Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Law 10-10-06, 01:38 AM	Hi guys, I'd like to get a build for a bard in an Eberron campaign. One of my players is a bard, and she's getting a bit miffed at how royally a bard sucks in combat while the rest of her companions are kicking posterior and taking names. I was thinking a 'triple threat' - melee, archer and spell support. She'll be mostly shooting arrows and casting spells, but wants to be able to trade a blow or two in melee as well. Any suggestions? I'm looking for: - Feat suggestions - Spell suggestions - Level suggestions and the optimal levels to take them at so as to have a build that is also decent to play at low levels Currently, she's level 4. This is what I have in mind (don't have my books handy, so I hope I meet entry costs for JPM - is it 2nd or 3rd level arcane spells?). Bard 6 / Swordsage 2 / Urban Ranger 2 / Jade Phoenix Mage 10 Bard1 - Point Blank Shot Bard2 Bard3 - Precise Shot Bard4 Bard4/Rgr1 Bard4/Rgr1/SS1 - Weapon Finesse Bard4/Rgr2/SS1 - (Rapid Shot) Bard4/Rgr2/SS1/JPM1 Bard4/Rgr2/SS1/JPM2 - Adaptive Style Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM2 Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM3 Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM4 - Feat? Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM5 Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM6 Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM7 - Feat? Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM8 Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM9 Bard4/Rgr2/SS2/JPM10 - Feat? Level 19? Level 20? For maneuvers, I was thinking the Desert Wind and Shadow Blade schools. Suggestions for maneuvers?
PhoenixInferno 10-10-06, 01:47 AM	Well, what is she doing in combat while everyone is taking names? Hopefully, she's singing her songs - if you book the extra damage that is dealt by the party, you'll probably find that the Bard is causing damage comparable to - possibly more than - any other single melee combatant.
The Law 10-10-06, 01:52 AM	She uses Inspirational Boost as a swift action to take her Bardic Music buff up to +2, then she sings. She has the following spells which see some use in combat after her buff: Glitterdust Grease ...but the problem is that that's about what she can do. She's level 4 so she can only cast one 2nd level spell per day, and being able to cast grease a few times and then shooting arrows with a moderate chance of hitting and a rather feeble amount of damage becomes boring really quickly.
Dirty Dan the Laundry Man 10-10-06, 02:17 AM	I'm still surprised relatively few players have their low-level bards go to town with Wands of Silent Image. Pound for pound, the wand cost per use of utility is one of the best buys a bard can get. I know this used to get discussed in here a lot a long time ago, but the utility of creative usage of Silent Image has never gone out of style. Plus, you can theoretically use 1 silent image every combat at loer and mid levels and get at least some benefit out of it. As far as your JPM build goes, once she enters the non-bard classes and JPM itself, she'll suddenly not be loathe to use her weak bard abilities any more. There's a lot of uncomfortable levels in that build before it can really do anything. I personally agree with Phoenix, the bard is a lot better than the way she is playing it. And she's only going to get more powerful in her bard schtick as time goes by. Straight bard in this circumstance -- seems to trump the JPM direction you are advocating. it's just a matter of her buying into finding a more creative application of her bard abilities. Anybody have the CharOp Bard Handbook link available?
The Law 10-10-06, 02:25 AM	The difference with going JPM, is that you get +1 BAB, almost full bard spell progression, *and* a host of nifty abilities like quickening and empowering spells and being able to have all sorts of stances that make you difficult to engage in melee. This full BAB from JPM and 2 levels of ranger will increase her chances of actually hitting with her bow, still let her use her bard spells at almost full progression, and add in one or two interesting Desert Wind maneuvers for those days were you just can't avoid melee. Nothing like cloaking yourself in fire and then using your weapon finesse along with some Desert Wind tricks to do a decent amount of damage too. Rinse and repeat with Adaptive style for when your maneuvers run out. As custserv said, using Adaptive Style recovers all your maneuvers too. Once again, she'll still have access to her spells, it looks to me like she'll only lose some of her buffing ability like Inspire Greatness and so on. She can pick suggestion as a bard spell. Regarding straight bard: I appreciate all the comments and perhaps someone can recommend the spell choices and the wands she can acquire to increase her combat ability? She's got maxed out UMD and intends to keep it that way, so a wand of scorching ray should be next on the list :) If the proper playing style, spell selections etc. can be highlighted then perhaps she can stay straight bard.
X-Codes 10-10-06, 03:16 AM	Sublime Phoenix Mage (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=10178720&postcount=424) If your DM allows retraining, use it. If your DM doesn't allow retraining but does allow Psionics, get a Psychic Reformation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/psychicReformation.htm). If you can't get either in at first, then ask nicer and point out how useless Point Blank and Precise shot will be when you start using manuvers. Ranged Combat is nice and all, but with Shadow Jaunt you can close to melee easily enough despite pits and such. If you absolutely can't close to melee, you're still good with that shortbow of yours, possibly with a wand of flame arrow (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/flameArrow.htm) for the extra damage.