Hello rules forum!
Now I recently started building new characters with the Unchained Variant Multiclass (VMC) rules. Naturally, I had an idea for a knowledge centric Sensei Monk; using the Bard VMC to gain Bardic Knowledge.
Then I sort of noticed the Sensei's Advice ability...
Advice (Ex)A sensei’s advice is identical to bardic performance (using oratory), allowing him to inspire courage at 1st level, inspire competence at 3rd level, and inspire greatness at 9th level, as a bard of the sensei’s level, usable a total number of rounds per day equal to his level + his Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).
This ability replaces flurry of blows, fast movement, and improved evasion.
The Bard VMC at level 7 nets you the following...
Bardic Performance: At 7th level, he gains the ability to inspire courage and inspire competence as a bard of his character level – 4 for a number of rounds per day equal to his Charisma modifier + his character level.
So what happens?
Do the levels stack? Are they wasted? Do I have two separate performance pools? Do they upgrade each other? It doesn't have the usual clause about stacking levels this way ("Levels in this class stack with levels in any other class that grants a similar ability to determine her effective bard level.").I'm puzzled and don't even know what to search to find an answer. "Bardic Performance Stacking" usually gets me some answers; but they are more about Songtwisting, the Battle Herald, and the Chronicler than anything else.
Any help or even a link would be fantastic.
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The general rule is that class features don't stack unless otherwise stated. You will get two separate pools of Bardic Performance.
This is clarified in this FAQ about Channel Energy, which works similarly:
Channel Energy: If I have this ability from more than one class, do they stack?
No—unless an ability specifically says it stacks with similar abilities (such as an assassin's sneak attack), or adds in some way based on the character's total class levels (such as improved uncanny dodge), the abilities don't stack and you have to use them separately. Therefore, cleric channeling doesn't stack with paladin channeling, necromancer channeling, oracle of life channeling, and so on.
Thats what I thought but I recall a post once by SKR talking about similar features stacking for ease of simplicity; I must have gotten something mixed up.
Thats not that bad then. I was worried they would cap or at worst be a dead feature, but I really like that Bardic Knowledge and it was far too tempting (and well worth the feats it costs in my eyes).
The next question then would be...
If I got Inspire and other Bardic Performances through Advice, do I qualify for things requiring performance? It says it is identical so I assume that it would be, outside of the Wisdom change.
Thanks for the assistance!
EDIT: Adding in another one, might as well save space. If they are separate pools, would that allow one to Advice -> Inspire Courage and Perform -> Inspire Competence at the same time? My gut instinct says no but you never know.
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That's a little trickier. I think that since Advice works identically to performance it would qualify you for feats with Bardic Performance as a pre-requisite, but that you would not be able to give Advice and Perform at the same time.
The most relevant precedent, here, clarifies that you should use the mechanics of an alternate feature rather than the name in order to determine whether it counts as the feature. However it's talking about archetypes that refine a class ability, rather than archetypes that give you an ability from another class, so it's not 100% clear.
Archetype: If an archetype replaces a class ability with a more specific version of that ability (or one that works similarly to the replaced ability), does the archetype's ability count as the original ability for the purpose of rules that improve the original ability?
It depends on how the archetype's ability is worded. If the archetype ability says it works like the standard ability, it counts as that ability. If the archetype's ability requires you to make a specific choice for the standard ability, it counts as that ability. Otherwise, the archetype ability doesn't count as the standard ability. (It doesn't matter if the archetype's ability name is different than the standard class ability it is replacing; it is the description and game mechanics of the archetype ability that matter).