Help Me Build a Bard! (PHB Only)

[superfloree]

To be frank, I'm a noob.

Actually, our entire group minus the DM are noobs, but that's a bit unrelated. Anyways, after a lot of shuffling around, I've got myself a gnome(?) bard with the following stats:

Strength 13 (rolled 15)
Dexterity 14
Constitution 16 (rolled 14)
Intelligence 15
Wisdom 11
Charisma 18

Putting rolled stats up there too in case someone thinks I should change races.

Now, I've got 32 skill points and I'm clueless as to how to use them. We've currently got a rogue, a fighter, 2 druids, a sorcerer, a monk, and a ranger. Yeah, that's a big group. Also the DM's treating bardic knowledge as a knowledge subskill to feed points into, so that's something else to account for.

I really don't know what to put my points into. Since I originally wanted a rogue I was going to try focusing on similar skills, but I'm not sure if that seems redundant since we already have a rogue (which is actually why I decided not to choose one afterwards). Then there's also all the separate knowledge skills among so many other things, including bardic knowledge I now have to account for >.<; Also, I'm totally unsure if investing in two different performs would be any better than investing in one-- is there even much of a difference depending on which one I choose? I was thinking focus on one and have a couple ranks in another, but I'm not sure if that is totally useless or not.

I'm horribly lost ;~; Halp.

 

[Jacob Marley]

The Bard's Handbook by Dictum Mortuum is a great resource.

As for skill distribution, I'd go:
Bluff 4 ranks
Craft (alchemy) 1 rank
Diplomacy 4 rank
Knowledge (arcana) 1 rank
Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1 rank
Knowledge (local) 1 rank
Knowledge (nature) 1 rank
Knowledge (planes) 1 rank
Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks
Perform (oratory or sing) 4 ranks
Perform (whatever) 1 rank
Sense Motive 4 ranks
Tumble 4 ranks
Use Magic Device 1 ranks

Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive will allow you to serve as the party's face. Craft (alchemy) is a flavorful downtime skill for a gnome. With an alchemist's lab you can take 10 and make vials of acid for the party. It is a good idea to have 1 rank in each of the knowledge skills with one knowledge skill maxed out. Given your party, I'd say max knowledge (dungeoneering, religion, or planes). Perform, you're a bard. Tumble is good for helping you get out of harm's way. Use Magic Device has lots of uses.

 

[Dandu]

To be frank, I'm a noob.

Actually, our entire group minus the DM are noobs, but that's a bit unrelated. Anyways, after a lot of shuffling around, I've got myself a gnome(?) bard with the following stats:

Strength 13 (rolled 15)
Dexterity 14
Constitution 16 (rolled 14)
Intelligence 15
Wisdom 11
Charisma 18

Putting rolled stats up there too in case someone thinks I should change races.

Now, I've got 32 skill points and I'm clueless as to how to use them. We've currently got a rogue, a fighter, 2 druids, a sorcerer, a monk, and a ranger. Yeah, that's a big group. Also the DM's treating bardic knowledge as a knowledge subskill to feed points into, so that's something else to account for.

I really don't know what to put my points into. Since I originally wanted a rogue I was going to try focusing on similar skills, but I'm not sure if that seems redundant since we already have a rogue (which is actually why I decided not to choose one afterwards). Then there's also all the separate knowledge skills among so many other things, including bardic knowledge I now have to account for >.<; Also, I'm totally unsure if investing in two different performs would be any better than investing in one-- is there even much of a difference depending on which one I choose? I was thinking focus on one and have a couple ranks in another, but I'm not sure if that is totally useless or not.

I'm horribly lost ;~; Halp.

1. Try to get the Bardic Knack ACF from the PHB2.
2. Clear these feats with your DM: Melodic Casting, Song of the Heart, Words of Creation, Jack of All Trades.
3. Clear these spells with your DM: Improvisation, Inspirational Boost, Ruin Delver's Fortune.
4. Use the Mimicking Song ACF from Dungeonscape.
5. Take one level of Marshal to get Skill Focus: Diplomacy (note: if you already had it, you get to choose another feat which you qualify for) and a minor aura. Choose Motivate Dexterity for the boost to Dexterity skills, checks, and initiative.
6. You may notice that 4. and 5. allow you to make your party quieter by singing. Roll with it.

If you decide to focus more on buffing than spellcasting , since save DCs and bonus spells will be less of an issue, you could feasibly switch your Int and Cha scores and then pump Cha with level up points, magic items, etc. The bonus skill points will help you be a better face than two extra points on your Charisma modifier.

 

[superfloree]

I put this in the wrong place didn't I? Whoops, sorry :/

Jacob: That makes a lot of sense, thanks :3 The bit about which knowledge to focus in especially. I kept asking my DM what he thought and he kept giving me a "do what you want" answer >.>; Like I said though, we're treating bardic knowledge a bit like another knowledge skill you can get ranks in. I can still use it at rank 0 without putting anything into it, but do you think I should? Just asked the DM and he said it'll be calculate by Int + rank instead of int + level.

Dandu: Not sure if I can get bardic knack or the mimicking song ACF and I'm pretty sure I can't get a level in Marshal, I think we're playing with only the core classes, races, and the PHB. Like I said, most of us are total newbies at this so I'm guessing the DM doesn't wanna confuse us all too much yet ^^; I'll keep the feats and spells in mind though. And I may switch INT and CHA, makes more sense to me too :/

Also yeah, just asked. We're only using the first PHB.

 

[Greenfield]

Select your instrument carefully. Things like pipes and horns might seem great, but if you choose something like that as your primary, you lose the ability to speak or sing as you play.

Masterwork Drums have a special bonus to things like Inspire Courage. Bigger bonuses and larger affected area: Normally the area is defined as "Within hearing". Drums can be heard for miles.

This makes little difference for most PC encounters, but for RP purposes, when the group is helping defend a town from an Orc raid for example, the ability to add bonuses to the entire defensive force is invaluable.

And don't underplay that particular ability, particularly at lower levels. In a world where the average person is 1st or 2nd level, adding a +2 bonus to hit and damage is almost like turning farmers and shopkeepers into veteran soldiers. Not a bad boost for your own team as well.

Also explore the Fascinate ability: The target's Will save needs to meet or exceed your Perform check. In playing my Bard, between a high Diplomacy and a high Perform/Fascinate, I was able to help the group flat out avoid encounters we weren't really ready for.

Which brings us to Diplomacy: The rules are odd on this one. You get to talk, they get to listen. You make your Skill check, and they don't get to oppose it. You're looking for hard numbers, spelled out on a table, and it doesn't matter how dedicated they are to their cause. It's not an opposed check.

As a Noob, be aware of "Synergy bonuses". You have a maximum number of ranks you can have in any skill. Ability will boost the final bonus. But if you have sufficient points in related skills, such as having a good Bluff to aid your Diplomacy, you get an effective bonus to the skill.

 

[superfloree]

I've currently got 4 ranks in singing and 1 in strings, but you think I should switch it to drums?

I've got the rest though :3 Thanks for the advice. Yeah I've heard of the synergy bonuses, they make things even more confusing to me XD My DM said we're not having any maxes though, so in general what would be a good level for more important skills like diplomacy and perform?

I've currently got these skills picked out:

Bluff 4
Diplomacy 4
Gather Information 1
Knowledge (Bardic) 4
Knowledge (Religion) 2
Knowledge (History) 1
Knowledge (Arcana) 1
Perform (Strings) 1
Perform (Sing) 4
Sense Motive 4
Tumble 4
Use Magic Device 1

I'm still iffy about which knowledges I should invest more ranks in.

Also, since we're only using the PHB, I'm not sure which feats are useful :/ The only one the Bard Handbook mentions is Leadership. Also, since I'm limited to only PHB feats, are there any other skills I should make sure to include?

 

[Empirate]

Race:
Gnome is fine, although the low movement rate will come back to bite you from time to time. Human for more skills and one bonus feat might well be worth it, but I can see the temptation in the Gnome's ability score modifiers and small size. Usually, picking Human would be a no-brainer, but with PHB material only, that bonus feat doesn't matter so much (see below).

Skills:
Looks like you got this covered just fine. Which knowledge you pick doesn't really matter that much, in the end, since it depends on what your DM wants to throw at you anyway, and you can't guess that now.

Feats:
PHB only feats will cramp your style quite a bit, especially for a Bard. But Improved Initiative is always just good enough to justify taking. Leadership I'd actually skip, in a party that already has eight guys in it. Extend Spell is good from the mid levels on, Still Spell can get you out of a few fixes, and at very high levels, I'd consider Quicken Spell. Craft Wondrous Item and/or Scribe Scroll will be OK picks given some downtime (although the latter isn't that great for Bards, and the former heavily depends on your spell selection). Skill Focus (Concentration) or (Perform) might be worth it, if you find yourself making lots of concentration checks, or if you plan on using the Fascinate/Suggestion music combo often. There's no specifically Bard-y feats in the PHB, sadly. So I'd actually just pick whatever you like, and go with that.

Spells:
Be sure to pick some social stuff, and some utility. You'll be really starved for spells known for a few levels, but stuff like Charm Person, Silent Image, Glibness, Alter Self, Invisibility, Dispel Magic never gets old. Do not fall into the trap of picking the Cure spell line, even though your party is a bit starved for healing. Rather, get everybody to pool their resources and buy a lot of Wands of Cure Light Wounds, which you can use without issue to heal the whole party after a fight.

 

[Grogg of the North]

Before I get too big into my suggestion, do you know what the other player's are doing for skill selection? Is your rogue a social rogue? Sneaky-thief rogue? Something else? Can anyone put ranks in Knowledge (Bardic) or just you? What all does that envelope?

Otherwise, I'd go with:

Bluff: 4 ranks
Concentration: 4 ranks*
Diplomacy: 4 ranks
Knowledge (Bardic): 4 ranks
Listen: 4 ranks
Perform (Any one): 4 ranks
Sense Motive: 4 ranks
Tumble: 4 ranks

* If you can get Melodic Casting, drop this entirely. I don't know if you'll be able to since your post says PHB only.

UMD is a nice skill, but either max it or leave it.

As for the knowledge skills, it's hard to recommend stuff without knowing what your bardic knowledge lets you roll for. However, I would recommend avoid nature and arcana since you have druids and sorcerers in the party. Depending on the monk, you might even be able to not worry about religion or planes too.

Do you have feats picked out?

 

[Quartz]

Can you swap Str and Wis? It would give you better saving throws, and later on you might take the Divine Crusader and then Mystic Theurge prestige classes. Or maybe Dashing Swordsman...

If not, give some thought into multi-classing into Paladin for 3 levels at some point, preferably levels 2-4. Divine Grace is awesome.