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Message: <blockquote data-quote="evermind" data-source="post: 3668052" data-attributes="member: 50013">as for offensive-minded bardsFirst pick :PrCl Stormsinger ("Frostburn") : "Thunderstrike" and its area effect version Greater Thunderstrike" are very very hard to beat as offensive spells/SLAs, and although you have to spend two fairly useless (if athmospherically fitting )  feats to attain the PrCl initially, rolling a perform(sing) +D20 for damage on a ranged (electricity) touch at approximately level 8 is..... nasty. Reflex for half though...Best thing - you only burn off a use of bardic music for it - and yes, since it is a ranged touch, it can cause a critical hit..... Second good thing ? It is a supernatural ability.... Power level - 8th level bard in our group started out with an effectiv perform sing of 20 (11 ranks, Cha 18, skill focus feat and Oral Tradition background feat, adding another +2 skillbonus, comparatively low charisma due to being a shield dwarf; Skill enhancing items for perform were not permitted in that campaign but... well, it was 20+D20 for damage... That approaches the level of an Orb Spell, and no spell-resistance either.) Combines fairly well with a bardic archer build for "precise shot". Oh, you get "Control Winds", "Control weather",  and "Storm of Vengeance" as well, which are extremely powerful, if indirect offensive spells ( sink a fleet, mire an army, blow away the flocks of wyverns...) - and one gets to use them powered by bardic musicSecond Pick :PrCl Seeker of the Song "Dirge of Frost, Refrain" and "Burning Melody Refrain" are fairly powerful areaaffecting elemental uses of bardic music; The acid and electricity variants are weaker and gained at rather high level, "Anthem of Thunder and Pain, Refrain" looses out to the Stormsinger's Thunderstrike any day.Stacks nicely enough smack on top of  a Stormsinger build, though. Unfortunately it has a pretty restrictive roleplaying prequisite-qualification.Third Pick :Lyric Thamuturgist from Complete Mage - and pick your favourite sorcerer/wizard spells for "offense". Easy to gain access too.Offensiv spells :Tasha's Hideous Laughter// Torrent of Tears (CompMage - I prefer this, since it does not grant the +4 save bonus for racial barriers ), Minor Image, Major Image, Charm Monster, Suggestion  ------------> for all the usual reasons"Inspirational Boost" is severly underrated, especially at lower levels (not as much if only one character actually melees or uses a weapon ), as is "improvisation" (the luck points come in very handy...), but they are "utility"If you have a powerful melee weapon, "Whirling Blade" (SC) becomes interesting as aranged offense. "Fugue" (SC) is very very nice, since you can basically hand-pick the desired effect every round and for every affected creature, it does affect undead and at the level when you gain access (bard 10th ), you should basically have a perform skill in the mid-twenties, which means the lesser effects are quasi-automatic (mainly 3D6 Sonic damge or knocked prone, who wants subdual damage anyway ?), and even "stun" has a fair 50/50 chance of occuring.A 30' radius (!) spread doesn't hurt either...."Resonating Bolt" (SC) is nice - straight damage, but only at level 10 ?"Boreal Wind" (Frostburn) is only gained as a fifth level spell, but very powerful due to its monstrous range - a 20' wide cylinder which can be swivelled, out to long range... at 14th level that is almost a whopping 1000'. Everyone inside the AoE gets affected and possibly blown backwards for 3'/caster level.... (deadly on ships or in the mountains....). It also lasts for several rounds, doing damage and possible blowback in each....."modify memory" (PHB ) is one of the deadliest spells ever, if properly used. Overwhelm your target, debuff him to hell and back, then mess with his mind and make him forget ever having met you.... Subtler than Dominate Person or Charm Monster, and far harder to detect and counter.... Unfortunately it needs some pre-planning and has less use tactically. Nothing is better for interrogation eitherYes, I know I used SC references, but since most of those spells are from the earlier Compl. books.</blockquote>

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