How to make Robin from Fire Emblem

[Reprimand]

Trying to make a tactician from fire emblem which is kind of the jack of all trades class Magic and Melee with swords and can do a lot of teamwork/support related things

Is there a way to mix the marshal and bard in a way to make sense but taking the bard's enchantment/illusion spell list and focusing on damage dealing spells and healing/support? While getting rid of bardic music?

Can someone give me an example of what would be a balanced example of that?

[Karl Aegis]

You have a light fortification shield and a keen weapon. Go straight duskblade. That's it.

[Silva Stormrage]

Duskblade is probably the best option. The problem is that Robin can be so many different options. He can range from a berserker with an axe who never uses magic to a flying pegasus knight wielding magic.

If your DM is up for homebrew Lix Lorn has done a couple fire emblem classes ported into 3.5.

Dark Mage: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?285407-The-Dark-Mage-the-Sorcerer-and-the-Summoner-3-5-Fire-Emblem
Myrmidon: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?303383-The-Myrmidon-the-Swordmaster-and-the-Assassin-3-5-Fire-Emblem

They multiclass really well so you could probably just use those two and get a pretty good Robin.

[Reprimand]

I was talking more like the tactician class or the grandmaster (classed up version). Wielding swords and tomes but also has versatile skills ( I would translate this as decent skill points )

[Feint's End]

I can't exactly put my finger on it but the DSP tactician, vitalist and zealot all seem like good starting points. They are PF though.

[(Un)Inspired]

Hmmm so all you want is a character that is really good at fighting and magic and has lots of skills? Lol join the club dude.

Archivist is probably the class you're looking for. They've got full bab 9 level spells with essentially every blast spell in the game, a huge amount of skill points and class features that are all about giving tactical advice to your allies.

[Silva Stormrage]

Hmmm so all you want is a character that is really good at fighting and magic and has lots of skills? Lol join the club dude.

Archivist is probably the class you're looking for. They've got full bab 9 level spells with essentially every blast spell in the game, a huge amount of skill points and class features that are all about giving tactical advice to your allies.

Ya going to second Archivist, get some way to get turn undead so you can go the DMM persist route and you will be good.

[sideswipe]

did no one instantly think swordsage/ other martial adepts? most fire emblem characters can be emulated with them.

[Reprimand]

Hmmm so all you want is a character that is really good at fighting and magic and has lots of skills? Lol join the club dude.

Archivist is probably the class you're looking for. They've got full bab 9 level spells with essentially every blast spell in the game, a huge amount of skill points and class features that are all about giving tactical advice to your allies.

Not even REALLY good just decent

Basically a Bard without bardic music crap

Are there are Alternate Bard classes/homebrew you can think of that trade out bardic music for team/tactics based stuff?

@sideswipe trying to stay away from ToB.

[ImperatorV]

Factotum/Chameleon. Arcane spells up to level six, lots of versatility and skill points, decent combat especially once you get dual focus. Doesn't get much in the way of tactics, but not much outside of ToB does.

Also ToB is the best. You should at least consider it.

[(Un)Inspired]

Not even REALLY good just decent

Basically a Bard without bardic music crap

Are there are Alternate Bard classes/homebrew you can think of that trade out bardic music for team/tactics based stuff?

@sideswipe trying to stay away from ToB.

There are ACF to trade away the crap bardic music. Just keep the good stuff.

[sideswipe]

There are ACF to trade away the crap bardic music. Just keep the good stuff.

a bard without bardic music is a factotum.....

[(Un)Inspired]

a bard without bardic music is a factotum.....

I think he just wants to get rid of the crap music like inspire competence and countersong.

[DarkSonic1337]

Seconding Archivist and Chameleon suggestions.

Archivist you're going to probably want to ether persist divine power or go gish via prestige classes.

For chameleon go Duskblade entry for arcane channeling. You can use some tricks (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=135.0) for higher level casting or just stick with the very nice 6th level casting from EVERY list.

[Reprimand]

a bard without bardic music is a factotum.....

I still want to have actual casting unlike factotum which spends inspiration points to do that.

I want to be more like a mix of marshal and bard. I have no idea where to find something like this though.

Instead of buffing people with music I would be commanding them into action. The Skill points and all knowledge skills makes me want Bard though.

Would it be reasonable to trade all the bards skills and armor/shield proficiency for some of the marshal abilities along with reworking the spell list?

[sideswipe]

I still want to have actual casting unlike factotum which spends inspiration points to do that.

I want to be more like a mix of marshal and bard. I have no idea where to find something like this though.

Instead of buffing people with music I would be commanding them into action. The Skill points and all knowledge skills makes me want Bard though.

Would it be reasonable to trade all the bards skills and armor/shield proficiency for some of the marshal abilities along with reworking the spell list?

how about draconic aura's? thats just feats.

[Karl Aegis]

Let's look at what a tactician can actually do.

They have completely average stats all around. They may have more or less Luck depending on your pregame choices. The baseline is completely average with no real specialty.

It starts with proficiency in only daggers, getting short swords, long swords and various other swords (and only swords) at higher levels.

It can use wands. It starts out with only a pittance fire damage close range ray wand, but can get better close range ray wands with enough work.

It gets the equivalent of +2 on critical confirmation rolls to adjacent allies and reduces critical confirmation rolls by 2 on adjacent allies.

A grandmaster, the equivalent of a prestige class, has a chance to add their strength to their wand attack or their intelligence to their sword hits. Their capstone is adding a pittance to all allies stats within a small radius around them. At this stage of the game their low movement speed prevents them from actually using this ability because you can murder 80% of the enemy team and win the mission in only 2 turns (before the grandmaster can actually engage the enemy) with just two units piggybacking off each other.

Robin, specifically, can get possessed by a dragon god and destroy the world. That's not really based on his class, however, and is more DM Fiat than anything.

[Kantolin]

Instead of buffing people with music I would be commanding them into action.

If you go with perform(oratory) then you have this exactly. Give the call and direct your allies tactically. Bard does not automatically mean 'plays a lyre'.

If you literally go bard/marshal, there are a few magic item compendium items which can help (regalia of the hero, for example).

[Reprimand]

Let's look at what a tactician can actually do.

They have completely average stats all around. They may have more or less Luck depending on your pregame choices. The baseline is completely average with no real specialty.

It starts with proficiency in only daggers, getting short swords, long swords and various other swords (and only swords) at higher levels.

It can use wands. It starts out with only a pittance fire damage close range ray wand, but can get better close range ray wands with enough work.

It gets the equivalent of +2 on critical confirmation rolls to adjacent allies and reduces critical confirmation rolls by 2 on adjacent allies.

A grandmaster, the equivalent of a prestige class, has a chance to add their strength to their wand attack or their intelligence to their sword hits. Their capstone is adding a pittance to all allies stats within a small radius around them. At this stage of the game their low movement speed prevents them from actually using this ability because you can murder 80% of the enemy team and win the mission in only 2 turns (before the grandmaster can actually engage the enemy) with just two units piggybacking off each other.

Robin, specifically, can get possessed by a dragon god and destroy the world. That's not really based on his class, however, and is more DM Fiat than anything.

I like this a lot! Although it feels weak compared to other classes! What sort of other things would make sense thematically without going overboard?

Lets say I go bard/marshal what would a typical build look like? What sort of feats would compliment them both well?

[Zaq]

Is there a way to mix the marshal and bard in a way to make sense but taking the bard's enchantment/illusion spell list and focusing on damage dealing spells and healing/support? While getting rid of bardic music?

So wait, if you're getting rid of the Bard's spell list, and you're getting rid of Bardic Music, what's left that's actually Bardlike? Why not just be a Sorcerer at that point, or a Wizard (if using spellbooks/tomes is more important to you than using CHA)?

Anyway, I've never played Fire Emblem, but if Smash Bros. is at all an accurate representation of the character (and I'm not going to be shocked if it isn't), then some kind of gish is what you want. Duskblade is, of course, the gish-in-a-can class, but I'm pretty sure you're familiar with all the standard gishy PrCs (Abjurant Champion, Swiftblade, Eldritch Knight, etc.) that go into making a nice Wizard-based or Sorcerer-based gish.

Of course, if you want a class who can fight well, who can support their allies well, and who has magical prowess, it's hard to beat just a plain Cleric, mixed with whatever PrCs you desire (since, after all, Clerics get no class features after level 1, unless you're hypercharging Turning).

[Chronos Flame]

Bard with Sublime Chord would also be good to ramp the magic up to what the tactician is more about, being very good with both sword and weapon but maybe being just a little behind in either. Snowflake wardance and SC alone would make a pretty impressively accurate Robin. Now I kindof want to do this since I have been getting more into bards of late. Also, as mentioned, go Perform (oratory).

[Reprimand]

So wait, if you're getting rid of the Bard's spell list, and you're getting rid of Bardic Music, what's left that's actually Bardlike?

So like the bardic casting of 0th-6th with different a different spell list choices, other thematically appropriate support abilities, bard class skill choices (especially the knowledge skills), 6 skill points per level, casting in light armor, Bardic knowledge, d6 HD, Medium bab, good reflex and will saves?

So to sum that up the only thing I want to change is the bardic music to more tactical combat type ability like the marshal, White raven-isque stuff or something else and the illusion and enchantment focused spell list: To include well, less illusions and enchantments and focus more on crowd control, damage and a pinch of healing.

And I do understand preform oratory is a thing but I don't like the way bardic music works in general I wanted to change it.