Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Illithid13 09-12-05, 02:15 PM	What races and PrC's mix well with Bards? I know that half-elves get a +2 racial bonus to a bard skill or two (don't have the books in frount of me, but I remember reading that). I was thinking Mindbender. Or the Fsomethingorother lyricest. I want to go more for the manipulation/bluff rought. Sugestions?
Mistwell 09-12-05, 03:35 PM	Looks like a potentially very interesting Gnome Bard is being developed in this thread: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=500854 It combines two powerful builds for other classes: The illusionist "Killer Gnome" build and the divine metamagic-abusing "Cheater of Mystra" build. Classes / Prestige Classes mentioned: Bard (Player’s Handbook) Sublime Chord (Complete Arcane) Shadowcraft Mage (Races of Stone Shadowcrafter (Underdark) Shadow Adept (Player’s Guide to Faerun) Several others possible short dips, including Mindbender (Complete Arcane) and Harper Mage (Magic of Faerun) Races: Standard Gnome (Player’s Handbook) Arcane Gnome (Dragon Issue #291, Page 34) – Though I don’t think Dragon should be used in threads Lesser Deep Gnome (Player’s Guide to Faerun, appendix) Whisper Gnome (Races of Stone) Key feats include: Metamagic Song (Races of Stone) Heighten Spell (Player’s Handbook) A second metamagic feat (required for Metamagic Song) Spell Focus: Illusion (required for Shadowcraft Mage) Optional feats: Extra Music (Complete Adventurer) Various Spell Focus and Spell penetration feats Earth Sense (Races of Stone, required for Earth Power) Earth Power (Races of Stone) Easy metamagic (Dragon 325.Page 62) – Same caveat on Dragon Magazine Enhanced Shadow Reality (Dragon Issue # 325, Page 77) – Same caveat on Dragon Magazine Theme: The theme of the build is to create a very flexible Gnome Bard focusing on Illusion (Shadow) spells to cast illusionary shadow replications of ANY Evocations and Conjurations (creation or summon only) that are on the sorcerer/wizard spell list, even those you do not know or which ordinarily wouldn’t be on the bard spell list. And even if these mimicked spells are disbelieved they remain real to a certain extent (sometimes even more real than the actual spell being replicated, at high levels with a build focused on that ability). This is done through a variety of class-based abilities enhanced by feats that let you use any spell slot to spontaneously convert into these special shadow illusions, and to even increase the level of the spell slot being used beyond what would otherwise ordinarily be available to you by using your bardic music attempts to power heightened spell slots. In theory, you can (a couple or three times a day) cast very powerful evocations of levels far above what you could ordinarily cast, from spell lists that are not even your own. This build hasn’t been fully fleshed out yet (and it might not even work), but I think it has the potentially to be an exciting and powerful new combination (at least new to me) of two other popular builds.