Need help with a Skald build

[Taren Seeker]

I would allow a Bard song while raging. I can envision a beserker war chanting both to enhance his rage and raise the morale of his allies. Mind you, the chants may be a little simplistic

You have a good rules-based objection to it, but I'd let it go for the flavor and I also find it reasonable "in game".

As for your build, I wouldn't go more than 2 levels of Barbarian. The Bard songs are now based on level as well as perform ranks so you're hurting both your chants and spells. 2 Barb, then one of the PrC's mentioned in this thread may be the best way to go.

 

[Psion]

As a side note: I don't know what non-core resources you are using/allowed, but I think all Skald style builds should use the alternate bardic performances rules in FFG's Path of Magic.

 

[Pixie Barbarian]

Taren Seeker,

If I were DMing the game, I might allow the raging bardic music also, but my current DM is a stickler for the rules, so I doubt that he will. As for the levels, if I take a prestige class, I probably agree that 2 levels of barbarian is sufficient. If I just do a bard/barbarian multiclass, however, I will probably take 5 levels of barbarian for the Improved Uncanny Dodge ability leaving me with 15 levels of bard to aquire Inspire Heroics and a decent amount of spells.

Psion,

I don't know all the abreviations. What is FFG?

 

[d20Dwarf]

Psion,

I don't know all the abreviations. What is FFG?

Fantasy Flight Games.

 

[Felix]

Pixie Barbarian:
"From the SRD: "While raging, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills..."

That is true. So you couldn't use your Diplomacy skill. But notice that Bardic Music is not a skill, it is an extraordinary ability (or in some cases a (Su)). And you do not have to make a Perform check when you use your bardic music, you merely have to have the proper amount of ranks. So a raging singing skald is perfectly within the rules.

...Unless he wants to use a bardic music ability that requires concentration. Inspire Courage doesn't require concentration at all.

 

[Pixie Barbarian]

Felix,

That seems like a very reasonable conclusion based on the game mechanics, but there is one thing I found that opposes it.

In Dragon #311, there is a Battle Howler of Gruumsh prestige class that gains the following ability:

"Howling Rage (Ex): At 4th level, a battle howler can use the bardic music abilities inspire courage, inspire greatness, and inspire heroics while raging, provided she has access to them."​

Since this is a prestige class ability, you can draw one of 2 conclusions:

1) The normal bard/barbarian doesn't have this ability, or

2) The writer of the prestige class didn't know what he/she was talking about (always a possibility).

I think that I'll give the writer the benefit of the doubt and assume that option 1 is correct.

As for prestige classes, I may change the flavor text of the Battle Howler of Gruumsh to more a of skald concept and aim for that prestige class and take a few levels of the Warrior Skald class that others have mentioned also. Neither prestige class fits the the concept perfectly, but they both have elements which could work well together.

 

[Psion]

Felix,

That seems like a very reasonable conclusion based on the game mechanics, but there is one thing I found that opposes it.

In Dragon #311, there is a Battle Howler of Gruumsh prestige class that gains the following ability:
(snip)

Y'know, I wouldn't read too much into that from secondary sources.

The WotC website also put out a class that allowed psions to pool their resources to make items. Despite that the item crafting rules allow this as a default.

I never did get the author to fess up he was wrong about that one.

 

[Greybar]

Hm. The War Chanter sounds interesting as a potential match for a game I'm in. I have a paladin whose order has a lot of Hymns that have strong meaning. Is the entry to War Chanter easy enough to step aside from Paladin to Bard for a level or two and then get in?

If so, maybe I'll go pick up Complete Warrior...

john