Keld Denar
2010-08-20, 10:48 AM
So, my Halfling Bard is getting close to the level where he'll be starting the Virtuoso2/SublimeChord2/Virtuoso+8 chain. I was reading Virtuoso again last night, since it had been a while, and man, that class is lackluster. I mean, Sublime Chord is bad for class features, but dang. The only really redeaming feature of that class is the 6+int skill points and it progresses your Inspire Courage. On top of that, 1/2 BAB and 1 good save? Shananananananananigans I say!
The first 4 levels are pretty much dead. Making a Dip check with a Perform check is terrible, given that Diplomacy has more skill synergies and is easier to boost then Perform. Also, it just feels awkward (my feelings for you are best expressed by the words to the song Heat of the Moment, by ASIA).
2nd level is dead...blah
3rd level gives the ability to auto stabilize fallen foes between -1 and -10...wow. That ability is soooo amazing! Well, it might have been, if I got it at ECL1. Except with the build, I'm getting it at ECL13. If something drops you at ECL13, there is a good chance you ain't gettin back up, song or not. Plus, that song takes a standard action to start! Bullcrap, I'm a 12th level Sorcerer (effectively), I have better stuff to do than start a crappy Virtouoso song....like cast 6th level spells (Otto's anyone?).
4th level...dead.
5th level, jarring song. This had HUGE potential to be cool. Enemy spellcasters have to make a concentration check to cast when I'm singing this jam. I can sustain it for 10 rounds. Except while I'm doing that, I'm not using Inspire Courage or Dragonfire. I could linger a Dragonfire, but now I'm eating up my first 2 standard actions, and its only about a 50% chance of working against an average spellcaster 2-3 levels higher, depending on the difference between my Cha and his Con. And the worst culprit? Range: 30 feet. WTF!!!!!! Even if I do it adjacent to a caster, he can most likely just wander out of my radius and continue doing his crap. Naw, I'd rather just cast a 7th level spell...
6th level...dead
7th level, song of fury. Ok, standard action to give everyone in my party a rage effect. Wooo....its a chained 2nd level spell. That might have been good when I was level 5, but at ECL17, you gotta be kidding me. I have 8th level spells now, and +4 Str/+4 Con is looking relatively lackluster, especially since I can't affect myself. This is bullcrap.
8th level...dead
9th level, mindbending melody, finally getting some where. Dominate Person, 9 times per day. Only issue here is, I could already cast Dominate Person 8 levels ago, the CL then to cast it is the same as my CL now, and Dominate Person can be used on HOSTILE targets, which is most people you are fighting. Mindbending melody requires fascination first, which can't be used in combat. Better NPC ability than a PC ability, IMO, and only really useful for picking up hordes of thralls to absorb full attacks and spring traps.
10th level, revealing melody, again, too little, too late. While a material componentless True Seeing for your whole party is decent, again, it only works while you are playing/singing, making it tough to put up with Inspire Courage, and it doesn't linger like normal bardic music does, so if you get dropped, stunned, dazed, disabled, silenced, or whatever, the lights go out and everyone is screwed. Plus, you know...ECL20. Way too little, way too late.
So yea...I understand that its probably slightly better than continuing Sublime Chord casting past 2, but dang does it suck. I think I'd rather just say screw music and go into something like Abjurant Champion (getting Shield from Lyric Thamaturge) or something more full-castery like Iot7V or even Divine Oracle for Evasion. Its just soooooo depressing.
The first 4 levels are pretty much dead. Making a Dip check with a Perform check is terrible, given that Diplomacy has more skill synergies and is easier to boost then Perform. Also, it just feels awkward (my feelings for you are best expressed by the words to the song Heat of the Moment, by ASIA).
2nd level is dead...blah
3rd level gives the ability to auto stabilize fallen foes between -1 and -10...wow. That ability is soooo amazing! Well, it might have been, if I got it at ECL1. Except with the build, I'm getting it at ECL13. If something drops you at ECL13, there is a good chance you ain't gettin back up, song or not. Plus, that song takes a standard action to start! Bullcrap, I'm a 12th level Sorcerer (effectively), I have better stuff to do than start a crappy Virtouoso song....like cast 6th level spells (Otto's anyone?).
4th level...dead.
5th level, jarring song. This had HUGE potential to be cool. Enemy spellcasters have to make a concentration check to cast when I'm singing this jam. I can sustain it for 10 rounds. Except while I'm doing that, I'm not using Inspire Courage or Dragonfire. I could linger a Dragonfire, but now I'm eating up my first 2 standard actions, and its only about a 50% chance of working against an average spellcaster 2-3 levels higher, depending on the difference between my Cha and his Con. And the worst culprit? Range: 30 feet. WTF!!!!!! Even if I do it adjacent to a caster, he can most likely just wander out of my radius and continue doing his crap. Naw, I'd rather just cast a 7th level spell...
6th level...dead
7th level, song of fury. Ok, standard action to give everyone in my party a rage effect. Wooo....its a chained 2nd level spell. That might have been good when I was level 5, but at ECL17, you gotta be kidding me. I have 8th level spells now, and +4 Str/+4 Con is looking relatively lackluster, especially since I can't affect myself. This is bullcrap.
8th level...dead
9th level, mindbending melody, finally getting some where. Dominate Person, 9 times per day. Only issue here is, I could already cast Dominate Person 8 levels ago, the CL then to cast it is the same as my CL now, and Dominate Person can be used on HOSTILE targets, which is most people you are fighting. Mindbending melody requires fascination first, which can't be used in combat. Better NPC ability than a PC ability, IMO, and only really useful for picking up hordes of thralls to absorb full attacks and spring traps.
10th level, revealing melody, again, too little, too late. While a material componentless True Seeing for your whole party is decent, again, it only works while you are playing/singing, making it tough to put up with Inspire Courage, and it doesn't linger like normal bardic music does, so if you get dropped, stunned, dazed, disabled, silenced, or whatever, the lights go out and everyone is screwed. Plus, you know...ECL20. Way too little, way too late.
So yea...I understand that its probably slightly better than continuing Sublime Chord casting past 2, but dang does it suck. I think I'd rather just say screw music and go into something like Abjurant Champion (getting Shield from Lyric Thamaturge) or something more full-castery like Iot7V or even Divine Oracle for Evasion. Its just soooooo depressing.