Barbarian/Bard build (3.5 or PF)

[onthetown]

There is a distinctive lack of bard in our current campaign, but I'm seeking to remedy that.

Since I've done about ten thousand straight-up bards, or just generally bards that only take prestige classes and feats relevant to being bardic, I wanted to do something a little more interesting with it and I remembered a short-lived Temple of Elemental Evil 3.5 campaign we did awhile back. I had a bard in that game, and she ended up multiclassing into barbarian.

However, it was sort of a spur of the moment thing, since we had lost most of our other party members before level-up and I needed a quick power fix to help keep the cleric and rogue from dying. Obviously, it didn't work well enough to keep us alive, but I liked the flavor of it enough to be thinking about it again.

The DM called it a "skald", and referenced Norse mythology or warriors or some such thing.

Since I have the opportunity to build this from the ground-up and actually think about options, I'm hoping it will go a little bit better than last time. No, this isn't another ToEE campaign.

This is where I need your help, because I am a notorious single-class player. I only just started using prestige classes earlier this year, and I've never tried to do much with multiclassing... nor do I have tons of knowledge about different or obscure feats and builds.

All books will be considered and can be obtained -- in my experience, the DM has yet to ban even the Book of Vile Darkness or the Book of Exalted Deeds. I don't have many heavy-hitters in this campaign, so a warrior who uses bardic class abilities, feats, and spells to boost his or her fighting is a plus.

TL;DR -- Barbarian/Bard build, go!

Edit: Sorry, forgot to include levels. Campaign is currently 6 going on 7, depending on the build I can introduce bardy anytime between 8 and 10 and then keep working it up from there.

[Coidzor]

Warrior Skald will make a warriorly non-bard into a bard-like creature. (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9830.0)

It's from Races of Faerun 187. And you seem to have the DM into Beowulf part down.

There's an anarchic feat from dragon magazine called chaos music or some such that makes one perma-chaotic without some other feat (IIRC, might just be perma-chaotic) and is like practiced spellcaster but for bardic music progression.

[kulosle]

Since you can't sing while you rage you need to take lingering song so that you can start your music and then let it go on for 10 rounds. The majority of fights should be over by then.

edit: how did this post so late. Oh thanks for the link to the IC optimization handbook. I was literally about to make one of these and how it exists already. Yay other people letting me be lazy.

[Darrin]

All books will be considered and can be obtained -- in my experience, the DM has yet to ban even the Book of Vile Darkness or the Book of Exalted Deeds. I don't have many heavy-hitters in this campaign, so a warrior who uses bardic class abilities, feats, and spells to boost his or her fighting is a plus.


Is Dragon material available? If so, check out Battle Howler of Gruumsh (Dragon #311). A simple Battle Howler build:

Race: Magic-Blooded Desert Half-Orc
Bard 4/Battle Howler 5/Eldritch Knight 10/Spellsword 1

If not, then a BardBlade (Bard 4/Warblade 16 or Bard 4/Crusader 16) is a very solid build.

[Autopsibiofeeder]

The first class that sprang to my mind is the Rage Mage (CW). I think everybody agrees that this is a sub-par class. However, it does grant you the ability to cast spells in a rage. If your DM is the least bit lenient, he will let extra rage feat apply to both your rage as your 'spell rage'. If he is lenient, he might even allow you to sing during a spell rage (makes perhaps even more sense than casting).

Now, the good thing about this class, besides all the bad things, is that it lets you use your character level as caster level during a spell rage for several schools of magic. This means that you could, for example, be a bard 4/Ragemage1/Barbarian15 (not in that order of course) that casts his transmutation (and some other schools) spells while in a spell rage at CL20, while his actual CL is 4. For a horrible class in general (the idea is great, but the combo of 3/4 attack bonus and 1/2 casting is just a killer) this is a little clause that allows for some nice gish builds with just one Rage Mage level, especially if you do not necessarily want to lean heavily on the caster side.

If you and your DM like the homebrewing side of things, you could even make your own Bard-Rage Mage. Keep the class as it is, but since it sucks, allow it to advance Bardic music and bump its class skills and skill points, for example.

[onthetown]

I think Dragon Magazine may be the only thing we don't really look to, but I'll definitely look into that...

Looking into Warrior Skald because it sounds truest to flavor... But it sounds very much like a Bard/Rage Mage/Barbarian with Lingering Song could be loads of fun.

I forget the benefits of Snowflake Wardance, but could it be useful to chuck in just for the sake of it? It's been awhile.

[IlexGarodan]

Hey, all! Onthetown's DM here, inputting my two coppers.

Another option for you to look into would be the Savage Skald variant Bard that's offered in the Advanced Player's Guide by Paizo. While a Savage Skald can't fly into rages, they dabble a little in rage-giving abilities. For example, the 6th level ability Incite Rage can induce rage in a non-Barbarian character.

There's also its 10th level ability, Song of the Fallen, which duplicates the effects of a Horn of Valhalla. Admittedly, it's a very cool ability. :smallbiggrin:

[onthetown]

Will check those out next time you have your books with you; tomorrow, if you'd like to bring them to RuneQuest so I can check it out during supper break.

Still open to any and all ideas. Forget I asked about Snowflake Wardance; I found my book and checked it, and it only works with light armor.

Been thinking human for the race, but if there's a better one I'd love to hear it. I think a Warforged could be pretty fun.