Bard lvl3, could use feedback. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Bard lvl3, could use feedback. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Yeshua
08-22-07, 06:06 AM Starting a new campaign next week. Eberron, Eldeen Reaches, Back-to-basics campaign, alot of corrupted animals roaming around, "hey you should play a bard this time".

Party-
My brother- "hey you should....." Beasthide Shifter Barb 1, fighter 2.
Melee Dmg/Tanking

My buddy- (always plays a Druid) (Dreamsight?) Shifter Druid 3.
Buffing/CC/Animal communication

New Guy- (Scent having) Shifter Rogue 1, Ranger 2
Sneak Attacks/Ranged dmg

DM- Human NPC Ranger 3
Melee dmg/plot

Me- Human Bard 3
Ranged Dmg/Buffing/Anything Arcane

Rolled a 16 Cha and a 15 dex and Con, 14 Int and 13 Str and 11 Wis. (4D6 discard lowest, best of 3 sets. HEROES.)
Maxed out UMD and needed Bard skills.

Feats: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, and declined Precise Shot in favor of Combat Expertise (unsure about the choice).

As my Eberron Bard 3rd lvl perogative, I went with Song of the Heart over the 3rd lvl ability to Inspire Competence. I got feedback from the party and the were comfortable with their skills not being boosted in favor of getting a higher bonus to Attack and Damage.

Got +1 Studded Leather, MW Composite (+1) Shortbow, Whip, Light Mace, and a Wand of CLWounds with my starting money.

1st lvl spells chosen were: Expedious Retreat, Charm Person, and Identify (unsure about last).

Sounds like the Plot is gonna be "A nasty Druid Sect is messing with the Wardens, corrupting beasts with their place of power and we gotta get to the bottom of it."

I figure that I will be in there with a blast from the horn , then shoot twice per round until everything is dead. I will Expedious Retreat to stay within 10-30 ft from our opponents. Tripping or Disarming with the Whip as needed. Healing with wand after the fight as needed.

Dral Kir Argh is a Barbarian from the Demon Wastes. Couldn’t spell the name for you now, but it is that main Orc Tribe covering the Labyrinth that survives because it gets new members. At his Name-Day he was chosen as a “Seeker”. His task is to find new blood for the tribe. Men and women looking to start a new life. One with no questions and only the promise of death among family. I have since read some stuff Keith Baker wrote about them paints them as more private than that, but I’m still gonna stretch it to give me some Barbarian cred as a Bard in this strong Shifter party.

Perform 6 (Storytelling) Perform 3 (Horn)
I got a good tale of how I lost my father’s sword and my singing voice in a duel with a Wood Nymph’s husband. The problem I have always had with a Bard was seeing how that Lute factored into battle. With a blast from the Horn, Inspire Courage is in effect the next 5 rounds. That should cover any battle at lvl 3.

Am I missing anything?

Feats work?

What should I be looking to get by lvl 5? Lvl 6?

Thank you.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
08-22-07, 07:17 AM more of a char op question than char dev but i'd say to def stick with precise shot if you're primarily a ranged combatant. You're going to be shooting into melee alot and the cover bonus from allies stacks with the penalty for shooting into melee.

If it were me I'd talk to the party about chipping in on that wand btw. It gonna help them a lot more than you. If they don't have a prob then use the extra to buy yourself a couple scrolls. Grab battlefield control spells like entangle or web. Get a partially used wand of grease too you may even want to save up for an eternal one. I played an artificer in Eb and I can tell you now that a couple of eternal wands can make for great fight starters. I myself used dual eternal wand with rays enfeeblement and clumsiness.

You're spells are good but make sure if you're gonna keep identify that you have the mats needed. That's another one the party can chip in on though.

As for where to go there are a lot of options but bard isn't the strongest class available. I'd decide what you want to play and then look for option that will let you play it well. In particular with that party I'd talk the the druid and then stock up on AoE spells. Have him focus on single target ones so you're not overlapping to much.
Orchomenos
08-22-07, 01:24 PM Are you telling us you're playing an Orc Bard? Or are you a human bard working for an orc tribe? Oh, I just saw on top of your post, you are a human bard.
At his Name-Day he was chosen as a “Seeker”. His task is to find new blood for the tribe. Men and women looking to start a new life.
Ok, you were chosen as a "Seeker". Is it something you always dreamed of, or would have you prefered to be a shaman, or a hunter, or a shepherd? What is the tribe opinion about arcane magic? Is it easy to find arcane wands and scrolls, or did you find it by trading with the Towns?

And all these PC shifters... could they be good candidates to bring back to your tribe as new members?
CrimsonDeath
08-22-07, 05:38 PM Rolled a 16 Cha and a 15 dex and Con, 14 Int and 13 Str and 11 Wis. (4D6 discard lowest, best of 3 sets. HEROES.)
Maxed out UMD and needed Bard skills.
Put your level 4 ability bump into Int, and you can grab Words of Creation (assuming you can pull off an Exalted character).

Feats: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, and declined Precise Shot in favor of Combat Expertise (unsure about the choice).
Probably a bad one. Lack of Precise Shot means taking -4 on your attacks if an ally is standing next to your target, and Combat Expertise adds nothing to a ranged combat style. I'd say Precise Shot is even more important than Rapid Shot-- Which is going to score at least one hit more often, one shot at your full attack bonus, or two shots at -6?

As my Eberron Bard 3rd lvl perogative, I went with Song of the Heart over the 3rd lvl ability to Inspire Competence. I got feedback from the party and the were comfortable with their skills not being boosted in favor of getting a higher bonus to Attack and Damage.
Good idea, but it's unfortunately impossible. Song of the Heart has Inspire Competence as a prerequisite.

Got +1 Studded Leather, MW Composite (+1) Shortbow, Whip, Light Mace, and a Wand of CLWounds with my starting money.
You might be better off with a longsword than a light mace (unless saving that 10gp was important). Without Weapon Finesse, you don't gain anything by using a light weapon.

1st lvl spells chosen were: Expedious Retreat, Charm Person, and Identify (unsure about last).
My Bard has been getting a lot of mileage out of Inspirational Boost (Spell Compendium), but for the longest time he wasn't using his level 1 spell slots for anything else. I also just picked up Grease, which our Rogue is likely to appreciate.

more of a char op question than char dev but [snip]
Wait, this isn't CharOp? Did I just waste my time?...
Terjon of the Blue Rose
08-22-07, 11:54 PM Wait, this isn't CharOp? Did I just waste my time?...

Time Wasted!
On the Wizards boards no less!
Blasphemer!

:rolleyes: :P :rolleyes:
Yeshua
08-27-07, 01:11 PM Thanks for the feedback. Good catch on SotHeart requiring IC. Will be taking that as a third lvl feat and ditching rapid shot altogether, as Crimsondeath and Terjon both suggested.

Light Mace because he has sworn off all blades until he recovers the sword he gambled away. (Even carries a cutting rock for pocketknife type needs.)

I usually have no problem coming up with good characters, but i am just not feeling it with the bard. It helped to type it out a bit and get some feedback. Thank you.
CrimsonDeath
08-27-07, 01:55 PM Light Mace because he has sworn off all blades until he recovers the sword he gambled away. (Even carries a cutting rock for pocketknife type needs.)
You still may be better off with a Heavy Mace or Morningstar.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Yeshua 08-22-07, 06:06 AM	Starting a new campaign next week. Eberron, Eldeen Reaches, Back-to-basics campaign, alot of corrupted animals roaming around, "hey you should play a bard this time". Party- My brother- "hey you should....." Beasthide Shifter Barb 1, fighter 2. Melee Dmg/Tanking My buddy- (always plays a Druid) (Dreamsight?) Shifter Druid 3. Buffing/CC/Animal communication New Guy- (Scent having) Shifter Rogue 1, Ranger 2 Sneak Attacks/Ranged dmg DM- Human NPC Ranger 3 Melee dmg/plot Me- Human Bard 3 Ranged Dmg/Buffing/Anything Arcane Rolled a 16 Cha and a 15 dex and Con, 14 Int and 13 Str and 11 Wis. (4D6 discard lowest, best of 3 sets. HEROES.) Maxed out UMD and needed Bard skills. Feats: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, and declined Precise Shot in favor of Combat Expertise (unsure about the choice). As my Eberron Bard 3rd lvl perogative, I went with Song of the Heart over the 3rd lvl ability to Inspire Competence. I got feedback from the party and the were comfortable with their skills not being boosted in favor of getting a higher bonus to Attack and Damage. Got +1 Studded Leather, MW Composite (+1) Shortbow, Whip, Light Mace, and a Wand of CLWounds with my starting money. 1st lvl spells chosen were: Expedious Retreat, Charm Person, and Identify (unsure about last). Sounds like the Plot is gonna be "A nasty Druid Sect is messing with the Wardens, corrupting beasts with their place of power and we gotta get to the bottom of it." I figure that I will be in there with a blast from the horn , then shoot twice per round until everything is dead. I will Expedious Retreat to stay within 10-30 ft from our opponents. Tripping or Disarming with the Whip as needed. Healing with wand after the fight as needed. Dral Kir Argh is a Barbarian from the Demon Wastes. Couldn’t spell the name for you now, but it is that main Orc Tribe covering the Labyrinth that survives because it gets new members. At his Name-Day he was chosen as a “Seeker”. His task is to find new blood for the tribe. Men and women looking to start a new life. One with no questions and only the promise of death among family. I have since read some stuff Keith Baker wrote about them paints them as more private than that, but I’m still gonna stretch it to give me some Barbarian cred as a Bard in this strong Shifter party. Perform 6 (Storytelling) Perform 3 (Horn) I got a good tale of how I lost my father’s sword and my singing voice in a duel with a Wood Nymph’s husband. The problem I have always had with a Bard was seeing how that Lute factored into battle. With a blast from the Horn, Inspire Courage is in effect the next 5 rounds. That should cover any battle at lvl 3. Am I missing anything? Feats work? What should I be looking to get by lvl 5? Lvl 6? Thank you.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-22-07, 07:17 AM	more of a char op question than char dev but i'd say to def stick with precise shot if you're primarily a ranged combatant. You're going to be shooting into melee alot and the cover bonus from allies stacks with the penalty for shooting into melee. If it were me I'd talk to the party about chipping in on that wand btw. It gonna help them a lot more than you. If they don't have a prob then use the extra to buy yourself a couple scrolls. Grab battlefield control spells like entangle or web. Get a partially used wand of grease too you may even want to save up for an eternal one. I played an artificer in Eb and I can tell you now that a couple of eternal wands can make for great fight starters. I myself used dual eternal wand with rays enfeeblement and clumsiness. You're spells are good but make sure if you're gonna keep identify that you have the mats needed. That's another one the party can chip in on though. As for where to go there are a lot of options but bard isn't the strongest class available. I'd decide what you want to play and then look for option that will let you play it well. In particular with that party I'd talk the the druid and then stock up on AoE spells. Have him focus on single target ones so you're not overlapping to much.
Orchomenos 08-22-07, 01:24 PM	Are you telling us you're playing an Orc Bard? Or are you a human bard working for an orc tribe? Oh, I just saw on top of your post, you are a human bard. At his Name-Day he was chosen as a “Seeker”. His task is to find new blood for the tribe. Men and women looking to start a new life. Ok, you were chosen as a "Seeker". Is it something you always dreamed of, or would have you prefered to be a shaman, or a hunter, or a shepherd? What is the tribe opinion about arcane magic? Is it easy to find arcane wands and scrolls, or did you find it by trading with the Towns? And all these PC shifters... could they be good candidates to bring back to your tribe as new members?
CrimsonDeath 08-22-07, 05:38 PM	Rolled a 16 Cha and a 15 dex and Con, 14 Int and 13 Str and 11 Wis. (4D6 discard lowest, best of 3 sets. HEROES.) Maxed out UMD and needed Bard skills. Put your level 4 ability bump into Int, and you can grab Words of Creation (assuming you can pull off an Exalted character). Feats: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, and declined Precise Shot in favor of Combat Expertise (unsure about the choice). Probably a bad one. Lack of Precise Shot means taking -4 on your attacks if an ally is standing next to your target, and Combat Expertise adds nothing to a ranged combat style. I'd say Precise Shot is even more important than Rapid Shot-- Which is going to score at least one hit more often, one shot at your full attack bonus, or two shots at -6? As my Eberron Bard 3rd lvl perogative, I went with Song of the Heart over the 3rd lvl ability to Inspire Competence. I got feedback from the party and the were comfortable with their skills not being boosted in favor of getting a higher bonus to Attack and Damage. Good idea, but it's unfortunately impossible. Song of the Heart has Inspire Competence as a prerequisite. Got +1 Studded Leather, MW Composite (+1) Shortbow, Whip, Light Mace, and a Wand of CLWounds with my starting money. You might be better off with a longsword than a light mace (unless saving that 10gp was important). Without Weapon Finesse, you don't gain anything by using a light weapon. 1st lvl spells chosen were: Expedious Retreat, Charm Person, and Identify (unsure about last). My Bard has been getting a lot of mileage out of Inspirational Boost (Spell Compendium), but for the longest time he wasn't using his level 1 spell slots for anything else. I also just picked up Grease, which our Rogue is likely to appreciate. more of a char op question than char dev but [snip] Wait, this isn't CharOp? Did I just waste my time?...
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-22-07, 11:54 PM	Wait, this isn't CharOp? Did I just waste my time?... Time Wasted! On the Wizards boards no less! Blasphemer! :rolleyes: :P :rolleyes:
Yeshua 08-27-07, 01:11 PM	Thanks for the feedback. Good catch on SotHeart requiring IC. Will be taking that as a third lvl feat and ditching rapid shot altogether, as Crimsondeath and Terjon both suggested. Light Mace because he has sworn off all blades until he recovers the sword he gambled away. (Even carries a cutting rock for pocketknife type needs.) I usually have no problem coming up with good characters, but i am just not feeling it with the bard. It helped to type it out a bit and get some feedback. Thank you.
CrimsonDeath 08-27-07, 01:55 PM	Light Mace because he has sworn off all blades until he recovers the sword he gambled away. (Even carries a cutting rock for pocketknife type needs.) You still may be better off with a Heavy Mace or Morningstar.