Maximizing Perform

[Enochi]

Hmm I am trying to maximize my perform check.

I am mainly looking for feats and Items as my Race (Gnome) and Class (bard) are locked.

Can be from 3.0, 3.5, or Pathfinder.

So far I am figuring

Feats:
Skill focus: Preform +3(+6 after 10)
Prodigy +2(+4 After 10)

Vest of Legends +5

Reason is I am planing on going into the Seeker of Song class. And I noticed the Seeker gets a Heal equal to result of your Perform Check. Our DM has ruled for refrains I expend 1 round of Bardic Music. Our party currently lacks a healer and I am pretty much support anyway so. I would like to see what I can get out of this.

[ahenobarbi]

Masterwork Instrument (masterwork tool) +2 Circumstance
Guidance of the Avatar (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a) +20 Competence.

[AMFV]

You can get a fairly high competency item fairly cheaply up to +30 in fact for only 90,000 GP. Masterwork tools is a +2 circumstance. Raising Charisma is a pretty good bet. Get a familiar and have it assist you for another +2. Get an item familiar and then invest 3 ranks to get 1 extra each time, effectively doubling your ranks. One level in Exemplar lets you take 10 even when threatened (which is between a +9 and a -10 depending on how you roll, but regularity beats non regularity.)
So that would be at level 13 (Since that's when you can afford the big item)
+30 Competency Item
+2 Circumstance
+16 Skill Ranks
+16 Item Familiar Ranks
+2 Aid Other (Your Familiar)
+9 Taking 10 as an exemplar
+3 Skill Focus
+2 Prodigy
+5 Vest of Legends

That would be an 85 every time and that's just scratching the surface.

[ahenobarbi]

Reason is I am planing on going into the Seeker of Song class. And I noticed the Seeker gets a Heal equal to result of your Perform Check. Our DM has ruled for refrains I expend 1 round of Bardic Music. Our party currently lacks a healer and I am pretty much support anyway so. I would like to see what I can get out of this.

I think you're better off buying wands of Cure Light Wounds (share the cost with rest of the party). It's ok to buy Vest of Legends and Masterwork Instrument but I wouldn't invest 2 feats just to get some healing, you will get much better results if you use those feats for something else (like improving Inspire Courage, getting extra spells known, ...).

[AMFV]

I think you're better off buying wands of Cure Light Wounds (share the cost with rest of the party). It's ok to buy Vest of Legends and Masterwork Instrument but I wouldn't invest 2 feats just to get some healing, you will get much better results if you use those feats for something else (like improving Inspire Courage, getting extra spells known, ...).

He's not just improving his heal, he's boosting his perform, which has a lot of other uses for bardic music using characters. Especially if he's going a seeker of the song, which involves lots of music related abilities.

[Ortesk]

If this has been said before sorry, but you can dip a level in Marshall, Motivate Charisma aura. Effectively double charisma boost on perform

[A.A.King]

You should ask if you can get the Healing Hymn ACF from Complete Champion. It replaces Fascinate as Bardic Music but you get +1 Sacred Bonus per Rank you have in the perform skill whenever an ally (or you) casts a Conjuration (Healing) spell (although wands don't count). Which basically means that every healing spell heals your character level +3 (assuming you have atleast 1 perform skill maxed) + whatever the spell heals. This should make being the healer a lot easier

I know it's not what you asked for but thought it might help (in case you didn't know of it yet)

[Enochi]

This is pathfinder So lets Aim for level level 15 as thats when I pick up the Life healing Song

+30 Competency Item
+2 Circumstance
+3 Class Bonus
+15 Skill Ranks
+15 Item Familiar Ranks
+2 Aid Other (Your Familiar)
+6 Skill Focus
+4 Prodigy
+5 Vest of Legends
+2 Nymph's Kiss
Current total: 84+1d20+Cha mod


(+9 Taking 10 as an exemplar) This will have to be later

[AMFV]

This is pathfinder So lets Aim for level level 15 as thats when I pick up the Life healing Song

+30 Competency Item
+2 Circumstance
+3 Class Bonus
+15 Skill Ranks
+15 Item Familiar Ranks
+2 Aid Other (Your Familiar)
+6 Skill Focus
+4 Prodigy
+5 Vest of Legends
+2 Nymph's Kiss
Current total: 84+1d20+Cha mod


(+9 Taking 10 as an exemplar) This will have to be later

It's also worth noting that from a purely optimization perspective this is probably overinvesting.
You've spent five feats which are Item Familiar, Obtain Familiar, Skill Focus, Nymph's Kiss and Prodigy.
You've spent 90,000 Gold and the cost of the Vest of Legends.
Lastly you've spent 60 skill points.

This is pretty heavy investment I would make sure that you need this level of investment otherwise you might be overspending. I think you could probably drop a few of the feats and still be pretty well off.

[ahenobarbi]

He's not just improving his heal, he's boosting his perform, which has a lot of other uses for bardic music using characters. Especially if he's going a seeker of the song, which involves lots of music related abilities.

No. This is the only ability that uses Perform check. Other use ECL, Seeker of the Song level, Seeker of the Song+Bard level, ranks in Perform, but no other cares about the check.

So I say it's wasting resources. Grab wand of Cure Light Wounds, use leftover bardic music for healing to save some cash, it's ok. Getting Vest of Legends is a good idea anyways so get it. But don't spend feats or serious cash on it.

[AMFV]

No. This is the only ability that uses Perform check. Other use ECL, Seeker of the Song level, Seeker of the Song+Bard level, ranks in Perform, but no other cares about the check.

So I say it's wasting resources. Grab wand of Cure Light Wounds, use leftover bardic music for healing to save some cash, it's ok. Getting Vest of Legends is a good idea anyways so get it. But don't spend feats or serious cash on it.

I stand corrected actually I was recalling the Sublime Chord thing that has a couple of spots where it actually matters, also I was recently looking at some skills related stuff like the Undersong type mess, which would work with a higher perform check, otherwise I have come to agree with you, since it's a relatively high expenditure for no return.

Although I'd advise him to keep Obtain Familiar, cause that's great for bards, and then Item Familiar is not terrible and with a cheaper competency item he's home free without even spending the feats.

[TuggyNE]

No. This is the only ability that uses Perform check. Other use ECL, Seeker of the Song level, Seeker of the Song+Bard level, ranks in Perform, but no other cares about the check.

Distraction and Countersong do (and in 3.5 several others), but those probably don't matter. (I can't tell, is this Bard/Seeker of the Song, or are there no Bard levels?)

[Ortesk]

This is pathfinder So lets Aim for level level 15 as thats when I pick up the Life healing Song

+30 Competency Item
+2 Circumstance
+3 Class Bonus
+15 Skill Ranks
+15 Item Familiar Ranks
+2 Aid Other (Your Familiar)
+6 Skill Focus
+4 Prodigy
+5 Vest of Legends
+2 Nymph's Kiss
Current total: 84+1d20+Cha mod


(+9 Taking 10 as an exemplar) This will have to be later

trade nymphs kiss for craft wonderous items. make competence item require 10 ranks in x perform, and must be good to use it. total of 67 percent off. pick up a sacred item which grants +30, same rules as above. if you want to go for broke, make a third item which is +30 insight. so i lowered you to 82, added another 60, and if you can somehow manage a +8 charisma you have hundred and fifty as your bonus. congrats, your brad paisley

[ahenobarbi]

Distraction and Countersong do (and in 3.5 several others), but those probably don't matter. (I can't tell, is this Bard/Seeker of the Song, or are there no Bard levels?)

It seems there are Bard levels (from OP). Countersong probably doesn't matter. By distraction did you mean Fascinate? It can be useful (Especially after you get Suggestion) but I don't think it's worth all that investment. It'll have pretty nice DCs anyways

[TuggyNE]

It seems there are Bard levels (from OP). Countersong probably doesn't matter. By distraction did you mean Fascinate? It can be useful (Especially after you get Suggestion) but I don't think it's worth all that investment. It'll have pretty nice DCs anyways

No, I meant the PF Bard ability. In 3.5 Suggestion also runs off Perform check.

[Incorrect]

Perform (Weapon drill), from Complete Warrior.
You gain ½BAB as circumstance bonus, and +2 for each weapon related feat (from a list)

This thread examines it: http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=8333.0;wap2

[Person_Man]

Spellscale is a dragonborn-ish sorta +0 LA psudo-template. You basically lose virtually all of your normal racial abilities except for your type and subtype (so you'd still be a Gnome), and gain new Spellscale racial abilities. It gives you +2 Cha, -2 Con, and "Blood Quickening" meditations. Each day you perform a meditation, which grants you a benefit of the some kind for 24 hours. The options mostly suck, but they include a number of bonuses that grant a racial bonus on a check equal to half the spellscale’s character level. The Hlal aspect provides a bonus to Perform, plus the use of the Heighten Spell feat three times per day. (So a 20th level character would get a +10 racial bonus to Perform, plus the Cha bonus). Races of the Dragon.

Stormsinger Prestige Class: Provides full spell progression (of any class), Bardic music uses progression, and several new uses for Bardic Music. Three levels in to the PrC (ECL 8) you get Thunderstrike. Burn a Bardic Music use, make a ranged touch attack, and deal damage equal to your Perform check. Reflex for half damage, and Fort check or they're deafened for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt. At ECL 14 it improves to Great Thunderstrike, where it becomes line of damage (basically a lightning bolt), deals an extra 2d6 damage, and permanently deafens targets. You don't see this PrC used a lot because it's a Bard blaster, it allows a Save, there are much more efficient ways to be a blaster, and being a blaster isn't that great of a thing. But if you're going to have a Perform check in the 70+ range, it might be worth taking 3 levels of the PrC in order to have a decent damage option. Frostburn.

Dragonsong Feat: +2 unnamed bonus on Perform checks involving song, poetics, or any other verbal or spoken form of performance. In addition, the DC of any saving throw required by mind-affecting effects based on your song or poetics (such as bardic music effects) is increased by +2.

[Socratov]

Look up Admiral's Bicorn, just what the bard ordered (http://chet.kindredcircle.org/pdf/DnD3.5Index-MagicItems-Personal-byName.pdf)

[Waker]

Versatile Performer (CAdv) grants a +2 bonus on your Perform check when you mix two or more types of performance.

[Enochi]

trade nymphs kiss for craft wonderous items. make competence item require 10 ranks in x perform, and must be good to use it. total of 67 percent off. pick up a sacred item which grants +30, same rules as above. if you want to go for broke, make a third item which is +30 insight. so i lowered you to 82, added another 60, and if you can somehow manage a +8 charisma you have hundred and fifty as your bonus. congrats, your brad paisley

I Like this

I think I will Drop the Prodigy, Obtain Familiar, Item familiar, and Nypmh's Kiss feats. Ill keep Skill focus cause I need it for requirements for Seeker of Song.

where are the rules for crafting items with sacred and insight bonuses I only see Competence.

Right Now I am seeing something like this.

Bard 9/Storm Singer 2/Seeker of Song 4/Storm Singer 1/X?

Feats:
1: Melodic Casting
3: Song of the Heart
5: Words of Creation
7: Magical Aptitude
9: Storm Magic
11: Skill Focus: Sing
13: Craft Wonderous Item
15: X?

Any suggestions on making this better? I am not set on Storm Singer but it seems to combo well.