Help building a human bard [Archive] - Wizards Community

Help building a human bard [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Parsiful_Nightshade
10-30-06, 11:56 AM I need some help creating a human bard. I have never played a human bard before. Can someone help me with optimizing stats?

Thanks
Morgen
10-30-06, 02:06 PM Well how much thought have you put into the bard? Are there any PrC's your looking to get into that might make you require a higher or lower charisma or a feat that has a stat requirement?

What kind of bard would you like to make? Describe how you want your character to play and we'll try to help out.

Otherwise we could just go like:

14/12/14/14/10/12

Barbarian 3/Bard 2/Dragon Diciple 10 - Raging, Tripping, Silver Half-dragon of Joramy

Or would barb 1/fighter 2 work better then barb 3?
Parsiful_Nightshade
10-30-06, 02:39 PM I was thinking a bard that is combat capable, maybe bard/fighter and has a good amount of skills and knowledge. No thought to PrC's.
DuctShuiTengu
10-30-06, 03:09 PM You may want to consider the Warchanter PrC then. The suggestions that Morgen offered, while good, don't really do much with Bard - mostly just using it to get the spells needed for Dragon Disciple - where something like Bard 4/Fighter 1/Warchanter X (or Bard 6, or Bard 3/Marshal 3) builds more on the Bard's ability to buff their party. Alternatively, straight bard can be good.

Though in general, you're going to be able to do much more by buffing the party (or debuffing and/or fascinating enemies), so that should be your main focus unless you can manage to do both effectively. One of the most common mistakes you see leading to bardic uselessness is them ignoring Bard Song and spells in favor of trying to be a fighter with d6 hit dice.
Mommy was an Orc
10-31-06, 10:52 AM I need some help creating a human bard. I have never played a human bard before. Can someone help me with optimizing stats?

Thanks

It really depends on what you want to do with Bardsong. The real problem for most bards is not their stats, it is that they don't understand just how powerful Inspire Courage is. You want to pick up Inspirational Boost at 3rd level and Haste at 7th level. You also want to pick up Harmonize once you think you're going to get Inspire Greatness soon.

My bard has Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 16 at 1st level. A lot of people go with Str 8/Dex 14, but I wanted to not have to deal with Encumbrance issues(this also saved my life at one point when being attacked by shadowy creatures)

Anyway, I wouldn't play a Bard unless you are prepared to do Inspire Courage, Haste, and/or Inspire Greatness as your actions in the 1st and 2nd rounds of nearly every combat. Even if there appears to be some action that seems better.
Silverlute
11-05-06, 11:37 PM While not perhaps quite what you're looking to see, I think that this thread (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=671361) might end up helpful. I don't remember everything that got put into it, but I recall a lot of discussion about what bards can and cannot do. Hope it helps someone. :D
Artexerxees
11-16-06, 11:51 AM I've seen a person build a fighting Bard with four levels of Bard, a level of fighter, and two prestige classes. Two levels of Dragon Disciple and I think five levels of Spellsword. This person got his AC into the mid thirties and was a potent force.

I have played a fighting Bard in 3.0. The spells changed and I ended up being a spell using Bard. My scores ended up changed in the high level campaign as I am sixteenth level. They are Str 10/ Dex 14/ Con 12/ Int 12/ Wis 10/ Cha 16. My scores were not that way going up in level but I would have put them this way if I could. Only in the high level campaign you can change your scores. I have a level of Marshal with motivate dex as my aura. This almost insures that the party or at least most of the party goes first and that is a weapon in of itself.

The last thing I went into is Sublime Cheese. Sublime Chord has enhanced my spell power and made me into a potent weapon. If you choose to go the spell Bard way as I have done you have to be creative in combat. The whip is useful along with your short bow as your main attack weapons. Your excuse to stay away from combatants gives you longevity.

Chose offensive spells every level. Don't choose defensive spells often, maybe every other level or every third level. Mix your Bardic singing with your spells in every combat if you can. Use your weapons as a third choice. I would give you the spells I ended up with but I don't know what kind of books you own.:cool:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Parsiful_Nightshade 10-30-06, 11:56 AM	I need some help creating a human bard. I have never played a human bard before. Can someone help me with optimizing stats? Thanks
Morgen 10-30-06, 02:06 PM	Well how much thought have you put into the bard? Are there any PrC's your looking to get into that might make you require a higher or lower charisma or a feat that has a stat requirement? What kind of bard would you like to make? Describe how you want your character to play and we'll try to help out. Otherwise we could just go like: 14/12/14/14/10/12 Barbarian 3/Bard 2/Dragon Diciple 10 - Raging, Tripping, Silver Half-dragon of Joramy Or would barb 1/fighter 2 work better then barb 3?
Parsiful_Nightshade 10-30-06, 02:39 PM	I was thinking a bard that is combat capable, maybe bard/fighter and has a good amount of skills and knowledge. No thought to PrC's.
DuctShuiTengu 10-30-06, 03:09 PM	You may want to consider the Warchanter PrC then. The suggestions that Morgen offered, while good, don't really do much with Bard - mostly just using it to get the spells needed for Dragon Disciple - where something like Bard 4/Fighter 1/Warchanter X (or Bard 6, or Bard 3/Marshal 3) builds more on the Bard's ability to buff their party. Alternatively, straight bard can be good. Though in general, you're going to be able to do much more by buffing the party (or debuffing and/or fascinating enemies), so that should be your main focus unless you can manage to do both effectively. One of the most common mistakes you see leading to bardic uselessness is them ignoring Bard Song and spells in favor of trying to be a fighter with d6 hit dice.
Mommy was an Orc 10-31-06, 10:52 AM	I need some help creating a human bard. I have never played a human bard before. Can someone help me with optimizing stats? Thanks It really depends on what you want to do with Bardsong. The real problem for most bards is not their stats, it is that they don't understand just how powerful Inspire Courage is. You want to pick up Inspirational Boost at 3rd level and Haste at 7th level. You also want to pick up Harmonize once you think you're going to get Inspire Greatness soon. My bard has Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 16 at 1st level. A lot of people go with Str 8/Dex 14, but I wanted to not have to deal with Encumbrance issues(this also saved my life at one point when being attacked by shadowy creatures) Anyway, I wouldn't play a Bard unless you are prepared to do Inspire Courage, Haste, and/or Inspire Greatness as your actions in the 1st and 2nd rounds of nearly every combat. Even if there appears to be some action that seems better.
Silverlute 11-05-06, 11:37 PM	While not perhaps quite what you're looking to see, I think that this thread (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=671361) might end up helpful. I don't remember everything that got put into it, but I recall a lot of discussion about what bards can and cannot do. Hope it helps someone. :D
Artexerxees 11-16-06, 11:51 AM	I've seen a person build a fighting Bard with four levels of Bard, a level of fighter, and two prestige classes. Two levels of Dragon Disciple and I think five levels of Spellsword. This person got his AC into the mid thirties and was a potent force. I have played a fighting Bard in 3.0. The spells changed and I ended up being a spell using Bard. My scores ended up changed in the high level campaign as I am sixteenth level. They are Str 10/ Dex 14/ Con 12/ Int 12/ Wis 10/ Cha 16. My scores were not that way going up in level but I would have put them this way if I could. Only in the high level campaign you can change your scores. I have a level of Marshal with motivate dex as my aura. This almost insures that the party or at least most of the party goes first and that is a weapon in of itself. The last thing I went into is Sublime Cheese. Sublime Chord has enhanced my spell power and made me into a potent weapon. If you choose to go the spell Bard way as I have done you have to be creative in combat. The whip is useful along with your short bow as your main attack weapons. Your excuse to stay away from combatants gives you longevity. Chose offensive spells every level. Don't choose defensive spells often, maybe every other level or every third level. Mix your Bardic singing with your spells in every combat if you can. Use your weapons as a third choice. I would give you the spells I ended up with but I don't know what kind of books you own.:cool: