CleverNickName
Limit Break Dancing (He/They)
The bard is probably the least-popular class in my game...never once, in the 7 years since I started playing 3E, has anyone selected the bard as a PC at my table. (Which is a shame, because it is one of the most technically versatile and interesting classes in the game. I'm not anti-bard, I just wish the bard was more appealing to players.) So, I am thinking about getting rid of the bard class altogether. My plan is to replace the bard with a handful of feats, which could then be applied to any character class.
After all, clerics and paladins might sing hymns, and necromancers might sing funeral dirges. Drum and bugle regiments might inspire and direct troops on the battlefield, and healers might use music to soothe the ailing. With enough imagination and backstory, you can integrate music into any class. Likewise, all classes travel from place to place, meeting interesting people and listening to their stories, learning bits and pieces of random information along the way.
So anyway, I came up with three new feats that will allow me to get rid of the bard class altogether and not leave too big of a gap in the game. Because like I said before--I really like what the bard brings to the table (or would bring to the table, if anyone would ever play one.)
Here's what I've got so far. Thoughts, suggestions, critique?
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Vagabond [General]
Your rambling life as a traveling musician has taught you many skills.
Prerequisite: Charisma 13+
Benefit: Bluff, Gather Information, and Perform are class skills for your character.
Bardic Music [General]
You are supernaturally gifted with music ability.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 4 ranks, Charisma 13+
Benefit: you gain the Bardic Music ability, as written in the SRD. Your effective bard level for this ability is equal to your number of ranks in Perform, minus three. (For example, a character with eight ranks in Perform [violin] would have an effective bard level of 5 for the purpose of his bardic music ability, but only when using the violin.)
...or these:[SBLOCK=Bardic Music Feats]I'm not sure if I like this or not; I'm inclined to go with my previous version.
Countersong (General)
You can dispel sonic effects with your voice.
Prerequisites: Perform [any music] 3 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may counter magical effects that depend on sound (but not spells that simply have verbal components). For each round that this ability is used, you make a Perform check. Any creature within 30 feet (including yourself) that is affected by a sonic or language-dependent magical attack may use your Perform check result in place of any applicable saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the countersong is already under the effect of a noninstantaneous sonic or language-dependent magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it hears the countersong, but it must use your Perform check result for the save. Your Countersong ability has no effect against effects that don’t allow saves. You may sustain the Countersong for up to 10 rounds.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time this feat is selected, you gain one additional daily use of the Countersong ability.
Fascinate (General)
You can hold the attention of your listeners.
Prerequisites: Perform [any music] 3 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may use music to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with you. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear you, and able to pay attention to you. Likewise, you must also be able to see the creature. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working.
To use the ability, a you make a Perform check. Your check result is the DC for the creature’s Will save against the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, you cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and listens to your song, taking no other actions, for as long as you continue to play and concentrate (up to a maximum of 1 round per rank in the Perform skill). While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Listen and Spot checks. Any potential threat requires the you to make another Perform check and allows the creature a new saving throw against a DC equal to the new Perform check result.
Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. The Fascinate ability is an enchantment [compulsion], mind-affecting ability.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time this feat is taken, you may target one additional creature with this ability, and the ability may be used one more time per day.
Inspire Courage (General)
Your music goads your listeners to battle.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 3 ranks
Benefit: you may use music to inspire courage in your allies (including yourself ), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear you sing or play your instrument. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears you and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. Inspire courage is a sonic, mind-affecting ability.
Special: You may take this feat up to 3 times. Each time this feat is selected, the bonus increases by 1 (to a maximum of +4) and you gain one extra daily use of the ability.
Inspire Competence (General)
Your music clears distractions from the minds of your listeners, allowing them to perform certain tasks better.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 6 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may use music or poetics to help an ally succeed at a task. The ally must be within 30 feet, and must be able to see and hear your music. You must also be able to see the ally.
The ally gets a +2 competence bonus on skill checks with a particular skill as long as he or she continues to hear your music (note that certain uses of this ability are infeasible.) The effect lasts as long as you sing and concentrate, up to a maximum of 2 minutes. You cannot use this ability to inspire competence in yourself. This ability is a sonic, mind-affecting ability.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each additional feat grants one more daily use of this ability.
Suggestion (General)
You can use your music to exert a limited control over one of your listeners.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 9 ranks, Fascinate
Benefit: you may use music to make a suggestion (as the spell) to a creature that you have already fascinated (see above). Using this ability does not break your concentration on the Fascinate effect, nor does it allow a second saving throw against the Fascinate effect. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 bard’s level + bard’s Cha modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature. Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language dependent ability.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each additional feat grants one more daily use of this ability.
Inspire Greatness (General)
Like the background track of a movie fight sequence, your music envigorates and empowers your listeners with combat ability.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 12 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may use music to inspire greatness in yourself or a single willing ally within 30 feet. To inspire greatness, you must use your Perform skill, and all affected allies must be able to hear you. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears your music and for 5 rounds thereafter. A creature inspired with greatness gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (apply the target’s Constitution modifier, if any, to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells that are Hit Dice dependant. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability.
Special: You may take this feat up to 4 times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select this feat, you may target one additional ally with a single use of this ability (to a maximum of 4 allies), and you gain one more daily use of this ability.
Song of Freedom (General)
Your compelling music can overcome magical enchantments.
Prerequisites: Perform [any music] 15 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may use music or poetics to create an effect equivalent to the break enchantment spell, as a 12th level sorcerer. Using this ability requires 1 minute of uninterrupted concentration and music, and it functions on a single target within 30 feet. You cannot use this ability on yourself.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time this feat is selected, it grants one additional use of the Song of Freedom ability per day.
Inspire Heroics (General)
Your music inspires your listeners to perform amazing feats of agility and durability.
Prerequisites: Perform [any music] 18 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you can use music to inspire tremendous heroism in yourself or a single willing ally within 30 feet. To inspire heroics, you must use your Perform skill to create music, and an ally must hear your music for a full round. A creature so inspired gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws and a +4 dodge bonus to AC. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears your music, and for up to 5 rounds thereafter. Inspire heroics is a mind-affecting ability.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time this feat is selected, you may inspire heroics in one additional creature (to a maximum of 3), and you gain one more daily use of the Inspire Heroics ability.
Mass Suggestion (General)
You can use your music to exert a limited control over several listeners.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 21 ranks, Fascinate, Suggestion
Benefit: This ability functions like suggestion, above, except that you can make the suggestion simultaneously to any number of creatures that you have already fascinated (see above). Mass suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability.[/SBLOCK]
Bardic Knowledge [General]
You pick up a lot of stray knowledge from the people you meet on the road.
Prerequisite: Gather Information 4 ranks, Charisma 13+
Benefit: You add your Charisma modifier (in addition to your Intelligence modifier) to all Knowledge checks.
...or...
Bardic Knowledge [General]
You pick up a lot of stray knowledge from the people you meet on the road.
Prerequisite: Skill Focus (Gather Information)
Benefit: When trying to gain useful information regarding a specific person, place, or item, your may make a Gather Information check and use its result in place of any applicable Knowledge check. Using the Gather Information skill in this manner requires a swift action (instead of 1d4+1 hours).
After all, clerics and paladins might sing hymns, and necromancers might sing funeral dirges. Drum and bugle regiments might inspire and direct troops on the battlefield, and healers might use music to soothe the ailing. With enough imagination and backstory, you can integrate music into any class. Likewise, all classes travel from place to place, meeting interesting people and listening to their stories, learning bits and pieces of random information along the way.
So anyway, I came up with three new feats that will allow me to get rid of the bard class altogether and not leave too big of a gap in the game. Because like I said before--I really like what the bard brings to the table (or would bring to the table, if anyone would ever play one.)
Here's what I've got so far. Thoughts, suggestions, critique?
-----
Vagabond [General]
Your rambling life as a traveling musician has taught you many skills.
Prerequisite: Charisma 13+
Benefit: Bluff, Gather Information, and Perform are class skills for your character.
Bardic Music [General]
You are supernaturally gifted with music ability.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 4 ranks, Charisma 13+
Benefit: you gain the Bardic Music ability, as written in the SRD. Your effective bard level for this ability is equal to your number of ranks in Perform, minus three. (For example, a character with eight ranks in Perform [violin] would have an effective bard level of 5 for the purpose of his bardic music ability, but only when using the violin.)
...or these:[SBLOCK=Bardic Music Feats]I'm not sure if I like this or not; I'm inclined to go with my previous version.
Countersong (General)
You can dispel sonic effects with your voice.
Prerequisites: Perform [any music] 3 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may counter magical effects that depend on sound (but not spells that simply have verbal components). For each round that this ability is used, you make a Perform check. Any creature within 30 feet (including yourself) that is affected by a sonic or language-dependent magical attack may use your Perform check result in place of any applicable saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the countersong is already under the effect of a noninstantaneous sonic or language-dependent magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it hears the countersong, but it must use your Perform check result for the save. Your Countersong ability has no effect against effects that don’t allow saves. You may sustain the Countersong for up to 10 rounds.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time this feat is selected, you gain one additional daily use of the Countersong ability.
Fascinate (General)
You can hold the attention of your listeners.
Prerequisites: Perform [any music] 3 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may use music to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with you. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear you, and able to pay attention to you. Likewise, you must also be able to see the creature. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working.
To use the ability, a you make a Perform check. Your check result is the DC for the creature’s Will save against the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, you cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and listens to your song, taking no other actions, for as long as you continue to play and concentrate (up to a maximum of 1 round per rank in the Perform skill). While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Listen and Spot checks. Any potential threat requires the you to make another Perform check and allows the creature a new saving throw against a DC equal to the new Perform check result.
Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. The Fascinate ability is an enchantment [compulsion], mind-affecting ability.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time this feat is taken, you may target one additional creature with this ability, and the ability may be used one more time per day.
Inspire Courage (General)
Your music goads your listeners to battle.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 3 ranks
Benefit: you may use music to inspire courage in your allies (including yourself ), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear you sing or play your instrument. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears you and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. Inspire courage is a sonic, mind-affecting ability.
Special: You may take this feat up to 3 times. Each time this feat is selected, the bonus increases by 1 (to a maximum of +4) and you gain one extra daily use of the ability.
Inspire Competence (General)
Your music clears distractions from the minds of your listeners, allowing them to perform certain tasks better.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 6 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may use music or poetics to help an ally succeed at a task. The ally must be within 30 feet, and must be able to see and hear your music. You must also be able to see the ally.
The ally gets a +2 competence bonus on skill checks with a particular skill as long as he or she continues to hear your music (note that certain uses of this ability are infeasible.) The effect lasts as long as you sing and concentrate, up to a maximum of 2 minutes. You cannot use this ability to inspire competence in yourself. This ability is a sonic, mind-affecting ability.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each additional feat grants one more daily use of this ability.
Suggestion (General)
You can use your music to exert a limited control over one of your listeners.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 9 ranks, Fascinate
Benefit: you may use music to make a suggestion (as the spell) to a creature that you have already fascinated (see above). Using this ability does not break your concentration on the Fascinate effect, nor does it allow a second saving throw against the Fascinate effect. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 bard’s level + bard’s Cha modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature. Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language dependent ability.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each additional feat grants one more daily use of this ability.
Inspire Greatness (General)
Like the background track of a movie fight sequence, your music envigorates and empowers your listeners with combat ability.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 12 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may use music to inspire greatness in yourself or a single willing ally within 30 feet. To inspire greatness, you must use your Perform skill, and all affected allies must be able to hear you. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears your music and for 5 rounds thereafter. A creature inspired with greatness gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (apply the target’s Constitution modifier, if any, to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells that are Hit Dice dependant. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability.
Special: You may take this feat up to 4 times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select this feat, you may target one additional ally with a single use of this ability (to a maximum of 4 allies), and you gain one more daily use of this ability.
Song of Freedom (General)
Your compelling music can overcome magical enchantments.
Prerequisites: Perform [any music] 15 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may use music or poetics to create an effect equivalent to the break enchantment spell, as a 12th level sorcerer. Using this ability requires 1 minute of uninterrupted concentration and music, and it functions on a single target within 30 feet. You cannot use this ability on yourself.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time this feat is selected, it grants one additional use of the Song of Freedom ability per day.
Inspire Heroics (General)
Your music inspires your listeners to perform amazing feats of agility and durability.
Prerequisites: Perform [any music] 18 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you can use music to inspire tremendous heroism in yourself or a single willing ally within 30 feet. To inspire heroics, you must use your Perform skill to create music, and an ally must hear your music for a full round. A creature so inspired gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws and a +4 dodge bonus to AC. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears your music, and for up to 5 rounds thereafter. Inspire heroics is a mind-affecting ability.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time this feat is selected, you may inspire heroics in one additional creature (to a maximum of 3), and you gain one more daily use of the Inspire Heroics ability.
Mass Suggestion (General)
You can use your music to exert a limited control over several listeners.
Prerequisite: Perform [any music] 21 ranks, Fascinate, Suggestion
Benefit: This ability functions like suggestion, above, except that you can make the suggestion simultaneously to any number of creatures that you have already fascinated (see above). Mass suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability.[/SBLOCK]
Bardic Knowledge [General]
You pick up a lot of stray knowledge from the people you meet on the road.
Prerequisite: Gather Information 4 ranks, Charisma 13+
Benefit: You add your Charisma modifier (in addition to your Intelligence modifier) to all Knowledge checks.
...or...
Bardic Knowledge [General]
You pick up a lot of stray knowledge from the people you meet on the road.
Prerequisite: Skill Focus (Gather Information)
Benefit: When trying to gain useful information regarding a specific person, place, or item, your may make a Gather Information check and use its result in place of any applicable Knowledge check. Using the Gather Information skill in this manner requires a swift action (instead of 1d4+1 hours).
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