Help on Bard Build - It's a matter of pride, folks.

[jasin]

Errr... I must've neglected that. I have an excuse! I have a daughter now ten days old and the sleep deprivation is frying my memory!

Aw! Congratulations!

Doomspeak sounds very useful, and when 15th level arrives I dare say it shall be mine. It WILL be 15th level too, I'll have to stick pure bard. No point arguing that Bard's are playable if I dilute them with already established classes.

Versatile from Rokugan or Cosmopolitan from FRCS can get you extra class skills of your choice, if they're allowed.

Dreadful Wrath:

This is very nice. And remember that fear stacks. Dreadful Wrath, fail save, be shaken. Haunting Melody, fail save, be shaken. Oh, sorry, shaken already? Be frightened, run away!

Smooth Talk:

This is very good, I think, if you plan on using suggestion in combat.

Ogres: "GHAAAR, destroy puny hu-mans!1!!"
Bard: "Just a moment, kind sirs...!"
Ogres: "Whaaa!? What yous want puny hu-man!?" (Still unfriendly... but not hostile, and that's all you care about.)
Bard: "Let me sing you a tune... it's called YOU SERVE A NEW MASTER NOW."

 

[jasin]

Oh yeah, anothe bardic combat option that I've never gotten around to trying with my bard.

Wand of divine power.

By the time you can afford it (21,000 gp), you can probably use it via use magic device unfailingly. When people are considering +3 for their primary weapon (18,000 gp) you might consider the wand + a mw longsword as yours!

Of course, the fun won't last for ever, but in theory, it's about 13 encounters before you level. That means a single wand will last you for well over 3 levels, even if you use it in every encounter. That's more than enough time for it to pay for itself, and another wand, and show your partymates what kind of attack bonus you can produce as a bard with +6 Str, fighter BAB, Arcane Strike, and inspirational-boosted Song-of-the-Hearted Words-of-Creationed inspire courage!

 

[Synthetik Fish]

This is very nice. And remember that fear stacks. Dreadful Wrath, fail save, be shaken. Haunting Melody, fail save, be shaken. Oh, sorry, shaken already? Be frightened, run away!

Where is Dreadful Wrath from? Prerequsites?

 

[Iku Rex]

Where is Dreadful Wrath from? Prerequsites?

Player's Guide to Faerun, must be human from Rashemen, or kuo-toa or planetouched from the right region.

Frightful Presence from Draconomicon (Cha 15, Intimidate 9 ranks) is a less campaign specific feat. It grants the frightful presence ability. (See MM Glossary. Activates on attack or charge, 30 feet radius, 1d6 + Cha bonus duration, won't work on Int 3 or lower, or dragons.)

 

[the Lorax]

Not in all games. In the ones I've played in interacton quite often is more important. In fact some of our "best" session involved no combat at all and next to no dice rolling.

I have also. If the game is going to be all about combat, you might as well just play D&D minis (or whatever). But here we are trying to overcome a perception of mechanical weakness. If no dice are rolled, mechanics aren't important.

And I have to greatly disagree with the comment on Extra Music. If the party ony appreciates how the character can "help" in combat then at low levels this is of paramount importance since it can give all allies a +1 to attack and damage for as long as the bard continues to perform (usually sing or chant) - which is much longer than the effect from spells and alows the other spellcasters to dedicate their spell slots to other spells (either of the buff kind or offensive oriented ones).

Its weak. Long term its a completely crappy feat. Better off buying Song of the Heart. You use it when its important, for big fights or BBEG encounters, and once you get to mid level, you have more music uses than you will ever use, even without Extra Music. I'm a big fan of even the +1. I'm in a game right now playing a Bard/Rogue/Ranger, and I'm the melee heavy (It helps that I have the only character who hasnt died).

The benefit of the Extra Music feat is also dependent on how many encounters the party has within a day. Are they a series of encounters that lead up to a big one (i.e., gradually wearing down the party) or are they basically one big encounter? Different styles have different tactics.

Low level characters dont do too many encounters before calling it a day and decideing to get some rest.

The problem with trying to "emulate" a fighter is that by all comparisons the bards will end up on the short side of the stick and and the group will still think that they suck becasue if the character was a true fighter then he would have performed that function better. No, it is usually better to focus on what makes the class different and to show itsstrong points. By focusing on ranged attacks the class' broad base is being neglected. The benefits from the bardic music cross several areas (from pure combat to skill assistance to breaking enchantments) The idea would be to show that the bard can do a little of everything and be better than at least one of the other classes at everything. In combat the bard is better than the wizard, in spellcasting the bard is better than the fighter or rogue, in healing capability the bard is better tan everyone except for druids and clerics, etc. The only thing a bard is better than everyone at is in his ability to interact with others.

The first thing I said that he should find the niche were the party is lacking and work to have the bard fill in that niche. The bard doesn't have to be a Fighter, but he does have to be competent in a melee so that at the very least he isn't a liability. If the party is nothing but Half-Orc Barbarians and Goliath based grapling Monks, then obviously melee is not something he has to worry about.