Spell Feedback

[The Total Package]

Can I get people's opinions on this level 8 spell. I am wondering if it has a place in my repertoire as a Bard. I will have Effortless Concentration next level and was seriously considering this spell.

Musical Shift

Traditions divine, occult
Range 20-foot (4sq) emanation
Duration sustained (up to 1 minute)
With a quick series of wrist flicks, music fills the air. While the music can be heard as if it were performed normally at a distance, creatures in the spell’s area become affected in more significant ways. When you cast musical shift, select a key signature (to affect enemies) and a time signature (to affect allies) from the options below; all creatures within the area are affected as indicated. You can change the key signature or time signature as part of the action you take when you Sustain the spell.

Flat (key signature) Whenever an enemy critically fails at a Strike, saving throw, or skill check, they fall prone in addition to other effects from the critical failure.

Natural (key signature) Enemies take a –2 status penalty to attack rolls.

Sharp (key signature) Whenever an enemy takes piercing or slashing damage, they also take 2d6 (7) persistent bleed damage.

Double (time signature) You and your allies become quickened and can use the extra action each round only for Leap, Stand, Step, or Stride actions.

Quadruple (time signature) You and your allies gain a +2 status bonus to attack rolls.

Triple (time signature) You and your allies gain a +2 status bonus to Armor Class and Reflex saving throws.

[YuriP]

It is a good spell but requires that you are in the frontline when you cast it due its small range. Are you playing as frontliner Warrior Bard?

[The Total Package]

Yes I am matter of fact

[The Total Package]

Which key signature and which time signature do you recommend?

[YuriP]

Depend on the situation. One of the good points about this spell is that it is adjustable during casting time.

In most general use would be Natural + Triple. This may compete partially with things like Bane and Rallying Anthem but with a -2/+2 status bonuses instead and are condensed in one single spell.

Other keys:

Sharp could be interesting too but needs that you and your allies uses piercing or slashing damage to be more effective and also doesn't do bleeding damage. Also, I think it scales poorly.

Flat is hard to trigger, I don't think it's worth at all.

Other time:

Double doesn't give Strike to the quickened actions available. What is very limited at this level.

Quadruple is good too once that give AoE +2 status bonuses specially if you want to be more offensive.

[The Total Package]

Interesting, I was actually thinking vs non bosses when fighting 4-5 enemies that Flat may be quite good as each round in my experience anyways at least one enemy Crit fails when they MAP 2?

[YuriP]

It may also be, but the problem is that at this level enemies do not necessarily use MAP-5 attacks. It is quite common in monsters on NPCs of nearby levels when you gain access to this spell and higher, most likely have multiple spells or abilities that normally make it unfeasible to make MAP attacks.

The other point is that if you are struggling with 4-5 enemies and not an extreme encounter, it means that they are weak, and usually against this kind of enemies, it is usually better to try to kill soon. The natural tendency is for players to get them easily hit them and they fail most attempts to hit players, have less HP and tend to be critically hit, or to critically fail in saves. In these cases it causes damage is often preferable to debut because each enemy that falls as soon as it is less one to attack players.

It is not like that it will not work to use Shift musical against them, but in my opinion, the effectiveness of this is questionable about simply playing a Telekinetic Bombardment causing the damage of a high level fireball at the same time as they leave the enemies that failed prone.

[The Total Package]

Very good points, I have been pondering this over the past week. The -2 penalty to attack rolls stacks with off-guard and the +2 bonus to AC is real nice effectively giving myself and the fighter and barbarian a +4 to AC. That as a free sustain seems like a real good use of an 8th level spell. I don't think it would be worth it if Effortless Concentration wasn't in play, then I would probably pass on this spell.

[The Total Package]

Or what do you think about going with Quadruple and Natural, and then in terms of regular actions using Rallying Anthem with Orchestral Brooch to ensure the +3 to AC and Saves. Or is Heroics better with the +3? I'm leaning towards Quadruple for the +2 to attack rolls instead in conjunction with the Rallying Anthem at +3 to AC and Saves and Resistance being superior, what are people's thoughts here?