I was reading this ability while thinking about creating a character, and realized that (at least to me) its function is quite unclear:
Fascinate(Su): At 1st level, a bard can use his performance to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with him. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear the bard, and capable of paying attention to him. The bard must also be able to see the creatures affected. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents this ability from working. For every three levels the bard has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability.
Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature's saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the bard continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on all skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect.
Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.
The number of targets affected by level has been discussed elsewhere, and I believe it to be 1 at level 1, 2 at level 4, 3 at 7 and so on (i.e. 1+(1 more per 3 additional levels of bard)).
The range on fascinate is "90 feet, able to see and hear the bard, and capable of paying attention to him."
The biggest question in my mind is: if the bard uses Fascinate in an area with more targets than he can affect, how are the targets chosen, and in what order? I believe, depending on the answer to this question, this ability is either ridiculously underpowered, or quite overpowered.
Possibilities I see for how this works:
1) Similar to a Sleep spell (medium overpowered: Bard starts performing and creatures make saves until there are no creatures left to save, or the bard has hit the maximum number of fascinated creatures (possibly going by closest-to-bard to farthest from him like Sleep).
2) Bard picks "n" targets (underpowered: the target(s) save or not, if they all (all 1 of them for levels 1-3) save, then you wasted the ability)
3) Some combination: The bard picks the order in which things make the saves.
4) Some other intent entirely? (See the Celebrity and Demagogue archetypes for why I think it (probably?) works like sleep--what's the point of drawing together a crowd if you can only fascinate 1 guy and he fails his will save? Perhaps fascinate lets the bard fascinate (number of targets allowed for his level) PER ROUND (like at level 5 you get 2 members of the crowd in round 1, 2 MORE in round 2 and so on).
I'm wondering specifically how this works in PFS so I can decide whether to try a fascinate specialty bard or not.
Fair enough. Any of you rules people out there willing to elaborate on how Fascinate works in a normal home game? Does the bard pick "n" targets? Lowest HD creatures first starting at the Bard? Something else entirely? (It does say "each" creature in range gets a save, so how do you decide when to stop making saves on a 90' range ability? and what creature gets affected first? etc?)
"For every three levels the bard has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability."
He can target, so the bard select the people he want to affect, then they roll their ST.
This. It is not like Sleep, you choose who is affected.
However, once more I urge you not to make a character focused on Fascination. It is a lousy condition that does almost nothing. Seriously, the fact that Ifrits get multiple features that buff Fascination does not mean that Fascination is worth buffing.
"For every three levels the bard has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability."
He can target, so the bard select the people he want to affect, then they roll their ST.
This. It is not like Sleep, you choose who is affected.
However, once more I urge you not to make a character focused on Fascination. It is a lousy condition that does almost nothing. Seriously, the fact that Ifrits get multiple features that buff Fascination does not mean that Fascination is worth buffing.
Well, seems like "lousy" is the case, at least the way it appears to work. Though it bothers me that the text "Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect" is being made exactly the same as "Targets receive a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect." Obviously, like any spell, ability or effect, it cannot affect things outside its range... Which makes "Each creature within range" extraneous text, and thus I would ask: why is it in there? Is it an artifact from 3.5? Surplussage, or 'good enough for government work' or some such? How did the writer(s) of the Celebrity and Demagogue archetypes think the ability worked?" Oh well, back to the drawing board I guess...
Well, seems like "lousy" is the case, at least the way it appears to work. Though it bothers me that the text "Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect" is being made exactly the same as "Targets receive a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect." Obviously, like any spell, ability or effect, it cannot affect things outside its range... Which makes "Each creature within range" extraneous text, and thus I would ask: why is it in there? Is it an artifact from 3.5?
I'm going to guess it's in there from a version of the rules in which Bards did not have a limit on the number of targets that could be fascinated.
How did the writer(s) of the Celebrity and Demagogue archetypes think the ability worked?" Oh well, back to the drawing board I guess...
What about those archetypes makes you think they didn't know how Fascinate worked?
Nothing about the Celebrity even interacts with the targeting rules--the only thing it does is let you draw crowds and give a penalty for breaking Fascinate. It's a terrible archetype overall--seriously, it's one of the worst, if not the worst. Giving up Inspire Courage is already horrible as it's the best and most important Performance a Bard gets, but then it's not replaced by anything remotely usable (for example, the Court Bard replaces it with an inverted debuff version that is plenty worth using)--just some lousy skill bonus. Then they get the ability to draw a crowd--you could do that normally just by doing stuff to draw a crowd, like Performing. Finally, they get a bonus to the Bard's worst ability--hooray!
As for the Demagogue, it looks like it understands Fascinate just fine. Again, though, Incite Violence is not a good performance. Suggestion is way better (and you can, for example, just suggest they do something violent if you wanted to do that). The example they give of "kill the king!" is goofy, because the ability only lasts round per level. Unless the crowd could get to the King in 2 minutes, even a level 20 Demagogue isn't getting that to work.
And using it in combat, which is pretty much the only time it'll be useful against your enemies (other than, I guess, when your enemies allow you to gather and fascinate a crowd within a short walking distance of their location), fascinate virtually auto-breaks (and you can't even combine the Celebrity and Demagogue, since they both lose Inspire Courage and Lore Master).
Pick almost any other music and focus on that--Inspire Courage is awesome, for example. When the need arises (it probably won't, but don't ever discount the chance it might), use Fascinate, but, please, don't focus any character resources on it.