How does my friend's bard look?

[RPGaddict28]

My other friend and I are the only optimizers in our group, and this guy wanted to make a bard. We may have optimized him pretty heavily, but I'm betting you guys can do it better. While hasn't chosen his impute his gear, he's getting a scimitar, and elven harp from RotW, leather armor, and a cloak of charisma. Also, I told him to replace his two ranks in heal with the Social Recovery skill trick. Other than the things I brought up, how does he look?

EDIT: Man, I am so stupid, I forgot his sheet http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=740986

[Heliomance]

He's a Bard, he looks fabulous. It's mandatory.

[Deca4531]

Can u give us some more info, like where he plans to go with it or what he plans specialise in? Feats, starting lv, anything else?

[RPGaddict28]

Can u give us some more info, like where he plans to go with it or what he plans specialise in? Feats, starting lv, anything else?

He plans on being the diplomancer/primary buffer, and we're starting at 5th, but other than that, I don't know. And here's his sheet: http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=740986

[Deca4531]

Here is my build for a buffer bard, just some stuff he can consider

Dragonfire inspiration build
Feats:
Dragontouched ( Pyroclastic Dragon)
Draconic Heritage
Dragonfire inspiration
Word's of creation
Song of the heart
Lingering melody.

Class:
Bard 8
Virtuoso 2
Seeker of the song 2
Sublime cord 2
Virtuoso 6

Magic items:
Wand of Harmonize 6,000gp
While this spell is in effect, starting a bardic music effect requires only a move action.Concentrating on a bardic music effect that requires concentration still requires a standard action.

Vest of Legends item (DMG II, pg. 272). +5 comp. bonus on Diplomacy and Perform checks, plus Bard level treated as five higher for purpose of determining the effects of inspire courage...Price: 16,000 gp

Masterwork Horn, Natural [Wind Instruments] (100G/3 lb, (Song and Silence*46):*+1 on accuracy/damage, -2 on fear saves.* Put a thin cord through this horn and hang it from your neck.* Nothing in the rules states you must use your hands for this.* Hold the horn with enough of your teeth to keep it in your mouth and speak with the rest of your mouth

Badge of Valor Magic Item Compendium pg. 208). 1400 gp When you activate the badge of valor, you and all allies within 60 feet gain a +2 bonus on the next save you or they make against a charm or fear effect before the start of your next turn.*If you have the bardic music ability to inspire courage, you can activate the Badge of Valor to increase the bonus granted by that ability by 1 for the duration of its effect. A Badge of Valor functions three times per day

[Slipperychicken]

I would recommend some points in Sense Motive since he's clearly trying to be a face.

[infomatic]

Con's too low if he's going melee. Swap with Intelligence or Dex (prob. Int.).

Alternately, consider going archery and picking up Charming the Arrow (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fey/20030815a)instead of Snowflake Wardance. (CHA to hit with bows, all the time, don't have to use bardic song).

You'd have to be LA +0 Feytouched (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) (2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Charisma) instead of Magic Blooded.

[Alent]

What's the scope of the campaign (level 5 to 10? 5 to 20?) and at what point of optimization is your DM liable to start throwing books at you?

I see he's level 5, and only has two feats. Eberron bard feat substitutions are a great way to get rid of Inspire Competence and replace it with something meaningful.

[Xervous]

Also, I'd like to point out that he isn't accounting for the synergy bonuses from a few skills, his ranks in bluff net him a +2 diplomacy and 5 ranks in sense motive would tack another 2 onto that.

[Phelix-Mu]

Con's too low if he's going melee. Swap with Intelligence or Dex (prob. Int.).

Alternately, consider going archery and picking up Charming the Arrow (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fey/20030815a)instead of Snowflake Wardance. (CHA to hit with bows, all the time, don't have to use bardic song).

You'd have to be LA +0 Feytouched (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) (2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Charisma) instead of Magic Blooded.

Or you'd have to dip Martial Monk for 1 level so you could get Charming the Arrow as a bonus fighter feat without needing to meet the pre-reqs (cheesy indeed). I think that works, but it's a level away from bard, which kind of defeats the purpose.

[Hiro Quester]

Gauntlets of heartfelt blows are good for a bard who wants to melee occasionally. With bard songs and snowflake wardance you can buff good to-attack rolls, but you can still not do much damage. With gauntlets of heartfelt blows all melee weapons become flaming weapons,doing your charisma bonus in extra fire damage.

Also consider getting a crystal echoblade longsword. It adds half your level in sonic damage. And a harmonizing crystal echoblade will keep singing a bardic music effect after you stop. Though the lingering song feat does this better IMHO.

That way you have both fire and sonic damage simultaneously.

[Hiro Quester]

Another good boost to dragonfire inspiration is to have a dragon with sonic damage in your heritage as pointed out above, pyro clastic is good for the choice each use of IC of either sonic or acid damage), so that inspire courage adds 1d6 sonic damage instead of each +1 bonus to attack.

Then cast the third level spell creaking cacophony on enemies before you go in. In addition to deafening noise that distracts all spell asters, it makes everyone there take 150% damage from sonic damage.

So if you can boost IC to +4 with Song of the heart, playing a masterwork horn, etc. then each of your allies is has every attack doing +4d6 sonic damage, or 1.5x(4d6) damage with creaking cacophany.