3.5 bard: switching instruments?

[Warrnan]

So I'm working on a level one bard build. My character has a masterwork horn for the extra +1 to inspire courage. I also have the melodic casting feat and weapon finesse (houseruled prereq is dex 13+, instead of BAB +1).

I'm curious what general consensus is on swapping instruments. I want to stop playing my horn and cast a spell while continuing to sing inspire courage. The text regarding the horn states the bonuses last one round after you stop playing (unlike the normal 5). Would this require 2 music uses or just one?

Also. If you have the somatic weaponry feat do you still need a free hand to use material components? Or do they just disappear from your spell pouch when you cast the spell?

[sideswipe]

you need a free hand to fetch the spell component, but as long as you can hold your weapon in one hand or are using a light shield on your off hand then you can fetch it, for example a greatsword can be held in one hand but you need two to swing it so you can cast with a greatsword.

for you regardless of your weapon, as long as it is one handed you can use the weapon to do the somatic components and the other to fetch spell components.
if its two handed you cannot wield it one handed so i would say that you cant use material components and somatic weapon.

if you take the feat versatile performer i believe you could use any perform skill to use bardic music so you can swap from horn to singing and keep the inspire courage going (though the +1 from the horn might disappear).
you will need silent spell to cast and use bardic music.

[nedz]

Playing music is a Standard Action to start but is interrupted if you cast a spell. You would have to restart it — which would cost another use of music. Now you could take Extra Music, but only do that if you only plan on taking a few levels of Bard because by mid levels even, you won't be running out of them.

You could also look at the spell Inspirational Burst [SpC]. This adds a further +1 — but it probably shouldn't be one of your early spells.

Somatic Weaponry doesn't say anything about Material Components — so you are out of luck with that one.

[DeltaEmil]

The feat Melodic Casting from Complete Mage allows a bard to cast spells (and do other things) while using a bardic music ability.

[Hiro Quester]

The feat lingering song enables the benefits of a song to last ten rounds after they stop hearing your performance. It's very useful to ensure that your inspire courage can last the whole combat while you start another song in the second round.

Hang your horn on a string around your neck. Then you can drop it after playing without having to take a move action to stow it.

And the spell harmonize is your party's best friend. Enables you to start bardic music as a move action. That way you can sing inspire courage and cast Haste in the same round. Lasts minutes/level. Get a MM rod of lesser extend to double this. My bard character had this persisted all day at high levels.

Seconding melodic casting. Sub a perform check for concentration check. Makes concentrating on a song trivially easy.

[Telonius]

The OP already mentioned having the Melodic Casting feat ... my guess is that the DM is trying to enforce the Verbal component of the spell.

If that's it, point them to the specific text (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/bard.htm):


Every bard spell has a verbal component (singing, reciting, or music).

Music can count as the Verbal component. It doesn't matter that your mouth is too busy blowing on the horn to form words, it still works for the spell (unless the specific text of an individual spell says otherwise). Since you have Melodic Casting, you're completely capable of casting the spell while maintaining the Bardic Music.

If you're actively deciding to switch instruments mid-performance, it's a little more sketchy. However, the Versatile Performer feat (from Complete Adventurer) gives a bonus to performances where you use more than one instrument. So at least there, the rules support the idea that such a combination is possible. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that you're doing a song-and-horn routine as the full performance. Personally I'd allow it - as long as you had sufficient ranks in both instruments to meet the minimum requirements of whatever Bardic Music you're trying to use.

[Warrnan]

Awesome advice everyone. Thanks a bunch.

So it seems to me I can:

Round 1) use horn in off hand to start +2 inspire courage as a standard action. Move action my speed toward the enemy.
Round 2) start singing in order to use melodic casting for a spell as a standard dropping my horn on a lanyard as a free action. Move action toward enemy of needed.
Round 3) inspire courage goes back to +1 due to the horn effect wearing off.

regarding spell components: it seems melodic casting takes care of verbal while singing. Somatic weaponry lets you use your weapon to do somatic parts. So you could cast with both hands full while inspiring courage but only if it had no material components to manipulate?

[Trasilor]

Awesome advice everyone. Thanks a bunch.

So it seems to me I can:

Round 1) use horn in off hand to start +2 inspire courage as a standard action. Move action my speed toward the enemy.
Round 2) start singing in order to use melodic casting for a spell as a standard dropping my horn on a lanyard as a free action. Move action toward enemy of needed.
Round 3) inspire courage goes back to +1 due to the horn effect wearing off.

regarding spell components: it seems melodic casting takes care of verbal while singing. Somatic weaponry lets you use your weapon to do somatic parts. So you could cast with both hands full while inspiring courage but only if it had no material components to manipulate?

I think you are bit confused.

First, the when you Inspire Courage, you do not need to continuously play the the instrument.

Inspire Courage Entry

To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the bard sing. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the bard sing and for 5 rounds thereafter.

That means that can use your standard action to activate the Inspire Courage via a horn (standard action) then proceed to sing every round thereafter (free action) maintaining the effect. Once you stop singing - the bardic effect only lasts one additional round.

With Melodic Casting you can cast spells while maintaining this effect.

Your Example would be as follows:

Round 1) Standard Action: use horn (off hand does not exist) to start +2 inspire courage. Move action: move toward the enemy up to your speed.
Round 2) Free action: drop horn on lanyard, start singing to maintain Inspire Courage. Standard action: cast a spell via melodic casting. Move Action: move toward enemy if needed.
Round 3) Free action: maintain inspire courage by continuing to sing.

Unless you plan on fighting Sword and Shield (not recommended) or two-weapon fighting (also not recommended) - somatic weaponry is pointless. If you are fighting one-handed, one hand is free to cast spell. If using a two handed weapon - simply let go with one hand (a free action) - cast the spell - then grab the weapon again (another free action). If you do decide to go sword and board - use a buckler as they are strapped to your forearm, thus leaving a hand free to cast spells. The feat tax on two-weapon fighting makes it useless.


Inspirational Boost, Versatile Spellcaster, Power Attack (if using 2-handed weapon and a decent STR) are better feats to take than Somatic Weapon.