The Complete Bard

[Darklone]

Keep it coming, chachos, that's exactly what I love to hear.

Some bards from my groups:

• My favorite char ever. Wildelf Bbn2/Rog1/Brd4. (3.0) Rolled stats 16, 20, 14, 12, 11, 14. The DM wanted to kill me, then I rolled hitpoints . It was a two weapon freak with Indiana Jones whip, scimitar and handaxe and skills like an acrobat or scout. Spells: Magic Weapon, Animate Rope, CLW, Bulls Strength, See Invis. Great stunts: Clinging to the ceiling in a corridor at the lower end of some stairs after a cave-in with a Cloudkill spell coming down the stairs. Sitting with 0 hitpoints in the back of a huge fight and pinpointing the enemies invis flying wiz level 10 with Dancing lights (the DM didn't want to let me have colored and pink lights!). Dragging the unconscious groups fighter over the edge of a chasm to save him from an incoming fireball (Heavy turtle landed on me, ouch!). Kicking the butts of two kytons with a freshly stolen scimitar. Playing who's cooler with a flying Gelugon in the dark. Last and least: Saving the group once again and especially the groups level 5 monk from a level 10 fighter and a level 10 wizard. DMs last words to my char: "Oh come on, show me another one of these singing raging charges into flanking position for sneak attack with bulls strength and a critical of the twohanded scimitar. *** natural 20 ***. Dang, stop that, I was joking!"
• Bbn1/Brd5. Str 18, Con 10, rolled bad for hitpoints. Gave that dude a polearm and Power Attack... 3 weeks later the DM canceled the humanocentric campaign since he had no idea how to challenge that bard and the cleric tank in front of him with his human NPCs.
• Bard15. Crazy singer, she managed to drive the DM crazy as well since she loved to use various Charms on his favorite monsters, then she gave them nicknames... Beholders, Kytons ("Clirry and Chainily"), dragons... whatever...
• Brd8/Ftr4 woodelf archer. Somehow that bard stumbled at low level upon a bow of speed. Since noone in the group (3 munchkin clerics) were able to use a longbow, the bard kept it... and started to specialise. At higher levels, the rest of the group began to start battle with one buff spell from everyone for the bard... Battle over.
• Singleclass bard assassin BBEG. He specialised in Disguise and enhanced the skill with spells. City campaign... as soon as he got a contract, he sneaked his way into the sleeping chamber of the victim and used a pick (or for style a greataxe) to CDG. The players needed months till they believed that a BARD might be their big enemy.
• Bard tank. Yeah, that worked in 3.0, especially at low levels. The bard was wearing a breastplate and a large shield, Con was his best attribute (together with Cha), Dex and str 14. Till level 4 no other char had a comparable AC and only two had a few hitpoints more. The barbarian hit better since his strength was higher and because he got boosted by the bards song as well.

More to come.

Edit: I love Perform (Swearing 'n Cursing, Arrrh matey!)

 

[Merkuri]

I'm playing a straight level 14 kobold bard in a WLD campaign. She has 18 dex and cha, a strength of 8, and average stats for everything else. Her specialty is buffing the party, but she's come in handy for a variety of other things. She's not good at anything in particular, but very handy to have around.

One time she used a Silent Image spell to set up a blind so the party could ambush some enemies. Another time her Song of Freedom spell came to good use to unfreeze a bunch of petrified allies (the fact that she could sing it pretty much as often as she liked saved us at least a day's worth of memorization). Just last session she possibly saved the entire party. The hulking orc barbarian had just failed his will save and had turned against us, a scenario we've been dreading for a long time. My bard managed to get off a successful Dispel Magic on the first try and just barely kept him from cleaving our halfling in two.

 

[Wraith Form]

Bard/Dread Pirate.

Perform (Oratory), which the DM allowed as swearing.
Intimidate, Sleight of Hand, and Bluff.
Feats that inspired fear, like Kiai Shout and Intimidating Strike.

He cussed up a storm, had a lie for every situation, made people afraid of him, as many gold teeth as real ones, and had to exit via the window as often the door.

Love this description!

The player's bard in the game I'm running is a gnomish Bard2/Beguiler1. She's maybe a little less ghetto than ^ this ^ build, but certainly getting close to it. A petite little charmer who has an excuse..err, an "explanation"... for everything.

 

[Darklone]

I'm playing a straight level 14 kobold bard in a WLD campaign. She has 18 dex and cha, a strength of 8, and average stats for everything else. Her specialty is buffing the party, but she's come in handy for a variety of other things. She's not good at anything in particular, but very handy to have around.

Ooooh, me love cute kobolds. Me love bards. Me absolutely love bokold kards!

 

[Goldmoon]

Bard6/Chameleon4 I can do ANYTHING! hahahahahahaha. The other players had no clue what I was at any time during the adventure. "How in the hell are you doing that?" came up a lot.

 

[Kristivas]

I don't know if this count's as a variant or not, but I really love how Unearthed Arcana (I think) makes the bard into a prestige class.

rogue 5/wizard 1/bard 5 - using the Bard as a PrC is something I've always wanted to play.

After getting to 10 in bard, I would then look for the closest PrC to The Dashing Swordsman as possible!

I've always wanted to play a bard-type who used a lot of quips, even dirty ones - especially in combat or when alone with the ladies - "Get my point?!". I think I may still have a notebook where I wrote a bunch down over a few weeks' time.

I wouldn't want him to be a character who took a lot of things seriously, except for perhaps his combat prowess and unless there was a lady involved. Maybe not much of a high wisdom score, either. I think it'd be a lot more fun to have a character who'd just jump into the portal the BBEG stole his lady friend through rather than come up with "a plan".

I'd also give him the "Marty McFly syndrome". No one calls him chicken and he'll do whatever it takes to see that they don't. But, I wouldn't overdo it. I'd be considerate of other party members (to a point) and not just do stupid things to get us all killed.

No tragic past, either. Both parents either would still be alive or died of natural causes (depending on the DM. with some DMs, living relatives are a HUGE liability!). No evil older brother out there looking to finish him off. No younger sister to be kidnapped by every BBEG. If this guy suffers any tragedy, it'll all happen and be played out during the game.

No depressed Anti-hero for me. My bard would be a hero all the way, even though he'll readily accept all donations for his deeds and be lookin' to make time with the mayor's beautiful daughter.

That's my kinda bard

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

My first ever 3e character; Cutter. A wood-elf mounted archer with plans to become the first ever illiterate Arcane Archer

The characterization is full blown bard, out to find great stories of hero's defeating villians.. and perhaps even be one himself. Mechanically he is a stress test of the 3.x multi-class system... Rgr2/Ftr2/Brd2/Deepwood Sniper 2/Rogue 1 ... after gaining his second level of Rogue he was going to be able to take Arcane Archer.

He carries a longbow, matched 'Orc-Bane' Short-swords {+1 and glows when Orc is nearby}, and ended up with Seathnar's Greatsword and Chain-mail. {Seathnar is the undead in the module 'Standing Stones'.. he traded telling tales of Seathnar's greatness for the equipment. A much better end to the module than killing Seathnar }

He prefers to be stay mounted on his reliable war-horse... or at least 'this' reliable war-horse. He doesn't have a really good track record of keeping them alive. I have considered taking the Wild Cohort feat to boost the horses survivability..

Unfortunately, its been a while since I have had the opportunity to play Cutter.. and would really like to see him gain Arcane Archer *eventually*

 

[Wraith Form]

Bard6/Chameleon4 I can do ANYTHING! hahahahahahaha. The other players had no clue what I was at any time during the adventure. "How in the hell are you doing that?" came up a lot.

Which Complete ____ is the Chameleon from again?

 

[Kafkonia]

Which Complete ____ is the Chameleon from again?

Races of Destiny. It's limited to humans and doppelgangers.

There are a few nifty PrCs in that book, but many of them are very narrow and so of limited use (like the Urban Soul, which is great for urban adventures but pretty much useless if you're going dungeon crawling.)

 

[Wraith Form]

Ahhh, that's right. I just got the book less than a week ago, so I don't have it committed to memory yet...

And agreed, unless you want to play Jack Hawksmoor...the Urban Soul is of limited use. LOL