Choice feats for bards

buzz said:
Thanks, Thanee.

Is taking a Skill Focus in Perform worthwhile?

I quite like it. Increasing the saves on the music abilities is quite helpful sometimes.

SF:Enchantment and Lingering Song are great choices as well.
 

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It can be very useful to have Improved Initiative so that your party get's the benefits of the song a round earlier than they otherwise might.

As others have mentioned, I find bards make very good archers as well. Point blank, precise shot and rapid shot, likely in that order is a good path to follow. Taking some levels of fighter for extra BAB and more feats can be helpful as well, but that will greatly slow your spellcasting, so I'd exercise some caution there.

I haven't seen any successful melee bards yet, though I haven't seen many of them either. I suppose you could make a fencer style bard using rapier with weapon finesse and so forth, but his damage will likely trail the fighters and he's going to get rolled by any attacks that land since he's only wearing light armor and only has those puny d6's for hit points. Seems that expertise will be key in keeping up AC, and maybe the whole dodge, mobility, spring attack feat tree can help, but that's a lot of levels worth of feats for this class.
 

I'm currently playing a semi-melee bard in a campaign. I'm using Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, and the whip. It's worked well so far.
 

Check out Dragon Song in the Draconomicon. I believe that it adds to the DC of certain enchantment spells and to various social skills. Don't have the book with me so I can't post specifics.
 

Dragonsong followed by Dragonsong Lyrist from Draconomicon looks really cool. But I would recommend that, if you want to be the bard's bard, you take Obscurew Lore, which is basicly Skill Focus (Bardic Knowledge). For multiclass bards I suggest Extra Music. Run is also a surpringly good bard feat, as are the ranged combat feats.
 


I wouldn't bother with Extra Music. After a few levels, you have all the bardic music you need for the day.

I'd probably go archery, or at least Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot. Skill Focus (Perform) increases some save DCs, and it is just so bardic to be optimus omnium at music. Weapon Finesse is probably a must as well.
 

Lord Rasputin said:
I wouldn't bother with Extra Music. After a few levels, you have all the bardic music you need for the day.
You misunderstood. I said Extra Music for multiclass bards, in which case it's a fantastic feat. Also, Extra Music is a good feat for low level single class bards. At 1st to 3rd level it can be a big advantage. After 4th level, yeah, it's probably not needed as much by a single class bard...UNTIL he gains the ability to inspire competence & greatness. At that point, the Extra Music becomes handy again as a bard twists songs one after the other, round after round, to add greatness to all the fighters while keeping courage on the whole group and competence on the tumbling rogues all at the same time, multiple fights per day. Which he can do more easily with Extra Music. *bows* :p
 


I think I had Rapid Shot, Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot, Dodge (had been thinking about Shot on the Run), and Leadership. Maybe would take Many-Shot in 3.5
 

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