The question is stated above. I can't think of any reason (flavor or otherwise) why they would be illegal. Is there any statement on why?
I wasn't able to find anything on it because when your search performance you get bard stuff.
In response to James:
Then why would a certain PFS scenario have rules for Performance Combat? They [the scenarios] are written for PFS play, keeping in mind PFS guidelines; why bother writing in rules when that aspect of the game isn't legal?
Not questioning their legality or anything, just finding it strange.
Because the GM can prepare for it ahead of time and know to use them. There's a big difference between the GM preparing performance combat and having it sprung on them in the middle of the game.
Preparing something that isn't even legal for PFS play? That'd be like me learning how to deal with a reincarnated druid PC in PFS play. Not possible. It's not like isn't even a rare, one boon's floating around so let's write in the rules kind of situation. It's writing for something that'll never come up in society play. *
But going back to the OP, performance combat has a lot of moving and unlikely to occur aspects. There'd be a lot for a GM to mess-up, and in society play that's just not good. Straight-forward rules are best. Moreover, I can, without really pondering it, think of four examples of society legal material that could possibly utilize performance rules. One of those encounters wasn't even written explicitly for PFS play. between all the moving parts, the likelihood of encountering performance combat, and the odds of the GM somehow misunderstanding the rules, performance combat (and their correlating feats) is just easier to omit.**
*I suppose someone may think: Hey, I'd like to take the penalties to my rolls and such for not having the appropriate weaponry, feats, and skills needed for performance combat, so it's a good thing the writer included abbreviated rules for it. But since performance feats aren't legal, and performance combat never really surfaces, I doubt more than a handful of players could consider using performance combat rules in the rare arena fight they find themselves in.
**That is to say, I imagine these factor in the legality of performance combat and [performance] style feats
Venture-Captain, Germany—Hamburg
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Preparing something that isn't even legal for PFS play?
The Additional Resources page doesn't say performance combat is illegal, it just says those rules are not used in PFS unless prompted in a scenario or granted by a Chronicle.
When they say something like that (instead of just saying it's not allowed), GMs should be aware that there may be scenarios that will ask them to prepare for that kind of rule.It's the same with chase scenes. Chase cards aren't normally used in PFS, but there are a few scenarios that use chase rules.
Another example would be races that can only be played with a boon. A GM will have to expect people playing those races (and maybe using strange alternate racial traits). It won't happen often, but it can happen.
To get back to the original question: Because all performance feats ask for a performance combat check, they use part of the rules for performance combat and therefore violate the fact that performance combat is not to be used.
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Just because PCs aren't allowed to do something in PFS, it doesn't mean that NPCs or an adventure is limited to the same restrictions.
The developers like to add in new things every now and then to showcase something about the Pathfinder ruleset that isn't normally used in PFS play.
+1
Actually, most of the time I like it when the NPCs or scenario implement parts of the game that is illegal for players.
Because the GM can prepare for it ahead of time and know to use them. There's a big difference between the GM preparing performance combat and having it sprung on them in the middle of the game.
Is this anything like springing the Grapple rules on an unsuspecting GM in the middle of a game?
:)
-k
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Because the GM can prepare for it ahead of time and know to use them. There's a big difference between the GM preparing performance combat and having it sprung on them in the middle of the game.Is this anything like springing the Grapple rules on an unsuspecting GM in the middle of a game?
:)
-k
Hey! I'm (mostly) prepared for grapple now!
Seriously, playing my own grapple character has made GMing for grapple characters much easier.
