rock/metal bard help.

[commander panda]

ok, so i'm trying to figure out how to build a rebellious teenage bard that uses a fusion of punk rock and metal to buff/debuff, but can also get her blades bloody if need be.

now, obviously the above is pretty easy to do, but i'm having trouble capturing the exactly flavour i'm going for, feat and ability wise. basically, i want her to be more aggressive than a standard bard, using her songs to control the battlefield with fear affects and whatnot, to damage/control enemies, and to buff her allies combat relevant stats to the stratosphere. i also want her to be able to hold her own in combat (preferably with a battle-axe/electric guitar.)

i could also see her using music to command the undead, but thats not really necessary.

the biggest problem i'm having, though is combatting other casters. i mean, there is countersong, but that doesn't help if i'm trying to deflect a fireball using the unbridles power of rock n roll!

i would figure it out myself, but i'm not really that strong at optimizing esoteric build concepts, and it seems like it would require ridiculous feat investments to work.

so far all i know for certain is i want to take levels in this class (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236275)
i've also heard good things about doomspeak, melodic casting and the savage bard, which all work perfectly with the concept. but thats all i've got.

any help would be appreciated.

[Juntao112]

Haunting Melody (http://dndtools.eu/feats/heroes-of-horror--70/haunting-melody--1347/)

[Manly Man]

There's also this class (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19523298/The_Disciple_of_Metal_PrC_Bard) to look into as well; it seems to go more in-depth than the one you linked.

[nyjastul69]

The Requiem feat from Libris Mortis allows Bardic Music to affect undead.

[Deca4531]

I'm making a heavy metal bard as well and I found that the class stormsinger is the best choice for me. You can basically use your vocals and spend a use of bardic music to summon thunder and lightning and control whether. There is also a feat called versatile performer in the event you want to use more than one perform at a time you can essentially put ranks and one perform skill and they will count to as many other perform skills as your intelligence modifier. Also a level in sublime cord can help as well.

also if you want to control the field with fear there is a bard variance that exchanges inspire courage with a fear affect that scales with your level.

[Valwyn]

You could try a Dirgesinger from Libris Mortis. They get a few debuffs, and the DC could be quite high (10+ranks in Perform). Just remember it doesn't advance your casting.

War Chanter (Complete Warrior) doesn't advace casting either, but it has full BAB and some useful stuff, like Combine Songs (play two songs at once).

[Scots Dragon]

It's Pathfinder-specific, but the Skald from the upcoming Advanced Class Guide has a mix of barbarian and bard traits that seems pretty metal. Though it's more specifically of the Viking/Scandinavian power metal approach rather than, say, death metal or nu-metal. At least from what I can tell in the playtest version. Its bardic music, known as a 'ragesong', functions as an induced group rage ability, for instance.

[gorfnab]

Harbinger Bard variant (Drg#337)
Doomspeak feat (CoR)

[commander panda]

thanks guys, his is excellent. i'v been researching a bit, but i only found war chanter and seeker of the song, so this is a huge help.

[tiercel]

One of the things you'll want to keep an eye on is that some bardsongs/ACFs depend on bard level explicitly (e.g. Haunting Melody), so that will affect your choice to go straight bard or prestige out.

If you want to rock out with some sonic boom damage, Lyric Thaumaturge (Complete Mage) is a decent, easy-to-qualify-for PrC, though it doesn't advance your regular bardic music.

If you want to concentrate on offense/debuffing, you can actually (gasp) dump Inspire Courage for Inspire Awe ACF (Dragon Magic). Inspire Awe's DC, at least, goes off your Perform skill rather than your bard level. (OTOH, even un-advanced Inspire Courage can still be boosted with spells, feat, items, etc.)

For combating other casters, you can swap Countersong for Spellbreaker Song ACF (Complete Mage) to give enemy spellcasters an effective casting "miss chance."

Being able to mix it up in melee is do-able just with straight bard if you combine Inspire Courage (possibly including, canonically, Dragonfire Inspiration or even Words of Creation if your campaign rolls that way, though being Exalted may or may not mesh with your metal image), Snowflake Wardance, inspirational boost, alter self, mirror image, bladeweave, crystal echoblade, etc.

More general information is available through Dictum Mortuum's Bard Handbook: http://dictummortuum.blogspot.com/2011/08/bards-handbook.html

You'll want to pick and choose to customize your build concept, of course, but it's a good resource.