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Cruel Lullabies: The Bard Handbook (by Litigation)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nibelung" data-source="post: 6705358" data-attributes="member: 74499"><p><strong>Originally posted by Litigation:</strong></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><u>Crescendo: Paragon Paths</u></span></p><p></p><p>Valorous Bards will pick up <strong>War Chanter</strong>, no questions asked, which is everything they want in a PP and probably more. Bards of other virtues have nothing to complain about, though. They get to pick from a diverse range of good-to-great PPs, one of which is bound to fit their build concept. Bards with a preponderence of attacks vs. Will (often true of the Cunning) gravitate toward <strong>Life Singer</strong>, and those who multiclass into other Arcane classes might want to look at <strong>Resourceful Magician</strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Bard PPs</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Blessed Psalmist</span> (D 376): This one is for Bards who multiclassed with any Divine class. The best part of this one is getting the full Channel Divinity of the Divine class you took and the ability to use your Bard implements with their implement powers, too. That even opens up the ability to take Divinity feats, a few of which are pretty amazing. The daily power, Brilliant Symphony, is also fantastic, forcing all foes in its huge burst to choose between domination for a round or save-ends stun when it hits.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Cunning Prevaricator </span>(AP): Virtue of Deceit is free combat advantage with your Virtue. The other features and the encounter attack power revolve around granting invisibility, which is very good regardless and especially awesome when someone is Stealth-trained. The per-encounter utility power Trickery's Reward, now that it's been fixed, is a good way to either make an attack against an ally miss or grant them free healing.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Daring Blade</span> (D 376): For Skalds (who qualify automatically) and for O-Bards who multiclassed with a Martial class. Daring Improvisation is even better than Combat Virtuoso as it pertains to Martial melee powers, since it also lets you use your CHA for the damage on the powers as well. Blade Feint at Lv. 16 makes the combat application of the Bluff skill a more than viable option. The powers aren't spectacular, but those features make up for it.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Euphonic Bow </span>(AP): The advent of Songbows has rendered this one mostly insignificant.</p><p></p><p>Grave Caller (AP): This one is geared toward Bards who want some Striker in their arsenal. Their features and powers all revolve around the once-per-encounter deathmark from the Lv. 11 feature. The Lv. 16 feature, Path to the Grave, functions like a limited Avenger's Oath of Enmity, which is decent. It helps to train in Stealth somehow so you can take full advantage of the per-encounter utility, Cloak of Sound.</p><p></p><p>Half-Elf Emissary (AP): Obviously, for Half-Elves only, and it's geared toward Valorous Bards. Skilled Speech is very, very good in conversational skill challenges, so if you're in a low-combat campaign you might look at this. Otherwise, stick with War Chanter.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Karmic Shaper</span> (AP): The highlights of this Prescience-only path are Karmic Strike, which lets an ally get a free extra attack in on an enemy who triggers your Virtue, and the extra-fun daily power, End of Luck. Warp Karma is also a good utility power for helping an ally try again on a crucial attack such as a daily power, while possibly making an enemy miss him. You can't go wrong with this one.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Life Singer </span>(AP): Serene Will, the Lv. 16 feature, is easily the highlight of this path. Some of the best Bard powers are anti-Will attacks, and even if said attack isn't pacifist, the fact that it's a reroll every single time it misses any enemy is still just too awesome. The daily utility power, Inspired Solutions, can come in handy in a trap-filled combat zone, or perhaps to let your allies make use of their skills in combat such as Bluff that they may not have used otherwise. The daily, Soothing Song, may not set up coup de grace opportunities, but you can still do some clever things with it, like give your party a chance to reposition themselves, rob the enemies of their items while they sleep, put some binds on them, and if they're your size or smaller, even pick them up and move them around into compromising positions ... or into some sort of hazard.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Master Skald</span> (HotF)</strong>: This one is Skald-exclusive, and while it doesn't exactly set the world on fire, it's still very solid. Using your action point to give your Striker another standard action instead of you can really come in handy. The encounter power is very nice, a 5 + CHA modifier THPs buff for everyone in your aura as well as a save when you hit with a basic attack. The daily is also pretty good, letting you hand out a roll-twice attack every round for a whole fight.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Mythic Skald </span>(D 376): For Bards who multiclassed with a Primal class, and it's geared toward melee. Hero's Blood is an attack and damage buff that is great in fights with several standard enemies, but not so great against Solos and Elites. The powers are pretty good, though. Skald's Tale can result in a nice double attack every encounter, and the daily Manifest the Mighty Hero is a very solid buff for yourself or for an ally. It's nothing that will steer Valorous Bards away from War Chanter, but for melee-inclined Skalds, this one is a nice pick.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Resourceful Magician</span> (D 376): For Bards who multiclassed into another Arcane class, this one is fantastic. With every one of those classes you took entry feats for, you get a little extra from their class and some implement usage privileges. Diverse Study lets you poach spells from your multiclasses. Any Bard can nab Sorcerer and Warlock powers, and Cunning Bards with an INT high enough to attack can feel free to take Wizard, Artificer and Swordmage powers as well (note that Combat Virtuoso doesn't work with powers gained from this). The encounter power, Twinned Spell, can result in either a full-fledged double attack with an at-will, or just a do-over on an encounter power that missed all targets; very good either way.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Student of the Seven</span> (PHB2): Requires you to commit fully to multiclassing, including swapping for encounter and daily powers, to be worth it. It pays off pretty well, though. Versatile Action, the action point feature, lets you recover encounter powers from multiclass feats and still take your extra action, making it the highlight of this PP. Daily Mastery can come in handy, and the powers are solid enough.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Summer Rhymer </span>(PHB2): For Cunning Bards only, and it has a lot to offer. Action-point free teleporting. CHA-mod bonus to all Bard healing spells. More accurate punishment against an enemy who triggered your Virtue. Solid attack and utility powers that all have HUGE burst areas for their beneficial effects and zones.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Voice of Thunder</span> (PHB2): Well, one of these paths had to be the runt of the litter. To be fair, the +2 to an ally's death saves and the encounter power Rolling Echo are solid, but the rest just doesn't add up. Even Arcane Admixture can't save this one, and an application that would make the utility useful is not the best application of that feat anyway.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff9900">War Chanter</span> (PHB2): For Valorous Bards only, and it's the only path they'll ever need. The action point feature that grants all allies within 5 squares of you CON-mod untyped bonuses to attack rolls for a round. The ability to spend 2 action points in an encounter. The encounter power, Victorious Smite, which <em>hit or miss</em> is a guaranteed double attack involving an ally. The daily power, Visions of Victory, which results in an automatic hit of some sort from a melee ally. It's all win.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p> </p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><u>Magna Alumnae: Epic Destinies</u></span></p><p></p><p><strong>General/Bard EDs</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p>Archlich (AP): More suitable for Wizards than for you, but you do have to like the hefty resistances against necrotic and poison you automatically get, and the benefits of having a phylactery.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Archspell </span>(AP): If you're not multiclassing into Wizard (for Archmage), this is a fine enough consolation prize, including a +2 bonus to attack with your daily Signature Spell and, at Lv. 30, the ability to use it as an encounter power. The utility is great, too, with its huge resistance to all damage, and it's something you'll want to cast at the start of every encounter.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Darklord</span> (D 372): Nice after-death ability, and the capstone is good fun. Solid choice.</p><p></p><p>Deadly Trickster (PHB): If you're trained in Bluff or Acrobatics, you might go for this. Solid features, albeit somewhat limited in use. Epic Trick is an awesome utility, though.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Demigod/Chosen</span> (PHB/FRPG/DP): Divine Miracle, that infamous capstone, finally got toned down so that now it only recovers one encounter power in a fight. That's still pretty good, though, especially combined with all the other ways to recover encounter powers. And the +2 to two stats of your choice, a solid near-death recovery mechanic and access to some great utilities still make this one great. Just no longer overpowering. The default Demigod's Divine Regeneration is an insane regeneration spell. NOTE: As of Divine Power, you apparently have to multiclass into a Divine class to take the Chosen variants of this destiny.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Destined Scion</span> (E:HFK)</strong>: +2 to two stats of your choice, an extra, vital-for-your-role +1 to attack rolls on top of that and a +2 untyped bonus to saves. A no-nonsense ED that's about as good a choice as any. The utilities won't dazzle you, but they're handy.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Eternal Seeker </span>(PHB): This one has come a long way, and it has infinite room to grow. It's about as good as you can get without crossing the line into abuse.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Fatesinger</span> (PHB2): Destiny Fulfilled is best used on an ally with plenty of AoEs or focus-fire multiattacks to increase their chances of hitting and you getting your action point back. Fate's Clarity turns your Majestic Word into a very good offensive buff as well. And Fragment of the Song is a zone with a nice size and is even movable, and does wonderful things with the entire party's action points. Very solid destiny, overall, even if the capstone is only average.</p><p></p><p>Feyliege (AP): A specialized destiny for Gnomes, Eladrin and Half-Elves, mainly. Not a bad ED, but nothing really special, either. The capstone, which is domination on Charm-power crits, is certainly appealing, but when Tieflings have been doing that since Paragon Tier, it doesn't exactly inspire.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Harbinger of Doom</span> (PHB2): Shield of Ill Fortune is about the only remotely attractive thing in this destiny.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Immanence</span> (AP): Mostly deals with resistances to damage types that can trigger in every fight in which those are involved. Fair enough for living longer in those fights, but you're not going to do your party any favors out of the ordinary until the capstone, and even then only to adjacent allies. Clearly geared more toward Strikers and Defenders than you.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Indomitable Champion</span> (E:HFL)</strong>: +2 to two stats of your choice, extra hit points and extra NADs are as good a package as it gets. The utilities aren't completely earth-shattering, but they're handy when stuff happens. Another extremely solid, no-nonsense ED.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Keybearer</span> (D 372): Traveler's Tricks is nice, as is the capstone that gives you phasing. Reality Distortion, on the other hand, kills this one. It would be pretty awesome if it weren't for the fact that it affects your allies as well as your enemies.</p><p></p><p>Lord of Fate (AP): For the unaligned. It used to be a whole lot more powerful, but now it's just average. However, the daily zone utility, Golden Mean, can be very effective in your hands, since you tend to have powers that both boost your allies' attack rolls and debuff your enemies' attacks (and defenses, too).</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Lorekeeper</span> (PHB2): Only Cunning and Prescient Bards will qualify. The best part of this destiny is easily the capstone, Lorekeeper's Revelation, which lets you take two daily utilities and make them encounter utilities. (How does combining Climactic Chord and Haste in the same round every single fight sound?) With Arcana automatically trained and pertaining to a fair number of monsters, you'll make the rest of this destiny worth it, getting the combat bonuses from Lorekeeper's Wisdom and Lorekeeper's Cunning pretty often. With all the knowledge skills on your class skill list you can expand this to cover a good chunk of the bestiary. Lorekeeper's Cunning is great for rituals, too.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Magister</span></p><p>(AP): The update to the capstone has lowered this ED's stock a lot. Now it doesn't work for rituals that affect enemies. Nothing else this ED has is enough to keep it afloat.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Planeshaper</span> (D 372): Using an encounter power twice is great, as is removing an enemy from the fight for a turn on a crit. Shape Reality, the capstone, adds a whole lot of Controller to your arsenal. Can't go wrong with this one.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Prince of Hell</span> (D 372): This positively-evil inclined destiny is pretty interesting. You get a +2 to Charisma and can teleport and summon some minions. Not the best you can do, though.</p><p></p><p><strong>Punisher of the Gods (D 372/DA 09)</strong>: Seems to have stabilized, but its current form, while good against one foe per encounter, is still a shadow of its former selves. Yes, that plural was intentional.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Sage of Ages</span> (AP): The Lv. 24 feature Keeper's Prescience, a free d20 replacement once per every single turn, is one of the best features in the game (on a side note, it makes a perfect capstone for Eternal Seekers). It works for attacks, saves and skill checks. Cunning Bards can take full advantage of the also-great per-encounter utility, Trick of Knowledge, especially with the +6 untyped bonus to Arcana from Paragon of Learning. Reverse Time is a solid death-recovery capstone, too.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Storm Sovereign</span> (D 372): Pretty underwhelming.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Racial EDs</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><strong><u>Tiefling</u></strong></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Heir to the Empire</span> (PHR:T)</strong>: Tiefling Cunning Bards will have a field day with this one. +2 to both relevant stats, a nice boost to Infernal Wrath, a quite frankly incredible utility that lets you turn one dead enemy into your puppet for free every encounter, and a capstone that lets you dominate one enemy every fight for a round because they hit you in melee. Perfect.</p><p>[/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nibelung, post: 6705358, member: 74499"] [b]Originally posted by Litigation:[/b] [CENTER][SIZE=6][u]Crescendo: Paragon Paths[/u][/SIZE][/CENTER] Valorous Bards will pick up [b]War Chanter[/b], no questions asked, which is everything they want in a PP and probably more. Bards of other virtues have nothing to complain about, though. They get to pick from a diverse range of good-to-great PPs, one of which is bound to fit their build concept. Bards with a preponderence of attacks vs. Will (often true of the Cunning) gravitate toward [b]Life Singer[/b], and those who multiclass into other Arcane classes might want to look at [b]Resourceful Magician[/b]. [b]Bard PPs[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff]Blessed Psalmist[/COLOR] (D 376): This one is for Bards who multiclassed with any Divine class. The best part of this one is getting the full Channel Divinity of the Divine class you took and the ability to use your Bard implements with their implement powers, too. That even opens up the ability to take Divinity feats, a few of which are pretty amazing. The daily power, Brilliant Symphony, is also fantastic, forcing all foes in its huge burst to choose between domination for a round or save-ends stun when it hits. [COLOR=#0000ff]Cunning Prevaricator [/COLOR](AP): Virtue of Deceit is free combat advantage with your Virtue. The other features and the encounter attack power revolve around granting invisibility, which is very good regardless and especially awesome when someone is Stealth-trained. The per-encounter utility power Trickery's Reward, now that it's been fixed, is a good way to either make an attack against an ally miss or grant them free healing. [COLOR=#0000ff]Daring Blade[/COLOR] (D 376): For Skalds (who qualify automatically) and for O-Bards who multiclassed with a Martial class. Daring Improvisation is even better than Combat Virtuoso as it pertains to Martial melee powers, since it also lets you use your CHA for the damage on the powers as well. Blade Feint at Lv. 16 makes the combat application of the Bluff skill a more than viable option. The powers aren't spectacular, but those features make up for it. [COLOR=#800080]Euphonic Bow [/COLOR](AP): The advent of Songbows has rendered this one mostly insignificant. Grave Caller (AP): This one is geared toward Bards who want some Striker in their arsenal. Their features and powers all revolve around the once-per-encounter deathmark from the Lv. 11 feature. The Lv. 16 feature, Path to the Grave, functions like a limited Avenger's Oath of Enmity, which is decent. It helps to train in Stealth somehow so you can take full advantage of the per-encounter utility, Cloak of Sound. Half-Elf Emissary (AP): Obviously, for Half-Elves only, and it's geared toward Valorous Bards. Skilled Speech is very, very good in conversational skill challenges, so if you're in a low-combat campaign you might look at this. Otherwise, stick with War Chanter. [COLOR=#0000ff]Karmic Shaper[/COLOR] (AP): The highlights of this Prescience-only path are Karmic Strike, which lets an ally get a free extra attack in on an enemy who triggers your Virtue, and the extra-fun daily power, End of Luck. Warp Karma is also a good utility power for helping an ally try again on a crucial attack such as a daily power, while possibly making an enemy miss him. You can't go wrong with this one. [COLOR=#00ccff]Life Singer [/COLOR](AP): Serene Will, the Lv. 16 feature, is easily the highlight of this path. Some of the best Bard powers are anti-Will attacks, and even if said attack isn't pacifist, the fact that it's a reroll every single time it misses any enemy is still just too awesome. The daily utility power, Inspired Solutions, can come in handy in a trap-filled combat zone, or perhaps to let your allies make use of their skills in combat such as Bluff that they may not have used otherwise. The daily, Soothing Song, may not set up coup de grace opportunities, but you can still do some clever things with it, like give your party a chance to reposition themselves, rob the enemies of their items while they sleep, put some binds on them, and if they're your size or smaller, even pick them up and move them around into compromising positions ... or into some sort of hazard. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Master Skald[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: This one is Skald-exclusive, and while it doesn't exactly set the world on fire, it's still very solid. Using your action point to give your Striker another standard action instead of you can really come in handy. The encounter power is very nice, a 5 + CHA modifier THPs buff for everyone in your aura as well as a save when you hit with a basic attack. The daily is also pretty good, letting you hand out a roll-twice attack every round for a whole fight. [COLOR=#0000ff]Mythic Skald [/COLOR](D 376): For Bards who multiclassed with a Primal class, and it's geared toward melee. Hero's Blood is an attack and damage buff that is great in fights with several standard enemies, but not so great against Solos and Elites. The powers are pretty good, though. Skald's Tale can result in a nice double attack every encounter, and the daily Manifest the Mighty Hero is a very solid buff for yourself or for an ally. It's nothing that will steer Valorous Bards away from War Chanter, but for melee-inclined Skalds, this one is a nice pick. [COLOR=#00ccff]Resourceful Magician[/COLOR] (D 376): For Bards who multiclassed into another Arcane class, this one is fantastic. With every one of those classes you took entry feats for, you get a little extra from their class and some implement usage privileges. Diverse Study lets you poach spells from your multiclasses. Any Bard can nab Sorcerer and Warlock powers, and Cunning Bards with an INT high enough to attack can feel free to take Wizard, Artificer and Swordmage powers as well (note that Combat Virtuoso doesn't work with powers gained from this). The encounter power, Twinned Spell, can result in either a full-fledged double attack with an at-will, or just a do-over on an encounter power that missed all targets; very good either way. [COLOR=#0000ff]Student of the Seven[/COLOR] (PHB2): Requires you to commit fully to multiclassing, including swapping for encounter and daily powers, to be worth it. It pays off pretty well, though. Versatile Action, the action point feature, lets you recover encounter powers from multiclass feats and still take your extra action, making it the highlight of this PP. Daily Mastery can come in handy, and the powers are solid enough. [COLOR=#0000ff]Summer Rhymer [/COLOR](PHB2): For Cunning Bards only, and it has a lot to offer. Action-point free teleporting. CHA-mod bonus to all Bard healing spells. More accurate punishment against an enemy who triggered your Virtue. Solid attack and utility powers that all have HUGE burst areas for their beneficial effects and zones. [COLOR=#800080]Voice of Thunder[/COLOR] (PHB2): Well, one of these paths had to be the runt of the litter. To be fair, the +2 to an ally's death saves and the encounter power Rolling Echo are solid, but the rest just doesn't add up. Even Arcane Admixture can't save this one, and an application that would make the utility useful is not the best application of that feat anyway. [COLOR=#ff9900]War Chanter[/COLOR] (PHB2): For Valorous Bards only, and it's the only path they'll ever need. The action point feature that grants all allies within 5 squares of you CON-mod untyped bonuses to attack rolls for a round. The ability to spend 2 action points in an encounter. The encounter power, Victorious Smite, which [i]hit or miss[/i] is a guaranteed double attack involving an ally. The daily power, Visions of Victory, which results in an automatic hit of some sort from a melee ally. It's all win. [/sblock] [CENTER][SIZE=6][u]Magna Alumnae: Epic Destinies[/u][/SIZE][/CENTER] [b]General/Bard EDs[/b] [sblock] Archlich (AP): More suitable for Wizards than for you, but you do have to like the hefty resistances against necrotic and poison you automatically get, and the benefits of having a phylactery. [COLOR=#0000ff]Archspell [/COLOR](AP): If you're not multiclassing into Wizard (for Archmage), this is a fine enough consolation prize, including a +2 bonus to attack with your daily Signature Spell and, at Lv. 30, the ability to use it as an encounter power. The utility is great, too, with its huge resistance to all damage, and it's something you'll want to cast at the start of every encounter. [COLOR=#0000ff]Darklord[/COLOR] (D 372): Nice after-death ability, and the capstone is good fun. Solid choice. Deadly Trickster (PHB): If you're trained in Bluff or Acrobatics, you might go for this. Solid features, albeit somewhat limited in use. Epic Trick is an awesome utility, though. [COLOR=#00ccff]Demigod/Chosen[/COLOR] (PHB/FRPG/DP): Divine Miracle, that infamous capstone, finally got toned down so that now it only recovers one encounter power in a fight. That's still pretty good, though, especially combined with all the other ways to recover encounter powers. And the +2 to two stats of your choice, a solid near-death recovery mechanic and access to some great utilities still make this one great. Just no longer overpowering. The default Demigod's Divine Regeneration is an insane regeneration spell. NOTE: As of Divine Power, you apparently have to multiclass into a Divine class to take the Chosen variants of this destiny. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Destined Scion[/COLOR] (E:HFK)[/b]: +2 to two stats of your choice, an extra, vital-for-your-role +1 to attack rolls on top of that and a +2 untyped bonus to saves. A no-nonsense ED that's about as good a choice as any. The utilities won't dazzle you, but they're handy. [COLOR=#00ccff]Eternal Seeker [/COLOR](PHB): This one has come a long way, and it has infinite room to grow. It's about as good as you can get without crossing the line into abuse. [COLOR=#0000ff]Fatesinger[/COLOR] (PHB2): Destiny Fulfilled is best used on an ally with plenty of AoEs or focus-fire multiattacks to increase their chances of hitting and you getting your action point back. Fate's Clarity turns your Majestic Word into a very good offensive buff as well. And Fragment of the Song is a zone with a nice size and is even movable, and does wonderful things with the entire party's action points. Very solid destiny, overall, even if the capstone is only average. Feyliege (AP): A specialized destiny for Gnomes, Eladrin and Half-Elves, mainly. Not a bad ED, but nothing really special, either. The capstone, which is domination on Charm-power crits, is certainly appealing, but when Tieflings have been doing that since Paragon Tier, it doesn't exactly inspire. [COLOR=#800080]Harbinger of Doom[/COLOR] (PHB2): Shield of Ill Fortune is about the only remotely attractive thing in this destiny. [COLOR=#800080]Immanence[/COLOR] (AP): Mostly deals with resistances to damage types that can trigger in every fight in which those are involved. Fair enough for living longer in those fights, but you're not going to do your party any favors out of the ordinary until the capstone, and even then only to adjacent allies. Clearly geared more toward Strikers and Defenders than you. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Indomitable Champion[/COLOR] (E:HFL)[/b]: +2 to two stats of your choice, extra hit points and extra NADs are as good a package as it gets. The utilities aren't completely earth-shattering, but they're handy when stuff happens. Another extremely solid, no-nonsense ED. [COLOR=#800080]Keybearer[/COLOR] (D 372): Traveler's Tricks is nice, as is the capstone that gives you phasing. Reality Distortion, on the other hand, kills this one. It would be pretty awesome if it weren't for the fact that it affects your allies as well as your enemies. Lord of Fate (AP): For the unaligned. It used to be a whole lot more powerful, but now it's just average. However, the daily zone utility, Golden Mean, can be very effective in your hands, since you tend to have powers that both boost your allies' attack rolls and debuff your enemies' attacks (and defenses, too). [COLOR=#00ccff]Lorekeeper[/COLOR] (PHB2): Only Cunning and Prescient Bards will qualify. The best part of this destiny is easily the capstone, Lorekeeper's Revelation, which lets you take two daily utilities and make them encounter utilities. (How does combining Climactic Chord and Haste in the same round every single fight sound?) With Arcana automatically trained and pertaining to a fair number of monsters, you'll make the rest of this destiny worth it, getting the combat bonuses from Lorekeeper's Wisdom and Lorekeeper's Cunning pretty often. With all the knowledge skills on your class skill list you can expand this to cover a good chunk of the bestiary. Lorekeeper's Cunning is great for rituals, too. [COLOR=#800080]Magister[/COLOR] (AP): The update to the capstone has lowered this ED's stock a lot. Now it doesn't work for rituals that affect enemies. Nothing else this ED has is enough to keep it afloat. [COLOR=#0000ff]Planeshaper[/COLOR] (D 372): Using an encounter power twice is great, as is removing an enemy from the fight for a turn on a crit. Shape Reality, the capstone, adds a whole lot of Controller to your arsenal. Can't go wrong with this one. [COLOR=#800080]Prince of Hell[/COLOR] (D 372): This positively-evil inclined destiny is pretty interesting. You get a +2 to Charisma and can teleport and summon some minions. Not the best you can do, though. [b]Punisher of the Gods (D 372/DA 09)[/b]: Seems to have stabilized, but its current form, while good against one foe per encounter, is still a shadow of its former selves. Yes, that plural was intentional. [COLOR=#00ccff]Sage of Ages[/COLOR] (AP): The Lv. 24 feature Keeper's Prescience, a free d20 replacement once per every single turn, is one of the best features in the game (on a side note, it makes a perfect capstone for Eternal Seekers). It works for attacks, saves and skill checks. Cunning Bards can take full advantage of the also-great per-encounter utility, Trick of Knowledge, especially with the +6 untyped bonus to Arcana from Paragon of Learning. Reverse Time is a solid death-recovery capstone, too. [COLOR=#800080]Storm Sovereign[/COLOR] (D 372): Pretty underwhelming. [/sblock] [b]Racial EDs[/b] [sblock] [b][u]Tiefling[/u][/b] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Heir to the Empire[/COLOR] (PHR:T)[/b]: Tiefling Cunning Bards will have a field day with this one. +2 to both relevant stats, a nice boost to Infernal Wrath, a quite frankly incredible utility that lets you turn one dead enemy into your puppet for free every encounter, and a capstone that lets you dominate one enemy every fight for a round because they hit you in melee. Perfect. [/sblock] [/QUOTE]
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