Bardic Music as Feat

[Herzog]

Just something I wanted to hold against your collective minds:

given that there are already Bardic Music feats, and even a setting (eberron) that allows you to swap 'normal' bardic music effects for them, how (un)balancing would introducing the 'normal' bardic music effects as feats be?

In effect, the minimum bard level would be dropped, but the perform ranks requirement would stay.

Also, there are other music effects (virtuoso) out there. how would introducing their music effects as feats change your opinion?

Herzog

PS: Of course, having bardic music as a class feature would also be a requirement....

 

[Aus_Snow]

Sure, why not. Mind you, I'm coming from the True20/M&M angle of things, currently (more than other things.)

But yeah, with the right prereqs for each and every one of them, including the first, I don't see why they shouldn't be available to members of various classes. Dumping skill points into Perform (whatever) is usually not so great, for a lot of campaigns. This would at least alleviate that problem a bit, apart from anything else. Plus, I'm not amazingly fond of the Bard class in the RAW for 3e. Following on from this, I would dump that class, and have anyone able to be a 'bard'.

Good call, I'd say.

 

[Nifft]

IMHO you'd have to replace the substandard class + free maintain with feat + action to maintain. Swift action or Move action? Either would suffice.

Also, I'd reduce the free scaling of Inspire Courage to about half what it is now (max of +3) with two feats +1 feats to make up the difference.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Herzog]

@Nifft:

I'm not sure what you are saying here:

IMHO you'd have to replace the substandard class + free maintain with feat + action to maintain. Swift action or Move action? Either would suffice.

in regard to scaling bardic music effects: good call.

Maybe something simmilar to heritage feats and tactical feats?

in other words, increasing the bonus with the number of bardic music feats you have? (+1 for every 2 feats)

another option would be to make the bonus dependant on a perform check (It really annoys me that so little of the bardic music uses actually require a perform check).
Say, inspire courage has a DC of 10 for a +1, and an additional +1 for every 10 points by which you exceed that DC.
Inspire Heroics would have a much higher DC to start with, but also an additional +1 for every 10 points you beat the DC.

A spell like Inspirational Boost would provide you with a +10 perform bonus instead of just providing a +1 to the eventual effect, which would mean you could also use it under different circumstances.

 

[Nifft]

@Nifft:

I'm not sure what you are saying here

I'm saying that, unlike regular Bardic music where it's a free action to maintain (but you have to have Bard levels, and thus your remaining actions are going to suck), this feat-granted effect should require an action to maintain every round: either a Move action or a Swift action, your choice, but you must pay one or the other every round.

Maybe something simmilar to heritage feats and tactical feats?

in other words, increasing the bonus with the number of bardic music feats you have? (+1 for every 2 feats)

Unless the feats were otherwise fairly weak, I don't see the point. What did you have in mind specifically?

another option would be to make the bonus dependant on a perform check (It really annoys me that so little of the bardic music uses actually require a perform check).

Hmm. That means you'd have to make a new check and give a different bonus every round? That would be tedious, no?

Cheers, -- N