Bards - let's hear some strategies and suggestions, please.

[Moebius]

I'm working on creating a bard. I'm rather unfamiliar with them, even from Second Edition. What are some good uses, abilities, and strategies for them? I bought Song and Silence, but that doesn't give a whole heck of a lot there.


Moebius

 

[graydoom]

Bards are mostly support. Help your allies. The healing spells are great to get, they can almost make you a cleric. Make sure to max out perform.
Stay in the back, use your bardic music, and use indirect spells (mostly these will be Enchantment spells). It'd also be good to have a bow in case you run out of spells. And maybe precise shot if you have to fire into melee.

 

[Staldin*Freefall]

I always like the dependable Light Crossbow. It's a simple Weapon, so most classes can use it, including Wizards and Rogues. It has a wider crit range than other bows and the only real drawback is the MEA reload, which isn't a big problem if you're low-level(aren't getting iterative attacks anyway) and aren't going anywhere, say if your a safe distance from a fight.

 

[Crothian]

Look through the spell list and see what you like. If you like a particuliar schoool over the others, take a Spell Focus Feat. THis will help your spells and make sure that your Charm persons or Slows work. Yes, Bards are support people, but you can really make them good support people. For instance, my Bard is 10th level and the only cure spell I have is Cure Light wounds. No need wasting the precious Spells Known with many cure spells. Ranged weapons are probably the best, but you can be effect in melee combat. Multi classing is good with a bard. Yes, you will lose out on some spells, but you can afford that.

Song And Silence has the bard Instruments. If your GM allows them, use them. Different instruments are great for certain things, it helps.

Bards can do a lot of things. Its best to figure out what of these things you want to be able to do.

 

[Moebius]

Thanks for all the information. I have to be back up anyway. I'm the DM, and the bard is going to be an NPC to tag along with the party.

So, other than that, there is nothing much else to bards? just find what spells and instruments i'd like to use? no strategies?

Thanks for all the input. It's something to get me going!

Moebius

 

[Crothian]

It really depends on what you want the guy to do. You cann make him good at spellcasting, but he'll never be as good as a sorcerer or Wizards. You can have him good at melee or ranged combat, but never as good as a Fighter or other combat class. He can heal, but not like a Cleric. He has good skill selection, but not like a Rogue.

Bards have nothing about them that is all powerful. The other classes, you can min max a specialty to make a powerful character. I don't think this can be done with a Bard. I have a feeling, though, this is sort of what you are looking for. Since he is an NPC, you can have him fill a blank left by the PC group.

 

[UD]

Bards are the jack of all trades, but dont have the skill points to do it. I know many people recomend you bump there skill points per level up from 4 to 6... I would recomend it.

 

[bret]

I haven't played one, but here are some strategies I came up with after looking them over. Friend is playing one and asked for some strategies.

He had decided that he was going to use a bow and pick up some bow feats, so the spell picks reflect this. He was creating a 12th level character.

0
Doesn't really matter, although I would make sure to get Detect Magic, Read Magic and Light. I would probably also take Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, and Mending.

1
Feather Fall
Grease: Allows me to cut off one flanking position.
Identify
Message: You are a bard, isn't it all about communication?

2
Glitterdust: Blindness in an Area with a will save, plus it neutralizes concealment and invisibility.
See Invisible
Silence: Good way to cut out enemy spellcasters
Cat's Grace: Good enhancer, one that Clerics don't get. Improves your chances of hitting with a bow.
Mirror Image or Blur: Defensive spell

3
Haste: Best way to pump up the melee people. Improves their AC and increases the number of attacks they can get.
Fear: Think of it as crowd control. It can cut down the number of peons you have to deal with.
Greater Magic Weapon: This is what you would use against creatures with spell resistence, such as a dragon. Cast it twice, once on your bow and again on your ammo. Gives +8 bonus, which will definately be felt. Lasts hours.
Greater Magic Circle: Defense, especially against summoned creatures. Not critical since other classes can take it as well.

4
Improved Invisibility: The uses are obvious, although the duration is rather short.
Legend Lore: For when that Bardic Knowledge just isn't quite enough.
Cure Critical: Third level is too crowded with great spells, wait til here before picking up a cure.
Hold Monster: Useless against a dragon, but for others it is basically a save or die spell.
Break Enchantment: Good utility spell, although not strictly required. Clerics get this spell as well.

5
Greater Dispelling: Wait until here before getting any sort of dispel. Until then, buy a wand of Dispel Magic. It will last a long time, and just about anyone can make one.


Probably only one one or two curative spells, you don't get enough spells per day nor memorized spells to do a lot of curing.

 

[dvvega]

I created a pretty successful bard for a campaign. He went along the performance line extremely closely.

At 1st level I took Skill Focus (performance) and Spell Focus (enchantment).

From there I focused on enchantment spells. The 0-level spell I most favoured was Daze. It aided the party a lot in the early levels. Charm Person of course was there, as was Suggestion.

As for support spells, I ignored the healing since the Cleric in the group was much better at the healing thing, so I focused on Mage Armour, Cat's Grace, things that I thought would make my bard look cool (and I was following a "vampire" motif).

Favoured weapons were the Light Crossbow and the Rapier. I would open up combat with the singing and then move around looking for an opportunity to shoot off a bolt without hurting my party. I would end up shooting most monsters on their last hit points and "claiming" the kill ... hehehehehe.

 

[Ravellion]

Since Bards are already quite broad, my view is that you should pick a feature and focus on it. This can be Bow shooting, weapon finesse fighting, enchantment spellcasting, buffing of allies etc., but doing them all is probably impossible, so you have to focus a little bit.

Regardless, always max out perform (duh...)

Rav