| Joe The Bear |
Soon I'm going to be rolling a bard in a 1st-level adventure and I honestly don't understand the mechanics of bardic performances. I understand that you can use them along with spells and the general concept of each one but can someone give me a really dumbed down step-by-step example of a bardic performance. What do I roll? What's the DC of all these performance checks? I'm really confused.
| Kimera757 |
Starting a bardic performance is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.
At 7th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a swift action.
You never need to make a Perform check for most bardic performances. The Perform ranks are just flavor. Countersong and distraction are the exceptions.
Round 1: The bard uses a standard action to use Inspire Courage.
Round 2: The bard maintains Inspire Courage as a free action and spends a standard action to cast a spell.
Round 3: The bard drops Inspire Courage. He spends a standard action to use Suggestion (as his spell-like ability, rather than cast a spell). The save DC is as the spell.
Round 4: The bard spends a standard action on Fascinate. The DC is 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier.
| Joe The Bear |
Quote:Starting a bardic performance is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.
At 7th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a swift action.
You never need to make a Perform check for most bardic performances. The Perform ranks are just flavor. Countersong and distraction are the exceptions.
Round 1: The bard uses a standard action to use Inspire Courage.
Round 2: The bard maintains Inspire Courage as a free action and spends a standard action to cast a spell.
Round 3: The bard drops Inspire Courage. He spends a standard action to use Suggestion (as his spell-like ability, rather than cast a spell). The save DC is as the spell.
Round 4: The bard spends a standard action on Fascinate. The DC is 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier.
Alright. Countersong and Distraction just make it so allies can use the Performance check as a higher check to get out of something else magical. Got it.