thing seems to gamey. I don't think it's a good idea to cut the mechanical effects of the performance away from the actual use of Perform. It's almost like someone said - "Hey I want to do all of these cool buffs and enchantments, but can we just ignore the performance angle?" and the writers just said "Sure." But then when someone asked if we can have non-LG paladins, THAT was too radical...

Except they aren't ignoring the performance angle, simply saying that there is no prerequisite skill requirement for most forms of Bardic Music. If you're trapped in a grapple by a giant, you could do a high-pitched, squealing yelp that could count as Perform: Comedy for the purposes of Inspire Courage, etc.

The possibilities are essentially limitless, therefore you could theoretically decouple Bardic Music from performance.


Not only that but you're no longer the dork that's just strumming on his ukulele while your party is screaming, dying and fighting for their lives around you. Now you can, you know, cast spells and swing a weapon; feel like part of the team even.

Liberty's Edge

No hand perform .
Your stealth skill will suffer "a bit", but it work.
(Not that any of my characters will ever go around dressed that way)

More seriously, the bard abilities can work with a few word, or gestures, so that, as by rules, starting a performance is a standard action and maintaining it is a free action.
Something like "Death to the tyrant. Down with the king, my brothers" to start inspire courage and "Don't falter", "We will win" to maintain it.

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