Improve this Bard

[Dandu]

Ok, so I've had a prototype Bard build around for a few years, a variant of which actually found its way onto a tabletop. I've been tuning the old sheet out of nostalgia and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

Here is the sheet.

Key features:

Crystal Echoblade: an MIC item that functions as a +1 Longsword and also adds bonus sonic damage equal to 1/2 bard level while under the effects of Bardic Music.

Knowledge Devotion: The thinking man's weapon focus; it provides an insight bonus to attack and damage depending on the result of a knowledge check.

Snowflake Wardance: Adds Cha mod to attack rolls with any slashing weapon wielded in one hand, but only if the other hand is not holding a shield.

Bardic Knack: Substitutes the number of ranks in a skill with half his bard level if that number is higher than the number of ranks he has in that skill. 0 ranks is acceptable for untrained skills. Trained skills require 1 rank in order to be used this way.

Improvisation: A spell that grants a floating pool of CLx2 lick points, up to 1/2 CL of which can be spent to boost any one attack roll, ability check, or skill check.

Bardic Music: Inspire Courage is up to +5 with various boosts.

Alter Self: Troglodytes get +6 NA, and Tren get +8. Both forms give natural weapons. The bite attack can be made after normal iterative attacks at a -5 penalty.

 

[Borthos]

I'd go sublime chord to get higher level spells or go seeker of the song to get some nifty abilities. I think it depends on if you want more casting or more songs.

edit: didn't mean melee, meant combat oriented abilities. kinda spaced out there

 

[Dandu]

Sublime Chord can't be taken until after level 10. If you meant build to qualify for it, that's a good move but I was going for more of a melee focused build. Seeker of the Song... doesn't give spells or advance bardic music uses per day, which I really don't like.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Rod of Ropes.

Failing that, I forget if there's a skill trick that lets you use the whip in psuedo-Lasher function, ie gain it as a "third hand." If not, just be extra creative with it

 

[Empirate]

I always advocate dipping Mindbender for Telepathy and getting yourself the Mindsight feat - tons of versatility with regard to your enchantment spells, tons of near unblockable scouting going on without spending any actions, spells or whatnot. Also, get Doomspeak for the heftiest debuff in the game, period. Even the save DC scales really nicely (by levels, not half levels).

If I was to tune your build to its intentions, I'd skip any one of the following: Knowledge Devotion, Song of the Heart, or Snowflake Wardance. You have a lot of melee buffage going on with all three (as well as 8 actual Bard levels for IC+2) - but no Power Attack? I think you can easily do with only two out of the three, and get PA instead. I'd pick Song of the Heart as skippable, since it provides the smallest bonus, which also only works when you use IC.


If I was to build a Bard, I'd rely less on pure melee and go for a more casting-oriented theme. Something like Bard 5/Mindbender 1/Lyric Thaumaturge 4/Sublime Chord 6/Fatespinner 4.
Or Bard 5/Mindbender 1/Virtuoso 4/Sublime Chord 2/Virtuoso 5-10/X 2.

Must-have Feats: Melodic Casting, Doomspeak, Lyric Spell, Mindsight.

 

[arcseed]

The War Chanter capstone is pretty great, particularly with cohorts, rogues, or polymorphing wizards in the party. You also get full BAB progression until you get it at level 16 (or 15 if you take a full BAB dip to take war chanter early). On the other hand, war chanter stops progression on inspire courage, bardic knack, and spells.

 

[Borthos]

War chanter is nice, but i've found the only two bard PrCs i like is the SC and SotS. Virtuoso and others are nice, but I can't see myself needing them.

Oh and Dandu, "Seeker of the song levels stack with bard levels for purposes of determining how many daily uses of bardic music and seeker music the character has." and it gives songs that once initiated, you can activate the refrain as a swift action and still attack or cast that turn as well

 

[Wyvernhand]

Jumping out of Bard will lose you damage on your Crystal Echoblade, so you have to determine if that's more important to you than the 9th level spells you'd gain from Sublime Chord.

Upgrading your Echoblade to +1 Sudden Stunning (DMGII) would give you a DC19 (scaling) Ref save vs being stunned for 1d4+1 rounds. That gives you a debuff that is VERY strong, and helps you get not-dead. Best defense is a good offence. Takes a swift action to activate, so doesn't work in the first 2 rounds of combat while you are jazzing up your IC song. Sudden Stunning also synergizes well with your Whirling Blade spell, allowing you to disable people from a distance while you and your possy close in on them.

Your spells look decent. I'd consider dropping Displacement in favor of Glibness. Glibness is GODLY. If you don't believe me, just ask Haley. Its less of a combat spell and more of a "never fight fights you don't want to fight again" spell.

EDIT: You aren't TWFing, you should probably have a buckler. It doesn't impair you at all, and gives you another cheap body slot to toss random low level enchantments. Also, even if you lack proficiency, the Entangle effect from a net is a nice debuff to throw on someone right before you Sudden Stun them. Its just a touch attack as long as you don't attempt to use the net to control them.

 

[Dandu]

Doesn't a using a buckler mean you can't use Snowflake Wardance?

If I was to tune your build to its intentions, I'd skip any one of the following: Knowledge Devotion, Song of the Heart, or Snowflake Wardance. You have a lot of melee buffage going on with all three (as well as 8 actual Bard levels for IC+2) - but no Power Attack? I think you can easily do with only two out of the three, and get PA instead. I'd pick Song of the Heart as skippable, since it provides the smallest bonus, which also only works when you use IC.

My only concern is that if I PA, I can't SFWD (well, unless I was ok with PAing at a 1:1 ratio) so the two fighting modes I'd have would be either high AB/regular damage or low AB/higher damage. Do you think it would be better to just stick with one of those or have the option to switch between the two?

 

[Empirate]

... so the two fighting modes I'd have would be either high AB/regular damage or low AB/higher damage. Do you think it would be better to just stick with one of those or have the option to switch between the two?

Doesn't Power Attack on its own already do this? It provides the flexibility you're talking about for the cost of only one feat...
You're right in that PA and Snowflake Wardance don't synergize very well really, hadn't thought about that. So maybe switch out Snowflake Wardance instead of Song of the Heart...? Have to think about this.