Fascinate questions

[OTSmithers]

Background: I have a new level 3 bard. He's level 3 with 21 charisma. My total mod for perform is 12.

1. Is there any way to speed up the song? It seems to take about 7 or 8 seconds.

2. I would think that with a 21 charisma and maxed perform, that level 2 mobs would almost never save versus the spell, yet this turns out to not be the case. They save regularly.

3. How exactly does this skill work? Does it charm everything that was near me at any time while I play, or only the mobs near me when I am finished playing?

4. Any good strategy tips for making this work better? Generally this is what I see..

Open the door, see ten or so mobs. I begin playing, running around the room strumming away. Seven seconds or so later the song ends, but by that point the mobs were all dead anyway, and of those that aren't perhaps one or two are mezzed for a couple seconds before they too are wiped out.

[Xyfiel]

Background: I have a new level 3 bard. He's level 3 with 21 charisma. My total mod for perform is 12.

1. Is there any way to speed up the song? It seems to take about 7 or 8 seconds.

2. I would think that with a 21 charisma and maxed perform, that level 2 mobs would almost never save versus the spell, yet this turns out to not be the case. They save regularly.

3. How exactly does this skill work? Does it charm everything that was near me at any time while I play, or only the mobs near me when I am finished playing?

4. Any good strategy tips for making this work better? Generally this is what I see..

Open the door, see ten or so mobs. I begin playing, running around the room strumming away. Seven seconds or so later the song ends, but by that point the mobs were all dead anyway, and of those that aren't perhaps one or two are mezzed for a couple seconds before they too are wiped out.

1) No, but I believe it takes effect in 4-5 seconds. A common way to use it is to begin playing it before you get to where you want, and end it right in the middle of the mobs, lowering the chance of you getting hit.

2) It becomes the highest save dc in the game later, give it time. Low levels are bad to gauge save dc's. Plus, they will always save on a 20 roll.

3) When finished playing, see number 1 for timing issue. It isn't a charm, it is a mez.

4) Fascinate and CC in general are not needed in good dps parties, everything dies to quick. They are useful when the group needs CC because they can't kill things fast enough to not take a beating. In some places where you can run ahead of the party, you can fascinate them, let the group kill them as you are already in the next room fascinating. Of course doors hinder this a bit.

[hydra_ex]

1. No way to quicken in, but here's a strategy: click the song, have it progress a bit, then start running. The effect ensues after the song is completed, so if you start singing, and run into area only as the song is being completed, you effectively cut down the time you're vulnerable.

2. What level are you? At level 20, the DC is 1d20 + 23 perform + 15 perform item +5 CHA (at minimum), so thats a DC 44-63, depending on what you roll. Even elder beholders on the way to the hound seldom save.

3. It effectively hypnotises them. like the spell. On a failed save they will stand there doing nothing for a certain period of time, or until attacked, so its generally best to focus on one monster at a time, and avoid AoE spells.

4. In high DPS groups, you don't need to use it often. But see 1. for a good strategy to reduce time. Once fascinated, only pick off one mob at a time. Use fascinate when there is a large number of mobs, and run ahead of the group to use it; you won't be needed if there's only one monster attacking the party behind you! When soloing, agro a lot of stuff, then fascinate it all! If you want to use a 2H weapon, his the mob once, then pull it away so that you don't wake up anything else.

[OTSmithers]

good tips! Thanks!

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Playing music can be done from stealth and while invisible.
but it does make noise.


leave your party behind and get to the next fight ahead of them.

When they get there, the room will be full of facinated monsters just waiting for their arrival.

but I don't recommend this style for those who cannot take care of themselves.

Like you said, some monsters "will" save.
And things can go wrong. So you need to be able to take care of yourself, till the party can catch up.

The idea is to look like a hero, not a zerging fool.

So just keep my idea in mind till you are more confortibe with it.

[Freeman]

Fascinate(When mobs aren't immune) is usually considered more of a Pause button in the game. In a good party, it will likely never be needed. However, there will be other times when someone pulls too much aggro to the party or something else bad happens(Cleric DCs in the middle of a big fight, ranger aggros half of Stormcleave with a bow, etc). In those situations, Fascinate is a great way to stop everything, let the party recover and regroup, and then deal with the situation. Essentially, it take an "Oh ^%&" moment and turns it into a leisurely stroll.

[Vayrel]

Ok so the starting the song before running into combat sounds like a great idea, but all the "stealth" tips = epic fail for me every time. I can sneak up easy enough... but once the song starts... BAM! all the monster turn and attack instantly... it looks like I'm still in stealth, but I have every monsters attention and seldom finish a song before I drop dead.

How the heck do people get Fascinate off other than the "Run and Gun" technique?

[Tuney]

You might be stealthed , but you are MAKING noise near the monster. I like to do the stealth , run trick to avoid the whole getting attacked issue all togeather. Though there is an increased chance of not getting all the mobs as they are out of your AoE, so only adviceable when you have lots of songs to burn.

[Braed]

Yeah, Fascinate from stealth is one of the things you'll hear tossed around like it is no big deal, but the truth is, you need to invest skill points into Hide/MS and gear for it. You need the skills and resources because of the slow down with Stealth.

I like Invisibility much better to deliver Fascinate when needed (most of the time I don't bother though). You save the skill points, and although they can still hear you and later some mobs can see through it, you are moving at full speed. When they hear you, but not see you, they clump up nicely for you too. I'm probably more likely to use this as an additional way to contribute to the group if I'm main healing while invisible.

Plus if you think groups won't wait for you to use one of the best CC abilities in the game because of 4-5 seconds, they certainly won't wait for you to do it at stealth speed.

For the OP with the issues of it being saved regularly, you must have just had a horrible run of luck. With 21 Cha at level 3 and maxed out perform, they were rolling a lot of 20's. I can't remember my save DC from my latest Bard at 3, but at 6 it was around 31 or so. My advice, stick with it! It is a great ability.

[Tuney]

If you are going to use invis at a higher level for your fasination/enthralling needs invest into Shadow walk scrolls. You get Displacment , Haste move speed and invis at the wonderful cost being able to see and lasts 1/min per level (Forgot the level on the scroll hehe.) It is also a GREAT thing for a healer bard as you get increased survivaility and less agro at the start of each encounter.

[Braed]

I'll have to give that a shot. I've avoided it because of the horror stories I've heard about the purple haze. It does combine a lot of positives though so I'll check it out.