Bard/Fighter/Dread Pirate [Archive] - Wizards Community

Bard/Fighter/Dread Pirate [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ranagrande
01-03-07, 01:48 PM I've decided to play this combination for my next character, probably as a half-orc, but I have some questions for you all.

Would it be better to go Bard 3/Fighter 2 for the extra feat, or Bard 4/Fighter 1 for second level spells and an experience penalty? The second option would give me the uber Glitterdust, but my charisma may not be high enough to really make it worthwhile.

Most importantly, will I be able to make the 10,000 gold needed to buy my ship by level 6? Will I be able to buy anything else along the way, or should I save everything I get just in case?
CrystalBlue
01-03-07, 02:10 PM I'd go the fighter route as, your'e right, your 2nd level bard spell won't be that great. Pick up an extra feat. And you should have plenty by the time you're 6th level, if you save, so don't worry about that too much either.
Lupo
01-03-07, 02:48 PM I've decided to play this combination for my next character, probably as a half-orc, but I have some questions for you all.

Would it be better to go Bard 3/Fighter 2 for the extra feat, or Bard 4/Fighter 1 for second level spells and an experience penalty? The second option would give me the uber Glitterdust, but my charisma may not be high enough to really make it worthwhile.

Most importantly, will I be able to make the 10,000 gold needed to buy my ship by level 6? Will I be able to buy anything else along the way, or should I save everything I get just in case?

i wouldn't go for a half-orc for anything that has charisma as a base ;) unless you need it for a good background story :D

(half-orcs are somehow penalized to harsh for my taste, for the +2 strength they pay with two other stats at -2, all other racial (standard player races) adjustments go one a one-for-one basis).

you need a charisma of 14 to use a second level spell at bard 4 . . . .

as xp and gp are roughly the same for modules up to APL 8 you will get to a total POSSIBLE gp amount around 10000 when you reach level 5, so theoretically you have all the rest till level 6 - some 5k gp - to spend. in fact you sometimes will have to buy important equipment, like a magic weapon for some 2000 gp and some consumables like potions of CLW and maybe some other thingies.

more important is the question whether you will find ACCESS to buy a ship till level 6. depending on your region they may pop up every second module or never, core modules sometimes have sported them, but in a total of some 200+ ARs i have seen around 10 ships for sale.

ciao

martin m.
UMiskatonic
01-03-07, 02:50 PM Well, I think you're better off with Ftr2/bard 4. Both benefits are worth having.

If you're a burly half-orc, you might do well with Whirling Blade.

And I think delaying the ship purchase actually helps you. If you save every coin, you won't live to 7th level; you'll get killed by the first creature with DR/silver that you see.
kenobi65
01-03-07, 03:29 PM more important is the question whether you will find ACCESS to buy a ship till level 6. depending on your region they may pop up every second module or never, core modules sometimes have sported them, but in a total of some 200+ ARs i have seen around 10 ships for sale.

Pray for access to a folding boat (only 7200gp, IIRC).

I've also seen a favor (in a now-retired Core module) that gave PCs access to a ship when they needed it, and thus fundamentally counted towards qualifying for Dread Pirate.
ranagrande
01-03-07, 03:47 PM Thanks for all the advice so far!

Unfortunately, the folding boat won't do, as Dread Pirate specifies that the ship has to be worth at least 10,000.

This raises another question for me though. Do you really need special access to buy a ship? I was under the impression that they would be core access, due to their presence in the Goods and Services table of the PHB.
kenobi65
01-03-07, 03:58 PM This raises another question for me though. Do you really need special access to buy a ship? I was under the impression that they would be core access, due to their presence in the Goods and Services table of the PHB.

Wonder about that, myself. As far as I can tell, nothing in the LGCS indicates that you can't buy a ship straight out of the PHB.
LachlarlanIII
01-03-07, 04:33 PM I want to fit a ballista or catapult to a floating boat, make a paper hat, and become the finest dread pirate you'll ever know!
LachlarlanIII
01-03-07, 04:38 PM The only things page 17 of the LGCS says you can't buy off table 7-8: Goods and Services are spells cast by an NPC.
paigeoliver
01-04-07, 12:20 AM You can purchase PHB ships. The confusion about that is caused by authors putting those ships on ARs like they weren't already purchasable, which causes the idea that you couldn't have just purchased them in the first place.

The tougher thing is actually getting access to the class, which is limited, and I have only seen it once out of about 125 ARs.

You might want to find out FOR CERTAIN if your triad will grant you a special mission before you build up 5 levels and save up 10,000 GP. Because I have spoken to very few people who have ever actually participated in a special mission and you could retire two characters without ever seeing access to the Dread Pirate class.
paigeoliver
01-04-07, 12:22 AM Also, a rogue-swashbuckler-marshal-outcast champion who owns a boat makes a fine substitute for the actual class itself. The abilities are not identical, but are very similar.
budleiser
01-04-07, 09:03 AM You might want to find out FOR CERTAIN if your triad will grant you a special mission before you build up 5 levels and save up 10,000 GP. Because I have spoken to very few people who have ever actually participated in a special mission and you could retire two characters without ever seeing access to the Dread Pirate class.

There is an ongoing discussion about that:
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=763737
ranagrande
01-04-07, 09:29 AM You can purchase PHB ships. The confusion about that is caused by authors putting those ships on ARs like they weren't already purchasable, which causes the idea that you couldn't have just purchased them in the first place.

The tougher thing is actually getting access to the class, which is limited, and I have only seen it once out of about 125 ARs.

You might want to find out FOR CERTAIN if your triad will grant you a special mission before you build up 5 levels and save up 10,000 GP. Because I have spoken to very few people who have ever actually participated in a special mission and you could retire two characters without ever seeing access to the Dread Pirate class.

My Monk has access to the Dread Pirate class, but it probably came from the same mod you've seen it on. I'm not too worried about access though. I've become convinced that if you look hard enough, you can find a meta-org for anything.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ranagrande 01-03-07, 01:48 PM	I've decided to play this combination for my next character, probably as a half-orc, but I have some questions for you all. Would it be better to go Bard 3/Fighter 2 for the extra feat, or Bard 4/Fighter 1 for second level spells and an experience penalty? The second option would give me the uber Glitterdust, but my charisma may not be high enough to really make it worthwhile. Most importantly, will I be able to make the 10,000 gold needed to buy my ship by level 6? Will I be able to buy anything else along the way, or should I save everything I get just in case?
CrystalBlue 01-03-07, 02:10 PM	I'd go the fighter route as, your'e right, your 2nd level bard spell won't be that great. Pick up an extra feat. And you should have plenty by the time you're 6th level, if you save, so don't worry about that too much either.
Lupo 01-03-07, 02:48 PM	I've decided to play this combination for my next character, probably as a half-orc, but I have some questions for you all. Would it be better to go Bard 3/Fighter 2 for the extra feat, or Bard 4/Fighter 1 for second level spells and an experience penalty? The second option would give me the uber Glitterdust, but my charisma may not be high enough to really make it worthwhile. Most importantly, will I be able to make the 10,000 gold needed to buy my ship by level 6? Will I be able to buy anything else along the way, or should I save everything I get just in case? i wouldn't go for a half-orc for anything that has charisma as a base ;) unless you need it for a good background story :D (half-orcs are somehow penalized to harsh for my taste, for the +2 strength they pay with two other stats at -2, all other racial (standard player races) adjustments go one a one-for-one basis). you need a charisma of 14 to use a second level spell at bard 4 . . . . as xp and gp are roughly the same for modules up to APL 8 you will get to a total POSSIBLE gp amount around 10000 when you reach level 5, so theoretically you have all the rest till level 6 - some 5k gp - to spend. in fact you sometimes will have to buy important equipment, like a magic weapon for some 2000 gp and some consumables like potions of CLW and maybe some other thingies. more important is the question whether you will find ACCESS to buy a ship till level 6. depending on your region they may pop up every second module or never, core modules sometimes have sported them, but in a total of some 200+ ARs i have seen around 10 ships for sale. ciao martin m.
UMiskatonic 01-03-07, 02:50 PM	Well, I think you're better off with Ftr2/bard 4. Both benefits are worth having. If you're a burly half-orc, you might do well with Whirling Blade. And I think delaying the ship purchase actually helps you. If you save every coin, you won't live to 7th level; you'll get killed by the first creature with DR/silver that you see.
kenobi65 01-03-07, 03:29 PM	more important is the question whether you will find ACCESS to buy a ship till level 6. depending on your region they may pop up every second module or never, core modules sometimes have sported them, but in a total of some 200+ ARs i have seen around 10 ships for sale. Pray for access to a folding boat (only 7200gp, IIRC). I've also seen a favor (in a now-retired Core module) that gave PCs access to a ship when they needed it, and thus fundamentally counted towards qualifying for Dread Pirate.
ranagrande 01-03-07, 03:47 PM	Thanks for all the advice so far! Unfortunately, the folding boat won't do, as Dread Pirate specifies that the ship has to be worth at least 10,000. This raises another question for me though. Do you really need special access to buy a ship? I was under the impression that they would be core access, due to their presence in the Goods and Services table of the PHB.
kenobi65 01-03-07, 03:58 PM	This raises another question for me though. Do you really need special access to buy a ship? I was under the impression that they would be core access, due to their presence in the Goods and Services table of the PHB. Wonder about that, myself. As far as I can tell, nothing in the LGCS indicates that you can't buy a ship straight out of the PHB.
LachlarlanIII 01-03-07, 04:33 PM	I want to fit a ballista or catapult to a floating boat, make a paper hat, and become the finest dread pirate you'll ever know!
LachlarlanIII 01-03-07, 04:38 PM	The only things page 17 of the LGCS says you can't buy off table 7-8: Goods and Services are spells cast by an NPC.
paigeoliver 01-04-07, 12:20 AM	You can purchase PHB ships. The confusion about that is caused by authors putting those ships on ARs like they weren't already purchasable, which causes the idea that you couldn't have just purchased them in the first place. The tougher thing is actually getting access to the class, which is limited, and I have only seen it once out of about 125 ARs. You might want to find out FOR CERTAIN if your triad will grant you a special mission before you build up 5 levels and save up 10,000 GP. Because I have spoken to very few people who have ever actually participated in a special mission and you could retire two characters without ever seeing access to the Dread Pirate class.
paigeoliver 01-04-07, 12:22 AM	Also, a rogue-swashbuckler-marshal-outcast champion who owns a boat makes a fine substitute for the actual class itself. The abilities are not identical, but are very similar.
budleiser 01-04-07, 09:03 AM	You might want to find out FOR CERTAIN if your triad will grant you a special mission before you build up 5 levels and save up 10,000 GP. Because I have spoken to very few people who have ever actually participated in a special mission and you could retire two characters without ever seeing access to the Dread Pirate class. There is an ongoing discussion about that: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=763737
ranagrande 01-04-07, 09:29 AM	You can purchase PHB ships. The confusion about that is caused by authors putting those ships on ARs like they weren't already purchasable, which causes the idea that you couldn't have just purchased them in the first place. The tougher thing is actually getting access to the class, which is limited, and I have only seen it once out of about 125 ARs. You might want to find out FOR CERTAIN if your triad will grant you a special mission before you build up 5 levels and save up 10,000 GP. Because I have spoken to very few people who have ever actually participated in a special mission and you could retire two characters without ever seeing access to the Dread Pirate class. My Monk has access to the Dread Pirate class, but it probably came from the same mod you've seen it on. I'm not too worried about access though. I've become convinced that if you look hard enough, you can find a meta-org for anything.