BARD: Does Inspire Courage Require Concentration?

[Whimsical]

Can you whisper a bardic music ability and affect someone whom you have cast message upon?

 

[Nifft]

Additionally it might be useful to comunicate with one's fellows every now and then.

You could probably work some mundane communication into your performance. Nobody says you are required to stick to the words of one specific song when you "sing".

Cheers, -- N

 

[Zurai]

Don't have to sing at all. Even keeping with audible performances - which isn't strictly required - you can play an instrument and still talk.

 

[Chimera]

The other abilities don't mention concentration - Countersong, Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness, Inspire Heroics - so these just require a standard action at the start, and then dont-get-knocked-unconscious (or paralyzed, or Silenced, or something else that will prevent people hearing you sing).

Mostly correct, but....

Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness and Inspire Heroics last for 5 rounds after you stop. Given that most combats don't go more than six rounds, I've found that I just do my standard action Perform to create the effect in the first round, then I've got five rounds to move, cast other spells and fight before the effect wears off.

Alternately, however many rounds of Standard Actions first, then five after you stop. Ten rounds after if you have the Lingering Song Feat, but unless your group is big on longer combats and you are required to be one of the combatants, I wouldn't bother. Especially when you get higher level and become less likely to run out of Bardic Music uses.

The other Caveat is Inspirational Boost. Since you don't get too many of these to use in a day, there may be cause to continue the song rather than let it drop and renew it without the spell.

OTOH, if the battle is going that long, chances are that you're not doing your group any real favors by repeating "I stand over here and continue my song" every round. Shut up, pull out a weapon and help out. After all, your boost helps you too.

 

[Elethiomel]

OTOH, if the battle is going that long, chances are that you're not doing your group any real favors by repeating "I stand over here and continue my song" every round. Shut up, pull out a weapon and help out. After all, your boost helps you too.

But you don't need to shut up in order to fight if you're doing one of the songs that don't require concentration (like Inspire Courage, Countersong, Inspire Greatness, or Inspire Heroics). That's the point of them not requiring concentration, so you can run around and fight as much as you want as long as you spent a standard action to initiate the effect in the first place - you don't need to spend a standard action each round to continue the effect. And then, once you stop singing - say to speak to an NPC or cast a spell - *then* the 5 (or 10, as it may be) round countdown starts.

 

[moritheil]

If you have the Spell Compendium, you might be interested in the spell lingering chorus, which can be cast while performing - it automatically maintains the performance for you, freeing you up for spellcasting or even further bardic music.

Good call. There are also other ways to concentrate as move or even swift actions.

Don't have to sing at all. Even keeping with audible performances - which isn't strictly required - you can play an instrument and still talk.

Right; singing is just popular because it frees up both hands.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Mostly correct, but....

Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness and Inspire Heroics last for 5 rounds after you stop. Given that most combats don't go more than six rounds, I've found that I just do my standard action Perform to create the effect in the first round, then I've got five rounds to move, cast other spells and fight before the effect wears off.

Alternately, however many rounds of Standard Actions first, then five after you stop.

Standard action to initiate. To maintain it, you just need to make sure they can hear you; it doesn't cost an action to maintain the Inspire abilities each round.

Round 1: initiate Inspire Courage as a standard action.
Round 2: smack someone with your rapier as a standard action. As long as your allies can still hear you, the 5-round countdown on Inspire Courage hasn't started.
Round 3: smack someone with your rapier as a standard action. As long as your allies can still hear you, the 5-round countdown on Inspire Courage hasn't started.
Round 4: Cast a spell as a standard action. Since you can't cast a spell while maintaining bardic music, the 5 round countdown starts, and the effect will wear off around round 9.

Read the Bardic Music description again - it says "some bardic music abilities require concentration, which means they require a standard action each round to maintain". Inspire Courage doesn't require concentration, so it doesn't require a standard action each round to maintain.

-Hyp.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Standard action to initiate. To maintain it, you just need to make sure they can hear you; it doesn't cost an action to maintain the Inspire abilities each round.

Only if you don't sing a song with too many words per 6 seconds.

"Speaking more than few sentences is generally beyond the limit of a free action."

 

[moritheil]

Only if you don't sing a song with too many words per 6 seconds.

Nah, bards are special. Besides, that restriction applies to free action speaking, which is a different mechanic.

"Speaking more than few sentences is generally beyond the limit of a free action."