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Way back in 3.5, bards were actually required to take ranks in Perform, because unlocking different performances was tied to it. (Also, fun fact! In 3.0, there wasn't even a bard level requirement, so the best "bard" was actually a Bard 1 / Rogue 19) Pathfinder started a trend away from this, by only making the Perform skill matter for distraction and countersong. Apart from thinking Perform (oratory) makes more sense under countersong than distraction, I don't have any strong feelings about this.
What I do care about, which I hope doesn't happen in PF 2e, is the changes they made in 5e.
All bards are automatically proficient in three musical instruments. If you use the default starting gear instead of buying, you start with an instrument. Bards can use musical instruments as spell foci, similar to clerics and holy symbols. And unless you purposefully buy a spell component pouch, that is what you're using for a focus.
Paizo, the beauty of Perform (oratory) is that you don't need to make a spoony minstrel, and can easily refluff to things like a military commander barking orders at his party. 5e doesn't even easily allow for a singing bard. For the sake of orator bards everywhere (and my Christine Daaé expy in Hell's Rebels, made to take advantage of the Kintargo Opera House), please don't go the same route Wizards did.
I've always been a fan of song and speech bards, it always seemed less immersive and realistic (as realistic as you can bee in a fantasy setting) to cart around instruments while exploring a cave or sneaking into a lair.
And +1 for the military commander bit. We could definitely use a better archetype for military commander bards.
Never forget the Perform (Mimicry) Bards...
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I have an unreasonable hatred for the PF1 bard, because of the nerf to bardic performance by using rounds instead of uses per day.
In 3.5, a bard had one use of bardic music per day/level, whereas Pathfinder gives them 2 rounds per level + 2 + Charisma modifier. The switch from uses to rounds was an enormous nerf.
In 3.5, once the bard started Inspiring Courage, the party got the bonus for as long as the bard kept performing, without spending any other resources. While the bard needed to use a standard action to start singing, the only limit on keeping a performance up was that they couldn't cast spells or use most activated magic items - but they could still fight. In addition, the combat-relevant performances (Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness, Inspire Heroics) all lasted for as long as the bard kept their performance up, plus 5 more rounds. 5 rounds is basically "one combat".
But the big killer when it came to rounds instead of uses was Inspire Competence. In 3.5, a single use would buff an ally for up to 2 minutes - enough to climb a wall, or take 20 on a Disable Device attempt. In Pathfinder, that would cost a whopping 20 rounds of performance.
Oh, and of course 3.5's Song of Freedom (perform for one minute, cast break enchantment) for a single use blows the PF equivalent Soothing Performance (perform for 4 rounds, cast mass cure serious wounds and remove fatigued, sickened, and shaken conditions) out of the water.
The bard was definitely my biggest disappointment with Pathfinder.
RazarTuk wrote: Way back in 3.5, bards were actually required to take ranks in Perform, because unlocking different performances was tied to it. (Also, fun fact! In 3.0, there wasn't even a bard level requirement, so the best "bard" was actually a Bard 1 / Rogue 19) Pathfinder started a trend away from this, by only making the Perform skill matter for distraction and countersong. Apart from thinking Perform (oratory) makes more sense under countersong than distraction, I don't have any strong feelings about this.
What I do care about, which I hope doesn't happen in PF 2e, is the changes they made in 5e.
All bards are automatically proficient in three musical instruments. If you use the default starting gear instead of buying, you start with an instrument. Bards can use musical instruments as spell foci, similar to clerics and holy symbols. And unless you purposefully buy a spell component pouch, that is what you're using for a focus.
Paizo, the beauty of Perform (oratory) is that you don't need to make a spoony minstrel, and can easily refluff to things like a military commander barking orders at his party. 5e doesn't even easily allow for a singing bard. For the sake of orator bards everywhere (and my Christine Daaé expy in Hell's Rebels, made to take advantage of the Kintargo Opera House), please don't go the same route Wizards did.
Playing a bard always makes me feel as though I'm cheating, in a way--there is never a way that I cannot contribute. It's probably because of that design philosophy. I suppose my experience was different than the above poster's, but it might align with others'!
The only classes that matched this were Paizo's later productions. The magus and summoner understandably had a lot of FAQs due to them trying new things (and eventual rewrites) but alchemist, inquisitor, and others stand out for their flexibility while still executing their theme.
So, I'm looking forward to see how it turns out. I'm a little anxious though, at the paladin LoH being 1d4+Cha (AAAUGH, I HOPE IT SCALES says the internal, flailing gremlin) but ...
Hey. :D
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