bardic songs as free actions [Archive] - Wizards Community

bardic songs as free actions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Ages_Defiance
05-08-07, 11:24 PM anyone know of a feat that lets you use bardic songs as a free action.
like activate inspire courage as a free action then get a full round of attacks and inspire courage still lasts 5 rounds. its kinda broken but something like that does it exsist.
Ages_Defiance
05-09-07, 10:53 PM nobody got anything on this. if it doesnt exist do you think its a fair feat that makes since.
Empiro
05-09-07, 11:50 PM There is a feat in the Tome of Battle that lets you use Inspire Courage as a swift action if you're in a White Raven stance. It's moderately overpowered as far as feats go, since it essentially equates to +1/2/3 to attack and damage for everyone in your party for every single battle for free (compare with Weapon Focus, which gives +1 to one weapon, for one person). The feat also lets you stack Bard and Crusader and Warblade levels for the Inspire Courage bonus.
Jaxgaret
05-09-07, 11:55 PM Song of the White Raven feat, from ToB.

EDIT: Empiro beat me to it.

Although I'm not sure why s/he is saying that the feat is overpowered, s/he seems rather to be intimating that Inspire Courage itself is overpowered.
Ages_Defiance
05-10-07, 12:25 AM being able to use it as a free action (or in this case a swift action) is overpowered. you activate this ability and get a full round of attacks with +1 or what have you to all your attacks and everyone around you 30ft and it lasts for 5 rounds. doing that free i see as overpowering the ability but its not like its the worst thing ever. the only problem i have with it is how do you inspire someone with a song out of nowhere that you play for like 1 sec. when i get inspired by a song its because ive heard it for a while. or perhaps if inspire courage was still active in the 5 round duration you could still feel invincible yeah bring it on.
MageWeasel
05-10-07, 01:21 AM There is one other way that I know of. If you take at least a couple of levels in Dread Pirate (complete adventurer), you get an ability very similar to inspire courage. It stacks with the bardic ability and it's activated with a swift action.
Shadowfax7
05-10-07, 10:43 AM everyone around you 30ft and it lasts for 5 rounds. it's actually everyone around you that can hear you sing . . . which is usually much more than 30', and it lasts for as long as you perform plus 5 rounds after you stop performing.

Inspire Courage is sweeeet.
Ages_Defiance
05-10-07, 11:21 AM i meant if you activated it as a free action then had a full round of attacks youre not singing anymore.
CaoSlayer
05-10-07, 12:30 PM i meant if you activated it as a free action then had a full round of attacks youre not singing anymore.

The rules dont says that. Once an inspire X song is activated you can do anything that requires you to stop the song (including casting a spell or drinking a potion).
Johannixx
05-11-07, 03:14 PM Obviously if your bardic music is based on an instrument, then making attacks would interrupt the song. But if your bardic music is done via some kind of vocal performance (poetry, chants, singing, etc) then your hands are free and you can whistle while you wreak havoc. The downside is that you can't get a masterwork instrument if you sing.
Cariyaga
05-11-07, 10:19 PM Not much of a downside if you ask me. Inspire courage while attacking, and continue inspiring...without your hands, the tradeoff being a +2 bonus?
Chimaera2000
05-11-07, 10:28 PM One thing to consider is that Inspire Courage can only be activated a limited number of times per day. While you can alleviate that with bard levels or the Extra Music feat (Complete Adventurer), that means that you're down additional levels or another feat, including the one that you'd be spending for Song of the White Raven. It's still a very nice bonus, but as I'm sure many players (including me) find when they're doing character building, feats are precious. I almost never have enough feats, since as long as you have a reasonable range of supplements to choose from, you have a lot of good feats to choose from.
Johannixx
05-12-07, 05:33 AM Not much of a downside if you ask me. Inspire courage while attacking, and continue inspiring...without your hands, the tradeoff being a +2 bonus?

It depends on what you want to do with your bard. My current bard is more of a front-line fighter who likes to sing in taverns and mock his opponents. Of his nine levels, only three are bard (two are a custom fighter/bard PrC that my DM and I whipped up), he runs around in a mithril breastplate and wields a +2 flaming greatsword of fiery doom with an 18 Strength. It's all in the character concept ;)

For a more traditional bard, it might be worthwhile to use an instrument (that can later be enchanted to have all sorts of nifty effects) rather than to rely on the relatively non-enchantable vocal cords.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ages_Defiance 05-08-07, 11:24 PM	anyone know of a feat that lets you use bardic songs as a free action. like activate inspire courage as a free action then get a full round of attacks and inspire courage still lasts 5 rounds. its kinda broken but something like that does it exsist.
Ages_Defiance 05-09-07, 10:53 PM	nobody got anything on this. if it doesnt exist do you think its a fair feat that makes since.
Empiro 05-09-07, 11:50 PM	There is a feat in the Tome of Battle that lets you use Inspire Courage as a swift action if you're in a White Raven stance. It's moderately overpowered as far as feats go, since it essentially equates to +1/2/3 to attack and damage for everyone in your party for every single battle for free (compare with Weapon Focus, which gives +1 to one weapon, for one person). The feat also lets you stack Bard and Crusader and Warblade levels for the Inspire Courage bonus.
Jaxgaret 05-09-07, 11:55 PM	Song of the White Raven feat, from ToB. EDIT: Empiro beat me to it. Although I'm not sure why s/he is saying that the feat is overpowered, s/he seems rather to be intimating that Inspire Courage itself is overpowered.
Ages_Defiance 05-10-07, 12:25 AM	being able to use it as a free action (or in this case a swift action) is overpowered. you activate this ability and get a full round of attacks with +1 or what have you to all your attacks and everyone around you 30ft and it lasts for 5 rounds. doing that free i see as overpowering the ability but its not like its the worst thing ever. the only problem i have with it is how do you inspire someone with a song out of nowhere that you play for like 1 sec. when i get inspired by a song its because ive heard it for a while. or perhaps if inspire courage was still active in the 5 round duration you could still feel invincible yeah bring it on.
MageWeasel 05-10-07, 01:21 AM	There is one other way that I know of. If you take at least a couple of levels in Dread Pirate (complete adventurer), you get an ability very similar to inspire courage. It stacks with the bardic ability and it's activated with a swift action.
Shadowfax7 05-10-07, 10:43 AM	everyone around you 30ft and it lasts for 5 rounds. it's actually everyone around you that can hear you sing . . . which is usually much more than 30', and it lasts for as long as you perform plus 5 rounds after you stop performing. Inspire Courage is sweeeet.
Ages_Defiance 05-10-07, 11:21 AM	i meant if you activated it as a free action then had a full round of attacks youre not singing anymore.
CaoSlayer 05-10-07, 12:30 PM	i meant if you activated it as a free action then had a full round of attacks youre not singing anymore. The rules dont says that. Once an inspire X song is activated you can do anything that requires you to stop the song (including casting a spell or drinking a potion).
Johannixx 05-11-07, 03:14 PM	Obviously if your bardic music is based on an instrument, then making attacks would interrupt the song. But if your bardic music is done via some kind of vocal performance (poetry, chants, singing, etc) then your hands are free and you can whistle while you wreak havoc. The downside is that you can't get a masterwork instrument if you sing.
Cariyaga 05-11-07, 10:19 PM	Not much of a downside if you ask me. Inspire courage while attacking, and continue inspiring...without your hands, the tradeoff being a +2 bonus?
Chimaera2000 05-11-07, 10:28 PM	One thing to consider is that Inspire Courage can only be activated a limited number of times per day. While you can alleviate that with bard levels or the Extra Music feat (Complete Adventurer), that means that you're down additional levels or another feat, including the one that you'd be spending for Song of the White Raven. It's still a very nice bonus, but as I'm sure many players (including me) find when they're doing character building, feats are precious. I almost never have enough feats, since as long as you have a reasonable range of supplements to choose from, you have a lot of good feats to choose from.
Johannixx 05-12-07, 05:33 AM	Not much of a downside if you ask me. Inspire courage while attacking, and continue inspiring...without your hands, the tradeoff being a +2 bonus? It depends on what you want to do with your bard. My current bard is more of a front-line fighter who likes to sing in taverns and mock his opponents. Of his nine levels, only three are bard (two are a custom fighter/bard PrC that my DM and I whipped up), he runs around in a mithril breastplate and wields a +2 flaming greatsword of fiery doom with an 18 Strength. It's all in the character concept ;) For a more traditional bard, it might be worthwhile to use an instrument (that can later be enchanted to have all sorts of nifty effects) rather than to rely on the relatively non-enchantable vocal cords.