This is another 'archetype' style build, that of a veteran adventurer who is powerful as a fighter in his own right but whose true power is his ability to encourage, inspire, buff, and boost the abilities of their teammates above and beyond.
This character type tends to start as a trainee fighter or soldier with some leadership qualities, gaining combat experience that they leverage over time into a very powerful leadership presence. They lead from the front, and may not be particularly good strategists - it is their personal presence and involvement and tactical sense that is their hallmark.
Rather than singing, this character's "bard song effect" is the result of their ability to make a good speech and exert command and direct tactics in the thick of battle.
Story in following post
****
Human, Non-Lawful, Non-Evil
Str 14 Dex 12 (Can drop this to 10 if you'd rather buff) Con 14 Wis 10 Int 14 Cha 14
* - Feat is optional but recommended ** - If you don't want to cast in combat you can sub out these feats % - Feat is used to boost bardsong only + - Epic Bard Bonus Feat used for tumble movement in armor w/ shield
Skills - Max concentration, discipline, tumble, UMD, perform, spellcraft. Extra points (there are a few but not an abundance) can go in anti-stealth, search, heal, or lore skills for in-character and utility application.
Unbuffed Vitals: 24 Str 16 Cha
AC 21 naked, 32 in mundane plate with tower shield 424 Max Hp Fort 30, Ref 29, Will 25 +8 vs Spells, +1 vs Death Magic
AB +39 with mundane longsword +13 to damage (strength + specialization)
Base Perform Skill Check 56 yields level 21 Bard Song: +2 AB +3 damage +3 will +2 fort +2 ref +30 hp +5 AC +9 skills.
Follow up with level 23 Curse Song at buffed Perform of 65 (-2 AB -3 damage -3 will -2 fort -2 ref -34 hp -5 AC -12 skills).
Buffs (song and spells) AB to +45, damage to +20, AC to +41, Fort to 32, Ref to 31, Will to 28. And other goodies like keen edge, improved invisibility, energy buffer, wounding whispers, protection from alignment, dirge and war cry, haste, etcetera and so on.
The FAQ:
Q: The build is pretty obvious in most respects but why did you take 24 bard instead of 20 bard and 14 COT? A: I considered that, it would have netted the same amount of epic bonus feats (1) and improved saves by +2. It also would have made my perform skill less important. However, it would have either prevented me from getting Lasting Inspiration, or required me to change my levelling progress in a way that was detrimental to my skill selections (ie, I'd miss out on 40 in spellcraft and tumble if I take my last bard level before level 37).
The extra song capability is worthwhile, regardless - giving all your allies +9 to their skills and all your enemies -12 to theirs is a nice buff.
Q: Isn't your ending strength pretty low for a melee? Why are you taking things like improved combat casting and epic skill focus feats when you could be pumping up that strength? A: The short answer is that this is meant to be a frontliner-support character, not a soloist. His power is meant to multiply when he's got allies on the battlefield, and multiply the power of his allies as well. I want him to be able to cast stilled spells in the thick of combat where he's covering his allies with the area of effect on his magic circle vs alignment, for example, and to receive the buffs from his party buffing spells.
You are welcome to modify as you see fit for your personal use, naturally. _________________ Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.
Edited By griphook on 10/30/05 23:03
"Stand fast, Reg! Validar, Zandra, get behind us!" The veteran adventurer's keen sense for danger alerted him to the orcish ambush before it was sprung, and he shouted orders to his partymates with a natural aura of confidence and command. Encouraging his less-experienced comrades, he added, "Let's cut a name for ourselves out of their hides!" And then the orcs broke their cover, hurling a volley of rocks, randomly throwing axes, and spears at the group as they advanced in an undisciplined, uneven charge. They had numbers though, enough to swarm and kill a caravan, a patrol, or even a stout party of adventurers.
The orcish missile shower amounted to little, as the party's well-directed tactics moved the most vulnerable adventurers out of harm's way and put their armored fighters in position to block the orcish charge. Though he'd faced the charge of orcs before, the experienced hero still felt a sense of comfort in the solid presence of Reg. The dwarven warrior was tough as nails, and now he spoiling for action against a hated foe. "Never to worry, Gareth, I'm with ye! Any o' the scum that get past the elf's bow or the witch's fire, they'll not get past me axe!"
And the elf, Validar, had already set his bow into motion. His arrows hummed with fey magicks as they poured into the orcish ranks, finding targets again and again. With the two armored men in front of him he knew he was secure from attack, and concentrated on thinning the ranks of orcs approaching that armored bulwark. Beside him, the "witch" Zandra was readying another fiery spell, summoning sorcerous powers and wreaking havoc on their foes. Just as they had discussed and practiced under Gareth's tutledge, those orcs who came through the storm of arrows and fire were off-balance, disoriented, often wounded. Easy prey for the front-liners to cut down. Above the din of the battle Gareth's voice rang out, always encouraging their morale and adjusting their formation and the focus of the missile and spell fire to maximum effect.
The engagement was short and one-sided, arrows chasing the orcs as the survivors fled. In the end the foursome were left with scarcely a scrape, their well-directed tactics and high morale carrying them to a crushing victory. As they picked over the corpses, Gareth praised them, "Well done! No doubt the ones that got away will head straight back to their lair... and in their panic I'm sure they left an easy trail to follow."
That was all eager Reg needed to hear, "Then let's not waste our time lollygaggin' about here! Hit 'em before they can sort themselves out, I say!" Checking his quiver, Validar nodded with poorly repressed excitement, "I concur. Stupid as they are, orcs are famous for their cunning with traps and ambushes. Every hour we delay increases the risk of an assault on their base." Gareth wasn't fooled - the elf was just as eager to battle the orcs as was the dwarf. Zandra the sorceress rarely spoke, and this was no exception. She shrugged as if she didn't care one way or another about the strategy, then nodded to indicate that she had magick power remaining for more combat. The well-travelled human fighter wondered, not for the first time, what her story was. Like him she was of greater experience than their companions - indeed she was evidently a mighty wielder of destructive sorceries - but she rarely spoke and when she did, she was all business. Gareth had little doubt that she could have led this expidition as easily as he; in fact he had the impression her magic could flatten an entire legion of orcs by itself. But she was perfectly content to follow him instead, in the company of a dwarf on his first group adventure and an elf scarcely more than a teen by his peoples' standards.
He shrugged and beckoned the party onward. He could have followed the orcs' trail blindfolded at night, but he let Validar take the lead and act as scout and tracker. The lad could use the experience, he reckoned, and it would make him feel important to the group's success and build his confidence despite his being its weakest member. If Zandra's aloofness was a signal that her intentions were less than noble, Gareth mused, he'd faced traitorous comrades and dangerous spellcasters before. He didn't like the idea of having to fight her, but he knew he could handle himself and lead those who'd put their trust in him to victory. _________________ Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.
Xylo: solid build and entertaining story. Your ending AB of +39 isn't that bad at all and, with a few buffs, can easily be pumped to make a quite effective tank.
Just a couple notes: you could easily go 20 Bard and 14 CoT - just take the 20th Bard at level 39 to get Lasting Inspiration and to top your skills. I don't think there's a real imperative to do so though.
You won't need ESF:Tumble. By the time you take it, your Tumble is maxed at 40, so even with full plate and tower shield, your armor check penalty adjusts your Tumble to 22. That's more than enough to pass the Tumble check for moving in combat (which is a static 15 DC). *edit* Perhaps ESF:UMD or Spellcraft (boost those saves vs spells!) or Discipline.
You may also find the CC/Imp Combat Casting feats are unnecessary, especially since you're maxing Concentration, have a bonus from CON and your Bard Song will boost your skill check as well. *edit* However, eliminating that source of AoOs is never a bad thing. You know, the more I thnk about it, the more I like it... _________________ Wave upon wave of demented avengers marched cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream...
Edited By Cinnabar Din on 10/23/05 21:42
Thanks Cinnabar
I am not too disappointed in the build's ending AB since in a solo situation you can buff into the upper/mid 40s and drop enemy AC by 5 with curse song. If you drop ESF in Tumble (I didn't know it was a static 15 DC... good to know!) you might consider taking something like Epic Reputation
The 20 bard/14 COT adjustment has its up side and you can manage it without losing anything by delaying lasting inspiration. I liked the additional bard song skills capability - with common +perform items in particular you can really boost your party's ability to make concentration and discipline checks (or parry checks for a riposte and so forth and so on), and with curse song even without equipment, you can dominate a battle with many creatures using IKD and the -12 to skills curse song.
Combat casting/ICC are a choice but I prefer not to take the AOOs as a frontliner. I play this character as a front liner, and work hard to protect squishies when I'm in a tank role. When you're hip deep in undead or drow or other overused overpowered enemies that tend to have on-hit debuffs or sneak attack dice, those AOOs can really ruin your day. _________________ Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.
The 20 bard/14 COT adjustment has its up side and you can manage it without losing anything by delaying lasting inspiration. I liked the additional bard song skills capability - with common +perform items in particular you can really boost your party's ability to make concentration and discipline checks (or parry checks for a riposte and so forth and so on), and with curse song even without equipment, you can dominate a battle with many creatures using IKD and the -12 to skills curse song.
Aye, I like to try squeezing the last ounce out of the Bard/Curse Song as well. My Skillful Minstrel build (24 Bard levels) has an unbuffed Perform of 60 (good for level 22 Bard Song) and once he's got his Song active, the Perform shoots up to 71, good for a level 24 Curse Song: -13 to all skill checks, -36 HPs, -5 AC , blah, blah, blah. That's sweet even against spellchuckers because you can lower their Concentration check by 13 and the build has a buffed 70 on his Taunt. Can you say 30% spell failure? I really like the way that works.
Quote: Combat casting/ICC are a choice but I prefer not to take the AOOs as a frontliner. I play this character as a front liner, and work hard to protect squishies when I'm in a tank role. When you're hip deep in undead or drow or other overused overpowered enemies that tend to have on-hit debuffs or sneak attack dice, those AOOs can really ruin your day.
Yeah, like I said, the more I looked and thought about it, the more I liked it. It's not something I've ever done or seen done in any Bard-heavy build, but I quite like it. Nice work. _________________ Wave upon wave of demented avengers marched cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream...
Yes I quite like a good Taunt when I can squeeze it in to a build. And epic taunt values go well with epic bards. "Now go away or we shall taunt you a second time!"
If you wanted to abanding in-battle casting with this character you could get ditch concentration entirely, take taunt and change ICC to epic focus, and free up a pre-epic feat, and it would probably work out quite nicely. In fact for a soloist (or soloist + summons/henchies) type build this might be the best route since you have more control over the pace of your game and more chances to spot encounters in time to buff up with short term buffs, and/or can choose a henchie that you can retreat behind to buff up.
The taunt debuff to AC will put your AB over the top against anything but the most crazily powerful NPC or creature, too.
What I had in mind when I made this character however was that with ICC, when your online teammates are rushing ahead and get into trouble you can jump in to the fray, take some aggro, and cast Stilled buffs. _________________ Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.
Very good. I like Bards, but there rarely seems to be a good reason to go into epic levels - I think this works great, however.
You had better change that Tumble focus for Discipline. It's tough to support your party if you're sitting on the ground
The story was wonderful, too
Great job overall. _________________ Now is my day's work done; I'll take good breath: Rest, sword; thou hast thy fill of blood and death.
I really like the way that works.
