Bards, the Performance skills, and Bardic Performance.

[Diaz Ex Machina]

Hello everyone.

If a bard is trained in a single Perform skill, can he use another type of untrained Perform to use any bardic performance that does not need a specific type of Perform check?

Example: my bard is trained in Perform (string instrument), but he sings to inspire courage in his allies, even if he hasn't any rank in Perform (sing).

Thank you in advance for your answers.

[pauljathome]

Diaz Ex Machina wrote:

Hello everyone.

If a bard is trained in a single Perform skill, can he use another type of untrained Perform to use any bardic performance that does not need a specific type of Perform check?

Example: my bard is trained in Perform (string instrument), but he sings to inspire courage in his allies, even if he hasn't any rank in Perform (sing).

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Perfectly legal. And quite common.

Note that if you're a standard bard you probably eventually want one sound based performance for countersong and a visual based one for distraction. Bards can usually afford the skill points

[Cavall]

Depends on the performance.

As per the perform skill
"Special: A bard must have ranks in specific Perform categories to use some of his Bardic Performance abilities."

Counter song and distract being 2 such abilities

[pauljathome]

Cavall wrote:

Depends on the performance.

As per the perform skill
"Special: A bard must have ranks in specific Perform categories to use some of his Bardic Performance abilities."

Counter song and distract being 2 such abilities

You're absolutely right that those words are in the text for the perform skill. But I'm not at all sure how one is supposed to decide which bardic performance abilities are affected.

I've never noticed those words before and never had them pointed out to me. Probably because
1) that is an absurd place to expect people to notice a limitation
2) who knows what they refer to?

I think you're safest ignoring them unless there is some official clarification somewhere

[Cavall]

Likely the only ones to require the actual perform skill check. Which for most bards are like...2. One visual and one auditory.

I can see more if theres some archetypes involved though. Rather than dig around the 50 or so of them, just assume if it involves a check you need ranks as the skill states. And for most it should be clear if its visual (eg dance) or auditory (eg sing)

[Diego Rossi]

Cavall wrote:

Depends on the performance.

As per the perform skill
"Special: A bard must have ranks in specific Perform categories to use some of his Bardic Performance abilities."

Counter song and distract being 2 such abilities

I agree with Cavall. It says "some", so what are the Bardic Performance abilities affected is determined by the description of the specific bard performance.