Effects that boost bardic music?

Archimedes314

First Post
I'm planning on playing a bard in an upcoming game and I want to focus more on my bardic music abilities. Thus, I'm looking for spells/feats/etc. that improve bardic music. So far I've found Song of the Heart from the ECS, and a few feats in complete adventurer. I'm not really looking for abilities that grant me new uses of bardic music, like the class abilities of seeker of the song, but for things that beef up my existing abilities (i.e. improve bonus or duration). So can anyone lend me a hand? Thanks in advance.

P.S. Books allowed situation: core, completes, and FR without question; anything else, ask the DM (material from other settings is allowed if it's non-setting specific [i.e. no races/prestige classes usually, but some feats are okay).
 

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blargney the second

blargney the minute's son
Inspirational Boost is a swift action 1st level spell that increases the benefit of Inspire Courage by +1. It's in Complete Adventurer, I believe.
-blarg
 


brehobit

Explorer
There was a thread on this a while back.

The most broken one was words of creation from BoED. It doubles your bonus.

Other than that, Song of the Heart and Inspirational Boost are the biggies.

If you are using Bo9S, there is a feat that lets you use bardic abilities as a swift action (among other things). Very very handy.
 

Archimedes314

First Post
I'll look into the feat that allows you to use bardic music as a swift action, thanks again everyone. Words of Creation probably won't be allowed, but the DM likes the Bo9S so he'll probably accept the other feat.
 

blargney the second

blargney the minute's son
The feat is Song of the White Raven. It lets you start inspire courage as a swift action when you are in a White Raven stance. Additionally, your levels of bard stack with crusader and warblade for determining the effect of your inspire courage.
 

Nifft

Penguin Herder
brehobit said:
Song of the Heart and Inspirational Boost are the biggies.

If you are using Bo9S, there is a feat that lets you use bardic abilities as a swift action (among other things). Very very handy.
Very handy UNLESS you use inspirational boost. :)

Song of the White Raven (the feat from Bo9S) is great because it allows your Warblade and/or Crusader levels to stack with your Bard levels for the purpose of determining the bonus granted by your Inspire Courage special ability. I'd recommend dipping into Warblade for 4-6 levels or so; pick up some White Raven stances and some Diamond Mind strikes.

Cheers, -- N
 

DarkJester

First Post
This is not mine! I copied and pasted this from a thread a while back, but unfortunately did not copy down who had compiled it.

Inspire Courage Optimization

Inspire Courage ability (Su): A bard with 3 or more ranks in a Perform skill can use song or poetics to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the bard sing. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the bard sing and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 8th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1 (+2 at 8th, +3 at 14th, and +4 at 20th). Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability.
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Song of the Heart feat (Eberron Campaign Setting, pg. 60). Prereq: Bardic music class feature, inspire competence ability, Perform 6 ranks; Benefit: When you use inspire courage, inspire competence, inspire greatness, or inspire heroics, any bonus granted by your music increases by +1.
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Melodic Casting feat (Complete Mage pg. 44), pre-req: Perform 4 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks, bardic music class feature. Benefit: Whenever a Concentration check would be required to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability (such as when you cast defensively or are distracted or injured while casting), you can make a Perform check instead. In addition, you can cast spells and activate magic items by command word or spell completion while using a bardic music ability. Bardic music abilities that require concentration still take a standard action to perform.
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Lingering Song feat (Complete Adventurer, pg. 111). Pre-req: Bardic Music. Benefit: If you use bardic music to inspire courage...the effetc lasts for 1 minute after an inspired ally stops hearing you play.
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Words of Creation feat (Book of Exalted Deeds, pg. 48). Prereq: Good Alignment, Granted by powerful agent of good (such as deity, celestial, etc...), Special DM approval, Int 15, Chr 15, base Will save bonus +5; Benefit: You can use Words of Creation to enhance bardic music...A bard who has the Words of Creation feat can use these powerful words to enhance his bardic music ability as detailed below. When a bard uses the Words of Creation in this manner, it is extremely draining, and the bard takes 1d4 points of nonlethal damage for each rank in Perform required to produce the bardic music effect he is enhancing. For example, if Devis uses the Words of Creation to double an inspire courage effect (minimum 3 ranks in Perform), he takes 3d4 points of nonlethal damage....The Words of Creation doubles the effect of several bardic music abilities...Inspire Courage: Double the morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear and the morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls (+2 at 1st level, +4 at 8th level, +6 at 14th level, +8 at 20th level).
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Subsonics feat: Prereq Perform 10 ranks, bardic music; Benefit: You can produce music or poetics so subtly that opponents do not notice it, yet your allies still fain all the usual benefits from your bardic music. Similarly, you can affect opponents within range with your music, but unless they can see you performing or have some other means of discovering it, they cannot determine the source of the effect.
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Inspirational Boost Spell (Spell Compendium, pg. 124). Level: Bard 1; Components: V, S; Casting Time: 1 swift action; Range: Personal; Target: You; Duration: 1 round or special; While this spell is in effect, the morale bonus granted by your inspire courage bardic music increases by 1. The effect lasts until your inspire courage effect ends. If you don't begin to use your inspire courage ability before the beginning of your next turn, the spell's effect ends.
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Vest of Legends item (DMG II, pg. 272). +5 comp. bonus on Diplomacy and Perform checks, plus Bard level treated as five higher for purpose of determining the effects of inspire courage...Price: 16,000 gp.
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Songblade item: (Comp Adv pg. 130) +1 rapier, +2 Perform checks, +1 use/day bard music; 6,400gp.
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Bow of Songs item: (Comp Adv pg. 129) +2 shortbow, bard music use for + Cha to atk & dam; 32,330gp.
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Joyous Star Song item (MoF pg. 161): +1 bard music/day, +5 sacred perform check for that use. 5800gp.
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Instruments: Drums: +1 to the bonus to damage w/ Inspire Courage, but -1 to the bonus vs. charm and fear. Horn: +1 to the bonus to damage and save vs fear w/ Inspire Courage, but the effect ends 1 round after the recipient can no longer hear the bard toot. Lute: +1 level to determining effectiveness of bardic music. Mandolin: +1 to the atk roll bonus w/ Inspire Courage, but -1 to everything else (dam, save vs. charm/fear).
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Class Combinations: Bard X, Shadowdancer 1 (Hide in Plain Sight), Subsonics feat; Level of Marshall, and a level of Dragon Shaman.
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Marshall Class: d8 HD, 4 skill pts/lev, Fort & Will good saves; BAB as cleric; Weapon/Armor: As fighter; Skill Focus: Diplomacy; Auras (Ex) 60’ range, verbal component; Minor (choose 1): Charisma bonus to: flanking damage, charisma checks/skills, charging damage, dex checks/saves and init, or AC vs. AOOs; Major (choose 1, 2nd level ability): Dam rolls, Ranged atks, Melee atks.
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Dragon Shaman Class: d10 HD, 2 skill pts/lev, Fort & Will good saves; BAB as cleric; Weapon/Armor: As bard; Draconic Aura (Su): 30’ range, LoE, Choose 3: +1 to dam, fast heal 1 up to ½ normal HP, bluff diplo and intimidate, listen spot and init, or 2 dam to anyone striking us with melee or nat weap attack.
 

wildstarsreach

First Post
Here's my character so far at 5th. It's great as I am having the most fun playing this character since I started playing 3.5. He has the Lore song replacement level from Dungeonscape.

Dervis Jeaun Morden
5th lvl Bard (Lore Song Replacement level 1) XP 10000
Align NG Race Human
Init +2 Senses Spot +0 Listen +8
Languages Common, Draconic, Elvish
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AC 18 Touch 12 Flat-footed 16
HP 40
Fort +3 Ref +6 Will +4
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee MW Longsword (+6 to hit, 1d8+2, 19-20 Crit x2)
Whip (+5 1d3+2, Crit x2)
Rngd MW Str +2 Composite Longbow (+6 to hit, 1d8+2, 110’ inc, Crit x3)
BA +3 Grppl +5
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Bonus Spells 1st, 2nd
Spells Known
2nd – (2) Mirror Image, Lively Step (SC),
1st – (4) Expeditious Retreat, Improvisation (SC), Inspirational Boost (SC)^, Critical Strike (SC)
0th – (3) Detect Magic, Read Magic, Lullaby, Daze, Mending, Mage Hand
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Abilities Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Chr 15
Special Qualities Bardic Music (9/day), Lore Song 3/day [+4 insight to any roll], Countersong, Fascinate, Inspire Courage +1 (+2* or +3^ with Inspirational Boost)
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Feats Melodic Casting (CM), Extra Music (CAdv), Song of the Heart* (ECS)
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Skills (72) [ACP -2] Appraise (2/+4), Concentration (8/+10), Diplomacy (8/+12), Gather Info (3/+3), Know Local (3/+5), Know Arcana (8/+10), Listen (8/+8), Perform Singing (8/+10), Perform Lute (2/+4), Profession Astrologer (6/+6), Sense Motive (5/+5), Spellcraft (6/+8), Tumble (4/+6_2), Use Magic Device (1/+3)
 


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