Bard, Epic (Epic Class)

Few can stand against the power of their music, for the epic bard's performances can move even the cruelest, most soulless creature, or inspire his allies to the heights of power and bravery.

**Spells**: A bard's epic levels are included when determining his caster level. He continues to gain more spells per day as he increasesin level. See Epic Spellcasting for the spell an epic bard gains. He receives one additional spell known for every level he gains beyond 20th level. This can be selected from any spell level the bard has access to.

**Bardic Knowledge (Ex)**: A bard's epic levels count towards his total class level when calculating the bonus to all Knowledge checks provided by this ability.

**Bardic Performance**: An epic bard continues to increase the number of rounds per day he can perform by 2 for every level beyond 20. His epic levels also count when calculating the DCs of his Fascinate, Suggestion, Frightening Tune, Mass Suggestion, and Deadly Performance songs and when calculating how many allies Inspire Greatness or Inspire Heroics can affect.

**Damage Bonus (Ex)**: An epic bard gains a +1 bonus to all physical damage rolls at 21st level and every four levels.

**Epic Performance (Su)**: Beginning at 21st level, an epic bard's performances transcend anything a non-epic bard could dream of. The bard selects one group of bardic performances and then selects a single bonus from the associated list. The benefits of this bonus are applied to all the performances in that group. The first group consists of those performances that enhance their ally's abilities and include Inspire Courage, Inspire Competence, Inspire Greatness, and Inspire Heroics. The bard can choose one of the following bonuses, which will affect all targets of the ability and last as long as the performance's normal bonuses persist. Note that these bonuses stack with any morale bonuses already provided by the song:

* +2 morale bonus to damage
* +2 morale bonus to CMB/CMD
* +1 morale bonus to AC
* +10 temporary hit points
* +1 morale bonus to saving throws
* +10 feet to base movement speed

The second group are those performances that affect the bard's enemies and include Fascinate, Suggestion, Dirge of Doom, Frightening Tune, Mass Suggestion, and Deadly Performance. He can select one of the following bonuses, but note that not all necessarily apply to all performances:

* +1 to the DC to resist
* Increase number of targets by +1
* Increase the radius of effect by 10 feet
* Increase Dirge of Doom effect to Frightened and Frightening Tune effect to Panicked
* If target succeeds on their saving throw to resist, the performance can be used against them one additional time within a 24 hour period

Finally, the third group consists only of Soothing Performance. The bard can pick one of the following bonuses:

* Cures Nausea
* Cures Exhaustion
* Cures Frightened or Panicked
* Cures poison as neutralize poison
* Cures disease as remove disease
* Upgrade healing to mass cure critical wounds

* Rounds of performance reduced by 1 (minimum 1)

At 25th level and every four levels, the bard can select an additional group of performances to improve or apply an improvement to an already-enhanced group with multiple instances of the same bonus stacking.

**Bonus Class Feat**: The epic bard gains a bonus class feat as described in the Universal Class Features section of this chapter at 22nd level and an additional bonus class feat every two levels (24th, 26th, 28th, etc.). These class feats can be selected from Magic, Morale, and Skill feats.

**Inspire Competence (Su)**: An epic bard's Inspire Competence increases by +2 at 23rd level and every four levels.

**Inspire Courage (Su)**: An epic bard's Inspire Courage increases by +1 at 23rd level and every six levels.

**Lore Master (Ex)**: An epic bard can use his Lore Master class feature one additional time per day at 23rd level and every six levels.