Hi guys,
just wondering if you think it could be worth for a supporter bard (maybe a reach one) take the following feat chain:
- Weapon Focus
- Dazzling Display
- Intimidating Performance (action economy)
- Improved Dirge of Doom
If i'm reading it correctly, as soon as i can start a performance as a swift action i can for instance start the Dirge of Doom performance and thanks to Intimidating Performance use Dazzling Display to demoralize all foe in a 30ft radius, so that thanks to Improved Dirge of Doom i make all enemies in a 30 ft radius frightened and the ones in the radius 30-60 shaken.
Before the swift performance i can still do this trick to one enemy (not using Dazzling Display, but a regular intimidate test).
Seems to me it could be quite a strong option if i'm reading it right.
Thanks in advance.
Matt
Dazzling Display (Combat)
Your skill with your favored weapon can frighten enemies.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus, proficiency with the selected weapon.
Benefit: While wielding the weapon in which you have Weapon Focus, you can perform a bewildering show of prowess as a full-round action. Make an Intimidate check to demoralize all foes within 30 feet who can see your display.
Intimidating Performance
Your performance strikes fear in the hearts of foes.
Prerequisites: Ability to start a performance (or raging song) as a move action, bardic performance or raging song class feature.
Benefit: When you start a performance (or a raging song) as a move or swift action, you can use a standard action to demoralize a foe (Core Rulebook 99), attempting a Perform check appropriate to your performance in place of the Intimidate check. Your performance must be one with an audible component.
If you can start a performance as a swift action and you have the Dazzling Display feat, you can gain the benefit of Dazzling Display by succeeding at a Perform check in place of an Intimidate check.
Improved Dirge of Doom
The foreboding tone of your dirge is especially effective at unsettling your enemies.
Prerequisite: Ability to perform dirge of doom.
Benefit: The range of your dirge of doom ability is extended to 60 feet. Additionally, if a creature is shaken from another effect, the effect of your dirge of doom is changed to frightened for that specific creature. This benefit cannot cause a creature to become panicked, even if a target is already frightened from another effect.
Normal: The range of dirge of doom is 30 feet. A creature that is already shaken cannot become frightened by dirge of doom.
I think you May need Disheartening Display, to be sure that the non stacking intimidate fear is stackable, as well but then you can make them run away. But in most games i have played in.. Bad guys that run away have to be chased Down and make the party spilt up and generally dosent make the game any more fun if it happends all the time.
It would totally work. You might not like the unintended consequences of it working, though. For a different 5 feats your Bard could get Whirlwind Attack, drink a Potion of Enlarge Person, and make those same foes in 25' radius dead ...
I don't think a single attack from the Bard is going to kill anything by the time you get all those feats...
I have a lvl 10 PFS dirge bard with disheartening display and have used it... 0 times. Start Dirge as move+ cast Fear is simply more effective. Waste of feats!
i would Think that the lag of save on the display along with saving a level 3 spell would be worth it. But my groups usually dont want the bad guys to run away. So my experiance is limited.
Well point is right now I don't even need a save; dirge is no-save shaken and Fear causes anything to be frightened for at least 1 round, no save... which means stuff like demons will just teleport away in my experience.
better retrain then:)
Intimidating Performance does not actually help with action economy. I know, I thought the same thing when I first read it. But actually stop and think about it. If you can start Dirge of Doom as a Swift, you can already use Dirge of Doom followed by Dazzling Display. And if you can start your performance as a move, you can already Dirge of Doom and then demoralize as a standard action.
What intimidating performance actually does is let you use Perform instead of Intimidate. It's only worth taking if you are an archetype that loses Versatile Performance (I wouldn't recommend being one of those, versatile performance is awesome!) or you never intend to take Comedy, Percussion, or Keyboards.
In other words, drop it for a better feat, like Disheartening Display or Motivating Display. Or save yourself another two feats and just use Blistering Invective for AoE demoralize. I play a full support Bard that has never swung a weapon and felt that weapon focus was totally wasted.