Badass Bard?

[KnotKnormal]

I got into an argument with friend over the general uselessness of bards, he claimed they have the ability to break characters every combat, I strongly disagreed. So now I'm asking the Playground, how badass can a bard actually be and can you provide examples?

[Big Fau]

Dragonfire Inspiration+Words of Creation+Inspirational Boost=+14d6 to all attacks your allies make for 5 rounds. Glibness. Sublime Chord. The list goes on and on.

Case and point, Bards are agreed to be Tier 3 almost unanimously, and are very easily pushed into Tier 2 outside of Core-only games (where bards tend to be weakest, and even there they can contribute significantly). Bards received extensive splatbook support, and can be turned into just about anything the party needs with proper optimization.

[eggynack]

Dragonfire inspiration (DrM, 17) can get some pretty huge damage boosts to melee fellows, especially with real inspire courage optimization. The bard spell list is also really solid, and if you seek more casting, sublime chord (CArc, 60) is always an option. I don't really know what you mean by "breaking characters every combat," though. It's a pretty strong class, if that's what you're asking.

[Kudaku]

Bards rock. :smallcool:

[Meth In a Mine]

You could try the Skald, a Barbarian-Bard hybrid with a rage-inducing (in a good way) song.
I can't say I've ever played one, but it could fit your idea.

[Kudaku]

It would help if you specify the system - bards are awesome in both PF and 3.5, but in different ways.

[Darrin]

Dragonfire Inspiration+Words of Creation+Inspirational Boost=+14d6 to all attacks your allies make for 5 rounds.


I just wanted to point out that Janus Jones' original Dragonfire Inspiration build was called, appropriately enough, the Bardic Badass (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17031287&postcount=32).

[LibraryOgre]

How to be a badass bard.

1. Play a bard.
2. Be badass. (http://rpg-crank.livejournal.com/37868.html)

[Red Fel]

I seem to recall Biff coming up with a build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252815#4) that used a core of Bard to produce mind-numbing terror that even affected being normally immune to Fear effects.

I also remember a Bard's "Inspire Awe" ability, along with the class in general, being praised in the Fear Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809.0).

If we are using "capacity to instill pants-crapping terror in enemies" as a metric of badassery, Bard meets all of the core requirements.

Further, Bards inspired this (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-general/threads/1116756).

[Yorrin]

I only recently discovered just how awesome bards are... and quite frankly I'm amazed that I missed it for so long. I, like apparently yourself, was under the impression that Bards are just third string buffers thanks to their music and that they only got sucky spells. The truth of the matter is that with the right feats they turn any melee party into flaming whirlwinds of death and they get spells like Glitterdust and Haste which can also turn the fight around.

[Tevesh]

No one has mentioned it yet, but Snowflake Wardance is an awesome feat.

Then slap on Slippers of Battle Dancing and Gloves of Heartfelt Blows and you're doing disgusting amounts of damage.

Swiftblade PrC and you're a combat machine.

Edit: I made this as a boss NPC as part of a bet to make a badass bard. On the first round, he decapitated a PC.

[Gwendol]

I got into an argument with friend over the general uselessness of bards, he claimed they have the ability to break characters every combat, I strongly disagreed. So now I'm asking the Playground, how badass can a bard actually be and can you provide examples?

They are very badass. Not only is it easy to pump inspire courage to terrifying levels, they also get spells, skills, and make the best faces in the game. A bard can diplomance anything.

[Kennisiou]

They are very badass. Not only is it easy to pump inspire courage to terrifying levels, they also get spells, skills, and make the best faces in the game. A bard can diplomance anything.

Pedantic, I know, but I'd rather go with marshal/factotum for party facing. Double cha and factotum's skill bonuses are much better than what bard provides, since the relevant bard spells are all really low level and therefore easy to get on wands (and with double cha UMD is basically a formality).

[Darrin]

No one has mentioned it yet, but Snowflake Wardance is an awesome feat.


It's a trap. Bards don't need help hitting, they need help with damage. Snowflake Wardance only adds Cha to attacks, and it locks you into combat styles with low damage output. You're better off taking Dragonfire Inspiration or Arcane Strike.