Any suggestion on how to multiclass a bard with a favored soul? I really like the music aspect of being a bard and the healing shtick of the favored soul. I’d also be great with bard/healer and in a pinch bard/cleric. I have considered the divine bard variant class but to the best of my knowledge the divine bard can’t cure insanity and is likely to not be able to keep up at level 12-20 (heal spell) with the healing requirements of a party.
Multiclass bard/favored soul
- Thread starter Allegro
- Start date
The classes don't suggest a particular combination, so the question becomes how much of the bard abilities do you want and how much of the cleric/fs/healer. I like the idea of going 1 level of bard with the alternate class feature(replace one of the low level songs) that lets you apply your perform ranks to all conjuration(healing) spell cast by you or your allies and use extra music to give you more uses. I would then go cleric with the alternate class feature to cast domain spells spontaneously(healing domain) with aspirations towards radiant servant. Then when you get your free empower it will empower your ranks as well. If you also take Augment Healing then you Cure Light, mass at level 10 would do on average do 54.75 pts of healing to 9 targets.
Shin Okada
Explorer
Should it really be a Bard/Favored soul? As for Healing, a bard already has at least some of the cure spells and can use healing magic items via UMD. Unless you go straight Favored Soul, your character may not use better healing spells than a pure bard.
If you want a Bard with some divine background and additional healing power, how about Bard/Paladin with Devoted Performer feat (Comp Adv)? It will give you access to Paladin spell items which a bard does not have one's class skill list (thus no need to use UMD when using a wand). You can even take Divine feats if you take at least 4 levels of paladin, which a Bard/Favored Soul can't.
If you want a Bard with some divine background and additional healing power, how about Bard/Paladin with Devoted Performer feat (Comp Adv)? It will give you access to Paladin spell items which a bard does not have one's class skill list (thus no need to use UMD when using a wand). You can even take Divine feats if you take at least 4 levels of paladin, which a Bard/Favored Soul can't.
Shin Okada
Explorer
Here is another idea. Be a pure bard and just worship some deity with Healing Domain. Set your PC's alignment correspond to that deity. Then, take Arcane Disciple (Healing). That way, you can learn spells in Healing Domain as bard spells (arcane). And even if you do not actually learn particular spell of that domain, spells in Healing domain (up to 6th level) are considered to be in your class skill list. That means, you can use spell trigger items which contains Heal (like Staff of Life).
Nifft
Penguin Herder
If you're open to House Rules, I'd suggest just replacing the Favored Soul's non-casting class features with Bardic Music (Fascinate, Countersong, Song of Freedom, Suggestion and Mass Suggestion only). Also, give him 4 skill points/level instead of 2, and add Perform to his list.
Your DM could delay either Countersong or Fascinate (or both) to 3rd level, or give both at 1st level, without impacting balance much.
Cheers, -- N
Your DM could delay either Countersong or Fascinate (or both) to 3rd level, or give both at 1st level, without impacting balance much.
Cheers, -- N
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
Bah, Bard/Favored Soul is a fine combo.
Here are some ways to make this combo work best for you:
1) Healing Hymn Alternate Class Feature (Complete Champion, pg. 47).
This bardic music replaces your fascinate bardic music ability. When you use a bardic music use for Healing Hymn, any conjuration (healing) spell you (or a nearby ally) casts during the Hymn gets a +1 sacred bonus to the die roll for each rank you have in perform. So a 10th level character with 13 ranks in a perform skill casting Cure Light Wounds would get 1d8+5+13, or an average of 22.5 of healing from that first level spell.
2) Make your highest stat Charisma. You will get all sorts of bonuses from both classes for this.
3) Focus on buffing spells for yourself or allies, and not on attack spells. Your DCs will be low (wisdom is your Divine Favor DC mod, while Charisma is your Bardic one, and because you are multiclassing your spell levels will all be relatively low). However, both spell lists have some great self-buff and party-buff spells like Haste, Displacement, Invisibility, Divine Favor, etc.. Choose on those types of spells, not the direct attack ones that allow a save. Done properly, and when combined with Inspire Courage cranked up (see below), you are going to have a massive attack and damage bonus from various plentiful buffs.
4) Focus on Face skills (Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate, Sense Motive).
5) Consider the Battle Caster feat from Complete Arcane. That feat lets you wear armor of one higher grade without spell failure chance. That would allow you to wear Mithril Plate Mail and cast spells from both your classes without any spell failure chance.
6) Take a look at the Inspire Courage Optimization thread and make sure you have at least a +3/+3 from your Inspire Courage. You will benefit from it, as will your party.
7) I know the last thing you want is yet another class to multi-class into, but if you can take a single level of Warblade or Crusader from Book of Nine Swords, and the Song of the White Raven feat, you can start your bardic music as a swift action and get off a Favored Soul or Bardic Spell or Music, or an attack, in the same round. That would be highly useful.
8) Since you have more spells than an average bard, you might consider the Lyric Spell feat from Complete Adventurer. That feat lets you convert bardic music attempts into power for casting more spells.
9) You are going to have very high saving throws. Don't be afraid to use them to help the party by drawing fire from enemy spellcasters. If you are invisible, the enemy Wizard will likely target your fighter instead of you. If you are visible and obviously helping the fighter with your bardic music, the enemy Wizard is more likely to target you instead - which is good, because you are much more likely to make your save. Heck, if you are wearing Mithril Plate and wielding a longsword, the enemy might even mistake you for the fighter, which is all the better. Just keep in mind, your hit points are relatively low, so you are not a front line fighter.
Hope that helps. I think it would make for an interesting character.
Here are some ways to make this combo work best for you:
1) Healing Hymn Alternate Class Feature (Complete Champion, pg. 47).
This bardic music replaces your fascinate bardic music ability. When you use a bardic music use for Healing Hymn, any conjuration (healing) spell you (or a nearby ally) casts during the Hymn gets a +1 sacred bonus to the die roll for each rank you have in perform. So a 10th level character with 13 ranks in a perform skill casting Cure Light Wounds would get 1d8+5+13, or an average of 22.5 of healing from that first level spell.
2) Make your highest stat Charisma. You will get all sorts of bonuses from both classes for this.
3) Focus on buffing spells for yourself or allies, and not on attack spells. Your DCs will be low (wisdom is your Divine Favor DC mod, while Charisma is your Bardic one, and because you are multiclassing your spell levels will all be relatively low). However, both spell lists have some great self-buff and party-buff spells like Haste, Displacement, Invisibility, Divine Favor, etc.. Choose on those types of spells, not the direct attack ones that allow a save. Done properly, and when combined with Inspire Courage cranked up (see below), you are going to have a massive attack and damage bonus from various plentiful buffs.
4) Focus on Face skills (Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate, Sense Motive).
5) Consider the Battle Caster feat from Complete Arcane. That feat lets you wear armor of one higher grade without spell failure chance. That would allow you to wear Mithril Plate Mail and cast spells from both your classes without any spell failure chance.
6) Take a look at the Inspire Courage Optimization thread and make sure you have at least a +3/+3 from your Inspire Courage. You will benefit from it, as will your party.
7) I know the last thing you want is yet another class to multi-class into, but if you can take a single level of Warblade or Crusader from Book of Nine Swords, and the Song of the White Raven feat, you can start your bardic music as a swift action and get off a Favored Soul or Bardic Spell or Music, or an attack, in the same round. That would be highly useful.
8) Since you have more spells than an average bard, you might consider the Lyric Spell feat from Complete Adventurer. That feat lets you convert bardic music attempts into power for casting more spells.
9) You are going to have very high saving throws. Don't be afraid to use them to help the party by drawing fire from enemy spellcasters. If you are invisible, the enemy Wizard will likely target your fighter instead of you. If you are visible and obviously helping the fighter with your bardic music, the enemy Wizard is more likely to target you instead - which is good, because you are much more likely to make your save. Heck, if you are wearing Mithril Plate and wielding a longsword, the enemy might even mistake you for the fighter, which is all the better. Just keep in mind, your hit points are relatively low, so you are not a front line fighter.
Hope that helps. I think it would make for an interesting character.
Darklone
Registered User
Yoinked summary, Mistwell.
What about a Favored Soul/Divine Bard prestige class build from UA?
There's that Favored Soul alternate class feature somewhere which gives temporary hitpoints when you cast spells on someone... that might help with the hitpoints if you buff yourself. Does it work with Close Wounds?Mistwell said:
What about a Favored Soul/Divine Bard prestige class build from UA?
Jerrand Redband
First Post
Favored soul/ Bard
sounds like a great ideal from the roleplaying point you are singing praises to your
deity so if you were to worship the god of music or travel or any other bardic type
ability it sounds like they would bestow other powers to you have fun roleplaying him
and not worrying about how many points you can heal or how much damage you can do
sounds like a great ideal from the roleplaying point you are singing praises to your
deity so if you were to worship the god of music or travel or any other bardic type
ability it sounds like they would bestow other powers to you have fun roleplaying him
and not worrying about how many points you can heal or how much damage you can do
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