Bardic Performances

Any bard who meets a performance’s prerequisites can select and use a bardic performance.

Bardic Inspiration

You can inspire others through stirring words or music.

To do so, choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic Inspiration die, a d20.

Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die as +1d on one ability check, attack roll, or defence check it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the original die before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die, but must decide before the GM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.

Compulsion

Cost: 15 Character Points
Prerequisite: Dissonant Whispers

The town shunned the bard who helped rid the town of plague rats. In the weeks following, a nightly procession left the city, heralded by a haunting aria.

Make a Performance check and compare the result to the Wisdom defence of all creatures of your choice that you can see and that can hear you within 30 feet. Creatures that are immune to the Charmed condition are unaffected. On a hit, the target falls under the influence of your Compulsion.

Until the performance ends, you can use one action on each of your turns to designate a direction that is horizontal to you. Each affected target must use as much of its movement as possible to Stride in that direction on its next turn. It can use other actions before it moves. After moving in this way, the creature may make a Wisdom defence check vs your passive Performance skill to try to end the effect.

A target isn’t compelled to move into an obviously deadly hazard, such as a fire or pit, but it will provoke attacks of opportunity to move in the designated direction.

Countersong

You gain the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects.

You can start a performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. During that time, you and any friendly creatures within 30 feet of you have +1d to your defences vs being Frightened or Charmed. A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit.

Cutting Words

Cost: 10 Character Points

You learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others.

Once per round, you may choose a target within 60 feet that you can see. The target’s next attack roll, skill check, or defence check suffers -1d. The target is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.

Deadly Performance

Cost: 100 Character Points

She started to dance, and the world paused to become her audience. When she finished, all the world’s gaze remained fixed to her, dead and cold.

You an use your performance to cause one enemy to die from joy or sorrow. To be affected, the target must be able to see and hear you perform for one full round and be within 30 feet. Make a Performance check vs the Wisdom defense of each enemy within range. On a miss, the effect is negated, the target is staggered for 1d4 rounds, and you cannot use deadly performance on that creature again for 24 hours. On a hit, it dies.

Deadly performance is a mind-affecting death effect that relies on audible and visual components.

Dirge of Doom

Cost: 25 Character Points
Prerequisite: Suggestion

Your words cut deep into the hearts of the bold, exposing a gap in the armour of their courage.

You can use your performance to foster a sense of growing dread in his enemies, causing them to take become Shaken. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30 feet and able to see and hear your performance. The effect persists for as long as the enemy is within 30 feet and you continue the performance. The performance cannot cause a creature to become frightened or panicked, even if the targets are already Shaken from another effect. Dirge of doom is a mind-affecting fear effect that relies on audible and visual components.

Dissonant Whispers

Cost: 5 Character Points
Prerequisite: Vicious Mockery

Whispers in the dark create an illusion of phantom enemies to drive your enemies to madness.

You whisper a discordant melody that only one creature of your choice within 60 feet can hear, wracking it with terrible pain. Make a Performance check vs the target’s Wisdom defense. On a hit, you deal 3d6 psychic damage and the target immediately moves as far as its speed allows away from you. The creature doesn’t move into obviously dangerous ground, such as a fire or a pit. On a miss, the target takes half damage and is not forced to move. A deafened creature is unaffected.

You may invest additional points to upgrade the performance, increasing the damage dealt by 1d6:

Psychic Damage Dealt	Character Point Cost
3d6	5
4d6	+5
5d6	+10
6d6	+15
7d6	+25
8d6	+35
9d6	+50
10d6	+65
11d6	+80
12d6	+100

Thus, a Dissonant Whispers performance that deals 12d6 psychic damage costs 5+5+10+15+25+35+50+65+80+100=390 character points.

Fascinate

You use your performance 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 capable of paying attention to you. You bard must also be able to see the creatures affected. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working. You can target a number of creature’s equal to your Charisma modifier with this ability.

Make a Performance check vs the Wisdom defence of each creatrue targetted. On a miss, you cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. On a hit, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as you continue to maintain it. While fascinated, a target has –1d penalty on skill checks, such as Perception checks.

Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a Wisdom defence check against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. Fascinate is a mind-affecting charm and relies on audible and visual components in order to function.

Frightening Tune

Cost: 65 Character Points
Prerequisite: Dirge of Doom

“Ask not for whom the bell tolls…”

To be affected, an enemy must be able to hear the bard perform and be within 30 feet. Make a Performance check vs the Wisdom defense of each enemy within range. On a miss, the creature is immune to this ability for 24 hours. On a hit, the target becomes frightened and flees for as long as it can hear your performance.

Frightening tune relies on audible components.

Inspire Greatness

Cost: 25 Character Points

Through your force of will, heroes rise to deeds worthy of legend.

You can use your performance to inspire greatness in a number of willing creatures (including yourself) equal to your Charisma modifier, granting extra fighting capability.

To inspire greatness, all of the targets must be able to see and hear you. A creature inspired with greatness gains 2d10 temporary stamina (apply the target’s Constitution modifier to these bonus temporary hit points), +1d on attack rolls, and +1d to Constitution defence.

Inspire greatness is a mind-affecting ability that relies on audible and visual components.

Inspire Heroics

Cost: 80 Character Points
Prerequisite: Inspire Greatness

“I once saw a man thrown across the room by a rampaging golem. He stood up, wiped the blood from his mouth and said, “I can do this all day”.

Your can inspire tremendous heroism in a number of willing creatures (including yourself) within 30 feet equal to your Charisma modifier. To inspire heroics, all of the targets must be able to see and hear you. Inspired creatures gain a +1d morale bonus to their defences. The effect lasts for as long as the targets are able to witness the performance.

Inspire heroics is a mind-affecting ability that relies on audible and visual components.

Into the Breach!

Cost: 15 Character Points

A roar washes over the field, as countless voices herald a wave of violence. Your voice rings above the cacophany.

Choose a number of targets equal to your Charisma modifier. At the start of its next turn, each of these creatures can move its speed without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Peerless Skill

Cost: 35 Character Points
Prerequisite: Jack of all Trades

When you make a skill check, you can spend a use of your Bardic Performance to roll with +1d. You can choose to do so after you roll the die for the skill check, but before the GM tells you whether you succeed or fail.

Rise and Fight

Cost: 50 Character Points

Your voice resounds to the soul of your allies, pulling them back from darkest defeat.

A single dying creature within 30 feet may roll its recovery die and regain that amount of Stamina. Once a creature has benefited from this battle hymn, it can’t benefit from it again until it finishes a long rest.

Song of Rest

You can use soothing music or oration to help revitalise your wounded allies.

At the end of the short rest, you and any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain stamina equal to the result of one Hit Die plus their Constitution modifier.

Soothing Performance

Cost: 50 Character Points

When things seem grim and your allies turn to despair, you offer a rallying cry to bolster their hearts.

You can use your performance to create an effect equivalent to a 3rd-level Heal spell, using the bard’s Charisma as the spellcasting ability. In addition, this performance removes the Fatigued, Sickened, and Shaken conditions from all those affected.

Using this ability requires 4 rounds of continuous performance and the targets must be able to see and hear you throughout the performance.

Soothing performance relies on audible and visual components.

Suggestion

Cost: 15 Character Points

You can plant the most subtle of compulsions in the minds of those who listen to you.

You can make a Performance check vs the target’s Wisdom defense to make a Suggestion (as per the spell) to a creature that you have already fascinated (see above).

Using this ability does not disrupt the fascinate effect. However, it does require an action to activate (in addition to the action to continue the fascinate effect). A bard can use this ability more than once against an individual creature during an individual performance. This ability affects only a single creature (but see mass suggestion, below). Suggestion is a mind-affecting, language-dependent charm ability and relies on audible components.

Suggestion, Mass

Cost: 80 Character Points
Prerequisite: Suggestion

“Your sword will end my life, but my words moved your people to rise up against you.”

This ability functions just like suggestion, but allows you to make a suggestion simultaneously to any number of creatures that you have already fascinated. Mass suggestion is a mind-affecting, language dependent charm ability that relies on audible components.

Willful Serenade

Cost: 35 Character Points
Prerequisite: Soothing Performance

By uplifting the spirit, the body can press on through hardships

Choose a target within 30 feet. Until the end of combat, the creature may ignore up to 4 levels of Exhaustion.