any reason why the advanced versatile performance 'Martial Performance' is banned?

[ohako]

lesse

a) you have to take one versatile performance first
b) you gain proficiency with or Weapon Focus with a weapon in the groups associated with your versatile performance
c) your fighter level for qualifying for feats for that weapon is 1/2 your bard level

So lemme try to optimize this

1. At 2nd level, go versatile performance (oratory)
2. At 6th level, grab advanced versatile performance, martial performance (rapier). This nabs you Weapon Focus (rapier).
3. When you hit 7th level, your fighter level is 3.5 (hah!), so no Weapon Specialization for you. Take Fencing Grace. (you could take it earlier, but then you'd miss out on the free Weapon Focus)
4. At 9th level you can finally have Weapon Specialization (rapier).

Am I missing something? Don't get me wrong, it's a nice power, but to get this you're giving up 2 max skill rank skills, and it only kicks in (as far as I can see) at 9th level. This does not particularly seem that bad.

[Nefreet]

Can you link or quote this ability you're referring to?

[BigNorseWolf]

There are items that boost your effective level for these sorts of things aren't there?

[Ascalaphus]

Nefreet wrote:

Can you link or quote this ability you're referring to?

advanced versatile performance

[Ascalaphus]

I'm not sure why it wasn't allowed. I don't immediately see any hideously strong uses, although you can squeeze more out of it with some retraining.

Probably because you're trading an ability generally considered to be weak (L6+ versatile performance) for one that's strong (Weapon Focus is a boring but good feat).

[Diachronos]

From what I've seen, a lot of PFS bans focus on things that really aren't threatening enough to be worth banning, like the martial performance option and the Hamatulatsu feat.

[Nefreet]

I just realized this is the third "why was X banned" thread in four days.

Here are the responses from one of the other threads that explain the Pathfinder Society selection process, and why possibly some things don't make the cut.

[Philippe Lam]

What I'm disappointed to see is why these players/users can't simply try to get accustomed to not always have things going their way and play around it. If there is a repetitiveness of these kind of topics, there is also a rinse and repeat that it's cringey to see.

Sure there are bans who are obscure, not logic or border unfair, but it's not like life stops.

[ohako]

Oh, my apologies for using the wrong terminology. I didn't mean to suggest I was jonesing after the ability or anything like that. I was curious because the ability didn't seem obviously screwy or mighty. Ser Bannenburg's reasoning is as good as any.

[Philippe Lam]

It wasn't specifically targeting you, so no need to apologize. It is rather myself being fed up about how too often some ask why, or tell that should be unlocked, etc.

It is not ideal, but I think that currently the communication is fine. Don't tell too much, or one will ask more and more questions and this will amount to no good.

[Farrindor]

I've been looking at these threads more as a 'let us have fun and speculate why this particular item/category wasn't chosen'/'I'm bored and I want to start a conversation to participate in' than any implication that folks are necessarily unhappy with what isn't allowed. (There's some of that sometimes, but the rash of them lately has felt more curious than an effort to unbind the item.)

From that perspective, having finally read the feat (rather than just wondering what this option in HeroLabs was that wasn't PFS legal) my first impression is that this might end up being a Chronicle item when we have a Lion Blades adventure later down the line. Not because this item needs to be kept rarer than normal (one reason a Chronicle would get an option) but because it makes the story told in that scenario 'more'. Because this absolutely /reeks/ of Lion Blade story, and I think that would be a cool connection for something that would be rather niche use even if it was globally available.

[BigNorseWolf]

Nothing wrong with getting the whole pack together and scratching your heads over why something didn't get through

[pauljathome]

I have no idea why this was banned but I do think that it is significantly more powerful than you do.

One can already build a fairly powerful combat bard. Giving it nearly free Combat Specialization at level 8 (you retrain a feat at L8) is a significant benefit. And the cost is pretty negligible. Bards already rock the skills, losing what is essentially a free skill rank (you spend 1 to gain 2) is not a big deal at all.

I'm also sure there is some weird exotic weapon out there which is unbalanced with the right build so the weapon proficiency is also something not to be sneezed at.