Better Bardic Bang for a Buck
If you like these, you might also like my alternate versatile performance class feature for bards that uses terminology related to acting, music, and dance to represent 18 bardic talents. It’s available along with 15 new feats in Latina Facta & Versatile Performance Redux at both Paizo.com and DriveThruRPG for a mere $0.99. 🙂
Accelerando
School transmutation; Level bard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 2 rounds + 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
Targets affected by accelerando enjoy a gradual increase in base land speed. On your turn each round the spell is in effect, affected creatures have their base land speed increased by 10 feet, to a maximum increase of 30 feet. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus. There is no effect on other modes of movement, such as burrow, climb, fly, or swim. As with any effect that increases your base land speed, this spell affects your jumping distance (see the Acrobatics skill).
Adagio
School transmutation; Level bard 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of molasses)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature of 4 HD or less
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
An affected creature moves and attacks at a drastically slowed rate until the end of its next turn. An affected creature takes a -1 penalty on attack rolls, AC, and Reflex saves. A slowed creature moves at half its normal speed (round down to the next 5-foot increment), which affects the creature’s jumping distance as normal for decreased speed.
Adagio does not stack with itself or with other slow effects don’t stack. Adagio does not counter or dispel haste.
Deceptive Cadence
School illusion (figment, glamer; see text); Level bard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Target you
Duration see text
Saving Throw Will disbelief (if interacted with, see text); Spell Resistance no
Deceptive cadence has two effects when it is cast. First, it causes you to become invisible for up to 1 round/caster level just as if you were the target of an invisibility spell. Second, it creates a major image of you in the space you occupied when you cast the spell. The major image lasts for as long as you concentrate on it, plus 3 rounds.
Creatures that interact with your illusionary double are entitled to a Will save as normal for a figment. While concentrating, you can move the major image within a radius around its initial space equal to 10 feet per level. The image disappears when struck by an opponent unless you cause the illusion to react appropriately.
Dissonance
School enchantment [compulsion, mind-affecting]; Level bard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one living creature
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
Dissonance creates disordered thoughts and difficulty concentrating in an affected creature. The target suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Furthermore, an affected creature must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast a spell (or lose the spell). Since a concentration check is neither a skill checks nor an ability checks, it does not suffer the -2 penalty imposed by this spell.
Maestro’s Polyphony
School transmutation; Level bard 5
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S, F (a conductor’s baton)
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 minute, or until expended
After casting this spell, you gain the ability to cast two bard spells simultaenously as a standard action. The combined levels of these spells cannot exceed 4 and neither spell can have a casting time greater than 1 standard action. You have one minute after casting maestro’s polyphony to benefit from its effects. You cannot be under the effect of more than one maestro’s polyphony spell at a time.
Requiem
School necromancy; Level bard 3
Casting Time 1 standard
Components V
Range 30 ft.
Area one or more undead creatures within a 30-ft.-radius burst
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Will partial; Spell Resistance yes
A requiem spell overwhelms up to 10 HD of undead creatures with the peace of the grave. Undead within range that fail their saving throw can do nothing but stand and sway gently for the spell’s duration. These undead are helpless. Undead that succeed on their saving throw can act normally, but suffer a -2 penalty to armor class and attack rolls for the spell’s duration. Requiem affects undead with fewer HD first. Among creatures with equal HD, those closest to the caster are affected first. HD that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted. Wounding an undead creature rendered helpless by requiem negates the spell’s effects on that particular undead.
