LiBarbarian help (suggestions/tips gratefully accepted)

[Wordsmith]

Evening all,

Just finished our weekly session, and due to a poorly timed failed Fortitude save against a crazy priest with a scroll of Circle of Death, my level 5 Halfling Rogue, Dalka, snuffed it.

Thankfully, my lucky d6s succeeded where my d20 did not, and re-rolling my character gave me the following (4d6, rerolling ones, keep 3 highest):

6,5,5,3 = 16
5,5,5,2 = 15
6,6,5,4 = 17
6,6,5,5 = 17
5,5,4,2 = 14
6,6,6,2 = 18

Our DM also allows point shuffling, so I was planning either:

Wis 12, Dex 15(+1), Cha 16, Str 18, Int 18, Con 18
OR

Wis 8, Dex 17(+1), Con 18, Str 18, Int 18, Cha 18

For a while, I've wanted to play a Libarbarian, basically a character who would have been a barbarian if it wasn't for the fact that he was apprenticed to one of the major libraries (still deciding on a location), where he was basically used as a dogsbody for fetching books, running errands and running around doing the hard work whilst his peers sat with their noses in books. Naturally, in this time, he heard a lot of stories, and so whilst he's as thick as two short planks, he knows a little bit about a lot of things. Basically, think of a child in a man's body, but the child sits at home and watches documentaries all day. In most situations, he'll sit up and go "ah, I heard a story about this once..." and depending on how well I roll on my knowledge checks, the story may be just a story or an urban myth, or it may actually have some truth in it.

I was planning on running a Half-Orc (still to be decided (EDIT: If there are more than two Must-Have feats, I may be tempted to go Human instead, but I've never really liked playing as a human.../EDIT)), which leads us to my first question:

As a Bard, how badly will the Cha/Int penalty hit me?
I kind of like the image of this big dumb half-orc who isn't quite cut out for academia, but damnit he's trying. Will I suffer that badly if I try and run this, or is it viable? I know from a Min/Max point of view it's not the greatest idea, but it's more the roleplaying element I'm going for, I think it could be fun.

What would be the most efficient way to raise my Knowledge X skills?
I know Bardic Knowledge gives you a bonus in line with your Intelligence, so I was planning on taking Barb 1, Bard 4 and putting one of my 18s into Intelligence to maximize that bonus (and also my skill points). How else can I boost this? I want to be a walking encyclopedia, even if some of the entries aren't totally correct.

Would you recommend a build other than Barb 1, Bard 4 for this idea? What feats would you recommend? Any tips or tricks from people who have played a similar character before?

As a side note, if I do go with Bard, I was planning on making his Bardic Instrument a waist-mounted pair of metal war-bongos, which he plays with a pair of small(ish) hammers. Is it worth picking up TWF so that I can use the hammers in battle?

Any advise would be brilliant, the more I think about this concept, the more excited I am about playing it... Thanks in advance :D

~Wordsmith

[Flickerdart]

The skill trick Collector of Stories will give you +5 on a Knowledge check to identify a creature, once per encounter. The feat Knowledge Devotion is a popular way of putting your knowledges to use in combat.

I'd recommend Archivist over Bard. The former get actual practical use out of their Knowledge checks (Dark Knowledge gives you and your party miscellaneous bonuses based on your roll), is WIS based (so you're not hurt as badly) and as a divine caster has better buffs available if you want to mix it up in melee.

[Seatbelt]

Ravenloft? Play a Cleric. Take a level of Barbarian. Buy an item of Death Ward.

[Hylas]

Needs more Barbarian! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZHoHaAYHq8)

[Wordsmith]

Needs more Barbarian! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZHoHaAYHq8)

That's pretty much what I was going for, in honesty :D

Any feats that would be useful for this, too? There's one in Races of Stone called Trivial Knowledge that lets you re-roll a knowledge check and keep the best roll, but that's Gnome only. Any ideas of similar feats, or stuff that boosts knowledge?

[DeusMortuusEst]

Perhaps not knowledge, but the bardic knack ACF adds 1/2 bard levels to all untrained skills IIRC. Goes pretty well with the 'I saw a guy do this once, heard a story, read something about it' kind of character.

[Flickerdart]

That's pretty much what I was going for, in honesty :D

Any feats that would be useful for this, too? There's one in Races of Stone called Trivial Knowledge that lets you re-roll a knowledge check and keep the best roll, but that's Gnome only. Any ideas of similar feats, or stuff that boosts knowledge?
How convenient that the Stoneblessed PrC allows one to emulate a Race of Stone, which includes Gnomes!

[Psyborg]

1. See if your DM will let you swap out a few class features- for example:

Barbarian: Lose: Fast Movement
Gain: Ability to use Int-based skills during a rage; Knowledge skills and Spellcraft added to class skills.Bard: Lose: Spellcasting
Gain: Dark Knowledge (as per Archivist[HoHorror p.82])
Gain: Invocations (for your group, probably the slower Dragonfire Adept[Dragon Magic p. 25] progression rather than the faster Warlock[CArc p.8] one, though neither would be truly overpowered)

Your first invocation will be Draconic Knowledge, a 24-hour self-buff that gives an untyped +6 bonus to all Knowledge and Spellcraft checks, and they count as trained.

2. Consider going Bard 1 / Barbarian 1 / Bard +3 rather than Barbarian 1 / Bard 4. You lose a guaranteed max d12 HD, but gain 4 skill points, which could help out with picking up synergy boni or the mandatory 5 ranks in Balance and 1 in Tumble that every character needs.

3. Bardic Knack, as aforementioned. Lose Bardic Knowledge, though. :smallfrown: Still better, I just like Bardic Knowledge. :smallamused: Best when combined with the feat Jack of All Trades (or Elf Dilettante; see 5).

4.Non-skill-specific skill feats: Nymph's Kiss not[/i] require you to be Exaltedomgwtfbbq Good] gives +1 skill point per level (including the level you take it, but not quadrupled at 1st) and some other goodies.
Human Blood [Dragon #324 p.78, requires partial human ancestry {so any Half-X}; 1st level only] gives +1 skill point per level and you count as human for race-dependent effects. Not quadrupled at 1st.
Human Heritage [RoDestiny p.152, requires partial human ancestry; 1st level only] changes your type to Humanoid[human], retaining previous subtypes (like [orc]), and gives +4 skill points at level 1. No ongoing benefits, though, unless you need to count as fully human and fully orc for some reason.
Education [ECS p.52, 1st level only] gives all Knowledge skills to class skills for all classes, and a +1 untyped bonus to two specific Knowledge skills of your choice.
If you decide to keep Bardic Knowledge (or get Lore from somewhere), Obscure Lore [CAdv p.111] gives a +4 insight bonus to Bardic Knowledge or Lore checks.
Knowledge Devotion [CChamp p.60]. GET IT. This is the #1 way to make Knowledges apply in combat.

5. Count as ALL the races! Gnome-bond Stoneblessed 3[RoS p.122] to count as a Gnome for feat:Trivial Knowledge (roll x2, use better, Knowledge and Bardic Knowledge) has been mentioned.
Dwarf-bond Stoneblessed 3 to count as a Dwarf for feat:Ancestral Knowledge[RoS p.130], adding Wisdom instead of Intelligence to Knowledge checks.
Goliath-bond Stoneblessed 3 to count as a Goliath for feats:Auspicious Markings, Marking of the Maker [RoS p.136&142] to roll twice and use the better on any skill check 3/day.
I'm not aware of a "count as Elf" PrC (Ruathar doesn't give the subtype or anything :smallfrown:), but an elf or half-elf could take: Feat:[B]Elf Dilettante [RotW p.150] +1 untyped bonus to untrained skill checks and the ability to make any skill check untrained. (Basically replaces feat:Jack of All Trades.)
Feat:Focused Mind[RotW p.151] Untyped +2 any time they Take 10 or Take 20 on an Int check or Int-based skill check.
A half-elf could further take:
Feat:Complementary Insight[RoDestiny p.150] Synergy bonuses from complementary skills give +3 instead of +2. A Changeling with feat:Racial Emulation[RoEb p.110] could have all of the above (and without having to take 9 levels of Stoneblessed!), but only qualify for and use one race's set at a time.

[Analytica]

Maybe Factotum?

[Wordsmith]

Thanks for the responses guys, I ended up going with Knowledge Devotion/Trivial Knowledge/Dark Knowledge, and I'm probably going to rely on Gloves of the Balanced Hand for my TWF, then pick that up as a feat later down the line.

My final two questions are something a little more generic, items and bard spells.

Having never played a spellcaster, I've never had to pay attention to spell lists, so I'm a little lost as to what's actually worth taking. There are certain spells that look really useful (such as Cure Light/Moderate wounds, Charm and Alter Self), but others that seem... pointless (such as Mending or Nystul's Magic Aura). Is there a decent guide out there or can someone give me some pointers?

Secondly, gear... Are there any must have items for a bard? Other than the obvious Masterwork Drum, I'm not really sure what to go for.

Thanks again for the responses, keep them coming!

[Flickerdart]

Cure Light Wounds is better on a wand than as a precious spell known.

Bards appreciate Harmonizing weapons, Crystal Echoblades, Heartfire Gauntlets and Slippers of Battledancing.

[nedz]

There's a Bard's handbook somewhere; just remember NO Duplication of effects, you're spells known are quite precious.

Handbook (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19870498/The_Bards_Handbook)

[Metahuman1]

Build should Dip Warblade or Swordsage for a level at some point for Tiger Claw and Deasert Wind to help in battle. Just saying.