lady2beetle
2013-09-23, 02:00 PM
I'm finalizing my bard for our upcoming all-urban campaign and I'd love some input. Because this is an urban campaign, I am thinking about making her a gypsy-style personality, who always knows what is going on in her city. Story-wise, she is going to run a troupe of performers within the city, while what she provides to the party is mostly information. In combat, she'd focus on enchanting her foes.
Campaign Information:
Abilities: 28 point buy
Resources: Core 3 + Complete Series (except where forbidden by GM)
Flaws: Chose up to 2 flaws (from UA), get up to 2 extra feats
Traits: Chose up to 2 traits (from UA)
Free Upbringing Feat
So, here is what I have:
Bard 7 / Virtuoso 3 / Sublime Chord 2 / Virtuoso 7
(I'm using both Bard 1st level variants from C.Champ & C.Mage - Healing Hymn (instead of fascinate) and Spellbreaker Song (instead of Countersong). My decision to lose fascinate was based on the fact that I will get it again when I go Virtuoso.)
Str 8
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 14
Wis 10
Char 16 (plus all 4th level improvements)
Feats:
1st (upbringing) - Undetermined
1st Skill Focus Perform (Sing)
1st (human) Captivating Melody
1st (Flaw) Melodic Casting
2nd (Flaw) Versatile Performer (Strings, Dance)
3rd Save for 6th?
6th Leadership; Disguise Spell
9th Spell focus: Enchantment?
12th G. Spell focus: Enchantment?
Maxed skills:
Diplomacy
Gather Information
Knowledge Local
Listen
Perform: Sing
Sense Motive
Spot (thanks to a trait that lets her have spot as a class skill)
So, here are my thoughts and what I wanted to ask you lovely guys and gals about:
First, do you see any glaring issues with this build? I think my weakness is that she has very few feats to improve her spellcasting. Captivating Melody will help with the DC, so I'm wondering if maybe I should focus her feats on spell pen? Or metamagic feats? Or should I just depend on a leadership cohort to be the enchantress for the party in combat? (Note that I'm kind of waiting until level 6 to decide what I want to do with that cohort since it will depend on what niches we need to fill within the party, but it would probably be either a rogue or bard to fit with the idea of performance and gathering information)
Second (and my real reason for posting), I like the idea that she can dance or sing or play an instrument (versatile performer) and use her perform check to disguise a spell (disguise spell), cast a spell defensively (melodic casting), or even increase the DC of the spell (captivating melody). What else could she use perform for? Are there any other strategies for maximizing the value of her perform skill? Remember I'm restricted to the Complete series, unless I get special permission from the GM.
As a side note, I read a suggestion to use the guild variation from DMG2 for leadership PCs, but when I read the Guide to Korvosa (which is where this campaign is taking place), it says that guilds are socially taboo and literally against the law. So I'm hoping to steer on the side of a "performance troupe" which can thus be considered a business, and not a guild.
Campaign Information:
Abilities: 28 point buy
Resources: Core 3 + Complete Series (except where forbidden by GM)
Flaws: Chose up to 2 flaws (from UA), get up to 2 extra feats
Traits: Chose up to 2 traits (from UA)
Free Upbringing Feat
So, here is what I have:
Bard 7 / Virtuoso 3 / Sublime Chord 2 / Virtuoso 7
(I'm using both Bard 1st level variants from C.Champ & C.Mage - Healing Hymn (instead of fascinate) and Spellbreaker Song (instead of Countersong). My decision to lose fascinate was based on the fact that I will get it again when I go Virtuoso.)
Str 8
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 14
Wis 10
Char 16 (plus all 4th level improvements)
Feats:
1st (upbringing) - Undetermined
1st Skill Focus Perform (Sing)
1st (human) Captivating Melody
1st (Flaw) Melodic Casting
2nd (Flaw) Versatile Performer (Strings, Dance)
3rd Save for 6th?
6th Leadership; Disguise Spell
9th Spell focus: Enchantment?
12th G. Spell focus: Enchantment?
Maxed skills:
Diplomacy
Gather Information
Knowledge Local
Listen
Perform: Sing
Sense Motive
Spot (thanks to a trait that lets her have spot as a class skill)
So, here are my thoughts and what I wanted to ask you lovely guys and gals about:
First, do you see any glaring issues with this build? I think my weakness is that she has very few feats to improve her spellcasting. Captivating Melody will help with the DC, so I'm wondering if maybe I should focus her feats on spell pen? Or metamagic feats? Or should I just depend on a leadership cohort to be the enchantress for the party in combat? (Note that I'm kind of waiting until level 6 to decide what I want to do with that cohort since it will depend on what niches we need to fill within the party, but it would probably be either a rogue or bard to fit with the idea of performance and gathering information)
Second (and my real reason for posting), I like the idea that she can dance or sing or play an instrument (versatile performer) and use her perform check to disguise a spell (disguise spell), cast a spell defensively (melodic casting), or even increase the DC of the spell (captivating melody). What else could she use perform for? Are there any other strategies for maximizing the value of her perform skill? Remember I'm restricted to the Complete series, unless I get special permission from the GM.
As a side note, I read a suggestion to use the guild variation from DMG2 for leadership PCs, but when I read the Guide to Korvosa (which is where this campaign is taking place), it says that guilds are socially taboo and literally against the law. So I'm hoping to steer on the side of a "performance troupe" which can thus be considered a business, and not a guild.