bard multiclassing

[galan]

so, i'm going to play in a pirate game in the near future, and i think bards are awesome for that. but i also want to mix in something else, because multiclassing is fun.

i know multiclassing a bard is probably a bad idea, because spells and bardic music and all of that. the thing is, while i don't want to be useless in battle i also don't think the other party members will build something really strong (where i come from, blaster mage is still considered very powerfull, so being ok-ish in battle is fine).

at first i thought i will take 3 swushbuckler levels for the int to damage, but i realized wasting 3 levels for that just not worth it. now i kinda want to take 3 levels of factotum for the brains over browns and using IP for damage. the thing is, i really don't know if i should- every level of something else make my buffs sucks more, and the snowflake wardance feat less usefull. maybe i'm just crazy and should never multiclass bard/factotum and instead go to the good old bardblade with white raven maneuvers?

i don't know the level we will start at, so i assume first level.

anyone can help me please?

[Gwendol]

I'm guessing you are considering being a melee bard?

Straight bard is just fine, depending slightly on what books are allowed.

Going with a standard Inspire courage boosting build I'd recommend:

Feats: Melodic casting, Weapon finesse, Song of the Heart (Eberron CS), Words of Creation (BoED)
If you make your bard a silverbrow human, you can pick up dragonfire inspiration, which converts your IC X bonus to attack/damage to Xd6 fire damage instead.

Spells: Inspirational boost (adds another +1 to IC)

Item: Badge of valor (MIC) another +1 to IC

For your other spells look at spells like improvisation, grease, charm person, glitterdust, alter self (very important if you plan on fighting yourself a lot; pick a form with a lot of NA like Tren, or alternate movement modes).

[Dr. Cliché]

What about a Stormsinger?

Sounds a little piratey, stacks with bard for Bardic Music, and you can use your music to shoot thunderbolts at people.

What's not to like? :smallbiggrin:

[Fouredged Sword]

Have you considered a PRC bard?

Rogue 1 / duskblade 4 / PRC bard X

Take the feat that grants a few wizard spells and a spellbook to meet the spell prereqs, and the rogue level + able learner handles the skill reqs. You become a very gishy bard like caster who can do some minor healing. You are more martial than casty, but you get some really good spells for social interaction.

Take practical spellcaster to overcome the caster level penalty.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Bard 4 or 6/Crusader or Warblade the rest with Song of the White Raven if pretty solid if you're using Tome of Battle.

[Namfuak]

There's a Dread Pirate prestige class in Complete Adventurer that is used by some bards because of the faster inspire courage improvement. It might fit your campaign and character.

[galan]

thanks for the replys!

stormsiger is cool. i might take few level (3?) if i have a place to fit them in. not exactly what i had in mind, but still sounds like fun

bard/warblade is probably what i'll do. i still want to get factotum in there somehow, but thats probably not a good idea. oh well, at least i have a chance to play a warblade.


so i think i'll do bard 4/warblade [a lot]/stormsinger 3 (if my dm agree to make perform sing and dance the same skill so i can do this and snowflake wardance). i'll use snowflake wardance+knowledge devotion for damage, and IC for buffs.


the other option is factoum 1/bard 2/factotum 2/bard x. more skills, less everything else. it will allow me to put a low number in both dex and str, which mean more cha and int.. probably still a bad idea.

edit: oh, i remember now the dread pirate. didn't think about it. ill look at it again

[Red Fel]

If you want to advance spellcasting instead of melee, Sublime Chord is an extremely popular choice; you get new uses for Bardic Music, and level 4-9 spells.

If you want melee, I'm going to echo a lot of what's been said; Tome of Battle made melee really, really useful, and not only is Song of the White Raven good for bards, but the discipline itself has many wonderful ways to break the action economy and boost your entire party's performance. White Raven allows you to be effective melee without trying to become the star of the show.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Dread Pirate in Complete Adventurer, they get abilities that have great synergy with Bard abilities.

An honorable Dread Pirate gets Rally the Crew at 3rd level which stacks with Inspire Courage.

A dishonorable Dread Pirate or Scarlet Corsair (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20050805b) gets an amazing ability that makes his Intimidate checks to demoralize opponents affect all enemies in 30 ft. Trade Inspire Courage for Inspire Awe in Dragon Magic, trade your Inspire Competence or Suggestion song for Haunting Melody per ECS, and take the feats Dreadful Wrath in PGtF and Imperious Command in DotU, plus Fearsome armor from DotU. Your character will be the most feared pirate to have ever set foot on a ship! Throw in Fell Drain Spell to use with Sound Burst for another no-save fear, and remember that fear effects escalate and per Rules Compendium the entire escalated effect lasts until the longest lasting fear effect that contributed to it ends. Check out the fear handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809.0) for more tips on building and playing this type of character.

[Fouredged Sword]

I think you intended to say fell frighten, not fell drain. Fell frighten applies the shaken condition. Fell drain applies a negative level.

[Xerlith]

Be a Bard3/Warblade2/Dread Pirate3/Warblade+13 if you want to be mostly melee.
Be a Bard6/Warblade14 if you want to be mostly melee as well, but prefer power over flavor.
If you go Dread Pirate, dip a Swordsage Level for Shadow Hand discipline and to get the Shadow Blade feat for dex to damage.
In either case pick feats towards Dragonfire Inspiration to buff your allies. (It may be hard to pull off in the first build). Focus on Tiger Claw and

Other possibilities are Bardic Sage Variant 3/Swashbuckler3/Swordsage1/Dread Pirate10/Bard or Swordsage +3
This here optimizes towards Intelligence and dexterity, both of which are added to your weapon damage. You can snatch DFI anyway.

If you want to milk some more caster levels from it, you may want to look at the Prestige Bard class for something like...
Swash3/Wiz2/Prestige Bard6/AbjChamp5/Swordsage4

Woefully unoptimized, but you gain int to damage, int as your casting stat, Inspire Courage +2, 16BAB, 16 Caster Level, 6th lvl Wizard spells with bard-only spells added to your list.

Grab Song of the Heart, Inspirational Boost later in the game, then run with DFI. Lacks real synergy though.

Finally, Stormsinger, as it was said above, is completely awesome for a bard. You can control weather. Something like this. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EfhAFA2yFE)