Masterwork Performances?

I could swear that I've heard of this concept before: a performer spends time and crafts a particularly good performance, and when he performs it he gains special bonuses. I've got a player in my game whose Fighter has been learning songs of different cultures, and who has composed a few spells to celebrate their victories, lament their losses, and even propose to the daughter of an Elvish emperor.

I want to offer him the chance to use some of these performances in a somewhat bardic way, though he really doesn't want anything else the bard class offers. Right now, I've let him take a feat to give him the ability to use the most minor bardic music abilities three times per day; there aren't any bards in the group, so no one worries about this stealing that class's thunder. One of the special songs he has is a fey song that has the special power that it forces incorporeal entities to manifest and become solid.

I'm wondering if anyone knows about other sorts of masterwork performances.

I think Sigil's Enchiridion of Mystic Music has composition rules.

Aside from purchasing said product, I would make a fighter at least pay a feat to be able to mimic bardic abilities. Bards are magic-users after all, and so they essentially are able to channel magic into their instruments to produce those effects. I mean, otherwise every bum with a ukelele is providing to-hit bonuses when they walk down the street to everyone with a 30' radius.

Forcing incorporeal creatures into a corporeal state is pretty powerful. That would effectively lower the CR of a phase spider or ghost encounter by a good 3 or 4 CRs. I suppose given the infrequency of such things, that's not that big a deal, though.

Obviously, anyone can take Perform() and pay whatever ranks is necessary for them.

We had a big debate about MW perform() in D&D rules, I think. I'll see if I can dredge up that debate.

Well, it's a good read if nothing else.

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=60314

Hoo boy! Where do you want me to start?

OK, Song and Silence has circumstance bonuses for Bard's playing Masterwork instruments. Stuff like a +2 to Diplomacy checks with Royalty for the next 4 hours after you have performed well (met a reasonable Perform DC) with a Shawm. Stuff like that. It wouldn't be too big a deal to give that benefit to anyone using a masterwork instrument. But, I don't think that is quite what you are looking for.

Ronin Arts recently put out a PDF on Performing Magic. It has ideas on how to use spells as your Perform routine. That definitely doesn't sound like what you are looking for.

The Enchiridion of Mystic Music breaks a lot of the Bard abilities down so you could apply them in a more modular fashion. Heck, if you wanted, you could design a PrC that includes a small smattering of bardic type things without detracting from the PC's fighter focus too much. He wouldn't look like a Bard, but he wouldn't be quite a straight fighter either. I don't think this is what you are looking for, but I think it would help. The Sigil has the non-revised version as the demo product, so if you don't have the Enchiridion, download the demo and get a good idea of what you are looking at.

FFG's Path of Magic includes rules that expand on Bardic music a little. There is a school path, The Celestial Choir, that might be of interest to the PC.

There was an issue of Dragon that had Masterwork Performances that you could learn. Basically, this would be burning exp to learn a specific composition that would give you benefits. This might be what you are thinking of. As a player of a Bard, I wasn't too excited about it, but it might be what you are looking for with your PC. I will see if I can find the issue number when I get home tonight.

I like fiddling with the bardic stuff. If you had some ideas on what you were looking for, I would be happy to brainstorm with you. I have designed a few campaign specific PrC's, new Bardic Music abilities and that sort of thing for my games.

The masterwork performances were also listed/described in Dragon, but since I am at work currently I don't have the issue#.
Once I get home I'll post it unless someone beats me to it.

RD

Just a bump. I hope you're home from work.

Indeed I am!

Dragon Issue 301, page 44 - Meter and Measure is the article name.

OK, I just browsed it again real quickly. You can learn the performance and then use it once you have appropriate ranks in Perform(x). It is kind of like a magic item in that it has a market value. You only burn exp creating one.

I've started a house rules thread here: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1316918

As I always say (or at least, have said once), if you can't find the rules, write 'em yourself.

BardStephenFox said:

Indeed I am!

Dragon Issue 301, page 44 - Meter and Measure is the article name.

OK, I just browsed it again real quickly. You can learn the performance and then use it once you have appropriate ranks in Perform(x). It is kind of like a magic item in that it has a market value. You only burn exp creating one.

Click to expand...

Thanks Bard,
I got home about 7:30 (CST) but had computer problems and other distractions come up and the last time I checked ENworld it was down around 5:30 with SQL problems again.

RD