Need Help Altering a Class

[JakeMan]

So my friends and I are gearing up for a game and it's our first time playing a D&D/Pathfinder game in a year or two since we began trying some other systems. I decided to play a Bard but my GM is being a hard ass about how he doesn't like the bardic music feature, he thinks it's silly to see one character dancing and singing while the others fight. I agree on some level though I do think it can work. Nevertheless the primary reason I want to play a bard is due to their knowledge skills and jack of all trades abilities as it suits the character I have in mind of a scholar/treasure hunter type.

I proposed that we replace the magical performance skills with the rogue's sneak attack feature while maintaining their versatile performance and non-musical related class abilities, as well as providing the bard with a two extra skill points and some skills of the rogue list to create a hybrid class. Does this sound like a fair trade to you guys? My GM can't decide and I figured if I got an unbiased, outside opinion we could come to a proper decision.

 

[SteelDraco]

Full sneak attack is considerably more powerful than the bard's performance abilities - sneak attack is like 80% or more of a rogue's power in that one ability, in my opinion. It's their core power and by far the most important thing they do. Giving a bard sneak attack instead of performance would be pretty vastly overpowering, I think.

The first thing you could do instead is look at an archetype for your bard. The archivist might work well - it's an academic-based bard. Check out the list at Paizo - Bard Archetypes - Pathfinder_OGC

Have you considered re-skinning the bard's performance powers so they aren't quite as song-and-dance based? I played a dwarf fighter/bard at one point and described him as a tactical character - he was giving other PCs advice and inspiration on the battlefield rather than singing at them, but the mechanics all worked the same. Something along those lines might work for you as well.

 

[JakeMan]

I looked into all the alternate class types I could find, including the Archivist but it just doesn't seem right, it's no more interesting in any sense. However when you lay it out I suppose you are right, giving a Bard sneak attack in place of his performances is a bit overpowered. Any other ideas?

 

[Is_907]

I say treat this as an RP issue--instead of singing to inspire or strike fear etc it's words, tactics, encouragement, and such.
Treat him like the 4e class Warlord as far as RP goes, and problem solved.

 

[Herobizkit]

Perhaps your concept doesn't fit around the traditional Bard skeleton. Behold, the Cloistered Cleric Variant, from 3.5's Unearthed Arcana.

Note: Cleric doesn't get Perform as a class skill, but there may be a Trait or Feat you can take that can make it a class skill.

The cloistered cleric spends more time than other clerics in study and prayer and less in martial training. He gives up some of the cleric's combat prowess in exchange for greater skill access and a wider range of spells devoted to knowledge (and the protection of knowledge).

Most cloistered clerics are non-chaotic, since they believe that a disciplined lifestyle lends itself better to learning.

Hit Die: The cloistered cleric uses a d6 for his Hit Die (and has hit points at 1st level equal to 6 + Con modifier).

Base Attack Bonus: The cloistered cleric's lack of martial training means that he uses the poor base attack bonus.

Class Skills: The cloistered cleric's class skill list includes Decipher Script, Speak Language, and all Knowledge skills (from the Knowledge domain, see below). The cloistered cleric gains skill points per level equal to 6 + Int modifier (and has this number x4 at 1st level).

Class Features: The cloistered cleric has all the standard cleric class features, except as noted below.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Cloistered clerics are proficient with simple weapons and with light armor.

Lore (Ex): Thanks to long hours of study, a cloistered cleric has a wide range of stray knowledge. This ability is identical to the bard's bardic knowledge class feature, using the cloistered cleric's class level in place of the bard level.

Deity, Domains, and Domain Spells: Most cloistered clerics worship deities associated with knowledge and learning.

In addition to any domains selected from his deity's list, a cloistered cleric automatically gains the Knowledge domain as a bonus domain (even if the Knowledge domain is not normally available to clerics of that deity). He gains the Knowledge domain granted power and may select his bonus domain spell from the Knowledge domain or from one of his two regular domains.

Spellcasting: Add the following spells to the cloistered cleric's class spell list: 0—message; 1st—erase, identify, unseen servant; 2nd—fox's cunning; 3rd—illusory script, secret page, tongues (reduced from 4th level); 4th—detect scrying; 6th—analyze dweomer; 7th—sequester; 9th—vision