wanted: half orc battel bard

[Dalek Zek]

I have an adventure planed with friends from mu board game club, and one of the first time players wanted to play a half orc battle bard who fights with a scythe. Is there a playable character for this which is good for playing D&D the first time?

House rules:

Half orcs may choose between -2 int or -2 cha;
32 point buy character;
level one character;
core 3.5 book only.

[Keld Denar]

Core only is a harsh environment for a bard. Most of the good boosts to the class come from rather obscure sources. You can do an OK Bard in core, but yea...

Inspire Courage is their best feature. Unfortunately, you spend levels 1-8 (the majority of the levels most people play) with only the basic +1 IC since you don't have access to all of the goodies you need to boost it (Songs of the Heart, Inspirational Boost, Badge of Valor, ETC).

Focus on your spells then. Take the hit to Int instead of Cha. Drop a big buff or BC spell, start your IC, and go to town with a longsword held in both hands and Power Attack for as much as you feel comfortable.

[Maginomicon]

If you can swing "SRD/OGC" instead of "core" then you could go savage bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) or druidic bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bard).

[Dalek Zek]

He want's to use an size as a weapon. The problem is mostly that i fear that this will prove to be a very hard charecter to play fore a first timer. Inspire curage works afcourse, sins this is limeted by sight and hearing alone, but even with only -2 int, what kind of bard should I recomant so he can learn the game?

[Dalek Zek]

If you can swing "SRD/OGC" instead of "core" then you could go savage bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) or druidic bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bard).

stepping away from core could be a solution, but I wan't to keep it if posibal. Also becouse I have the rule fore the other charecters.

[Keld Denar]

Make him a Barbarian with Power Attack and a great sword, put 2 ranks cross class in Perform Sing, and go all Wulfgar the Barbarian in combat. While the rules do state that you can't make Cha checks while raging, it doesn't say you can't sing (poorly). Tempus doesn't care for flowery elf songs. Tempus just wants cacophony and blood!

[Coidzor]

A scythe (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#scythe), you mean? Big stick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythe) with a curvy blade jutting perpendicular to the shaft? Carried by the Grim Reaper? :smallconfused:

[Maginomicon]

Allowing the SRD/OGC for everyone isn't much of a stretch (http://www.d20srd.org/faq.htm), even as GM.

[Dalek Zek]

A scythe (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#scythe), you mean? :

Ah, yes, thank you, I gues site has then a other meaning? (it's what spell check regomanted)

[ArcturusV]

Yeah, Core Only is gonna be real harsh for a Bard. I suppose the problem is, that among the many things a Bard can do well, what he seems to want isn't really one of them. I'd almost say what he wants is a Paladin-Sorcerer into PrC territory build, but the core only chops off the PrCs that kinda make that build hum. Similarly not having things like Words of Creation as a feat available also hurts him pretty bad.

If it was going to be Core Only? Ug. I'd almost suggest a Barbarian/Ranger mix, for what he wanted. You could still get some 'mystical' stuff, between the two classes you won't be starving for Skill Points all the time, so you might actually put a few points into Perform: Lute, or something.

Because I think one of the problems here is he's getting hung up on Class versus Character. E.g.: Just because my class is Cleric doesn't mean I'm a preacher giving sermons and spreading the Gospel of Kord everywhere I go. I can play a Cleric of Kord, who's Character is not a preacher, but might be a professional wrestler/pit fighter, or a circus freak, or a daredevil, or a hundred other things, and yes, he's still a cleric even if he doesn't do Friday Masses or something.

He wants to be a guy who goes into battle and inspires others to greatness while smashing face. The class title "bard" isn't really the only way to do that. Heck, a Cleric can do that perfectly well with stuff like Bless, Mass buffs, etc. A fighter who didn't dump Charisma (And hopefully not Int so he actually has some Skill Points) can do it. So can a Sorcerer casting buffs like Enlarge Person, Magic Weapon, bull's strength, Mage Armor, etc, can.

But since it's his first time? Barbarian/Ranger would be my suggestion.

[Dalek Zek]

Yes, i had been thinking about a ranger with preform ranks, but he realy wanted to play this noorman like skald. I told him this could well be the hardest charecter to start with posibal.

Barberion ranger could work, starting I asume with barberion ad level one, taking the min on int to keep a high charisma fore the idee he had.

[ArcturusV]

Yeah, should work just fine.

The Skald thing really would fit Barbarian/Ranger a lot better. Bards in DnD aren't really like Skalds. The "Bard" is more like the Jack of All Trades with music kinda shoehorned in. I mean they get some blasting, some buffing, some controlling, some healing, minorly okay in a swordfight, somewhat okay as a skill user. Their whole schtick is that they're barely okay at most everything. Except maybe being the "Face" and being the Con Man of the group. That's where they can excel with the right focus and spell selection.

So you're better off thinking of Bards not as the "Warrior-Poets" of Nordic tradition, but more like a Trickster. He has more in common with Loki (God of Trickery and Fire) than Odin (God of War and Poetry).