Bard mesmerizing music feat/enhancement

[Lord_Winn]

I noticed there was a bard who used the music spells to mesmerize the mobs, but don't really know what he/she was using. I have a lvl 8 bard with the following: str-18, dex-10, Con-12, int-9, wis-8, cha-22.
Does anyone know of the specific enhancement you need to use the music to mesmerize the crowd. I think with a charisma of 22, she should be able to do this effectively. Thanks.

[DavionFuxa]

Fascinate - You can use it at level 1 and your Perform skill is the main thing you would worry about regarding the effectiveness of that song.

In PUGs it is all but useless though so I wouldn't really worry about it until either far later (when there is higher chance that the random people you meet will know what a memorized mob is and kill them single file) or if you have a group of friends or guild mates that you run with and can work together with.

Also note that when you fascinate a mob, it opens them up for you to use Suggestion, another song. Suggestion will let you charm them so they fight for you.

Last note, look in Feats for these Songs and others.

[Lord_Winn]

Fascinate - You can use it at level 1 and your Perform skill is the main thing you would worry about regarding the effectiveness of that song.

In PUGs it is all but useless though so I wouldn't really worry about it until either far later (when there is higher chance that the random people you meet will know what a memorized mob is and kill them single file) or if you have a group of friends or guild mates that you run with and can work together with.

Also note that when you fascinate a mob, it opens them up for you to use Suggestion, another song. Suggestion will let you charm them so they fight for you.

Last note, look in Feats for these Songs and others.

Davion, maybe you can answer this. Can you fascinate that many mobs all at once? I think I see music notes and the mobs are in a trance when this happen. I don't have too much success with using the fascinate feats in general. Are we talking about the same thing? I thought it was a music enhancement with a mass effect. I could be wrong.

[xanvar]

Davion, maybe you can answer this. Can you fascinate that many mobs all at once? I think I see music notes and the mobs are in a trance when this happen. I don't have too much success with using the fascinate feats in general. Are we talking about the same thing? I thought it was a music enhancement with a mass effect. I could be wrong.

Do you keep your perform skill maxed?

[Noctus]

No enhancement is necessary. You get Fascinate automatically. And its an area effect. Based on the perform skill, so a high CHA is not necessary to get its save in a "need 20 to save" area for the mob.

[DavionFuxa]

Fascinate is an area of effect ability, it hits everything in a small range around your bard while it is singing the tune. When you successfully use it, mobs will stop and the music notes will start rising from them for a while (or until they are hit). Make a note though that they CAN save, so it is possible to fail; you should also note that running toward mobs that aren't intially in range may result in your fascinating less of the mobs that you would appear to be close enough too.

[Lord_Winn]

No enhancement is necessary. You get Fascinate automatically. And its an area effect. Based on the perform skill, so a high CHA is not necessary to get its save in a "need 20 to save" area for the mob.
Noctus, how high of a perform skill do you need. I gave my bard a Pharian ring and I'm pretty sure her perform skill is alright. Just need an approximate score if you know offhand. Thanks for the advice everyone.

[tihocan]

Noctus, how high of a perform skill do you need. I gave my bard a Pharian ring and I'm pretty sure her perform skill is alright. Just need an approximate score if you know offhand. Thanks for the advice everyone.
You don't need a high Perform skill to Fascinate effectively, because an extra d20 is added to the DC (on top of your skill score). But you should always max out Perform on a Bard, because it is required to unlock songs as you level up.

[Noctus]

With a maxed Perform skill for your level and a moderate CHA it is reliable.

If you swap in a perform skillitem just for the singing it gets close to no-fail.


You have to get some feeling for when in your song animation the effect is triggered. Its about ~1 sec before the end when the AOE is determined. Run around a bit and try to be in the thickest of enemies in this critical moment. a good jump skill helps enormously in jumping over blocking enemys to get the placing right. And if your in a pug then hope your comrades know what a fascinated mob is.

Feel free to educate them direct and clearly that dropping a non-maximized non-empowered fireball right into the group for tickling 50 damage each "because they stand so neatly together" is a moronic idea.
1 monster after the other. All melees concentrate on waking one and killing it before waking the next. And if you swing a 2-hander, watch where you stand due to glancing bows waking.

[Lord_Winn]

With a maxed Perform skill for your level and a moderate CHA it is reliable.

If you swap in a perform skillitem just for the singing it gets close to no-fail.


You have to get some feeling for when in your song animation the effect is triggered. Its about ~1 sec before the end when the AOE is determined. Run around a bit and try to be in the thickest of enemies in this critical moment. a good jump skill helps enormously in jumping over blocking enemys to get the placing right. And if your in a pug then hope your comrades know what a fascinated mob is.

Feel free to educate them direct and clearly that dropping a non-maximized non-empowered fireball right into the group for tickling 50 damage each "because they stand so neatly together" is a moronic idea.
1 monster after the other. All melees concentrate on waking one and killing it before waking the next. And if you swing a 2-hander, watch where you stand due to glancing bows waking.

Are you referring, Noctus, the "perform skill" as a feat, or just in a general sense. At level 9, I will get a feat. I am even thinking of exchanging my medium armor proficiency, which others have pointed out affects the bard's spell for a different feat. Of course, I still have to come up with my "imperfect siberys shard" as usual, or buy it from the AH.

[Dragonhyde]

all bards can fascinate but the virtuoso pre has a special versiion that debuffs the mob after melee wakes them up.

[Noctus]

general sense. Those thing in which you spend skill points each level up.


The feat "Skill Focus: Perform" is not necessary.