building a 12th level aasimar bard!!!!

[eXodus]

i am joining a 3e game that is already in progress. i was going to play a human wizard. but i have since changed my mind to playing a aasimar bard.

why? because i think i would have more fun that way.

i have 13 levels to work with. one of course will have to be for the +1 ecl aasimar race.

this character i picture as looking and acting a lot like good old rocker david bowie. and no, not the labrynth era bowie either. i picture him more as the bowie of recent ages with the bright red shock of hair, like-colored goatee, and the long sweeping coats. that all coupled with those mismatched eyes of him will give this particular bard appeal and an aura of celestial parentage.

so there you have it! sort of.

the stats i rolles, before racial and level adjustments are: 17,16,15,14,13,12. no kidding. i rolled those numbers, but not in that order. that would be really spooky.

my own placements are as such: str13,dex15,con12, int16,wis15(+2 racial=17)chr17(+2 racial+3 level adjustments=22)

i have 110,000 gps for gear as a 13th level ecl. i think he needs loads of things to make him even more charismatic.

i am picturing him as having leadership as one of his feats so that he can have a cohort and some followers. the cohort being probably some badarse fighter or barbarian who has a taste for music. perhaps the other followers being groupies to a degree.

suggestions?

i would love to hear them!

'we passed upon the stairs, we spoke of was and when, although i wasn't there, he said i was his friend....'

 

[eXodus]

a BUMP before i head off to bed...........

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Well, one thing I'd recommend would be to pick up two levels of paladin. You're an aasimar, so getting in touch with your divine heritage would only be natural, role-playing-wise. Powergaming wise, it nets you several nice abilities which mesh well with your high-charisma. Don't take them first, because the bard receives more skill points, but get them in there.

Advantages of 2 levels of paladin:

* expanded weapon and armor proficiencies (very good for the fairly limited bard)

* divine grace ( +cha to all saves)

* aura of courage (immune to fear, allies get +4 to saves)

* smite (bonus to damage will only be +2, but you gain +cha to your attack roll once a day. At high levels, this is nearly a guaranteed hit once a day.)

* detect evil

* divine health (immunity to diseases of all kinds)

For items, if your DM hasn't restricted the max cost you can spend on any one item, then a cloak of charisma +6 is definitely on your shopping list. Add to that the standard suite of defensive items (ring of protection, amulet of natural armor, enchanted shield/buckler) as well as a suped-up version of whichever weapon your PC favors, and you're ready to go.

Can't say what feats you might want to look at, without an idea of what sort of combat your PC prefers.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Magic Items:
Cloak of Charisma (+4): 16.000 gp
Circlet of Persuasion (+2 on all charisma based skills and checks): 4.500 gp
Robe of Blending (Change Self at will - +10 on Disguise Checks; +15 circumstance bonus on Hide Checks): 10.000 gp
Boots of Elvenkind (+10 on Move Silently): 2.000 gp
Gloves of Dexterity: at least 4.000 gp
Bracers of Archery: 5.100 gp (But only if you want to use a Bow. Get Composite Longbow or Shortbow. Oh wait, it seems as if you can only use it when you are proficient with any type of bow. Well, ask your DM).
If you don`t want to get Bracers of Archery, get Bracers of Armor (at least if you don`t want to rely on Armor.
For Armor: Mithral Chain Shirt will be the best option. Minimum of Arcane Spell Failure (10% or less?)

Ring of Protection: 2.000 gp minimum, more better

Wand of Cure (Light or Moderate, or both): 750 to 4.500 gp
If you go for Use Magic Device:
Wand of Shield (caster level 2, so that it will be enough for one battle): 1.500 gp
Perhaps also Wand of Greater Magic Weapon (but that`s expensive...)
Further Options: Wand of Magic Missile, Mage Armor
If you have a Monk in the group, but no Druid: Wand of Greater Magic Fang, or at least Scrolls (the Monk may be willing to pay some of them later in your carreer)

Skills:
Perform (obviously): Max out
Use Magic Device: Max out
Move Silently / Hide: 5 ranks will be enough (together with Boots of Elvenkind and Robe of Blending...)
Disguise: 5 ranks (remember Robe of Blending)

Sense Motive: at least 5 ranks (also for +2 synergy bonus on Diplomacy)
Diplomacy: as much as you want. You will fast have a +20 bonus - my bard never saw a reason to go above it.
Bluff: at least 5 ranks (synergy bonus for Diplomacy and Intimidate!)
Gather Information: 5 ranks or more...

Take Concentration if you want to cast spells in melee (Read: if you want to go in melee)
other skills as fit. For using Scrolls with Use Magic Device: Deciper Script, Spellcraft at least 5 ranks

Feats:
Lingering Sound doubles the Duration of your Bardic Music.
Obscure Lore: +3 bonus on Bardic Knowledge Check. No need to take Knowledge Skills now, you get the same bonus with Bardic Knowledge.

A Feat Chain for bards:
Multicultural might be a good flavor feat: +4 bonus on Charisma Checks to alter the attitude of members of a certain humanoid race (Dwarfes, Elves and Humans recommended by me...)

Persuasive (+2 Bluff and Intimitdate),
Trustworthy (+2 Gather Information & Diplomacy),
Alluring (+2 bonus on Diplomacy, and +2 on Save DC of all your mind affecting language dependend spells)

Instruments (if you play with Song & Silence):
fiddle, lap-harp and lute allow you to sustain and play multiple bardic songs.
Herald`s Trumpet or Horn: Moral bonus for attacks and damage rolls from Inspire courage increases to +2 / +2. Moral Bonus vs. charms drops to 0, but who cares?
Be aware that there is no realistic way to fight when playing this instruments.
I belive only singing or perhaps dancing is a realistic options if you want fight and sing.

Spells: Not so easy, but some tips:
If you have a Cleric or Paladin, you will not need more than one healing spell, preferably Cure Light (there are only a few really useful 1st level spells) If not, Cure Serious or Moderate might be a good idea as well.
Feather Fall, Grease and Expeditious Retreat are good Spells for a bard.
2nd level spells:
are really difficult. Some buffing spells (cat`s grace, bulls strength and so on) are very good, but there are many other good spells...
3rd level spells:
Haste is always useful . (You could also wait for your 6th level spells to get Mass Haste - but that is far, far away...)
4th level: Break Enchantment, Hold Monster, Improved Invisibilty

Basically, a Bard should know some spells that most other spell casters do not have access to (specialist wizards, as an example), or do not typically memorize. Charms and Divinations are typical bards. Buffing Spells fit the Bard Concept, and let the others spell casters to memorize and casst the more powerful spells (or at least the more damaging).

(Multiclassing Options - if you change your mind about pure bard: Rogue, since Bard and Rogue fit well together. And you can do the trap job.
Or Fighter / Ranger / Barbarian, for access to all Martial Weapons.
Spellcasters are not neccessary - Use Magic Device allows you to use all kinds of wands and scrolls, and the few new spells you might learn...)

 

[eXodus]

pendragon:

thanks for the ideas, but i do not think a paladin would fit at all with him. i cannot see him at all being lawful good. he is going to be chaotic good. the man will travel the lands wooing anything on two legs into his bed. just the kind of man i see this planar-touched bard as being.



i was thinking of picking up the circlet of persuasion, a cloak of charisma +6, and a ioun stone of charisma +2. that will grant him a total of a 30 charisma. that is looking to add up to a leadership score of 22!!!! mighty hell that is a high score. so his cohort will be also 12th level.

the cohort will provide the offensive punch.

i do like the idea of him going with the chain of bard feats, pursuasion, trustworthy, and alluring.

i am powergaming. but not for combat. i am powergaming the greatest leader, salesmen, entertainer, and womanizer that the world has ever known!

 

[Lord Pendragon]

LOL! Fair enough.

One point, though: The ioun stone and the cloak of charisma provide the same kind of bonus: enhancement. Therefore, the two effects don't stack. The Circlet is fine because it's adding to skills and not charisma directly, but as far as an enhancement bonus goes, getting the cloak makes the ioun stone redundant.

Considering your goal, I'd say straight bard is your best bet. Rogue provides sneak attack and more skill points, but that slows down the bard's already slow spell progression, and you'll want the various bardic spells that enhance your powers of persuasion. (Charm Person, Suggestion, and the all-mighty Dominate Person.)

Good luck!

 

[Hypersmurf]

i was thinking of picking up the circlet of persuasion, a cloak of charisma +6, and a ioun stone of charisma +2. that will grant him a total of a 30 charisma.

28 - Pendragon just beat me to it

Bracers of Archery: 5.100 gp (But only if you want to use a Bow. Get Composite Longbow or Shortbow. Oh wait, it seems as if you can only use it when you are proficient with any type of bow. Well, ask your DM).

That's "proficient with any type of bow" as in "at least one", not "all of them".

If you are proficient with longbow, but not shortbow, and wearing Bracers, then you a/ are treated as proficient with shortbow, and b/ get bonuses when using a longbow.

-Hyp.

 

[eXodus]

damn it. no ioun stone. oh well. those are kind of hard to explain anyhow. this little rock spinning around your head causes a lot of questions.

gads! now his leadership score will only be 20! sad.


yeah. he will need all of those wonderful spells of persuasion.


sent by the gods to bed and influence everyone.

and to think i could be building an ubermage or other beast of destruction with these 13 levels.

 

[eXodus]

i just realized i am up at the kind of hours where people from japan and new zealand are posting.

damn, i need to think about sleeping.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

You are also up in the time where guys from Europe post.

Paladin Bard is a nice idea, but unfortunately, not possible:
Paladins must be lawful good, Bards can be anything except lawful...