What should I do with diplomacy?

[WarKitty]

Say I'm playing a high-diplomacy character in a relatively low optimization game. I would like a bit of power from it. What should I use it for? Full 1-20 campaign, NG bard. Nothing that is likely to make the DM cry, please.

[Coidzor]

Well, you could use it along with Gather Information (unless you folded GI into Diplo) to put in the legwork to assemble a network of NPCs to form an organization for some purpose or another or to establish a relationship with NPC contacts to keep yourself abreast of events more actively.

Could look around for some supplemental rules to alter Diplomacy so during combat you'd use it to call for a parley instead of just Diplomancying directly. Or just work with the DM to make some. And if anyone knows of anything worth spit in that department I'd like to see it.

Can help haggling over prices, IIRC, especially if anyone in the party or your character has that Mercantile Background feat, allowing you to stretch your WBL further without going full crafter.

[Gildedragon]

Ask the DM what they are cool with
Trash the Epic Diplomacy rules.

Take 2 feats: Bind Vestige and Practiced Binder (or a 1 level dip in binder) for Naberius's Silver Tongue ability. You get to take 10 on diplo and talk fast to avoid problems

with intelligent humanoids (sometimes) use diplomacy and/or bluff to get past their guardposts. (Make friends with them, and then ask them for a favor [or claim you are authorised to go there, make them WANT to believe you]) With the chat to get past obstacles option, don't use it too often.