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For reference, here's the Wordstrike ability from the Sound Striker bard archetype:
Wordstrike (Su): At 3rd level, the sound striker bard can spend 1 round of bardic performance as a standard action to direct a burst of sonically charged words at a creature or object. This performance deals 1d4 points of damage plus the bard's level to an object, or half this damage to a living creature. This performance replaces inspire competence.
There's no save for this ability, and no restriction against attended objects. The damage is untyped, and so not halved against objects.
At third level, it starts out pretty tame. Good, but no biggie. When you get this ability, you can destroy a potion (or anything contained in a vial, like the typical alchemist's bomb or mutagen) with a standard action. No check, no save. Same thing for scrolls.
That's not too bad, though. However... you've got a chance of destroying a spell component pouch in the same way (leather has 2 hardness and 5 hit points, so 7 damage will do it). Spell components: gone. If you don't succeed with one attempt, you'll succeed with two.
As early as sixth level, you can destroy a spell component pouch every time. Still no check or save. Same for a backpack, which could be pretty hilarious and potentially inconvenient, in combat.
Wands are next (bye, Mr. Wand! No check or save for you!). Projectile weapons (hardness 5, hit points 5) and light blades or hafted weapons (hardness 10, hit points 2) are easily destructable by the time you're mid-level, and heavier weapons, some kinds of shields, and manacles and chains aren't far behind.
All of these uses can affect attended objects without a saving throw, and only cost one round of bardic performance and a standard action. You snap your fingers and the wizard loses his spell components (or his spellbook!). The archer loses his bow. The alchemist loses his mutagen. The rogue loses his dagger.
Isn't that a bit... much?
Unimpressed.
But the Soundstriker is broken, in the sense that a complicated, unassembled piece of Ikea furniture, with no manual but bolts that look like they don't fit in any hole, is broken.
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Unimpressed.
Really? Another class would have to dedicate at least two feats and a decent Strength score toward doing this, and then get into melee range, make a successful roll, and then another successful (damage) roll - all to achieve what this bard could achieve by spending a standard action.
There's no ability-score dependency, feat investment, check, or saving throw. Your spell components are just gone. Your bow is snapped. Even if you were holding it, and probably even if it was magical. Wand? Gone. Mutagen or healing potion? Gone. Important, expensive scroll? Not anymore, it isn't.
There isn't even a range limit. All it seems to require, as a supernatural ability, is line of effect.
I think it's a bit much.
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Magic Armor, Shields, and Weapons
Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to the hardness of armor, a weapon, or a shield, and +10 to the item's hit points.
So yes, you can destroy some mundane objects at level 10. Most equivalent objects can just as easily be sundered. How often do you predict parties will go up against a group of enemy bards hellbent on destroying their stuff with this ability? About as often as random barbarians show up to sunder all of your party's gear, I imagine.
As far as fighting enemies, by the time this ability becomes capable of destroying individual pieces of gear with impunity, most foes the party fights will have +1 weapons or better, or not use them at all, which effectively nerfs the damage into the ground.
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I've never seen a +1 spell component pouch…
Magic Armor, Shields, and Weapons
Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to the hardness of armor, a weapon, or a shield, and +10 to the item's hit points.
So yes, you can destroy some mundane objects at level 10. Most equivalent objects can just as easily be sundered. How often do you predict parties will go up against a group of enemy bards hellbent on destroying their stuff with this ability? About as often as random barbarians show up to sunder all of your party's gear, I imagine.
As far as fighting enemies, by the time this ability becomes capable of destroying individual pieces of gear with impunity, most foes the party fights will have +1 weapons or better, or not use them at all, which effectively nerfs the damage into the ground.
It's a useful class ability. If I statted an NPC soundstriker that didn't try to smash their opponent's gear, it'd break suspension of disbelief.
I hadn't thought of spell component pouches. Guess the party Wizard was smarter than I thought when he took Eschew Materials.
I've never seen a +1 spell component pouch…This seems like a great thing to build a bard around, IMO. I don't think it's ridiculous, it just gives a bard the chance to do something normally restricted to a fighter because of the number of feats required.
For lighter objects, the bard is strictly better than the fighter at this. There's no defense against it. I suppose the bard has to be able to see or perceive the item, but there's no specific restriction saying so.
Just have a back up spell component pouch. You should have one anyway in case you fail a save against something and your gear catches on fire.
Heh. One.
My cleric has, like, six holy symbols hidden in various places on his body.
Yes, some of my previous DMs have been . . . intense.
;-)