The Fallen Rock Star (playable levels (b)1-40, as long as alignment shifts are readily available, PvM/PvP)
Same Classes: Paladin/Bard/PM by Jushak Brimstone ( Click Here ) Undead Death Dealer by SomeElvenDude ( Click Here )
Neither one has more than 5 levels in bard, so they're not really very similar. There is a build much like this one using BG instead of pally: the Hell's Jester by Bearke ( Click Here )
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Here's what I think will be the last in my recent string of bard-based meleers (not all of which have been posted...I've been going NUTS with bards). It's also my first attempt at a story, sort of. Hope you like it.
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“Did you hear what they’re saying about young Jaram?”
“What, your cousin’s son in Waterdeep? I remember him when he was just a boy, came to visit you out here. Such a nice little boy, always minded the rules. Heard he’d taken the vows for one of those holy orders of knights that are all the rage over there. What are they saying about him?”
“Well, Emmeline (you know, from down the street?), well, she told me that Jensine (you know, the one with the beastly daughter?) told her that she heard straight from my cousin in Waterdeep’s best friend that little Jaram fell in with the wrong crowd not long after he signed up to become a Paladin.”
“Oh, no, not the wrong crowd!”
“Yes, the wrong crowd! Started drinking, whoring, even…you don’t think anyone’s listening, do you?”
“No, no, tell me!”
“I even heard he started singing in taverns. And not nice taverns, oh no! Emmeline said that Jensine said that my cousin’s friend said that James was singing dirty songs in the wrong sorts of places!”
“Ilmater preserve us!”
“It gets better! Er, I mean worse, of course.”
“Of course.”
“Yes, well, apparently it didn’t stop there. After the knight masters in that order found out what he’d been up to, they kicked him out, but it was already too late. It sounds like he’d gotten a taste for power while he was training, and he didn’t want to give it up that easily.”
“So did he try to get back into the order?”
“No, nothing that simple. See, he was feeling all resentful of those knights, and he felt like he had to show them what they were missing, so they’d feel bad about kicking him out, and then he could feel good about being better than them…I read a book about that sort of thing once. Did you know that if you pretend you don’t want something, sometimes people will-”
“Yes, but what happened to little Jaram?”
“Oh, yes, little Jaram…he went down into the Undermountain and met up with that mage, Halaster. I don’t know why that old crackpot would take the young rascal in, I hear he’s always been a bit mad, but anyway, they took up together, and young Jaram started learning things.”
“Things?”
“Yes, things. Terrible things. I heard…are you sure nobody’s listening?”
“Yes, yes, positive! Now, what was he learning?”
“Well…Emmeline says that Jensine told her that my cousin was talking about…necromancy!”
“No!”
“Yes! And when he’d learned all he could from Halaster, he went back to the knightly order!”
“What did he do? Try to kill them?”
”No, worse.”
“Worse?”
“Much worse. He sang to them. I heard he’d enchanted something like a lute, but when he played it, it made a sound like all the demons of the Abyss come to eat you up. He played for almost an hour, and the entire order was so shocked they couldn’t do anything about it!”
“And then what happened?”
“Well, nothing at first. He disappeared when he was done singing, and nobody could find any trace of him. Until the day before yesterday.”
“And what happened the day before yesterday?”
”They found his body. He was out in the alley behind his parents’ house, clutching that thing he played at the order. He’d slit his wrists!”
“Oh, how dreadful!”
”Yes, isn’t it just awful? Now, did you hear what they’re saying about…”
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Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Good. Shift toward Chaotic between levels 4 and 5, shift toward Evil between levels 4 and 21.
Spellbook: 0: Cure Minor Wounds, Daze, Flare, Light, Resistance 1: Balagarn’s Iron Horn, Cure Light Wounds, Grease, Mage Armor, Protection from Alignment 2: Bull’s Strength, Cat’s Grace, Eagle’s Splendor, See Invisibility, Ultravision 3: Find Traps, Greater Magic Weapon, Haste, Keen Edge, Wounding Whispers 4: Cure Critical Wounds, Dismissal, Hold Monster, Improved Invisibility, War Cry 5: Ethereal Visage, Greater Dispelling, Healing Circle, Mind Fog, Summon Creature V 6: Dirge, Energy Buffer, Ice Storm, Mass Haste
AB (scimitar): +38/+33/+28/+23 +5 from GMW +2 from Bard Song +2 from War Cry +1 (at least) from Bull’s Strength +6 (effective) from Taunt +5 (effective) from Curse Song +extra attack from Haste Buffed AB (scimitar): +59/+54/+49/+44/+59
Damage (scimitar): 9-14 (15-20/x2) +5 from GMW +3 from Bard Song +2 from War Cry +1 (at least) from Bull’s Strength +increased threat range from Keen Edge Buffed Damage (scimitar): 20-35 (12-20/x2)
AC (full plate, tower shield): 40 +20 from EMA +5 from Bard Song +4 from Haste +1 (at least) from Cat’s Grace +1 from Mage Armor +2 (effective) from Curse Song Buffed AC (full plate, tower shield): 73
Max HP: 399 +26 from Bard Song Buffed Max HP: 425
Saves: Fortitude: 24 (+8 vs. spells) Reflex: 23 (+8 vs. spells) Will: 24 (+8 vs. spells) +2 Fortitude, +2 Reflex, +3 Will from Bard Song +1 Reflex (at least) from Cat’s Grace +1 to all (at least) from Eagle’s Splendor +1 to all from Resistance Buffed Saves: Fortitude: 28 (+8 vs. spells) Reflex: 28 (+8 vs. spells) Will: 29 (+8 vs. spells)
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And here's an alternate (better) version for servers where it's so trivial to shift alignment that you don't mind having a shift between levels 1 and 2.
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Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral Good. Shift toward Lawful between levels 1 and 2, shift toward Chaotic between levels 5 and 6, shift toward Evil between levels 5 and 21.
Spellbook: 0: Cure Minor Wounds, Daze, Flare, Light, Resistance 1: Balagarn’s Iron Horn, Cure Light Wounds, Grease, Mage Armor, Protection from Alignment 2: Bull’s Strength, Cat’s Grace, Eagle’s Splendor, See Invisibility, Ultravision 3: Find Traps, Greater Magic Weapon, Haste, Keen Edge, Wounding Whispers 4: Cure Critical Wounds, Dismissal, Hold Monster, Improved Invisibility, War Cry 5: Ethereal Visage, Greater Dispelling, Healing Circle, Mind Fog, Summon Creature V 6: Dirge, Energy Buffer, Ice Storm, Mass Haste
AB (scimitar): +38/+33/+28/+23 +5 from GMW +2 from Bard Song +2 from War Cry +1 (at least) from Bull’s Strength +6 (effective) from Taunt +5 (effective) from Curse Song +extra attack from Haste Buffed AB (scimitar): +59/+54/+49/+44/+59
Damage (scimitar): 9-14 (15-20/x2) +5 from GMW +3 from Bard Song +2 from War Cry +1 (at least) from Bull’s Strength +increased threat range from Keen Edge Buffed Damage (scimitar): 20-35 (12-20/x2)
AC (full plate, tower shield): 41 +20 from EMA +5 from Bard Song +4 from Haste +1 (at least) from Cat’s Grace +1 from Mage Armor +2 (effective) from Curse Song Buffed AC (full plate, tower shield): 74
Max HP: 399 +26 from Bard Song Buffed Max HP: 425
Saves: Fortitude: 24 (+8 vs. spells) Reflex: 24 (+8 vs. spells) Will: 23 (+8 vs. spells) +2 Fortitude, +2 Reflex, +3 Will from Bard Song +1 Reflex (at least) from Cat’s Grace +1 to all (at least) from Eagle’s Splendor +1 to all from Resistance Buffed Saves: Fortitude: 28 (+8 vs. spells) Reflex: 29 (+8 vs. spells) Will: 28 (+8 vs. spells)
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I've been playing bard-heavy builds using PM on a couple different servers, and I really like them. Most other meleers just don't know what do do about someone who has enough AC to force a natural 20 duel, but still does the damage of a Str build. And for anyone who has enough AB to hit you on something other than a 20, your AB is high enough that you're probably hitting them just as often, since it's pretty hard to get that kind of AC and that kind of AB in the same build.
Strengths: -Great AC -Lasting Inspiration -Epic Warding -Good saves -Pretty good buffed AB and damage considering how much AC you have
Weaknesses: -Mediocre HP -Buff-reliant (although most can't be dispelled, and also last a long time) -Nasty alignment shifts
Edited By Nimueh_Leafbow on 06/28/06 03:12
Not much to say really, but I like the way you tell your story. Switch EMA with Epic warding perhaps, since in most settings Warding will be more helpful IMO. No biggie, really.
Palemasters can often do good in PvP, especially with Bard along. Be careful where you use that Taunt though. Even if you're not DEX-based, you lose a big amount of Dodge AC which in turn makes you very hittable.
Quite cool build there, Nimueh. _________________ 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.