Bards, songs, and spells

[JMason]

So, it looks like DFPRG has cleaned up Bard abilities a bit, but there are some things I still don't quite "get" and was wondering if I'm missing something.

First, it looks like bard song abilities require continual singing/playing, and the effects end if they don't. This is defined as a series of concentrate manuvers.

Spells, on the other hand seem to be simplified so that a bard needs to sing to CAST, but the effects happen for their normal duration regardless if the bard keeps singing.

Assuming I got the above correct, there is a bit of a situation that I'm not quite sure on. "Concentrate" is normally combat maneuver, that is it takes up a characters action for that combat turn. Except that isn't true for maintained spells. These (for whatever reason) can be concentrated on, but still allow a second spell to be cast (at a penalty).

My question is, how does Bard Song work into this? If you are playing an interment to maintain a bard song ability (a concentrate maneuver), can you still sing/cast a spell? Is this at -3, as if it was another spell? My reading of RAW makes me think that you CAN'T really do anything other than concentrate on your playing/maintaining ability's effect. But maybe I've missed something.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by JMason

First, it looks like bard song abilities require continual singing/playing, and the effects end if they don't. This is defined as a series of concentrate manuvers.

Only Command says this, the other songs are different:

• Song of Command- requires Concentrate to maintain.
• Song of Echoes- Free Action
• Song of Humiliation-Free Action
• Song of Sending-Concentrate to establish communication, free actions to speak to the subject thereafter..
• Song of Terror- Concentrate maneuver, not maintained.
• Song of the Wild- Free action

So except for Command and Terror, you can definitely take another maneuver while singing, including Concentrate for casting, as long as you can do it and still play or sing.

[dbm]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

So except for Command and Terror, you can definitely take another maneuver while singing, including Concentrate for casting, as long as you can do it and still play or sing.

All Bard spell casting requires you to sing. I would be reluctant to allow a character to cast a spell whilst using a Bard Song.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by dbm

All Bard spell casting requires you to sing. I would be reluctant to allow a character to cast a spell whilst using a Bard Song.

Why not? They are still singing.

[dbm]

They're singing a Bard song, not singing to cast a spell. Different purposes.

It's like - I'm holding a sword in my hand, I can't hold a dagger at the same time (with the same hand).

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by dbm

They're singing a Bard song, not singing to cast a spell. Different purposes.

It's like - I'm holding a sword in my hand, I can't hold a dagger at the same time (with the same hand).

If you have an ability with Accessibility (Only while holding a weapon), you can still attack with the weapon.