Mesmerizing Bards influence the mind with harmonics, like those from a flute. Five or more ranks in Perform (flute) grants a synergy bonus to the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) skill. A bard who chooses the mesmerizing bardic music school as his speciality adds the Forgery (Int) skill to his class skill list. A mesmerizing bard with no ranks in any other bardic perform skills gains a +1 bonus to the DC of any mind-affecting spell he casts at 2nd level and +1 to the DC of any mind-affecting song he sings, and a further +1 every six levels thereafter.

 

Mesmerizing Bardic Music

1^st Fascinate

1^st  Flashback

3^rd Snake Charm

6^th Suggestion

9^th Reinstruct

12^th Entrancing Opponent

15^th Haunting Flashback

18^th Mass Suggestion

 

1^st Level

 Fascinate (Sp)

A bard with 3 or more ranks in the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) skill can use his music to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with him. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear the bard, and able to pay attention to him. The bard must also be able to see the creature. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working. For every three levels a bard attains beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with a single use of this ability.

To use the ability, the bard makes a Perform check. His check result is the DC for each affected creature’s Will save against the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and listens to the song, taking no other actions, for as long as the bard continues to play and concentrate (up to a maximum of 1 round per bard level). While fascinated, a target takes a -4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Listen and Spot checks. Any potential threat requires the bard to make another Perform check and allows the creature a new saving throw against a DC equal to the new Perform check result.

Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.

 

Flashback (Sp)

A bard with 3 or more ranks in the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) skill can use his music to flood an enemy’s mind with conjured memories. Targets must be within 30 feet of the bard and able to hear him play. For every three levels a bard attains beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with a single use of this ability.

To use this ability, the bard makes a Perform check. His check result is the DC for each affected creature’s Will save against the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to flashback that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, subconscious images and voices distract the target in one of the following ways, chosen by the bard when he plays the song:

• -1 to hit a specific target chosen by the bard.

• -1 to melee and ranged weapon damage.

• Target must make a concentration check (DC 10 + bard’s Charisma modifier) when casting their next spell. Failure negates the spell’s effects.
• Penalty equal to the bard’s Charisma modifier to a single Skill of the bard’s choice.
• -1 to a saving throw of the bard’s choice.

The bard must choose the exact effect of the flashback before singing. If he wishes to alter the flashback effect, he must expend an additional use of his bardic music. The target gets to make another saving throw.

Flashback is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.

 

3^rd Level

Snake Charm (Sp)

A bard of 3rd level or higher with 6 or more ranks in the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) skill can use his music to calm and influence animals. Snake Charm works exactly like a Handle Animal skill check, except the bard makes a Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) check instead.

Snake Charm is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.

 

6^th Level

Suggestion (Sp)

A bard of 6th level or higher with 9 or more ranks in the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) skill can make a suggestion (as the spell) to a creature that he has already fascinated. Using this ability does not break the bard’s concentration on the fascinate effect, nor does it allow a second saving throw against the fascinate effect.

Making a suggestion doesn’t count against a bard’s daily limit on bardic music performances. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + ½ bard’s level + bard’s Cha modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature (but see mass suggestion, below).

Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language dependent ability.

 

9^th Level

Reinstruct (Sp)

A bard of 9^th level or higher with 12 or more ranks in the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) skill can use his music to influence many creatures typically immune to mind-affecting effects.

At 9^th level, a bard can affect constructs, and plant creatures with the fascinate and flashback bardic music. At 12^th level, he can affect constructs and plant creatures with the suggestion bardic music and can affect mindless undead with the fascinate and flashback bardic music. At 15^th level, he can affect constructs and plant creatures with the entrancing opponent bardic music and can affect mindless undead with the suggestion bardic music. At 18^th level, he can affect mindless undead with the entrancing opponent bardic music.

Reinstruct is a mind-affecting ability.

 

12^th Level

Entrancing Opponent (Su)

A bard of 12^th level or higher with 15 or more ranks in the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) skill can use his magic to obscure an ally behind a distracting rhythm. The ally must be within 60 feet of the bard.

The target of Entrancing Opponent gains concealment against the attacks of any opponent that can hear the bard play.

 

15^th Level

Haunting Flashback (Sp)

A bard of 15^th level or higher with 18 or more ranks in the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) skill can use his music to force painful memories upon an opponent. A target must be within 30 feet of the bard and able to hear him play.

To use this ability, the bard makes a Perform check. His check result is the DC the affected creature’s Will save against the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to haunting flashback that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, horrible images and familiar screams distract the target in one of the following ways, chosen by the bard when he plays the song:

• Penalty equal to the bard’s Charisma modifier to hit a specific target chosen by the bard.
• -1 to hit all targets.
• Unable to score critical hits for the duration of the song’s effect.
• Penalty equal to the bard’s Charisma modifier to melee and ranged weapon damage.
• Target must make a concentration check (DC 20 + bard’s Charisma modifier) when casting their next spell. Failure negates the spell’s effects.
• Target must make a concentration check (DC 10 + bard’s Charisma modifier) when casting spells for the duration of the song’s effect. Failure negates the spell’s effects.
• Penalty equal to the bard’s Charisma modifier to all skill checks made for the duration of the song’s effects.  
• Penalty equal to the bard’s Charisma modifier to a saving throw of the bard’s choice.
• -1 penalty to all saving throws for the duration of the song’s affect.

The bard must choose the exact effect of the haunting flashback before singing. If he wishes to alter the haunting flashback effect, he must expend an additional use of his bardic music. The target gets to make another saving throw.

Haunting Flashback is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.

 

18^th Level

Mass Suggestion (Sp)

This ability functions like suggestion, above, except that a bard of 18th level or higher with 21 or more ranks in the Perform (Mesmerizing Bard) can make the suggestion simultaneously to any number of creatures that he has already fascinated. Mass suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability.