Singing and dancing in Ravenloft

[Zappo]

So one of my players, a Ravenloft enthusiast, wants to start a campaign set in the Demiplane of Dread, and I get to play! W00t!

Being the masochist that I am, I'm going to play a bard. A 3rd level half-elf bard, chaotic good, to be precise. Specialized in storytelling, and a big braggart (he claims to be a shadow dragon hunter). I'm going to be the comic relief.

Unfortunately, that's about it - I'm now looking for your suggestions on the feats, skills and spells (and possible PrCs) that a chaotic good half-elf bard should take in order to have a chance of survival in Ravenloft. Any suggestions to improve and detail the background will be greatly appreciated too!

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Sorry..."I'm going to be the comic relief"...in RAVENLOFT...this I want to hear about...

I would take Run and Endurance myself, essential for those long distance get-aways...

 

[Zappo]

Gh gh. A clarification: when I say comic relief, I mean with taste and moderation. I don't want to deviate from a horror campaign, and I don't want to sacrifice an ounce of survivability to be more funny.

 

[demon_jr]

What PrCs, if any, do you have in mind?

Can you only use feats, etc., from the Core Books or can you use material from other publishers as well.

I really haven't played bards, but if your DM allows you to pick up the Bladedancer PrC from OA, you might want to check it out. Some very nice abilities, and you should be able to qualify for it by the time you reach 10th level if you pick the appropriate feats.

I don't have the revised Bladesinger PrC, but from what I have read on other threads, it seems like a good PrC to take.

Since you are playing a "rougish" type class, you can't go wrong with feats like dodge, mobility, and maybe spring attack.

 

[Zappo]

I have access to the PHB and splatbooks.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Lucky guy! I have a bunch of the Ravenloft 3E stuff, it's all very good, to bad no one i know runs it.

 

[Piratecat]

Gh gh. A clarification: when I say comic relief, I mean with taste...

Ah, I see. People will laugh while the werewolves eat you.

 

[caudor]

Ah, I see. People will laugh while the werewolves eat you.

Ah, but there is nothing like music to soothe the foul beast. If his Bard is really clever, he can buy some time by whipping out that mandolin...

[some chords]
"Ain't she sweet;
see her walking down the street.
I ask you very confidentially;
ain't...she...sweet"

Works on them werewolves everytime. Or at least, if he does get eaten, he'll certainly go down in style

 

[Chun-tzu]

A Bard claiming to be a dragon hunter of any kind will probably need to look tough, so we're talking Breastplate and Long Sword (or Longbow) as opposed to Studded Leather and Rapier. Dragon Slayers are not finesse fighters. Unless that's part of the joke, that is; if you're a finesse fighter, everyone will laugh at you when you claim to be a dragon hunter.

To maximize survivability, choose combat or magic-oriented feats and spells, and choose an area of specialization. Although Bards make good jacks-of-all-trades, they don't have to be. This in no way disagrees with your character's personality.

The Requiem feat from Song & Silence might be a good choice, but that's a bit far off (you need 12 ranks of Perform to take it). It allows you to affect undead with your bardic music.

 

[Alzrius]

I have some suggestions that pretty well ignore the "with taste" clause you mentioned Zappo.

Portable Hole Full of Beer, by Ambient Inc., downloadable for free at RPGnow.com, is a product dedicated to being pure humor, and has helpful sections on how to use their stuff "almost seriously".

Another, much rarer product that focuses on Humor, is "Crushed: The Doomed Kitty Adventures" from Team Frog/Nightshift Games. While Crushed is a very lightly done, very loose tongue-in-cheek campaign setting (barely 32 pages and quite inexpensive), it has some things that could be lifted to any campaign for a humor effect, my personal favorite being the spells "Theme Song" and "Rain of Fish". The sexy (and in some cases bordering on softcore porn) furry comics are just extra fan service. It can be ordered online here http://www.teamfrog.com/order.htm