Dark Song

Bard 36 Blackguard 4

Human, Chaotic/Neutral Evil

Playable from 1 to 40, PvM

STR 15 (26)
DEX 10
CON 14
INT 14
WIS 8
CHA 15 (22)

1 )Bard1: Powerattack, Human: Curse song
2 )Bard2
3 )Bard3: Cleave
4 )Bard4: (Cha16)
5 )Bard5
6 )Bard6: Still Spell
7 )Bard7:
8 )Bard8: (Str16)
9 )Blackguard1: Knockdown
10)Blackguard2:
11)Bard9:
12)Blackguard3: Divine Might (Str17)
13)Bard10:
14)Bard11:
15)Blackguard4: Divine Shield
16)Bard12: (Cha17)
17)Bard13
18)Bard14: Improved Critical: Scimitar
19)Bard15
20)Bard16: (Cha18)
21)Bard17: Weapon Focus: Scimitar
22)Bard18:
23)Bard19:
24)Bard20: Lasting Inspiration (Str18)
25)Bard21:
26)Bard22:
27)Bard23: Epic Weapon Focus: Scimitar, bard- Epic Skill Focus: perform
28)Bard24: (Str19)
29)Bard25:
30)Bard26: Great STR 1 (Str20), bard- Great CHA 1 (Cha19)
31)Bard27:
32)Bard28: (Str21)
33)Bard29: Great STR 2 (Str22), bard- Great CHA 2 (Cha20)
34)Bard30:
35)Bard31:
36)Bard32: Great STR 3 (Str23, 24), bard- Great CHA 3 (Cha21)
37)Bard33:
38)Bard34:
39)Bard35: Great STR 4 (Str 25), bard- Great CHA 4 (Cha22)
40)Bard36: (Str26)

Attack: +37/+32/+27/+22 (base 26, wf 1, ewf 2, Str 8) [Stackable Bull Str, GMW, warcry, haste]
Bardsong @ Perform 60: +2 hit

Damage: 1d6+8 (15-20 x2) [Stackable Bull Str, GMW, Keen, eagle splendor, warcry]
Sneak: 1d6
Divine Might (unbuffed): +6 Divine Damage
Bard Song @ Perform 60: +3 Bludgeon damage

Naked AC: 18 (Base 10, Tumble 8) [mage armor, cat grace, eagle splendor, haste]
Fullplate + Tower: 29
Divine Shield (unbuffed): +6
Bardsong @ Perform 60: +5

HPs: 336 (Bard216, Blackguard40 con80)
Bardsong @ Perform 60: +32hp

Base Saves(Base/Att/D.B.) (vs spells) :
Fort: 26 (35)
Refl: 27 (36)
Will: 26 (35)

Vs. Spells (+9 Spellcraft@45)
Darkblessing: +6
Bardsong @ Peform 60: +2F, +2R, +3W

Base Skills (293 points total)

Discipline: 43
Spellcraft: 43
Tumble: 40
UMD: 43
Perform: 43 (53)
Taunt: 43
Hide: 5 (req'd for blackguard)
--------
33 skills to customize
Bardsong @ Perform 60: +11 Skill check

High Lights:
Divine Might
Divine Shield
Dark Blessing
Stackable Bull STR spell
High UMD/Taunt
High Bard/Curse Song w/ lasting inspiration
Bard Spells
1d6 Sneak

Edited By coreyb on 02/24/06 03:30

Was designing a pure bard build, but ended up going with 4 Blackguard for a more melee type build.

He turns out to have a pretty strong melee presence.

Things to consider:

--Might consider removing x2 great str feats to get toughness and Improved knockdown instead. Might also consider a greatsword, halberd or great axe for large damage output.

--With eagles splendor and CHA items, your max cha is 34: divine shield/might can get up to +12.

--With stackable bull str (blackguard bull str stacks with your bard bull str) and a few items, it's fairly easy to get to STR 38.

--Weakness-Low HP! Hmm this build reminds me of the 36 bard 4 paladin build, intresting overall and i bet its one hell of a build. but tbh i would had gone for some more black guard or maybe rdd to boost stats and ab Why 36 Bard? I suggest you make it Bard 30/Fighter 6/Blackguard 4, looks nicer
_________________
The world is grey, the mountain's old
The forge's fire is ashen and cold
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls
The darkness dwells in Druin's halls...

~ Summoning - Khazad-Dúm
Quote: Posted 02/24/06 06:26:57 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

Why 36 Bard? I suggest you make it Bard 30/Fighter 6/Blackguard 4, looks nicer

Added to which, the benefits of Bard/ Curse Song is capped at 30th level. Exactly my point.
_________________
The world is grey, the mountain's old
The forge's fire is ashen and cold
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls
The darkness dwells in Druin's halls...

~ Summoning - Khazad-Dúm 6 fighter levels will give you WS/EWS (+6 damage), +1 AB (if 4 are pre-epic), and one more feat total (Finneous's suggestion).

10 RDD will cost you 3 feats, but give you +4 AC, +8 Str (+4 AB and +4 damage), +2 con, and +2 Cha. Still have 26 Bard levels, pretty powerful song, LI, etc.

I would go with the 10 RDD, and drop 4 Great Cha's (net is -2 since you pick up 2 from RDD), and pick up IKD.

TM
Quote: Posted 02/24/06 13:48:38 (GMT) -- Tattoed Monk

6 fighter levels will give you WS/EWS (+6 damage), +1 AB (if 4 are pre-epic), and one more feat total (Finneous's suggestion).

10 RDD will cost you 3 feats, but give you +4 AC, +8 Str (+4 AB and +4 damage), +2 con, and +2 Cha. Still have 26 Bard levels, pretty powerful song, LI, etc.

I would go with the 10 RDD, and drop 4 Great Cha's (net is -2 since you pick up 2 from RDD), and pick up IKD.

TM
This is all true, however I got the impression the poster wanted as pure a Bard as workable. Because Bard has nothing to give after level 30, I suggested he dropped it to that. Besides, there are already three Bard 26/RDD 10/Blackguard 4 builds
_________________
The world is grey, the mountain's old
The forge's fire is ashen and cold
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls
The darkness dwells in Druin's halls...

~ Summoning - Khazad-Dúm
Quote: Posted 02/24/06 15:03:55 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

This is all true, however I got the impression the poster wanted as pure a Bard as workable. Because Bard has nothing to give after level 30, I suggested he dropped it to that.
Well, Bard song may improve up to level 30, but with his perform of 60, he is only performing it at level 22. Even if he gets the max Cha-bonus, that's a level 23 song, and if he sings it twice (so the second one benefits from the +12 skill from the first one), it's only a level 25 song. Singing 3 times in a row will let him just hit level 26 song power, if he really wants to get the most possible. Unless there are items that give +20 or more to perform skill, he will never reach the level 30 song.

Quote: 
Besides, there are already three Bard 26/RDD 10/Blackguard 4 builds

Fair 'nuff. I said it made sense, not that I was the first one to ever think of it....

TM Worth noting is that adding 2 fighter nets you one feat, Epic or whatever, without losing you anything. 4 fighter nets you two feats, without losing anything. 6 fighter also nets you two feats. I would do, for pure Bard, Bard 32/BG4/Fighter4. Actually, taken my favoring of BG's into account, I like this one. Nicely done, well planned, managing good use of CHA-based feats while keeping your melee presence competitive.
_________________
I see the fear you have inside, you can run but never hide.
I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb.

I run the Pre-Epic Builders guild. Join and share your experience. With only four Fighter levels you will either have to save the last to epic, thus losing one BAB, or take it pre-epic losing EWS.
_________________
The world is grey, the mountain's old
The forge's fire is ashen and cold
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls
The darkness dwells in Druin's halls...

~ Summoning - Khazad-Dúm
Quote: Posted 02/24/06 16:21:41 (GMT) -- Tattoed Monk

Quote: Posted 02/24/06 15:03:55 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

This is all true, however I got the impression the poster wanted as pure a Bard as workable. Because Bard has nothing to give after level 30, I suggested he dropped it to that.
Well, Bard song may improve up to level 30, but with his perform of 60, he is only performing it at level 22. Even if he gets the max Cha-bonus, that's a level 23 song, and if he sings it twice (so the second one benefits from the +12 skill from the first one), it's only a level 25 song. Singing 3 times in a row will let him just hit level 26 song power, if he really wants to get the most possible. Unless there are items that give +20 or more to perform skill, he will never reach the level 30 song.

Quote: 
Besides, there are already three Bard 26/RDD 10/Blackguard 4 builds

Fair 'nuff. I said it made sense, not that I was the first one to ever think of it....

TM

Oh the horror! The pros/CONS of the pure build arguments continue to come up. I like finns suggestion 30/6/4, then TM comes up with an even better proposal! SO what is a lv 30 bard to do? Oh invest in skill foc:perform, ESF: perform.. then you are back to loosin feats to make a less than what you have now character.. hmm the dilema! I'll let you bard players figure it out!

Nice build. Too bad bout the lv 30 bard nerf! Dam bioware! jk

Peace Nothing to offer beyond level 30? Tsk, tsk. Wounding whispers is open ended. An undispellable 36+d6 sonic damage shield is not nothing.

Also I play on at least one world with custom bard song scripts and enough magic items to make at least bard song 34 work.

Maybe I'd pick up one level of a 3rd class. You wouldn't lose any feats. I'd have to ponder a bit to think about which one. One level of a third class means Ranger, right? If you didn't mean that, your advice is poor
_________________
The world is grey, the mountain's old
The forge's fire is ashen and cold
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls
The darkness dwells in Druin's halls...

~ Summoning - Khazad-Dúm
Quote: Posted 02/24/06 17:26:54 (GMT) -- King Ubu

Nothing to offer beyond level 30? Tsk, tsk. Wounding whispers is open ended. An undispellable 36+d6 sonic damage shield is not nothing.

No, it's a nice spell. But it's still pretty good at 30 + 1d6 or even at 26 + 1d6 (and it can be empowered, too).

It is undispellable at 26 or 30 as well, but it is unfortunately vulnerable to the 2nd level spell Silence, even if cast at level 36.

So I would probably take the feats and WS/EWS over +6 to WW damage, or the RDD bonuses over +10 to it. This is assuming you are playing him as a primarily melee oriented character, and not a spell-chucker.

TM
Quote: 
Also I play on at least one world with custom bard song scripts and enough magic items to make at least bard song 34 work.

Well, maybe for that PW more bard levels would be worthwhile. Depends on what the bonuses are for the higher level bard songs. If it's just 4 more skillpoints, I don't think it is. If it boosts AB, Damage, or AC further (and does the opposite for Curse Song), it might be the better way to go.

TM
Quote: Posted 02/24/06 16:34:40 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

With only four Fighter levels you will either have to save the last to epic, thus losing one BAB, or take it pre-epic losing EWS.

My suggestion was directly aimed at the OP, but yeah, 4 fighter pre-epic would also increase BAB by 1 as you note. But he lacks quite a few useful feats, I don't even know if I would go for EWS in this one. With 4 or 6 Fighter levs though, he could get EWS without loosing anything, except some Bard song if he has access to high perform bonuses from items in his setting.
_________________
I see the fear you have inside, you can run but never hide.
I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb.

I run the Pre-Epic Builders guild. Join and share your experience. I wanted as 'pure' a bard as possible, with allowing for a melee presence. I chose BG over fighter to give him the divine feats.

The Bard30/fighter6/BG 4 idea would be even stronger, I do agree!