Need Help - Halfling Druid/Bard

[Palanan]

It's my first time playing in a Pathfinder game, and I'm fleshing out a concept I came up with for an earlier campaign, a Celtic-themed wild-child halfling. He'll be starting as a Druid 3/Bard 2, focusing on stealth and spellcasting.

This is my first time working with the PF point-buy system, and our DM has given us 20 points to work with, so here are the stats, assuming halfling racial mods and a +1 to Cha at fourth level:


Str 8
Dex 18
Con 12
Int 12
Wis 14
Cha 14

For feats, I'm thinking Weapon Finesse is a given at first level, and the DM has approved Shaping Focus at fifth level. This leaves me one feat slot free, at third level, and I'm not sure whether to go with Arcane Strike or try for a teamwork feat with my animal companion. Apart from Shaping Focus, we're limited to the CRB and APG, and there aren't many feats in there that really catch my eye.

As for traits, I'm thinking Sacred Touch and Magical Knack would be thematic. Any other suggestions, for feats or traits? And any ideas on magical gear?

[weckar]

Weapon finesse won't do you much good with that -1 to damage, unless you'll be using it to deliver touch spells.

[QuackParker]

This may not be the advice you're looking for, but there are a few archetypes that almost go that direction. There is a bard archetype called
Thundercaller:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/thundercaller
It has some of the flavor of a druid bard in a way. My fear is dual classing between the two will leave you rather suboptimal.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by weckar
Weapon finesse won't do you much good with that -1 to damage, unless you'll be using it to deliver touch spells.

Well, hard to do any kind of damage if you're not hitting in the first place, and he'll have the 18 Dex regardless. That said, I'm completely open to other suggestions.

I'm planning for him to serve as the party's scout, both in his natural form and with overflights in bird-shape on special occasions. The only feat I'm settled on is Shaping Focus, and I'd love to hear suggestions for his earlier feat slots. Precise Strike seemed like a possibility, if both the halfling and his animal companion teamed up on a target.


Originally Posted by QuackParker
This may not be the advice you're looking for, but there are a few archetypes that almost go that direction.

In fact my next question was going to be about archetypes, so I appreciate the suggestion. Thundercaller looks very thematic, and I'd be willing to look at others in the same nature-y line. I like archetypes, just don't have a comprehensive sense of what's out there.


Originally Posted by QuackParker
My fear is dual classing between the two will leave you rather suboptimal.

Honestly not worried about that. Even 60% of a druid should be enough to keep up.

:smalltongue:

[QuackParker]

Well, as I just finished ranting in another thread, do whatever you will have the most fun doing. As a player, I have been a vampire witch in a campaign where were on boats surrounded by sunshine and ocean and I have played a cleric that viciously cut himself to gain the attention of his deity when he wasn't at the whore house or recruiting morons to his church. Nothing wrong with playing on the margins.

[Palanan]

After looking at the animal-totem and environmental archetypes for druids, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. The bard archetypes might be a little better, but nothing quite seems to fit.

Still open to suggestions for feats that would fit my concept. Shaping Focus is set, but I've got two other feats to work with, and I'd love ideas.

[VexingFool]

My first question is what you are hoping to gain from taking Bard levels and how many levels of Bard are you planning to take?

Several of the Bardic performances will not work while you are wild shaped due needing an audible performance (sing/oratory). At 7th level you could take Wild speech to overcome this.

Since you are a multiclass bard you won’t have very many performance rounds per day so Lingering performance would be good. This would also allow you to perform and then wild shape and have them last a few rounds.

If you want to cast spells while wild shaped you are going to want Natural spell. Unfortunately that is another feat that requires the wild shape class feature to take it so you would have to wait until 7th.

If you don’t want your animal companion to fall behind in power you are going to want to take Boon Companion.

Might I suggest the Evangelist Cleric Archetype instead of Bard. You could then take the Animal(Feather) domain along with Boon companion and your animal companion would not fall behind. Also it would allow you to focus on one casting stat.

[weckar]

Wouldn't wildshaping into a singing bird resolve the bardic song issue?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by VexingFool
My first question is what you are hoping to gain from taking Bard levels...?

Simple fun and a character concept, plus a little arcanery on the side. (It's like chicanery, but with more illusion.)


Originally Posted by VexingFool
If you don’t want your animal companion to fall behind in power you are going to want to take Boon Companion.

Interesting, but since animal companions are evidently plug'n'play (sigh) I'd just as soon not spend a feat on it, or at least not that one.

And yes, Natural Spell is on my list as my prime option for my seventh-level feat.


Originally Posted by weckar
Wouldn't wildshaping into a singing bird resolve the bardic song issue?

I'm new to Pathfinder, and don't know if that's possible, but he's planning on spending most of his wildshape time in bird-form anyway. If this works, all's well.

Apart from abysmal static-bonus things like Stealthy, are there any other feats that would give him a benefit in scouting or combat, in particular ranged combat? I don't want to invest in archery feats, and the halfling-sling cliché is just way too convenient to ignore.

There's an animal-totem archetype that would give him Scent, but only for a few minutes a day, which seems non-useful. Any other ways to gain Scent?

.

[VexingFool]

Wouldn't wildshaping into a singing bird resolve the bardic song issue?

Most singing birds are diminutive so he would need to be at least 8th level, 6th if you can come up with a singing bird that is tiny.

Another option if you are just looking to inspire courage is to take perform: dance which could be used in many forms.

[Palanan]

Well, Arcane Strike is starting to sound much better, especially when compared with most of the other feats in the CRB and APG. A free magic weapon each round? Which evidently applies to ranged as well as melee weapons? I'll take that.

However, that will have to be at third level, so I still need something for the first-level feat slot. I'm coming around to the view that Weapon Finesse really won't do much, but I'm not too impressed with Lingering Performance, and at this point it's a toss-up between Merciful Spell and Improved Initiative.