Song of Steel (Performance)

Song of Steel (Stance; Ex)

Beginning at 3rd level, the bard can use this performance to turn themselves into a powerful combatant, temporarily focusing on their own power instead of empowering their allies.

Each round that the bard sustains this performance, they grant themselves (and only themselves) the following benefits:

• They gain a performance bonus to all of their melee and ranged to-hit rolls (including any melee or ranged touch attacks) equal to their half their Bard class level, rounding down. After Bard level 20, this to-hit bonus no longer increases (i.e., it has a maximum value of +10).

• They add their Charisma modifier to all attack and damage rolls required by any melee, ranged, spell, spell-like, or class feature-based attacks they perform, as long as those attacks require to-hit rolls and/or inflict damage.

• If the bard possesses at least 5 tiers of the Bard class (i.e. at bard level 21 and above), their damage with all attacks that inflict damage (regardless of what the source is, whether melee, ranged, spell, or class feature) is increased by +1d6 per bard class level they possess, as bonus damage. Bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit, and is always of the same damage type as the attack which includes it.

• If the bard declares a full attack action while this performance is in effect, they gain a bonus attack at their highest attack value. This free bonus attack stacks with (can be used in addition to) any other bonus attacks they might have (such as from Haste (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell), a weapon with the Speed magic property, etc.).

• While the performance is sustained, the bard suffers only half damage from all melee damage they suffer (rounding down), regardless of whether that melee damage is physical or energy in type. This halving occurs before any other mitigation is applied (such as Damage Resistance (DR) or Energy Resistance (ER)), if the bard possesses any such mitigation. This aspect of Song of Steel provides no protection to the bard caused by ranged or area of effect attacks, however.

The bard must still sustain their bardic performance throughout this song to enjoy its benefits, but they are able to do so while wielding a weapon or implement, if they wish, even if that weapon or implement requires both hands. However, as soon as the performance ends, they will once again need both hands to begin or sustain any of their other performances.

No creature may be under the effects of more than one performance, even if they are being performed by different bards.

Finale: The bard may slide themselves up to 2 squares as forced movement upon triggering the finale of this performance, and sheathe or stow any weapon they are wielding as a free action. The distance of the slide increases to 3 squares at Bard level 11, to 4 squares at Bard level 21, and to 5 squares at bard level 31. This slide cannot interrupt an attack has already been declared, but it can occur between the actions of a creature (such as between a move and an attack, unless that move and attack is a Charge, which is a single action).