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Message: <blockquote data-quote="babomb" data-source="post: 987435" data-attributes="member: 1316">I can understand that bard players wouldn't like having to spend more skill points in one skill for a mostly cosmetic benefit. On the other hand, I always thought the way Perform worked in 3.0 was weird.However, it seems to me that the categories are broad enough that a bard would technically know MORE instruments than before. I can certainly think of more wind instruments than a level 20 bard could play with maxed-out ranks. A bard with only ranks in Perform(wind instruments) can play flute, panpipes, a wide variety of different horns, bugle, trumpet, clarinet, oboe, basoon, bagpipes, crumhorn, harmonica, shawm, hautbaois, whistle-pipe, recorder-flute, lur, trombone, tuba, and more, even at first level (albeit not especially well). At level 20, he is a master at all of those. Granted, you lose the ability to mix-and-match between types without spending extra ranks (like a bard who can sing, play a lute, a lyre, and a few wind instruments), which is nothing to sneeze at.A few people have compared it to proficiency with individual weapons. However, look at the subskills. It's closer to proficiency with simple weapons, martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, and shields than to proficiency with dagger, short sword, long sword, etc. While it might hurt the bard who wants to be good at several very different types of performance, it makes a lot more sense. Anyway, bards get more skill points now, so if you max out three types (like singing, wind instruments, and string instruments), you'll have the same number of leftover skill points as a 3.0 bard. Max out two, and you come out ahead.If you don't like the rule, give two ranks in different subskills for each skill point spent on Perform. It's hardly unbalancing.</blockquote>

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