Let's say I summon a Crocodile. My next turn, I do a quick variant Channel to boost AC by 2, use my standard to throw up the Defense Aura for a +2 to AC, and the Bard starts inspiring courage. What bonuses would my crocodile get? And would this change with a more intelligent monster?
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I'm assuming these are the abilities you are referencing?
Deflection Aura (Su): Once each day, you can emit a 20-foot aura for a number of rounds equal to your cleric level. Allies within the aura gain a +2 deflection bonus to AC and combat maneuver defense.
Protection: Heal—Creatures gain a channel bonus to Armor Class until the end of your next turn. Harm—Creatures gain a channel penalty to Armor Class until the end of your next turn.
The Deflection Aura grants your allies a +2 Deflection bonus to AC, and the Variant Channeling gives a +X Sacred bonus to AC, where X is equal to the number of dice you would normally be rolling for Channel Energy. Both of these bonus types stack, so your Crocodile would gain a bonus of X+2 to its AC.
A Bard's Inspire Courage doesn't normally increase AC, unless it's an Archetype I'm not familiar with.
None of these would change "with a more intelligent monster", unless you summoned a Mindless creature, in which case it wouldn't gain any benefit from the Bard's Inspire Courage at all, as Mindless creatures are immune to moral effects.
So the crocodile would gain the +Y to the attack roll and damage from the Bardic Performance? Wasnt sure if that would be applicable
It is as long as it's close enough for Inspire Courage to work.
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So the crocodile would gain the +Y to the attack roll and damage from the Bardic Performance? Wasnt sure if that would be applicable
There is no limit to the number of effects that any one creature may benefit from. The only limitation is that bonuses of the same type don't stack*, like the luck bonuses granted from both Divine Favor and Prayer, or the morale bonuses granted from both Bless and Heroism. That sort of thing.
*a few types of bonuses do stack, such as dodge, racial, and most circumstance bonuses, but the general rule is that bonuses of the same type do not stack.
EDIT: Just so we're on the same page, why did you think the Bard Song wouldn't be "applicable"?
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Some GMs don't let animals benefit from certain types of inspire courage. If your inspire is due to oratory, that might make sense if they don't understand.
Inspire Courage isn't linked to a Perform skill. You can actually have zero ranks in Perform, and a Charisma of 7, and still Inspire Courage.
Inspire Courage isn't even language-dependent.
indeed, and a lot of GM's, myself included, have a problem with that. The inspiring of courage has to happen in some fashion. Its not in the official rules no, but a GM who does not at the very least recognize its very gamey and immersion-breaking is frankly kidding himself. If you're a bard only able to use sing or oratory skills, any effects of any baric performance effects should be language-dependent. This would be a rather large and specific exception as well as make those particular skills a lot less popular/useful so it was completely left out.
While I agree with that decision, to question why it wouldn't be applicable has clearly never tried to sing a lullaby to angry crocodile ;)
If you're a bard only able to use sing or oratory skills, any effects of any baric performance effects should be language-dependent. This would be a rather large and specific exception as well as make those particular skills a lot less popular/useful so it was completely left out.
While I agree with that decision, to question why it wouldn't be applicable has clearly never tried to sing a lullaby to angry crocodile ;)
Even if you want the bardic performance to be linked to a perform skill, I don't think it should be connected to language. Music can inspire even if one doesn't understand the words, and the idea of music soothing the savage beast is a very old fantasy trope. Even an oratory that you don't understand can be impressive, my best example of this, in a negative way, is watching Hitler speak. You don't have to understand German to appreciate the energy he is projecting.
Inspire Courage is a Supernatural ability, and they magic effects.
So the bard doesnt need to explain much how his ability works. He is using magic to do it.
Even if you want the bardic performance to be linked to a perform skill, I don't think it should be connected to language. Music can inspire even if one doesn't understand the words, and the idea of music soothing the savage beast is a very old fantasy trope. Even an oratory that you don't understand can be impressive, my best example of this, in a negative way, is watching Hitler speak. You don't have to understand German to appreciate the energy he is projecting.
the problem with that is that while even if you didn't understand it, it could be impressive, such impressiveness would be lost on a crocodile. Also you'd not know what it inspired. I'd imagine that any Jew hearing his speeches would not be inspired by courage. without context, such oratory would be just that, impressive not (necessarily) inspiring.
Inspire Courage is a Supernatural ability, and they magic effects.
So the bard doesnt need to explain much how his ability works. He is using magic to do it.
that would be fine unless magic could also be both language dependent and/or requiring a verbal component. And the point I made was that it was incredibly gamey, so that kind of hits it home
I'd imagine that any Jew hearing his speeches would not be inspired by courage.
Of course not. Inspire courage is allies only.
As for crocodiles, like I said, Bards effecting animals is old school fairy tale trope. From the Pied Piper to Harry Potter we have examples of music effecting animals in magical ways.
Regarding the crocodile not being inspired my lyric less music, that's a different argument that is unrelated to language and more related to Intelligence/sapience. Given a great deal of research into music's effects on animals, I'm not ready to shut the door on that anyway.
Besides, as mentioned before, it's magic. You don't need a reason; you're a Bard, not merely a two-bit minstrel or dancer.
As for needing skill: Perform checks can be made untrained by design, so there's not much reason to require ranks for only this purpose. Bards are good at just about any performance.
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If a magically summoned crocodile automatically knows who its enemies are then him being inspired to fight better is not really much of a stretch.
Worth noting that until around the 4th printing, all audible bard songs were language-dependent. This reverted to just "some" at that point, and I believe only suggestion actually is (among Core).
I'd imagine that any Jew hearing his speeches would not be inspired by courage.Of course not. Inspire courage is allies only.
and if you didn't understand a word he said, you wouldn't know him a friend from an enemy.
And I'm still not accepting the idea of "its magic" we are talking about a creature that cannot understand the concept of courage, so words, again words, not music, to inspire him to be as such is still ridiculous. It would be like using magic to show a blind person color and then expecting him to understand what he sees
And I'm still not accepting the idea of "its magic" we are talking about a creature that cannot understand the concept of courage
That makes little sense in the overall relation between animals and magic.
So you are saying that Bless wouldnt work on an animal either?It would be like using magic to show a blind person color and then expecting him to understand what he sees
Isnt that how Darkvision works?
I think there's a basis for this decision, even if I don't enforce it in my game:
Bardic Performance: A bard is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around him, including himself if desired. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st a bard can use bardic performance for 2 additional rounds per day. Each round, the bard can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that he has mastered, as indicated by his level.
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.
Each bardic performance has audible components, visual components, or both.
If a bardic performance has audible components, the targets must be able to hear the bard for the performance to have any effect, and many such performances are language dependent (as noted in the description) . A deaf bard has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with an audible component. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Deaf creatures are immune to bardic performances with audible components.
If a bardic performance has a visual component, the targets must have line of sight to the bard for the performance to have any effect. A blind bard has a 50% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with a visual component. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Blind creatures are immune to bardic performances with visual components.
I think these lines leave it open to some interpretation - if I inspire with poetry (since that's my only perform skill, or I choose to do so), then my pet hamster may not be inspired (unless he's super intelligent and/or speaks common).
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"As noted in the description". Excellent. Which performances note it in the description? Inspire courage does not. Suggestion does, by way of acting as the suggestion spell.
Fact is, a great many bards use Inspire Courage without speaking or singing at all. How can one enforce a language issue at that point? Better off moving past that to the "animals are too dumb to be inspired" argument--which is just plain wrong, as any dog owner can tell you.
"As noted in the description". Excellent. Which performances note it in the description? Inspire courage does not. Suggestion does, by way of acting as the suggestion spell.
Fact is, a great many bards use Inspire Courage without speaking or singing at all. How can one enforce a language issue at that point? Better off moving past that to the "animals are too dumb to be inspired" argument--which is just plain wrong, as any dog owner can tell you.
I'm telling you some GMs apply a RL (not FM) interpretation to such things. When I dance around my dog, he thinks I'm trying to rile him up, not dance with him. He gets worked up and does bad things. That could be a RL basis for saying trying to inspire courage with dance would not work on dogs.
The point is that it uses a performance skill in some mysterious ambiguous way, and you can ask your bard how they're inspiring. If the answer is a way you think would never inspire an animal (for whatever reason), you could rule in your campaign that type of performance doesn't work on animals. Dance, oratory, poetry, and comedy all seem like ones that could fit this category. If you're the pied piper, you probably use a flute (or recorder) and that should work fine on your rodent companions (using that trope) - other performances maybe not so much.
Some GMs even require you to have 1 rank in a perform skill you use for bardic powers - oh the humanity! You can make PF into a purely mechanical game, but you might as well be playing a MMORPG at that point.
Isnt that how Darkvision works?
not if you actually know what darkvision means, or the word blind, or the word color.
and would bless work, I'd also say no for the same reason. If the phrasing was more akin to "increases ferocity" or something analogous I would think it more appropriate. But as I said, it is simply incredibly gamey, and since this is a game its fine. Even more so if you consider the point about apparently not knowing what a simple and common game mechanic as "darkvision" means.
Even more so if you consider the point about apparently not knowing what a simple and common game mechanic as "darkvision" means.
So a blind character suddenly being able to see due to magic is completely different, according to you, than a blind character (human in total darkness) suddenly being able to see due to magic (darkvision spell)?
Also, on your logic, animals should be immune to morale effects unless the caster has Speak with Animals cast on him.
You win this one.
You win this one.
If you keep displaying your own lack of insight, it might be better to not say anything at all.
So a blind character suddenly being able to see due to magic is completely different, according to you, than a blind character (human in total darkness) suddenly being able to see due to magic (darkvision spell)?
Darkvision gives BLACK AND WHITE VISION, it will in no way help a blind person understand color, black and white vision helps in identifying shape, something that is not foreign to blind people, color is.
Also, on your logic, animals should be immune to morale effects unless the caster has Speak with Animals cast on him.
If you would've botherd to quote something else from my post, you'd see that your assumption about my logic is frankly moronic. Morale and inspired courage are completely different concepts. An animal can be encouraged by anger or fear and easily get a morale bonus. they however don't get courage from a rhetoric or divine inspiration
You seem why these rules avoid any complexities. And I support that. why cant you?
Even more so if you consider the point about apparently not knowing what a simple and common game mechanic as "darkvision" means.So a blind character suddenly being able to see due to magic is completely different, according to you, than a blind character (human in total darkness) suddenly being able to see due to magic (darkvision spell)?
Also, on your logic, animals should be immune to morale effects unless the caster has Speak with Animals cast on him.
You win this one.
I guess I'm not on exactly the same page in this interpretation - Bless just makes you feel courageous. You're not getting a peptalk, or listening to an inspiring Ode, you just feel jazzed up. I'm not sure it seems as reasonable to interpose a language or intelligence barrier here.
Now if my GM were to try and argue I couldn't inspire courage with a musical instrument on animals, I might argue more strenuously - I think listening to Flight of the Valkyries would inspire any species.
@Diekssus
My point is that magic could be used to explain how things work, its magic afterall. A creature that has never flew before will suddenly figure out how to move around with a fly spell, even with poor manuever.
You dont need to explain a fireball flying from the tip of your fingers and exploding a boat. It goes as simple as: Cast Fireball, Roll Damage.
But it seems you cant hold a conversation without throwing insults every other phrase. So dont bother.
I guess I'm not on exactly the same page in this interpretation - Bless just makes you feel courageous. You're not getting a peptalk, or listening to an inspiring Ode, you just feel jazzed up. I'm not sure it seems as reasonable to interpose a language or intelligence barrier here.
We are in the same page here, i was replying to Diekssus.
I see them both being similar, bless you say things to help others, or pray to your gods, or give a inspiring speech, and whoever is an ally get inspired by it. Bless is a mind-affecting compulsion effect that grants morale bonus. You simply give them courage, according to the spell description.So i dont see how an ability called Inspire Courage shouldnt work on animals aswell.
It's magic, the same kind of magic that allows spellcasters to speak with animals is the magic that is granting those morale effects.
I think listening to Flight of the Valkyries would inspire any species.
I see them both being similar, bless you say things to help others, or pray to your gods, or give a inspiring speech, and whoever is an ally get inspired by it. Bless is a mind-affecting compulsion effect that grants morale bonus. You simply give them courage, according to the spell description.
So i dont see how an ability called Inspire Courage shouldnt work on animals aswell.
It's magic, the same kind of magic that allows spellcasters to speak with animals is the magic that is granting those morale effects.I think listening to Flight of the Valkyries would inspire any species.Agreed.
I was trying to parse certain types of performance from others. Since perform is invoked in some way, it seems like just as a blind person can't be inspired by dance, and a deaf person by sound, an animal may not be inspired by poetry or comedy.
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Discussions of whether an animal can be courageous, benefit from a morale bonus, etc, is all a discussion of play style, not of rule.
Inspire courage is not language dependent. Whether the animal can understand or not is irrelevant.
Whether animals can be allies are not is another story. Domestic animals are generally indifferent. This doesn't sound like an ally to me. Summoned creatures seem to me to be allies, whether an animal or not. Looking at it from the ally side may, in itself, be a matter of playstyle, although with the support of domestic animals being indifferent as a matter of rule.
Discussions of whether an animal can be courageous, benefit from a morale bonus, etc, is all a discussion of play style, not of rule.
Inspire courage is not language dependent. Whether the animal can understand or not is irrelevant.
There is rules text to support variability in who you can affect with a bardic ability (inspire courage as the example). My point has been all along that where you draw this line is subtle.
Please quote a rule that supports your second statement. I've played with multiple GMs who have interpreted it contrary to your unsupported statement.
If the method of delivery for inspire courage was immaterial, then there would not be conditions on it, nor would it reference a perform skill.
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There is rules text to support variability in who you can affect with a bardic ability (inspire courage as the example). My point has been all along that where you draw this line is subtle.Discussions of whether an animal can be courageous, benefit from a morale bonus, etc, is all a discussion of play style, not of rule.
Inspire courage is not language dependent. Whether the animal can understand or not is irrelevant.
The only rules based variability is that inspire courage has to be perceived, and that it must have a visual or auditory component. A blind person cannot perceive a visual performance. A deaf person cannot perceive an audible performance. Further distinctions are outside the question of rule and are a matter of play style. Tha only subtlety that is there is if you or others choose to insert it.
Please quote a rule that supports your second statement. I've played with multiple GMs who have interpreted it contrary to your unsupported statement.[\quote]I'm on a phone and can't copy text. Language dependent is a descriptor. While some bardic performances have it, inspire courage does not. Language dependent is defined in the magic chapter. If the descriptor exists for the effect, the creature must be able to understand it or it fails. It follows logically that if the descriptor doesn't exist for the effect, lack of linguistic understanding does not result in failure.
Whether you have played with GMs who play it differently is not germaine to the discussion. People opt to insert rules all the time.
If the method of delivery for inspire courage was immaterial, then there would not be conditions on it, nor would it reference a perform skill.Bardic performance makes a statement about the perform skill. Unlike in 3.5, where there were requirements for ranks in such skills, PF dropped that requirement. From a rules basis, inspire courage is abstractly visual or auditory. That's it. I don't particularly care for it, but there it is. I prefer it to be more concrete as a matter of personal style. A PF bard could sing one time, dance or juggle the next, recite poetry the third, etc. without any ranks in any of the performances presented. All that matters from a rules perspective is that it is audible or visual. Too dry for my taste, but there it is.
I was trying to parse certain types of performance from others. Since perform is invoked in some way, it seems like just as a blind person can't be inspired by dance, and a deaf person by sound, an animal may not be inspired by poetry or comedy.
What you say makes sense if the bard was merely performing.
But his "dance" is merely how he invokes his magic, just like how a wizard waves his fingers before the fireball flies at his target.The magic is the one affecting the allies, not the dance.
Just like the piper invoked the magic on his flute to affect the little animals.
One of my players is a dervish dancer bard that roleplays a kabuki. When he starts dancing, we put the traditional kabuki-style song in the background, as if actual song showed up from nowhere to support his perform, juts like in the theaters. The other players love it.
But it seems you cant hold a conversation without throwing insults every other phrase. So dont bother.
Frankly reading back you started that,
My point is that magic could be used to explain how things work
yes and you made it incredibly poorly.
So i dont see how an ability called Inspire Courage shouldnt work on animals aswell
and this is showing once again that you clearly misunderstand a lot of words, Neither have I, just that the kind of encouragement should not be something that can be created using a rhetoric or song.
And once again, simply saying "magic" doesn't solve anything, as a lot of spells and magic items require verbal commands, some are language dependend, so its not an all fix solution. And if the magic is used to invoke ,trough magic, feelings that the target does not comprehend not is affected by, it should not work.
Also people have mentiond that inspire courage does not require a preform score, please read back, its been mentioned before, it does affect the argument at all
Also people have mentiond that inspire courage does not require a preform score, please read back, its been mentioned before, it does affect the argument at all
I wasnt speaking about the skill, but his actual dance.
Also people have mentiond that inspire courage does not require a preform score, please read back, its been mentioned before, it does affect the argument at allI wasnt speaking about the skill, but his actual dance.
which is why I didn't quote you, an example would be Seebs.
@Howie23 - I can't follow what you're quoting. You did use the word performance in the part I could follow, though. If someone started reading poetry to me in Thai, there is zero chance I would be inspired - I might as well not have heard it.
I was trying to parse certain types of performance from others. Since perform is invoked in some way, it seems like just as a blind person can't be inspired by dance, and a deaf person by sound, an animal may not be inspired by poetry or comedy.What you say makes sense if the bard was merely performing.
But his "dance" is merely how he invokes his magic, just like how a wizard waves his fingers before the fireball flies at his target.
The magic is the one affecting the allies, not the dance.Just like the piper invoked the magic on his flute to affect the little animals.
One of my players is a dervish dancer bard that roleplays a kabuki. When he starts dancing, we put the traditional kabuki-style song in the background, as if actual song showed up from nowhere to support his perform, juts like in the theaters. The other players love it.
If the performance were just a way of invoking a spell (similar to the requirement that all of his bard spells have a verbal component), then the perception would not matter, and dance would work for blind folks just fine. I also hate to mention on such a picturesque example, but Dervish Dancer only inspires courage in him/herself - making communication a non-issue.
I have to admit, now that I think about it, I like the concept that certain types of performance will be more universal than others. It does give those playing instruments (which I see as the more universally understood) some advantage over those without (aside from using a masterwork instrument to give a plus on a skill that doesn't matter for the execution of this power anymore). I never bothered to adopt this interpretation in my home campaign, but I think I will now.
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Discussions of whether an animal can be courageous, benefit from a morale bonus, etc, is all a discussion of play style, not of rule.
Inspire courage is not language dependent. Whether the animal can understand or not is irrelevant.
There is rules text to support variability in who you can affect with a bardic ability (inspire courage as the example). My point has been all along that where you draw this line is subtle.
Please quote a rule that supports your second statement. I've played with multiple GMs who have interpreted it contrary to your unsupported statement.
If the method of delivery for inspire courage was immaterial, then there would not be conditions on it, nor would it reference a perform skill.
As for immersion that varies by person, but stories do have instances of animals being influenced by songs so I don't see the problem with this.
As for the rules, no specific performance is required unless it is mentioned.
As an example Countersong specifically calls out a for a performance.
Inspire courage and inspire competence do not. <---So by RAW no perform check is needed. Even if one was needed then the fact that tropes exist where animals are influenced by music supports the decision to allow them.
edit: The rules always state when something is language dependent, so if they don't then it is not.
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Kwauss: yeah, I messed up the tags. I can't edit it and won't be reporting it.
As for Thai poetry, that's all fine and good. And irrelevant to a rules discussion. You are not a character in the game. The poet is not a bard.
If you want to talk about how it should be and if it could be better, that's all fine and good. I prefer that level of detail and role play in my game as well.
I think it does, since the "fact" that it referenced the perform skill was advanced as an argument, and it does not reference the perform skill that I can see.
Also people have mentiond that inspire courage does not require a preform score, please read back, its been mentioned before, it does affect the argument at all
It does not in the sense that a lot of the discussion is not about the rules per se, that question was answered rather quickly, but more about the concern of "why would anyone think/rule otherwise"
The retort to that is that in certain cases it simply makes little sense, a mechanic that is there to allow for both generalized, streamlined and a less ambiguous rule-set. However since this is a roleplaying game, where immersion is a big factor it is very valid to question those generalizations or even overrule them. the discussion has mostly been about those concerns and whether or not they are valid.
I think it does, since the "fact" that it referenced the perform skill was advanced as an argument, and it does not reference the perform skill that I can see.
Also people have mentiond that inspire courage does not require a preform score, please read back, its been mentioned before, it does affect the argument at all
Bardic Performance: A bard is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around him, including himself if desired.
My PRD even hotlinks the perform skill.
My point is simple, really. Bardic Performance uses a perform skill (not a check) to execute. It requires targets effected by it to see and/or hear that performance. I would interpret this (along with references to language dependencies) to mean that you need training in an appropriate perform skill to affect specific targets. How this is interpreted by a specific GM is up to them, of course. Even to the point of treating Bardic Performance as something purely mechanistic (which I think is a shame).
I would not let someone with only Act, Comedy, Dance, Oratory or Sing have bardic performanced work on animals or in some cases targets who can't understand the language used. When they get very good at singing, I'd probably let them affect anyone (say 5+ ranks?). It has the side benefit I mentioned above of giving instrumental bards an advantage.
I also hate to mention on such a picturesque example, but Dervish Dancer only inspires courage in him/herself - making communication a non-issue.
It makes no mention of a dervish losing the regular bardic performance to buff allies, it mentions that he loses a few performances, but not inspire courage.
And to be honest, they are lv6 now and he has only used it to buff others once, he forgets to use it on himself sometimes.
I also hate to mention on such a picturesque example, but Dervish Dancer only inspires courage in him/herself - making communication a non-issue.It makes no mention of a dervish losing the regular bardic performance to buff allies, it mentions that he loses a few performances, but not inspire courage.
And to be honest, they are lv6 now and he has only used it to buff others once, he forgets to use it on himself sometimes.
I thought this meant inspire courage/etc. only affected the Bard (bold mine):
Battle Dance: A dervish dancer is trained in the use of the Perform skill, especially dance, to create magical effects on himself. This works like bardic performance, except the dervish dancer only affects himself, and does not need to be able to see or hear his own performance.
<snip>
Dervish dancers gain the inspire courage, inspire greatness, and inspire heroics bardic performance types as battle dances, but these only provide benefit to the dervish dancer himself.
I think it does, since the "fact" that it referenced the perform skill was advanced as an argument, and it does not reference the perform skill that I can see.
Also people have mentiond that inspire courage does not require a preform score, please read back, its been mentioned before, it does affect the argument at all
My PRD even hotlinks the perform skill.
Bardic Performance: A bard is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around him, including himself if desired.
I was looking specifically at Inspire Courage, which may be why I missed that. Hmm.
Looking at the skill as a whole, and comparing the different modes, it seems that it's pretty much unambiguous that inspire courage is not in any way language-dependant, but it is mind-affecting, so it should work on anything which can perceive it and which is affected by mind-affecting effects.
Interestingly, you have to choose whether to use audible or visible components when using the power. So if you're in a party with one deaf person and one blind person, you can't do an inspire courage that affects them both.
I would not let someone with only Act, Comedy, Dance, Oratory or Sing have bardic performanced work on animals or in some cases targets who can't understand the language used.I don't think you should significantly nerf a character's major skills purely for flavor reasons unless you are giving them corresponding buffs also.
What I think this addresses is that no bard puts points in a perform skill that's not calculated to their advantage because of versatile performance. What this means is that instrumental bards are almost never seen - who wants to waste 1 hand in combat, much less two, with an instrument (unless the GM doesn't require perform skill at all, which I've also seen)? I think this is a dramatic distortion of the 'type' that I'd like to use something rules-compatible to remedy. Not only would I allow you to affect a more broad-spectrum of targets with an instrument, but I'd also give you a longer range.
As for immersion that varies by person, but stories do have instances of animals being influenced by songs so I don't see the problem with this.
As for the rules, no specific performance is required unless it is mentioned.
As an example Countersong specifically calls out a for a performance.
Inspire courage and inspire competence do not. <---So by RAW no perform check is needed. Even if one was needed then the fact that tropes exist where animals are influenced by music supports the decision to allow them.
edit: The rules always state when something is language dependent, so if they don't then it is not.
This being the Rules Forum, this is the RAW (and also how PFS and IIRC Herolab treats it, which is not tech. RAW but is a solid indicator 99.9% of the time).
As Nefreet pointed out early on,
... unless you summoned a Mindless creature, in which case it wouldn't gain any benefit from the Bard's Inspire Courage at all, as Mindless creatures are immune to moral effects.
Is the exception. So, end result, you can't motivate a Beetle but you can motivate a Dog. Anything else isn't the rules, it's house rules.
(...and house rules aren't really a dirty word, jump to the homebrew forums and discuss it that's part of the beauty of pen and paper, but Rules Forum wise this is the RAW and, since some of it was changed from other editions, likely Dev's RAI too)
Perhaps this is then a source of advocacy in the end. A case in point is another thread currently about instruments for bards, and the answer is universally don't bother you'll only screw yourself. In fact, the advice isn't to put Any ranks into perform except as you want Versatile Performance.
I hope Paizo will adjust the rules to make performance a necessary skill again for Bards (although I will say the 3.5 mechanism is a kludge), and make instruments worthwhile for something. In the meantime, I'll just house rule to force the issue. In fact, I haven't seen any arguments that persuade me that this isn't at least RAI, and only a small stretch for RAW, since the only evidence to contradict the interpretation (given thus far) ignores much of the ability description (i.e. the word perform) and treats it as a spell.
Otherwise, you have no bards who use an instrument unless it's a useful magic item in its own right (and only a few need much skill), and you have a cantrip (summon instrument) that is a waste of word-space, essentially (except to drop an accordion or Tuba on the heads of besiegers every round). You also allow bards to go a whole career without a single rank in perform, with almost no drop in effectiveness. Finally you have a class all about communication that has no need to communicate intelligibly for any reason if you just avoid a few select powers.
