Mesmerizing

Fascinate (Su)

At 1st level, a bard with 1 or more ranks in the Perform (mesmerizing) skill can use his performance 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 capable of paying attention to him. The bard must also be able to see the creatures affected. The distraction of a nearby combat or another danger prevents this ability from working. For every three levels the bard has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability.

Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier) to negate 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 observes the performance for as long as the bard continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on all skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect.

Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.

Flashback (Su)

A bard with 1 or more ranks in the Perform (mesmerizing) 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 this ability.

Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the schooled bard cannot use flashback on that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the bard fills its mind with subconscious images and voices, distracting them in one of the following ways, chosen by the bard when he begins his performance:

• -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 Cha 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. All creatures targeted that fail their Will save suffer the same effect. If the bard wishes to alter the flashback effect, he must start a new bardic performance, and each affected creature gets to make another saving throw. Flashback is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.

Snake Charm (Su)

A bard with 3 or more ranks in the Perform (mesmerizing) 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) check instead. Snake Charm is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.

Suggestion (Sp)

A bard with 6 or more ranks in the Perform (mesmerizing) skill can make a suggestion (as the spell) to a creature he has already fascinated (see above). Using this ability does not disrupt the fascinate effect, but it does require a standard action to activate (in addition to the free action to continue the fascinate effect). A bard can use this ability more than once against an individual creature during an individual performance.

Making a suggestion does not count against a bard’s daily use of bardic performance. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature.

Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind affecting, language-dependent ability and relies on audible components.

Reinstruct (Su)

A bard with 9 or more ranks in the Perform (mesmerizing) skill can use his music to influence many creatures typically immune to mind-affecting effects.

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

Entrancing Opponent (Su)

A bard with 12 or more ranks in the Perform (mesmerizing) 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.

Haunting Flashback (Su)

A bard with 15 or more ranks in the Perform (mesmerizing) 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.

Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot use haunting flashback on 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 on 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.

Mass Suggestion (Sp)

This ability functions just like suggestion, but allows a bard with 18 or more ranks in the Perform (mesmerizing) skill to make a suggestion simultaneously to any number of creatures that he has already fascinated.

Mass suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability that relies on audible components.