d20: Feats: Musical Casting

Though it is often assumed, Bards do not, according to the rules, automatically sing every spell they cast, though their spells do have verbal components. The following feats make that an explicit aspect of their spellcasting, and provide ways to improve upon that distinctive spellcasting style.

Note that as these feats are Metamagic, a spontaneous spellcaster using a musical casting feat casts her spell according to the usual extra time penalties.

MUSICAL CASTING [Metamagic]

You are able to perform magical gestures in the form of music and song.

Prerequisites: Perform as a class skill, and the ability to cast spells as an (eventual) part of one of your classes.

Benefit: When casting a spell with verbal and somatic components, the caster may sing and play an instrument (the exact type does not matter). Anyone listening will still be able to detect spellcasting, since the song and music is easily recognizable as something other than music. This does not allow a bard to cast spells and use the Perform skill at the same time (nor any Bard special abilities at the same time).

Special: The DM may consider this to be an automatic first-level ability of the Bard class.

IMPROVED MUSICAL CASTING [Metamagic]

You are able to intergrate music and songs with spellcasting more smoothly.

Prerequisites: Musical Casting, and the ability to use perform bardic music (class special abilities).

Benefit: A bard with this feat may cast spells while performing bardic music.

HIDDEN MUSICAL CASTING [Metamagic]

You can hide the trappings of spellcasting within music.

Prerequisites: Musical Casting

Benefit: When casting with the Musical Casting feat, the spell sounds like part of the music, making the spellcasting hard to detect. If anyone is actively looking for spellcasting, they must make a contested roll of their Spellcraft versus the caster's Perform to notice. If the casting is noticed, it still takes a normal (additional) Spellcraft check to determine the spell being cast.