Question re: Blink spelll

[jeffbosco]

Could a bard use her Bardic Performance to Inspire Courage while blinking, or would half her time on the ethereal plane cause the performance to be "stuttered" and therefore not affect her allies?

[*Thelith]

I'd allow it..

Blink says:

An ethereal creature can see and hear the Material Plane, but everything looks gray and insubstantial. Sight and hearing on the Material Plane are limited to 60 feet.

So... If they are within 60ft.

[*Thelith]

Inspire courage says 50ft, so make that 50ft, not 60ft.
Works as normal.

[Azothath]

well, look at both;
Bard, then Bardic Performance:

Bardic Performance:

A bard is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around him, including himself if desired. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st a bard can use bardic performance for 2 additional rounds per day. Each round, the bard can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that he has mastered, as indicated by his level.

Starting a bardic performance is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.

the first tricky part here is, "cannot be disrupted". In context that implies the caster taking damage does not have to make a concentration check to maintain the performance (as a free action).
Secondly is only having one bardic performance going at once, so the spellcasting of Blink cannot come from a Bardic Performance.
Lastly, free actions in RAW don't have a limit but your home game GM may restrict them.

Blink doesn't have specific timing, in fact it's several times a round and many over the character's turn.

I don't really see a problem with starting or maintaining a Bardic Performance as an instantaneous interruption doesn't affect the Performance.

The targets do need to see or hear you (I say OR as Inspire Courage lets you choose between the two) but that's only needed for the action to start or maintain the effect.

commentary - If your GM needs an analogy, the movie Jaws is an excellent example. The music(audible) does the suspense *bah dum* and the shark *bah dum* is somewhere *bah dum* under the *bah dum* water *bah da bah da* and then *bah da bah da* the shark *Bah Da* pops *BAH DA* up *BUM* (que screams). Or you could choose a theme/act that goes with the semi-etherealaness, ghostly encouragement.