Playable from level 1 - 40 PvM

Bard22/Fighter8/Red Dragon Disciple10 – Human, Alignment: Any Non-Lawful

He lived day to day, one night singing for his supper, the next day offering his sword in service of this or that lord. Days passed, then weeks, then years, and his dreams of heraldry -- true heraldry -- faded in a mead-soaked haze.

That changed the day the dragon awoke inside him. He awoke as if from a nightmare -- a dragon had burst from his chest and consumed him in fire. His cold sweat beaded on his brow as he looked at his arm. His skin had a sheen that looked almost like . . . scales?

He hurried to the tin mirror that adorned the otherwise drab hostel room. He looked the same, didn't he? His eyes looked . . . sharper. His hands looked almost like claws if you turned them the right way. He knew then what his mother had never told him, that his father wasn't a soldier who had never returned from battle. His father was a dragon.

The realization was an epiphany. A half-dragon does not waste his life in whorehouses and hostels, fighting this foe or that at the whim of petty nobility. He struck off immediately to gain his fame, his fortune, his place in the echelons of the heroes.

S: 16 +8 RDD + 10= 34
D: 12
C: 12 +2 RDD= 14
I: 14 +2 RDD = 16
W: 8
CH: 14 +2 RDD = 16

The level/feat progression:

1Bard1, LoH, Extra Music
2Fighter1, Weapon Focus (GSword)
3Fighter2, Power Attack, Cleave
4Fighter3, Str17
5Bard2
6RDD 1 Iron Will
7RDD2 RDD Str 19
8RDD3 Str20
9Bard 3 Curse Song
10RDD4 - RDD Str 22
11Fighter4, Imp Crit (GSword)
12Bard4 Combat Casting, Str23
13Bard5
14Bard6
15RDD5 GrCleave
16Bard7; Str24
17Bard8
18RDD 6 Still Spell
19RDD7 - RDD Con 12
20RDD8 Str25
21RDD9, OverCrit (GSword)
22RDD10 – RDD Str 29 Ch 16
23Bard9
24Bard10 Dev Crit (GSword) Str 30
25Bard11
26Bard12
27Bard13 EWF
28Bard14, Str31
29Bard15
30Bard16 Epic Discipline
31Bard17
32Bard18 Str32
33Bard19 Improved Combat Casting*
34Bard20
35Fighter5
36Bard21, Lasting Inspiration** Str 33
37Fighter6 Armor Skin
38Fighter7
39Fighter8 Epic Skill: Perform; Epic Prowess
40Bard22 Str34

* Requires 25 Constitution
** Requires 25 Perform

AC 10 + 8 (tumble) +4 (draconic) + 9 [plate +1 dex] + 2 (armor skin) = 33 (38 with bardsong)

AB: 26 + 12 Strength + 3 EWF + 1 Epic Prowess = 42 (44 with bardsong)

Damage: 2d6 + 18 (critical 17-20)

Saves: Fort 25 (+2 bardsong)
Ref: 22 (+2 bardsong)
Will: 24 (+3 bardsong)


Skills: Discipline: 43 (+10 ESF)
Listen: 43
Perform: 37 (+10 ESF)
Spellcraft: 40
Tumble: 40
UMD: 42
Lore: 8
O/L: 1(2)
Disable: 1(2)
Set Traps 1(2)
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We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender - Winston Churchill

Edited By griphook on 08/25/05 14:58

Nice intro/biography it always good to have a little story accompanying the build

NOTE: you've put that improved combat casting needs Constitution 25, but the build has only 14! Is it possible you meant concentration!!!
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Grrr...hear my roar!!!

Edited By krsboss on 08/23/05 23:09

Quote: Posted 08/23/05 23:08:55 (GMT) -- krsboss

Nice intro/biography it always good to have a little story accompanying the build

NOTE: you've put that improved combat casting needs Constitution 25, but the build has only 14! Is it possible you meant concentration!!!

lol yes, that is true. I did. grumble, grumble. concentration 25 is required, not constitution.

thanks. And it is PvM, mostly, although it can PvP late in life pretty well (you won't be able to knock him down or take his sword, anyway, and his AC and AB are fairly stout for a non-monk).

Anyway, cheers. And thanks, krboss, for noting my carelessness. Build aside, that's a pretty decent preamble you got there. I like it.

As for the build, I have yet to see a Bard/Ftr/RDD that wasn't a machine, and this is no exception. From a critic's standpoint, I question only the Combat Casting/Improved Combat Casting. The first isn't really going to be of any assistance, because, let's face it, there's not a whole lot of spells he's going to cast in combat. It's sole benefit is to remove -4 from your Concentration in case enemies are too close, but you have a 0 Concentration. You do note that 25 is required for ICC, but it's not a skill you have listed, and you have few if any skill points left, so you'll have to cannibalize from other skills.

At the very least, I would switch Still and CC around, but I would further be inclined to take Extend spell over CC, or Blindfighting. As for Improved CC, pretty much the same thing applies. I would be more inclined to take Blindfighting or Toughness over it.

One minor thing is your Spellcraft should either be set at 37 or 42. You receive +3 from your Int modifier, so you can go for +8 or +9 to magic saves.

Regardless, the build works, and does just fine.
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Ariel, Ookla, RIDE! Thanks, Grizz. There are 25 skill points to allocate to concentration:

Level 1 Bard: (4 points +2 int + 1 human = 7) * 4 = 28
21 additional bard levels: 21 * 4 = 84
21 character levels with +2 int (not counting level 1)= 42
18 character levels with +3 int = 54
10 levels rdd = 10 * 2 = 20
8 levels fighter = 8 * 2 = 16
Human (+39 (not counting level 1)) = 39

Total: 283 skill points

Discipline: 43
Listen: 43
Perform: 37
Spellcraft: 42 (thanks for the tip -- I thought it was like tumble)
Tumble: 40
UMD: 42
Concentration: 25 (prerequisite for Imp. Combat Casting)
Open Locks: 1 (cc2)
Disable Traps: 1 (cc2)

Total Used: 276

Surplus: 7 skill points. Could put five in Peform and 2 in concentration, i suppose.

I originally conceived of this build with 16 dexterity so it could wear robes with dex-boosting equipment for the same AC as plate + 1 dex. It was too hard to build as a human, which was necessary for the skill set required. Sooooo, your suggestions regarding combat casting/icc and still spell are particularly well taken. You would open up a pre-epic feat and an epic feat. And you would take extend spell instead of still. Blind Fight and Toughness are the likely candidates, although you could consider weapon spec and epic weapon spec (not my favorites, though).

You could reorganize the build and go CoT, spending the pre-epic feat that way (loses one feat). You'd add some charisma-based talents and 4 saving throws.

Of course, I already have this up to level 10 in my PW, so the CoT option is not attractive for me. But I may post a revised build that does it. Also, the saves are wrong (based on taking 8 fighter levels pre-epic, which did not work).

Fortitude: Bd+2 RDD+6 F+4 Epic+10 Con+2 LoH+1 = 25
Reflex: Bd+6 RDD+2 F+1 Epic+10 Dex+1 LoH+1 = 21
Will: Bd+6 RDD+6 F+1 Epic+10 Wis-1 LoH+1 = 23

Soooo... take Lightning Reflexes instead of Iron Will and end with F25 R23 W23.
Quote: Posted 08/24/05 16:19:03 (GMT) -- Ithacan

Thanks, Grizz. There are 25 skill points to allocate to concentration:

Level 1 Bard: (4 points +2 int + 1 human = 7) * 4 = 28
21 additional bard levels: 21 * 4 = 84
21 character levels with +2 int (not counting level 1)= 42
18 character levels with +3 int = 54
10 levels rdd = 10 * 2 = 20
8 levels fighter = 8 * 2 = 16
Human (+39 (not counting level 1)) = 39

Total: 283 skill points

Discipline: 43
Listen: 43
Perform: 37
Spellcraft: 42 (thanks for the tip -- I thought it was like tumble)
Tumble: 40
UMD: 42
Concentration: 25 (prerequisite for Imp. Combat Casting)
Open Locks: 1 (cc2)
Disable Traps: 1 (cc2)

Total Used: 276

Surplus: 7 skill points. Could put five in Peform and 2 in concentration, i suppose.


You'd need 8 Lore as well
however since you had 7 surplus that could be achieved easily (say by dropping 1 from listen)
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Teaching men a lesson in combat etiquette. yes, you are correct. very basic to the build (delays your rdd to level 6). thanks.