Pathfinder Chronicler in Pathfinder Society

[FileTransferProdigal]

My bard just entered PF Chronicler, and I was wondering how one of its abilities works in PFS play - Epic Tales, the one that lets you basically make Scrolls of Bardic Performance.

In a normal campaign, such a character would just record unused rounds of performance at the end of the day, and keep track of when they expire. In PFS, there is an undetermined amount of time between scenarios (but enough time to get a normal wage from a day job). So would the character start a scenario with "PFC class level"-number of epic tales scrolls with each containing whatever number of rounds the character is capable of producing? "PFC class level"-number of scrolls with a reduced number of rounds on each? One scroll of the max number of rounds? Something else?

Also, do you need to specify what kind of Bardic Performance the Epic Tale scroll confers when it's scribed or when it's activated?

[Ragoz]

You would start with no Epic Tales at the beginning of each scenario until you used the ability to create some. They can't be made or kept at the end of a scenario or during downtime.

The performance type is determined when the tale is inscribed.

[Jessex]

Where does that come from? That seems strongly at variance with things like staves being fully charged at the start of scenarios.

[Ragoz]

In the spells section of the guide it says "All spells and effects end at the end of a scenario with the following exceptions". This is why they end at the end of the scenario and don't carry over.

Staves have been given a specific FAQ exemption to the rule.

Quote:

Do items like staves carry charges to the next scenario played?

Yes.

[FileTransferProdigal]

Oh. That makes it much less usable.

The only reason to craft an Epic Tale is because it carries over; it's otherwise too prohibitive to make and use. So the only time to make use of this ability is scenarios that take place over days and in scenarios where there is mandated travel time before the real action starts?

[Ragoz]

Or if there isn't a rush to complete whatever you are setting out to do. A lot of the time the only sense of urgency is your own party.

[WalterGM]

Epic Tales is quite good at the higher levels when you combine it with the Chronicler's unique bardic performance options. Namely the move action / standard action. Pass out a copy to your front liners and let them read it before kicking in the BBEG door. Now they have a free move action for the next minute of combat--effectively giving them mythic haste. You meanwhile can perform and give everyone bonuses to hit and damage, as a normal bard, or give yourself bonus standard actions so you can full attack with your ranged weapon and cast a spell every round.

Chroniclers are often overlooked but surprisingly good options out of the CRB.

[Belafon]

Walter Sheppard wrote:

Epic Tales is quite good at the higher levels when you combine it with the Chronicler's unique bardic performance options. Namely the move action / standard action. Pass out a copy to your front liners and let them read it before kicking in the BBEG door. Now they have a free move action for the next minute of combat--effectively giving them mythic haste. You meanwhile can perform and give everyone bonuses to hit and damage, as a normal bard, or give yourself bonus standard actions so you can full attack with your ranged weapon and cast a spell every round.

I'm not sure if Inspire Action would really work with Epic Tales:

Quote:

Inspire Action (Su): As a special use of bardic music, a 6th-level Pathfinder chronicler can exhort any one ally within hearing to a sudden surge of action, allowing her ally to immediately take an extra move action. This does not count against the ally's number of actions on his own turn.

Inspire Action, unfortunately, uses the phrase "bardic music" which has no real meaning in Pathfinder. However I don't read it as intending to continue. You use the Inspire Action bardic performance. The targeted ally can immediately take a move action. If you use it again, the ally can take another move action.

I can see it going the other way, though. "As long as you maintain the performance the targeted ally can take a move action each round." In which case Epic Tales would be quite handy.

Epic Tales is most useful at higher levels and in rare situations. For example you could make an Epic Tale of Inspire Competence (Stealth) which normally is not a valid use of Inspire Competence. At higher levels (14+) you could make an Epic Tale of Soothing Performance, allowing anyone to cast mass cure serious wounds as a full-round action. (Or use it yourself so it only takes one round instead of 4).

I do have a Pathfinder Chronicler in Core play. I actually think Deep Pockets is an amazingly useful class ability (which makes me sad there's a slightly better (in normal PFS play) feat-based version available to everyone now with Ultimate Intrigue).