Pathfinder 1E Pathfinder Sneak Peeks (Old thread)

[Nikosandros]

I know you probably have it bookmarks but a link would be good
But thanks for the heads up

There you go... the link is to the Paizo blog and the bard preview is currently the topmost article.

A very interesting preview. They have eliminated from Beta the need to have several kind of perform skills in order to access all the bardic music powers. On the other hand, there in now a new class feature called versatile performance, that allows a bard to substitute a specific perform skill roll for other skills (for example, perform: comedy for bluff and intimidate).

The spell progression has also been improved and a bard can use bardic music more often.

 

[dm4hire]

Updated bard info to include points of interest related to preview, but will list them here also since on a new page.

Bard song, or Performance, now works a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + their Charisma modifier and gain an additional 2 rounds per day for every level beyond first.
Extra Performance feat grants additional uses.
Performance starts off as a standard action, then move action, and finally at higher levels can be done as a swift action.
Maintaining a performance is a free action, meaning that the bard can keep up a performance and still cast spells, move, and make attacks.
d8 hit points.
Bards get a spell without having to have a Charisma high enough to grant a bonus spell of a given level.
Bardic Knowledge now grants a bonus to all Knowledge skills equal to 1/2 the bard's level (minimum +1) and allows the bard to make any Knowledge skill check without having ranks in it.
Well-versed grants a flat +4 bonus on saves against other bardic performances, as well as sonic and language-based spell effects.
Lore master is granted at 5th level and it allows the bard to take 10 on any Knowledge skill check. In addition, once per day he can take 20 on a Knowledge skill check. As he gains levels, he can use this secondary ability multiple times per day as well.
Versatile Performance, gained at 2nd level, allows the bard to substitute his Perform bonus for the bonus of two other skills, depending on the type of Perform.

 

[Banshee16]

The Bonus Bestiary is now up as a free download over at paizo.

I think that the free download is over......I've gone repeatedly to try and download the sample, but every time I click the "Add Free PDF" button, the screen refreshes, then takes me back to the main screen listing the various Pathfinder products, but no download is initiated, and nothing is added to my "shopping cart".

So, either they've disabled the download, as it's no longer "Free RPG Day", or there's some kind of bug on the site, maybe? I've had the same problems with IE 7 and Firefox 3.

Too bad...I was looking forward to seeing the sample.

Banshee

 

[Mikaze]

I think that the free download is over......I've gone repeatedly to try and download the sample, but every time I click the "Add Free PDF" button, the screen refreshes, then takes me back to the main screen listing the various Pathfinder products, but no download is initiated, and nothing is added to my "shopping cart".

So, either they've disabled the download, as it's no longer "Free RPG Day", or there's some kind of bug on the site, maybe? I've had the same problems with IE 7 and Firefox 3.

Too bad...I was looking forward to seeing the sample.

Banshee

Check "My Downloads" at the top of the page. You may have to create an account first.

 

[Mournblade94]

I think that the free download is over......I've gone repeatedly to try and download the sample, but every time I click the "Add Free PDF" button, the screen refreshes, then takes me back to the main screen listing the various Pathfinder products, but no download is initiated, and nothing is added to my "shopping cart".

So, either they've disabled the download, as it's no longer "Free RPG Day", or there's some kind of bug on the site, maybe? I've had the same problems with IE 7 and Firefox 3.

Too bad...I was looking forward to seeing the sample.

Banshee

Post this on the PAIZO forums. The staff there is really good about answering questions.

Actually I just went to download the free bestiary. After you click for the free PDF, it does appear to refresh. Scroll to the top of the page and you will see a "my downloads page" link or something like that.

I think you need a paizo account before you can download it though, which is easy enough to get. yOu don't have to buy anything.

 

[Starbuck_II]

Bard song, or Performance, now works a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + their Charisma modifier and gain an additional 2 rounds per day for every level beyond first.

No improvement at low levels. Inspire Courage lasts till stop it (which means all day) since no spells to cast that are useful in battle (daze maybe).

What Paizo forgets is Inspire Courage doesn't use up an action to maintain.

Extra Performance feat grants additional uses.

So did extra music feat.

Performance starts off as a standard action, then move action, and finally at higher levels can be done as a swift action.

This is cool, but only Fascinate, Inspire Confidence (the skill booster song), and Counter Music required an action to maintain...

How often are you doing those three and need an action?

Maintaining a performance is a free action, meaning that the bard can keep up a performance and still cast spells, move, and make attacks.

Always could do everything but cast spell. Take Lyric spell and you can cast spells while Inspiring Courage. Bards can do all of this in 3.5.

d8 hit points.

Awesome. +1 hp/level on average is great.

Lore master is granted at 5th level and it allows the bard to take 10 on any Knowledge skill check. In addition, once per day he can take 20 on a Knowledge skill check. As he gains levels, he can use this secondary ability multiple times per day as well.

Kind of cool.

Versatile Performance, gained at 2nd level, allows the bard to substitute his Perform bonus for the bonus of two other skills, depending on the type of Perform.

Nice.

So basically, they nerf the Bard than unnerf the Bard.

 

[coyote6]

Yeah, I'd like to see more details, but that seems like a sizable downgrade to bardic performance. Maybe they thought it was too powerful? IME, it is basically a constant boost to the party's attack & damage rolls. But it was most of a bard's usefulness, IME, and it doesn't seem like one or two extra spells will help cover the lessened usefullness.

There were few bardic performances with prescribed limits on duration -- Inspire Courage was basically "however long you weren't casting spells + 5 rounds". Now, just the +5 rounds part will chew up a fifth of an 8th level bards usage. An 8th level 3.5 bard could get 40 rounds of Inspire Courage by just taking a standard action to sing a few bars every 5 rounds. (That's not counting the Lingering Song feat, which moved it up to +10 rounds -- that made one action cover pretty much an entire fight.)

Bardic knowledge seems a bit nerfed, too; instead of having essentially a free multi-purpose Knowledge skill, you get a smaller bonus to Knowledge skills. But a +10 isn't going to help you know anything earthshaking at 20th level; you'll still need to dump ranks into the skills, which means you'll only be good at a few areas.

Perform is still split up into multiple skills, too. They combined skills to give Stealth, Perception, etc., but you still need 4-5 skills to be Bob Hope (singer/dancer/comdeian/actor)? That's still lame.

I'm hoping things work differently in ways not described; for example, maybe the bard can activate bardic performance, then do different things at the same time (e.g., Inspire Courage and Inspire Competence simultaneously, so each round's worth of performance gives you more bang for your reduced buck).

 

[Banshee16]

Post this on the PAIZO forums. The staff there is really good about answering questions.

Actually I just went to download the free bestiary. After you click for the free PDF, it does appear to refresh. Scroll to the top of the page and you will see a "my downloads page" link or something like that.

I think you need a paizo account before you can download it though, which is easy enough to get. yOu don't have to buy anything.

Thanks. I already had a membership, as I've purchased and/or downloaded from them before. It worked once I logged in.

Banshee

 

[grrtigger]

Yeah, I'd like to see more details, but that seems like a sizable downgrade to bardic performance. Maybe they thought it was too powerful? IME, it is basically a constant boost to the party's attack & damage rolls. But it was most of a bard's usefulness, IME, and it doesn't seem like one or two extra spells will help cover the lessened usefullness.

There are several people in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Preview Performance # 7 The Bard messageboard thread discussing this change to Bardic Music. Jason's most recent comment about it is:

It is a versatile mechanic that allows the bard to buff the rest of his party that varies according to the situation. It is not a powerful ability, it is a useful ability (that is not to say I have not seen it be rather powerful, but on the whole it is designed to add some enhancement to the party, not to break them statistically).

The limiting mechanic is there because it allows us to pack some more powerful abilities into the class. This preview does not show that too well, but some of the higher level bardic performance types are really quite good. This also opens up the possibility of adding other powerful abilities down the line through feats and pclasses. This is not really something we could do using the old rules due to the large number of times per day that they could be used.

I know some folks here have their doubts, but I really do think you should give it a try. It is not nearly as limiting as you might think.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

 

[Starbuck_II]

I'm glad the Bard lovers are fighting back on that thread.