Pathfinder skald help needed! [3.P]

[OverdrivePrime]

A friend of mine is starting a new Pathfinder game soon, and it'll be my first encounter with 3.P.

We're allowed to use anything on D20PFsrd.com except all traits need to be approved.

Starting level is 3, I expect the game to run to about level 15.

I want to play a Battle Skald - a deep voiced, anthem-screaming bad mother [shut your mouth] of a warrior poet. I see that there's a "Savage Skald" archetype for the pathfinder Bard, and it looks pretty great.

I'm envisioning this guy's attributes as Strength > Charisma > Constitution > Intelligence > Dexterity > Wisdom; he's a savage warrior first and foremost, who happens to sing bloody battle songs and inspire his comrades.

So... how would you build him? Dip into Barbarian? Dip into Fighter? Roll up a Magus and give him points in perform?

I'm not used to Pathfinder yet - what feats are important for a melee bard?

For inspiration, maybe check out Joakim Brodén of Sabaton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrJAwCBbnuc) maybe Mathais Nygard of Turisas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7woW7DmnR0E).

[Akal Saris]

Maybe look at the Battle Herald prestige class? That would be a cavalier/bard, but it's basically taking bard and mixing it with a fighter-type class to kick ass.

You could just reflavor cavalier as a mounted standard-bearer or something similar. The Order of the Lion would be the most fitting, since it's a very bard-like order and its abilities are complementary.

If you're just going straight bard (savage skald), then Half-Orc might be the best race. It fits the archetype, and you'd gain weapon proficiency in falchions, which would work well with inspiring blow.

Also, this might be interesting to you if you foresee your skald being a champion of sorts for a leader or the party:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/performance-combat

[OverdrivePrime]

Wow, that Battle Herald PrC is pretty awesome. Not quite what I was thinking of, but very awesome. I'll give it some thought - the Cavalier class doesn't fit at all, unfortunately, particularly with the allegiance to some order, but maybe that could be refluffed to allegiance to his party.

I'm torn between hanging on to as much spellcasting as possible, or just letting it go and taking 4 levels of a warrior class like barbarian, fighter or... possibly cavalier, which still seems weird for the character concept.

I'm picturing this guy wearing a shirt made of dragon scales, all muscles, tattoos, and a no-nonsense mohawk, leaping from his longship into the thick of combat, bellowing out a battle song that inspires his comrades into a wild frenzy of destruction. Not so much in the way of armor or horsemanship, though the Archetypes in Pathfinder make the classes much more flexible when it comes to getting rid of class features I don't care about.

[Larpus]

If you do go Cavalier and especially if you get 4 levels out of it (and I do think it should be either 4 or nothing), do get the feat Horse Master (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/horse-master-combat) so you base your animal companion mount on character level, to get more out of it.

Anyway, magic is always good, so if you're concerned with optimization or just wants to have more options, get as much magic as possible, that's what I'd do at least.

As for feats regarding melee, it's the standard fare, Power Attack, possibly Furious Focus, Arcane Strike, Lunge and maybe Cleave (it's a bit better now). Improved Critical too if you're going with a 18-20 crit weapon.