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Table of Contents
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Bards can learn or create masterpieces, unusual applications of the bardic performance ability requiring specific training. All bardic masterpieces adhere to the guidelines presented in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic.
Associated Spirit: Many of the bardic masterpieces noted here have their roots in ancient pact magic lore that has become part of mainstream mythology for some cultures. When a bard with the bind spirit class feature selects such a bardic masterpiece, he automatically completes the Knowledge Task associated with the associated spirit’s legend.
Ballad of the Tall Man (Oratory, Sing)
Associated Spirit: Al’kra.
Prerequisite: Perform (Oratory) 7 ranks or Perform (Sing) 7 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 2nd-level bard spell known.
Effect: You perform an ancient lyric that distorts the senses of those who hear it, filling their ears with a confusing melody that makes the performer undetectable by sight. Upon completing the performance, you turn invisible (as per the invisibility spell) with respect to one creature for every 3 binder levels you possess for as long as you maintain the performance. You choose which creatures. Other creatures can still see you. You can attack affected creatures without ending the invisibility effect on you. However, if you attack any other creature, the effect ends. Creatures that cannot see you also cannot hear your rendition of the Ballad of the Tall Man, though they can be alerted to your presence by other means as normal.
Use: 1 bardic performance round per round.
Action: 1 full round.
The Court of Omachio (Act, Dance)
Associated Spirit: Swan Elashni
Prerequisite: Perform (Act) 16 ranks or Perform (Dance) 16 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 6th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You evoke confessions of true love as part of your performance, with your words able to stir even the coldest of hearts. Upon completing the performance, one target within 30 feet becomes overwhelmed by euphoria, as euphoric tranquilityAPG, for 1 round per bard level you possess unless it succeeds on a Will saving throw (DC equals 10 + 1/2 your bard level + your Charisma modifier).
Use: 5 bardic performance rounds.
Action: 5 full rounds.
La Vampiro de la Mente (Act, Sing)
Associated Spirit: Noble Marius.
Prerequisite: Perform (Act) 4 ranks or Perform (Sing) 4 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 2nd-level bard spell known.
Effect: You perform a rousing solo (if using Perform [Sing]) or a dramatic soliloquy (if using Perform [Act]) that causes your audience to telepathically monologue their surface thoughts to you. Upon completing the performance, you detect the surface thoughts of all creatures who share a language with you within 30 feet, as detect thoughts. Creatures within this area receive a Will save to prevent you from reading their thoughts. If a creature succeeds on its saving throw, you must start the performance anew in order to have another chance of affecting it with this performance. If a creature fails its Will save, you gain information about that creature as though you had been concentrating for 3 rounds. You can maintain this performance for up to 1 round per bard level you possess in order to gain additional information. This masterpiece is language-dependent.
Use: 5 bardic performance rounds plus 1 round per round.
Action: 5 full-rounds.
The Living Scarecrow (Act, Oratory)
Associated Spirit: Hollow Eyes.
Prerequisite: Perform (Act) 4 ranks or Perform (Oratory) 4 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 2nd-level bard spell known.
Effect: You perform a rousing monologue that sends chills down listeners’ spines. Upon completing the performance, your skin peels off of your body and animates as a magical creature under your control, as skinsendUM, for up to 1 hour per bard level you possess. During that time, as the spell, you may project your consciousness into your animated skin or return it to your actual body as a standard action.
Use: 10 bardic performance rounds.
Action: 10 full rounds.
The Lonely Mastiff (Oratory, Sing, Wind)
Associated Spirit: Sevnoir.
Prerequisite: Perform (Oratory) 13 ranks, Perform (Sing) 13 ranks, or Perform (Wind) 13 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 5th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You perform a dour melody that siphons happiness from those who hear its mournful tune. When you complete this masterpiece, shadows from all around you coalesce into a hound that obeys your commands, as summon nature’s ally V except this masterpiece summons a shadow mastiffB3 instead of any of the usual options. This creature follows your commands unquestioningly and remains for as long as you maintain the performance, up to a maximum number of rounds equal to your bard level.
Use: 1 bardic performance round per round.
Action: 1 standard action.
Saga of Jarah (Oratory, Sing)
Associated Spirit: Lady Jarah.
Prerequisite: Perform (Oratory) 13 ranks or Perform (Sing) 13 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 5th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You recite a number of lines that resonate so profoundly with your audience that their attitude towards you improves. Upon completing the performance, all humanoids within 30 feet of you regard you as their trusted friend and ally, as charm person, for 1 round per bard level you possess. A successful Will save negates the effect (DC equals 10 + 1/2 your bard level + your Charisma modifier). This masterpiece is language-dependent.
Use: 10 rounds of bardic performance.
Action: 10 full rounds.
Sonnet of Ser Japh (Oratory)
Associated Spirit: Green Glomairah.
Prerequisite: Perform (Oratory) 7 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 3rd-level bard spell known.
Effect: You recite several lines of poetry from the Sonnet of Ser Japh, which cause great sadness in those around you. Upon completing the performance, all enemies within 30 feet of you suffer a –2 penalty on ability checks, attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and weapon damage rolls while you maintain the performance. A successful Will saving throw negates this effect (DC equals 10 + 1/2 your bard level + your Charisma modifier). If a creature succeeds on its saving throw, you must start the performance anew in order to have another chance of affecting it with this performance. This ability is a language-dependent, emotion, and mind-affecting compulsion effect.
Use: 1 round of bardic performance per round.
Action: 1 full round.
Soulsong of the Occult Muse (Sing)
Prerequisite: Perform (Sing) 10 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 4th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You perform an otherworldly melody that wracks those who hear it with the pain of a thousand departed souls. Upon completing the performance, all creatures within 30 feet of you become dazed for 1 round unless they succeed on a Will saving throw (DC equals 10 + 1/2 your bard level + your Charisma modifier). On a failed save, the creature is dazed for as long as you maintain the performance, up to 1 round per bard level. Each round, a creature can attempt a new Will saving throw to end this effect as a full-round action. If a creature succeeds on its saving throw, you must start the performance anew in order to have another chance of affecting it with this performance. This ability is a mind-affecting pain effect.
Use: 1 round of bardic performance per round.
Action: 1 full round.
The Bloody Mist from the Hills (Oratory)
Associated Spirit: Evening Star.
Prerequisite: Perform (Oratory) 16 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 6th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You tell a grisly, horrifying story that paralyzes all humanoids within 60 feet. Affected creatures receive a Will save to negate this effect (DC equals 10 + 1/2 your bard level + your Charisma modifier). On a failed save, a creature becomes paralyzed while you perform this masterpiece and for a number of rounds equal to your bard level after it ends.
Creatures that become paralyzed by this masterpiece are aware and breathe normally, but cannot take any actions, even speech. Each round on its turn, an affected creature may attempt a new saving throw to end the effect. This is a full-round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. A winged creature who is paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. A swimmer can’t swim and may drown.
Use: 5 bardic performance rounds plus 1 bardic performance round per round.
Action: 5 full rounds.
The Legend of the Worglord (Oratory, Sing)
Associated Spirit: The Worglord.
Prerequisite: Perform (Oratory) 16 ranks or Perform (Sing) 16 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 6th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You chant an ancient epic that invigorates one ally within 30 feet with superhuman power. You cannot choose to gain the benefits of this masterpiece yourself. While you perform, your target gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, a +4 natural armor bonus to AC, a +5 competence bonus on Fortitude saves, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves. Additionally, your ally’s base attack bonus equals its character level (which may give it multiple attacks).
However, the ally loses its spellcasting ability, if any, including its ability to use spell activation or spell completion magic items, just as if the spells were no longer on its class list. Additionally, the ally takes a –2 penalty to its Armor Class and cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration. After the performance ends, the ally becomes fatigued for a number of rounds equal to twice the number of rounds you spent performing this masterpiece.
This ability is a mind-affecting emotion effect.
Use: 1 round of bardic performance per round.
Action: 1 full round.
The Tale of Teu and Lae (Oratory)
Associated Spirit: Teu and Lae.
Prerequisite: Perform (Oratory) 13 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 5th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You perform a rousing rendition of a celestial myth that causes the heavens to realign your place in the cosmos with one target within 30 feet. While performing this masterpiece, you can spend a move or immediate action to switch places with one target that is your size or smaller within 30 feet of you, as teleport. This performance can only be used once per round. If used in response to being the target of an attack or spell that deals damage to you, the target becomes the target of the triggering attack or spell instead of you. If you were affected by a condition or object that impeded your ability to move (such as the entangle or chain of perdition spells or being locked in a grapple or a set of manacles), the target gains those limitations instead. The target may attempt a Will save to negate this effect (DC equals 10 + 1/2 your bard level + your Charisma modifier).
If you fail to teleport out of the area of a damaging effect or an effect that impedes your ability to move, it may still affect you. If the target creature cannot fit safely into the new space without squeezing, or you try to teleport the target into an occupied space or a space it could not normally stand in, the performance fails. This masterpiece cannot be used to target an unconscious or dead creature.
Use: 1 bardic performance round per round.
Action: 1 full round.
The Thing Out from Time (Oratory)
Associated Spirit: Yith’anu.
Prerequisite: Perform (Oratory) 10 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 4th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You recite a ghastly story that is so horrifically terrifying that it causes a target to instantly die or fright. Upon completion, your performance manifests itself as an illusion that is invisible to all creatures except for one target within 30 feet, as phantasmal killer (both saving throw DCs equal 10 + 1/2 your bard level + your Charisma modifier).
Use: 10 bardic performance rounds.
Action: 10 full rounds.
The Three Siblings (Oratory, Sing)
Associated Spirit: Loathix.
Prerequisites: Perform (Oratory) 16 ranks or Perform (Sing) 16 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 6th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You perform a rendition of a draconic creation myth using a bellowing, baritone voice that grows steadily deeper as you slowly transform into a Medium chromatic or metallic dragon, as form of the dragon I. You remain in this form for as long as you maintain the performance. When the performance ends, you return to your true form.
Use: 1 bardic performance round per round.
Action: 1 full round.