Performance-focused Bard Ideas?

[lady2beetle]

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.

[Palanan]

I'm not entirely sure what an "upbringing feat" would be, nor what sources would be valid for it; but if you can convince your GM, I'd suggest Education, in particular the version from Player's Guide to Faerûn.

Slightly less useful on a bard than other characters, but it does give you an untyped +2 bonus to any two Knowledge skills. No, it's not a zowie feat, but it's a nice option to help fill out the backstory, and especially appropriate for an urban campaign.

(Note there are several versions of this feat out there, two from 3.0 and two from 3.5; the PGtF version is the one I prefer.)

[lady2beetle]

Hmm... I know what feat you are referring to. I think upbringing feats might be a pathfinder phenomenom, and since we are technically playing a pathfinder campaign, our GM uses it. I'll see if my GM will consider Educated instead. Thanks! :)

[John Longarrow]

Extend Spell may be a very good option. With lots of low to medium level spells to choose from it can be a really good option with Buff spells or illusions.

Urban Tracking (using gather info to find people) sounds to be right up your alley also.

For additional skills, I'd say Bluff is one, Oration is another. Gotta love answering a persons question by going off on a little "Aunty" story.

Guard "So, Do you know where Orik the Black is hiding?"
You "Well, as my aunty used to say, you never really know where your cat is unless its sleeping in your lap, and you don't see that cat in my lap now do you?"

Coloquial saying can be really good for answering without answering.

[Deadline]

Bard 8 is a better breakpoint than Bard 7, is there a particular reason you went that route?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You can trade your Suggestion song for Song of the Heart or Haunting Melody (ECS). If you want to use your music to hinder opponents instead of buffing your allies, you can trade Inspire Courage for Inspire Awe in Dragon Magic. Any opponents who hear the song make a Will save, with a DC equal to your Perform check result, or be Shaken. Combine it with Haunting Melody and as soon as you start singing every opponent in 30 ft. who hears it has to make another Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 Bard level + Cha) or be Shaken for a number of rounds equal to your Perform ranks. Keep in mind that fear effects escalate, and per the Rules Compendium the entire escalated condition lasts the full duration of the longest remaining effect that contributed to it.

You can't save a feat for later, I'd suggest picking up Fell Frighten Spell at 3rd if you go with the above fear effects. Use it with Sound Burst for an area effect that causes any creature damage to become Shaken for ten round, no save. Check out the Fear Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809.0) for more information on fear effects, but you definitely want to include Bard 8 for the increased range on Inspire Awe.

Stormsinger from Frostburn gets an ability at 3rd level which allows you to deal Electricity damage equal to your Perform check result, in addition to many other new bardic music abilities.

[lady2beetle]

Bard 8 is a better breakpoint than Bard 7, is there a particular reason you went that route?

Why would you say it's better? Because of the BAB and save increases? I hadn't thought of that. I just didn't think there was a reason to stick with bard since the spells and inspire courage would stack (well, mostly stack in the case of spells) with Virtuoso. But now that you mention it, I don't see any reason not to go Bard 8. Thanks!