Bardic performance and Nausea

[Myrryr]

So just got into an argument about whether or not nausea prevents maintaining bardic performance. Soo... does it?

[Iterman]

Nauseated

Creatures with the nauseated condition experience stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.

If you're already maintaining the bardic performance with a free action, you could argue that attention is not necessary. However, if your DM has said no already, he/she seems within the scope of the rules to do so.

[Umbranus]

Iterman wrote:

Nauseated

Creatures with the nauseated condition experience stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.

Not totally clear. If read strictly a nauseated PC can not use free actions as a single move action is the only action he can use per turn.

I do not think that is the RAI because there are a lot of free actions he should be able to perform. Drop stuff held in his hands or shift grip, drop prone, mutter a few words just to mention a few.

Edit: I meant RAI not RAW. Fixed it.

[Myrryr]

Interesting way of looking at it. I know bardic performance does not specifically say nausea stops it, but goes out of it's way to mention paralyze, stun, unconscious and the extremely obvious death condition. You'd think they'd remember nausea if they remember death.

[Fomsie]

You left out the last bit of Bardic Performance,

"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."

And nauseated creatures are prevented from doing "anything else requiring attention".

I think there is an argument to say that being nauseated would stop a performance. Though there is argument to say it doesn't. In this case I would say it is an area that is entirely up to GM interpretation.

[Claxon]

This is why you take Lingering Performance. By the time it matters the enemy has probably died.

[Abraham spalding]

Fomsie wrote:

You left out the last bit of Bardic Performance,

"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."

And nauseated creatures are prevented from doing "anything else requiring attention".

I think there is an argument to say that being nauseated would stop a performance. Though there is argument to say it doesn't. In this case I would say it is an area that is entirely up to GM interpretation.

Slightly different take on the above. Combined with your emphasis I think it's safe to say the argument for not disrupting bardic performance is stronger than against:

1. You can't disrupt bardic performance.

2. Nauseated is bad but not as bad as stunned, killed, unconscious, paralyzed or killed. Those literal stop any and all actions. Nausea doesn't.