Dancing Bard

[ZombiePunch]

Hello, one of my players is building their first bard and I have no experience with said class.
She's interested in using Perform Dance and I was curious if there was any ACF or rules that let you use Perform Dance to activate Bardic Music instead of singing, speaking, or playing an instrument.
I appreciate any suggestions.

[SowZ]

Ehh, it shouldn't really work as per the rules. But you are the DM. It is your call. I'd do it, but you have the problem of the players having to see the dancer...

[Dumbledore lives]

I don't think there is any ACF, but I don't see any reason not to just allow it. I let my bard at my current table use hate speech for his inspire courage, shouting insults at the enemy.

The point is that it's all really fluff anyway, if you want to make it rules legal have her have jangly bells or something that make music as she dances.

[SowZ]

Yeah, I'd let it pass, too.

[ZombiePunch]

In the end if I don't find any rules to fit I'll just fluff it but I would have liked to back it with something if possible.

Instead of having to hear her to be affected have to see her.

[SowZ]

In the end if I don't find any rules to fit I'll just fluff it but I would have liked to back it with something if possible.

Instead of having to hear her to be affected have to see her.

If you want it to be within the rules, you can... stretch them. The rules state that poetry is an alternative to song. It is not hard to argue that interpretive dancing is a form of poetry.

[holywhippet]

One caveat though, technically bard song is a sound based technique which can be blocked using a silence spell. Dancing however is not sound based so a silence spell won't stop it.

[Greenish]

One caveat though, technically bard song is a sound based technique which can be blocked using a silence spell. Dancing however is not sound based so a silence spell won't stop it.Require her to take Subsonics.

[ZombiePunch]

Hold Person?

[TwylyghT]

Could perhaps work as is, if she used a style of dancing that included some sort of instrument in the form, like the finger cymbals sometimes used by belly dancers.

[ZombiePunch]

I appreciate all the suggestions.
bells, finger cymbals, or perhaps bracelets would all help fit the music criteria

[Greenish]

Hold Person?That'd stop singing, too.

[Coidzor]

Well, there's always shoes. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B718RsboGEI)

Though this does depend a bit on what yer dancing on.

[Elboxo]

Agree with Greenish for subsonics, which would actually be better than having bangles or something because enemies wouldn't hear it. Though you'd need to be level 7 before you could take this. Or as an awesome idea have small hand cymbals that are actually shuriken. Fire shuriken. * Jingle Jingle * shank.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

You say a dancing bard who is good in combat? Much as I hate to admit it, there's one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWdGIbZKtmg) thing which comes to mind...

[Coidzor]

You say a dancing bard who is good in combat? Much as I hate to admit it, there's one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWdGIbZKtmg) thing which comes to mind...

Give the party a nightcaller's whistle and you get this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG6oy46qKE4#t=2m30s).

[Zejety]

You may want to take a look at the Pathfinder Bard. He doesn't use Bardic Music but Bardic Performance (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/classes/bard.html#bardic-performance).

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Give the party a nightcaller's whistle and you get this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG6oy46qKE4#t=2m30s).

Nah, that's just the Requiem feat

[MeeposFire]

You may want to take a look at the Pathfinder Bard. He doesn't use Bardic Music but Bardic Performance (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/classes/bard.html#bardic-performance).

Yuck. The reason to avoid the PF bard is due to the bardic performance mechanic (though not because it allows dancing as that is one of its good things).

[Paul H]

Hi

Actually, there is one - a PF Archetype Bard. Uses dance as Bardic Performance.

Will check my books/pdf's and get back to the thread.

Thanks
Paul H
Edit:

Dervish Dancer, Ultimate Combat (Pg 33). Uses Dance as Perfmance, but bonuses from Inspire Courage, etc. only affect bard themselves. You do gain some nifty 'dances' that grant Haste, Inproved Crit, etc. Plus Scimitar & Kukri profs,. instead of rapier & whup.

There is a feat called Dervish Dance from the Qadiran splat book. Allows you to use your dex instead of str when wielding a Scimitar.
Prereqs: NG follower Sarenrae, Wpn Finesse, 2 ranks Dance, be proficient with Scimitar of appropriate size for you. Scimitar becomes Piercing (not Slashing). Your off hand must be free.
Brilliant for those Zorro types out there.

[Parra]

I dunno about subsonics as a requirement. If you are switching to a Visual Perform from an Audible Perform, would it not make more sense to have things that block sight be its counter?
So instead of Silence spells, Darkness spells countering it. Or even poor lighting & natural darkness. Depending on who has Lowlight/darkvision in the group this may or may not be an issue.