Haunting Melody

[kyuubigan]

What are the details of this feat? I get the gist but I don't know the specifics.

[RTGoodman]

The full text is in the Eberron CS and Heroes of Horror, but basically, you spend a Bardic Music use as you sing or use the Perform skill, and enemies in 30 ft. have to make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Cha modifier) or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to your ranks in the Perform skill.

First of all, I've never seen the feat before, but man... it's REALLY good at first glance. I mean, shaken is NOT a bad condition to impose, AND Fear effects explicitly stack. So sing your heart out (speaking's a free action - is singing?), and then hit the enemy with another cheap fear effect and they're FRIGHTENED, and then maybe again for PANICKED!

EDIT: Oh, and because of the "Perform 9 ranks" prerequisite, the enemy is shaken for a minimum of, well, probably the entire encounter.

[kyuubigan]

Wow, didn't know it worked like that. Do you think that you could use the feat multiple times during an encounter in order to stack the fear effects?

[RTGoodman]

Do you think that you could use the feat multiple times during an encounter in order to stack the fear effects?

Eh, not sure about that. I think the general rule is that things from the same source don't stack, but overlap - so you could use Haunting Melody twice, but it would only extend the duration rather than drive the enemy to a new condition.

That said, there are a TON of other ways to stack fear effects. There's a whole handbook on the WotC CharOp forum all about Demoralize Optimization, and I know (but can't find) another similar one on generic fear effect stacking. And as a Bard, of course, you're already predisposed to that kind of thing with your naturally high Charisma.

[Gaiyamato]

It stacks with Inspire Awe from Dragon magic as well.

Class: Bard.
Level: 1st.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain
inspire courage (or any later improvements to that class
feature).
Benefit: A bard with 3 or more ranks in a Perform skill
can use song or poetics to inspire awe in his enemies,
rendering them shaken. To be affected, an enemy must be
within 30 feet and be able to hear the bard perform. The
effect lasts for as long as the enemy hears the bard perform
and for 1 round thereafter. Each enemy can attempt a Will
save to negate the effect; the DC is equal to the bard's Perform
check result. Regardless of the success or failure of the
save, no creature can be affected by inspire awe more than
once in a 24-hour period. Inspire awe is a mind-affecting
fear effect.

Try this build out:

Star Elf

Level 1: Bard 1 - Inspire Awe
lv1: Spellcasting Prodigy
Level 2: Bard 2
Level 3: Bard 3
lv3: Skill Knowledge
Level 4: Bard 4
Level 5: Dread Witch 1
Level 6: Dread Witch 2
lv6: Haunting Melody
Level 7: Dread Witch 3
Level 8: Dread Witch 4
Level 9: Dread Witch 5
lv9: Melodic Casting
Level 10: Sublime Chord 1
Level 11: Nightmare Spinner 1
Level 12:Nightmare Spinner 2
lv12: Extra Music
Level 13:Nightmare Spinner 3
Level 14:Nightmare Spinner 4
Level 15:Nightmare Spinner 5
lv15: Requiem (combined with dread witch level 4 it allows you to use bardic music to cause fear in undead and cast spells to cause fear in even paladins!)

[TSED]

Wow, didn't know it worked like that. Do you think that you could use the feat multiple times during an encounter in order to stack the fear effects?

Unless it explicitly states it cannot make them Frightened or Panicced, yes it can!