LEVELING GUIDE 01: Bard(1): Weapon Proficiency Martial, Armor Proficiency Heavy 02: Bard(2) 03: Bard(3): Weapon Focus: Greatsword 04: Bard(4): STR+1, (STR=17) 05: Bard(5) 06: Red Dragon Disciple(1): Knockdown 07: Red Dragon Disciple(2): (STR=19) 08: Red Dragon Disciple(3): STR+1, (STR=20) 09: Red Dragon Disciple(4): Power Attack, (STR=22) 10: Bard(6) 11: Champion of Torm(1) 12: Champion of Torm(2): STR+1, Improved Critical: Greatsword, Blind Fight, (STR=23) 13: Champion of Torm(3): {Smite Evil} 14: Champion of Torm(4): Cleave 15: Champion of Torm(5): Toughness 16: Champion of Torm(6): STR+1, Disarm, (STR=24) 17: Champion of Torm(7) 18: Champion of Torm(8): Improved Knockdown, Improved Disarm 19: Champion of Torm(9) 20: Champion of Torm(10): STR+1, Great Cleave, (STR=25) 21: Red Dragon Disciple(5): Overwhelming Critical: Greatsword 22: Red Dragon Disciple(6) 23: Red Dragon Disciple(7): (CON=16) 24: Red Dragon Disciple(8): STR+1, Great Strength I, (STR=27) 25: Red Dragon Disciple(9): (INT=15) 26: Red Dragon Disciple(10): {Darkvision}, (STR=31), (CHA=14) 27: Champion of Torm(11): Great Strength II, (STR=32) 28: Champion of Torm(12): STR+1, (STR=33) 29: Champion of Torm(13) 30: Champion of Torm(14): Great Strength III, Devastating Critical: Greatsword, (STR=34) 31: Champion of Torm(15) 32: Champion of Torm(16): STR+1, (STR=35) 33: Champion of Torm(17): Great Strength IV, (STR=36) 34: Champion of Torm(18): Epic Weapon Focus: Greatsword 35: Champion of Torm(19) 36: Champion of Torm(20): STR+1, Epic Skill Focus: Discipline, (STR=37) 37: Bard(7) 38: Champion of Torm(21) 39: Champion of Torm(22): Epic Fortitude, Epic Prowess 40: Bard(8): STR+1, (STR=38)
Q/A:
Why Bard? Because of Thumble, Taunt and UMD(can read scrolls - thats the way how to selfboost) Why RDD? Because of stats boosts and imunities. Why CoT? Because of saves, AB and Divine wrath
HINTS:
Boost STR,CHA mainly and CON if possible. WILL problems are mostly solved by scrolls or high saves.
You have enough saves vs spells to resist most of nasty spells (but you always must count with cursed 1).
You have enough saves to resist most of devastators and your own devast DC is 44 unboosted! It can be boosted up to 50.
Also be aware - Your AC is criticaly low. Imp. knockdown and Imp. disarm is the right way to win (also you can build this with one handed weapon and shield - greatsword is just my style for playing this char and is better for disarming)
Your discipline is enough high to keep you stay on foot during most of battles, also will help you to keep your weapon in hands.
Please correct me if I am wrong in something. Thnx
Edited By Kail Pendragon on 03/21/09 16:15
A strong dev crit'er. High dev crit DC, good fort saves and a sky high discipline that few can challenge gives him a fair chance of winning most dev crit duels. Whether a discipline of 67 is overkill or not depends on how the CR and magical equipment is balanced in the mod you play. The AB is high enough for effective use of combat feats.
The AC would benefit from armor skin and expertise. You can free up an epic feat slot for armor skin if you sacrifice toughness, improved knockdown or improved disarm and take great cleave pre epic. Another option is if you can drop esf discipline. If you can sacrifice another of the pre epic feats you will also have room for expertise.
IMO you should list AC in full plate without shield in this greatsword build. AC = 31 _________________ I generally avoid temptation, unless I can't resist it...
Why 13 DEX? When I started reading the build I was sure there will be a feat that needs that much dex (like Dodge or something), but there was none. Why dont you reduce Dex to 8, and make Int 14 / Con 16? You have the level 2 bard spell Cat's Grace, that way you can increase your Dex to 12 (+1 modifier, which is max if you intend wearing Full plate) This way you have lost nothing, but gained +40 skill points and hps. Or go for 8 Dex / 14 Int / 14 Cha, leaving you with 2 unused points. Put it to Wisdom for +1 Will save, or to Con / Cha (that way it gets to 15), and change an epic skill for Great Constitution / Charisma, depending on your choice.
I always think in long-term, so maybe you should skip Weapon Prof Martial IF you can kill without it till clvl 11. At the first CoT level you gain it automatically, so you save one feat.
EDIT: My bad, you need WF in a weapon to be a CoT, so you need to take Weapon Prof Martial to get WF: Greatsword. Ignore that above
Quote: Perform 15(17) Spellcraft 40(42)
Bard song uses the modified Perform rank. Decrease Perform to 13 (15), put the 2 points into Spellcraft 42 (44), and if you take my first advice and reduce Dex for Int, you get Spellcraft 43 (45) --> +1 save vs spells.
Quote: You can free up an epic feat slot for armor skin if you sacrifice toughness, improved knockdown or improved disarm and take great cleave pre epic. Another option is if you can drop esf discipline.
Great Cleave is taken pre-epic, at lvl 20, on a CoT bonus feat.
Lastly, I like to take EWF as my first epic skill: I like to have that +2 ab early, but thats me _________________ "I will be the last...and you will go first!" Sarevok, Child of Bhaal
