Stacking Bardic Music

[Eccles]

I've been playing a bard for over a year and a half now, haven't died once and have been quite pleased with my effectiveness. (It's easy to appreciate how much damage you can inflict when you realise that 24d6+24 of the damage the rogue's inflicting each round is entirely because of you).

We're getting into serious territory now, and I'm trying to think of a way of squeezing my character until his pips rattle. Hence the following:

Bardic music lasts as long as someone can hear the bard singing +5 rounds. The rule's not specific on whether they have to hear me singing a precise set of words or whatever. So: -

I inspire courage in round 1. If I then Inspire Heroics in round 2, am I still singing? Is the Inspire Courage still in effect or has my 5 rounds counter started to tick?

Could I use this by singing quietly to 'front load' the party barbarian and rogue with all the basic bardic buffs before sending them round the corner to face the whatever-it-is? (At which point I stop singing and slap displacement on one of them).

 

[SteelDraco]

Once you switch to a different song, the five-round counter starts. There are a few ways to get two songs going at once (the Seeker of the Song PrC from Complete Adventurer, and there's a spell out there called, IIRC, Ghost Harp, that takes over a performance for you.) But you can't normally switch songs and continue them both indefinitely.

 

[Eccles]

I wouldn't necessarily disagree with you, but am thinking about it with my rules-lawyer hat on.

The SRD says that "The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the bard sing and for 5 rounds thereafter." At no point does it say that the bard has to be singing the same thing - you just have to be able to hear the bard's voice. Sure, if I stop singing (ie to cast a spell) then my counter starts. But if I'm still singing...?

 

[Darklone]

Lingering Song takes care of that... one feat and your singing effects lasts a minute or longer.

 

[Mistwell]

You may find this thread helpful:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=185372

 

[Eccles]

I've picked up Lingering Song, but that requires me to be singing for 4 or 5 rounds at the start of a fight - I'm pondering whether the rules as I've set out above actually preclude me from layering buffs up in some level of safety without worrying about timing and without having to use all my time in the beginning of the fight!

(Also, thanks for the link, but I'm on a very restricted set of books available - have taken all the boosts that I can get at, which boils down to Lingering Song and Subsonics. The many many other items mentioned from other books are not options for me, sadly! I'm still pulling my weight in the party, though).

 

[evermind]

The Warchanter class in Compl. Warrior also allows weaving two songs at once.

Beyond that... Lingering Song has been recommended already