Other Performances

[Rakoa]

We all know that the Perform skill is used for singing and playing instruments. Some probably know about dancing and comedy. I've even heard of weapon drilling and motivational speaking.

Those don't really appeal to me, for a variety of in character reasons. Rather than bore you with those, however, I'll just let your imaginations run wild. Mostly because I also want to hear other interesting usages outside of those unique to my character.

So what other things do you think can be filtered under the Perform umbrella? Use your imagination. What's reasonable? What would you allow? What is mentioned I'm obscure sourcebooks?

[atemu1234]

Perform (Pratfall) can always be fun.

[Hiro Quester]

My Druid character makes perform (mime) checks when in wildshape, to try to act out what he's trying to tell the party members but he can't say (coz in tiger form).

A high roll gets the "What's that, Lassie? Are you trying to tell me that Timmy fell down the well?" level of understanding.

[Dondasch]

The best Perform is (tea ceremony). It's even in Oriental Adventures.

[JDL]

The physical selection of Perform subskills have a large crossover with Profession (Prostitute).

[Inevitability]

The best Perform is (tea ceremony). It's even in Oriental Adventures.

Now I'd like to see a bard using that...

[Oberon Kenobi]

Perform (Surgery)? Perform (Pelvic Sorcery)? :smalltongue:

Perform (Puppetry) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCmfH0zWUFc) would be pretty cool. So would Perform (Suitimation / Cosplay). I would both play and allow the heck out of those.

[Rakoa]

I like some of these suggestions. I'd love to see everyone get inspired when the Bard sits in the middle of a battlefield and whips out the tea set.

[Segev]

My biggest complaint about the various Perform options is that there are actively better and worse ones. Perform(tea ceremony), for example, means that the Bard is actively not acting in combat other than to engage in his performance. Perform(mandolin) takes two hands, so the bard can't be wielding a weapon. And heaven help you if you go for Perform(flute)! Now both hands and your mouth are occupied; you can't even cast verbal-only spells!

It basically restricts one to Singing, Oratory, or Dancing if one wishes to have a Bard who is fully capable of using all his actions well.

Though Perform(Drums) could be amusing with a Bard dual-wielding light maces: his instruments are his enemies!

[Geddy2112]

In pathfinder, you have Act, Comedy, Dance, Keyboard instruments, Oratory, Percussion, Sing, String, and Wind instruments. Those are very broad categories: percussion can cover everything from snare drum to castanets to more cowbell. Using a puppet could be comedy, dance, oratory, or maybe even percussion if you can make it play an instrument. Most magic shows I have seen are a mix of acting, comedy and oratory. Juggling is an act, but trapeze and tightrope walking is somewhere between act and dance.

Some (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/court-bard) bards (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/core-races/gnome/prankster-bard-gnome) don't really perform, so much as they just trash talk their enemies. Oratory, comedy, act, or even percussion if you Gallagher and smash watermelons at them.

The sky is the limit as to what you do to perform, but most/all could be boiled down into a simpler category.


Now I'd like to see a bard using that...
You mean like this? (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/geisha)

[atemu1234]

My Druid character makes perform (mime) checks when in wildshape, to try to act out what he's trying to tell the party members but he can't say (coz in tiger form).

A high roll gets the "What's that, Lassie? Are you trying to tell me that Timmy fell down the well?" level of understanding.

That's more a use of Bluff for Innuendo. (Yay, 3e skills whose uses have been folded over into 3.5 skills!)


The physical selection of Perform subskills have a large crossover with Profession (Prostitute).

Heck, BoEF has Perform (Sexual Act). I believe one of the descriptions provided involved doing a striptease to provide a morale bonus.

Which makes me wonder how that would work with a male half-elf bard and a heterosexual male dwarf cleric. Badly, it would work badly.

[Oberon Kenobi]

That would probably depend on whether or not the Dwarf can make his Spot check to determine the half-elf's gender. And Spot isn't a class skill for Clerics...

[JDL]

Yep, and there's the question of whether you need a partner or if it's a solo act. Given the fact that the performance is usually measured in rounds lasting 6 seconds each, that's a pretty poor duration too. One also shudders to imagine the type of masterwork instrument involved in such an act as well.

Also, unrelated image:
http://0.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/71/24/9fd2469af4f17ddc350c25db12457e08.jpg

[Penguinator]

In my first campaign, there was a player who had ranks in Perform (Seduction). Not a bard, but a ranger.

I think it could be interesting to have a bard with Perform (Storytelling). It could even be broken down into things like Perform (Ghost Stories). For the latter, there are plenty of Bard spells to make it more interesting. Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Message, and Mage Hand just for Cantrips.

[5ColouredWalker]

My biggest complaint about the various Perform options is that there are actively better and worse ones. Perform(tea ceremony), for example, means that the Bard is actively not acting in combat other than to engage in his performance. Perform(mandolin) takes two hands, so the bard can't be wielding a weapon. And heaven help you if you go for Perform(flute)! Now both hands and your mouth are occupied; you can't even cast verbal-only spells!

I would like to introduce you to Versatile Performance. You gain a number of additional perform skills equal to your int-modifier, with skill ranks equal to skill ranks in chosen perform skill. It even retroactively increases if you improve your int. [So in PF, if you get this ported, a Headband of Intellect +2 can add two skills instead of one... Oh, and then you can replace other skills with your massive number of perform skills!]

Chose a optimal perform of your choice, then grab flavourful ones as you wish.

[Oberon Kenobi]

My biggest complaint about the various Perform options is that there are actively better and worse ones. Perform(tea ceremony), for example, means that the Bard is actively not acting in combat other than to engage in his performance. Perform(mandolin) takes two hands, so the bard can't be wielding a weapon. And heaven help you if you go for Perform(flute)! Now both hands and your mouth are occupied; you can't even cast verbal-only spells!If you can't manage making tea, flirting with a lady or gentleman of your choice and dueling the Sheriff of Nottingham at the same time I'm not sure if you're really Bard material. :smalltongue:

(Good news for the aspiring flautist, though; in 3.5 you can't cast spells and Perform at the same time anyway, so play away!)

[Segev]

If you can't manage making tea, flirting with a lady or gentleman of your choice and dueling the Sheriff of Nottingham at the same time I'm not sure if you're really Bard material. :smalltongue:

Sadly, that means the rules of D&D 3.5 and PF make members of the Bard class unsuitable Bard material. :smallfrown:

Though I agree, rules to permit that would be pretty awesome.

[Milodiah]

Perform (Slapstick Comedy).

I'd even be willing to give status effects if the bard manages a pie to an enemy's face during performance.

[Oberon Kenobi]

Sadly, that means the rules of D&D 3.5 and PF make members of the Bard class unsuitable Bard material. :smallfrown:

Though I agree, rules to permit that would be pretty awesome.Actually, in Pathfinder maintaining your performance is a free action, (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard#TOC-Bardic-Performance) and can't be disrupted, on top of that, so you can prepare tea regardless of whatever else is going on. And talking is a free action, so you can also flirt regardless of whatever else is going on.

So yeah, in Pathfinder you can totally duel your mortal enemy with one hand and set out tea for your romantic interest with the other hand–without taking any penalties for it! :D

[Penguinator]

I realize it violates the "no singing" clause, but I've never seen anyone take Perform (Yodeling).

I like the idea of Perform (Rain Dance), but its use is questionable in a setting with Control Weather. (Of course, a Perform (Rain Dance) might make it able to rain when the Control Weather spell could not, as well as lower levels.) ...But then I realized, "no dancing" was in the OP, too. Bother.

I also thought of Perform (Ritual). It's very open-ended, so I think you could make of it what you will.

Perform (Fortune Telling). If not the most useful for a PC, it might be interesting for an NPC.

Perform (Animal Taming). If you have an ally with an animal companion and an open mind, you might be able to work something out with this. Also one that's better for flavor than for combat purposes. And would probably require ranks in Handle Animal, which of course is a cross-class skill for Bards. Hmm. Might be better for a Druid themselves. (I can think of a few reasons a Druid might take a Bard level.) Grab your Dire Badger or your Bear, pop your head in its mouth, and isn't that great, folks? Round of applause!

[Hiro Quester]

(Good news for the aspiring flautist, though; in 3.5 you can't cast spells and Perform at the same time anyway, so play away!)

You can with the melodic casting feat, which every bard should take.

And that's another essential use of perform for a bard. Perform (concentration check).

That is, you make a perform check instead of a concentration check.

[Khedrac]

I have considered a bard with "Perform: Stand-up comedy" (but since I get threatened if I start on bad puns perhaps I shouldn't).

one thing to note:

Bardic Music
Once per day per bard level, a bard can use his song or poetics to produce magical effects on those around him (usually including himself, if desired). While these abilities fall under the category of bardic music and the descriptions discuss singing or playing instruments, they can all be activated by reciting poetry, chanting, singing lyrical songs, singing melodies, whistling, playing an instrument, or playing an instrument in combination with some spoken performance.
Perform: Tea Ceremony may look great, but it is going to do nothing from a magical viewpoint - if it's not sound-based it's not a boost.

So - no "Perform: Mime" either...

[Oberon Kenobi]

You can with the melodic casting feat, which every bard should take.

And that's another essential use of perform for a bard. Perform (concentration check).

That is, you make a perform check instead of a concentration check.Oh hey, that's pretty cool! Pity it's limited to spell applications of Concentration; a Swordsage Bard using Perform checks for Diamond Mind maneuvers sounds all kinds of righteous.* Add in Snowflake Wardance and an Instrument Blade to taste.

*And come to think of it, Satsuki Kiryuin totally did that with Perform (Tea Ceremony) a couple of times in Kill la Kill. Can't find a video of either instance, unfortunately.