Dragonfire Inspiration Bard Items

[ReD_Exorcist]

I have my character sheet almost all the way completed, only thing I need now is my items and story. So my DM is allowing me 3000 gold plus one 5th level magic item, 6th level magic item and a 7th level magic item. I am playing a bard, Mainly I want to be buffing my party so they can be awesome in combat. Thus I have taken the feats Melodic Casting, Dragontouched, Dragonfire Inspiration and Lingering Song. I am level 9 bard with a LA +1 from being catfolk. I don't really know how to effectively spend my money without wasting on dumb stuff so if anyone has any items they wanna tell me about it would be great.

[marphod]

I have my character sheet almost all the way completed, only thing I need now is my items and story. So my DM is allowing me 3000 gold plus one 5th level magic item, 6th level magic item and a 7th level magic item. I am playing a bard, Mainly I want to be buffing my party so they can be awesome in combat. Thus I have taken the feats Melodic Casting, Dragontouched, Dragonfire Inspiration and Lingering Song. I am level 9 bard with a LA +1 from being catfolk. I don't really know how to effectively spend my money without wasting on dumb stuff so if anyone has any items they wanna tell me about it would be great.

Well, first see if you Gm will let you buy off your level adjustment. You'd be 9th level with 43,000 XP (2,000XP from level) if you can buy it off as early as possible.

Second, ... Hold on, wait a second. You're a 9th level bard with a +LA for a ECL10 character. Your DM is letting you select one each of a 5th, 6th, and 7th level item, plus 3000gp at 10th ECL? That's WAY below Wealth By Level. Amazingly below. Is s/he giving you anything else?

WBL says a 10th ECL character should have 49,000gp worth of items. At best, a 7th level item is 3,000gp; a 6th is 2300gp, and a 5th is 1800. For a total of 10,100gp max. That's what a 5th level PC or 8th level NPC would start with.

The NPC equipment rules say a 10th level NPC should have 2x 8th, and one each 7th, 6th, 5th and 4th (and NPC wealth-by-level is only 16,000 gp for 10th level). The PC equipment for leveled items is 2 items of each level 10th through 1st (with some rules for getting higher level items for multiple lower level items).

This screws with the (already poor) balance between casting classes and non-casting classes.

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If your goal is to be a buffer, get things that increase your spells known and number of effective spell slots available. Memento Magica, Wands (or Eternal Wands for longer-lasting spells). Runestaves for more spell options. Lesser metamagic rods (Extend, Maximize, Enlarge, Reach, Quicken, etc.) are always nice.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Crystal Echoblade, if you can get it, is from MIC and gets a damage bonus when you're using music.

Canaith Mandolin, also from MIC, comes with a bunch of useful spells.

Charm of Countersong... also from MIC, I think? is good if you have Countersong, because it allows you to use it 1/day as an immediate action. Countersong isn't a great class feature though, and there are ACFs that replace it.

[StreamOfTheSky]

One of the Complete books had variant rules for masterwork instruments, I think C.Adventurer, where they modified bardic performance modifiers instead of a perform check bonus. The mwk. lute option was for +1 attack bonus from inspire courage, at the cost of -1 to the damage bonus. Which is a good trade on its own. But since Dragonfire Inspiration is based on the attack bonus of inspire courage, it's just a free +1d6. The downside is having to use a lute, taking up your hands. But...the song lingers 5 rounds, and I think by RAW you can start it on the lute, keep the song going with singing (and ride out the 5 round lingering effects of the extra +1d6), then play the lute for a round again to "refresh" the bonus d6. Ask your DM.

[Socratov]

One of the Complete books had variant rules for masterwork instruments, I think C.Adventurer, where they modified bardic performance modifiers instead of a perform check bonus. The mwk. lute option was for +1 attack bonus from inspire courage, at the cost of -1 to the damage bonus. Which is a good trade on its own. But since Dragonfire Inspiration is based on the attack bonus of inspire courage, it's just a free +1d6. The downside is having to use a lute, taking up your hands. But...the song lingers 5 rounds, and I think by RAW you can start it on the lute, keep the song going with singing (and ride out the 5 round lingering effects of the extra +1d6), then play the lute for a round again to "refresh" the bonus d6. Ask your DM.

The masterwork horn does it better: +1 attack bonus, traded for the boost of saves against fear and is one handed.

[Troacctid]

The masterwork horn does it better: +1 attack bonus, traded for the boost of saves against fear and is one handed.
No, it boosts the saves against fear, in exchange for only lasting for 1 round after you stop playing. It doesn't increase the attack bonus.


The mwk. lute option was for +1 attack bonus from inspire courage, at the cost of -1 to the damage bonus. Which is a good trade on its own. But since Dragonfire Inspiration is based on the attack bonus of inspire courage, it's just a free +1d6.
And the lute gives you +1 to your effective level, which only results in an improved attack bonus if you're exactly 7th, 13th, or 19th level. You're thinking of the mandolin.

If you're using Dragonfire Inspiration, you want a mandolin.

[khadgar567]

One of the Complete books had variant rules for masterwork instruments, I think C.Adventurer, where they modified bardic performance modifiers instead of a perform check bonus. The mwk. lute option was for +1 attack bonus from inspire courage, at the cost of -1 to the damage bonus. Which is a good trade on its own. But since Dragonfire Inspiration is based on the attack bonus of inspire courage, it's just a free +1d6. The downside is having to use a lute, taking up your hands. But...the song lingers 5 rounds, and I think by RAW you can start it on the lute, keep the song going with singing (and ride out the 5 round lingering effects of the extra +1d6), then play the lute for a round again to "refresh" the bonus d6. Ask your DM.
the book you are looking for is the ultimate equipment guide volume 2 were bunch of strings to instruments are published

[Troacctid]

the book you are looking for is the ultimate equipment guide volume 2 were bunch of strings to instruments are published

That's not an official D&D book.

[Socratov]

No, it boosts the saves against fear, in exchange for only lasting for 1 round after you stop playing. It doesn't increase the attack bonus.


And the lute gives you +1 to your effective level, which only results in an improved attack bonus if you're exactly 7th, 13th, or 19th level. You're thinking of the mandolin.

If you're using Dragonfire Inspiration, you want a mandolin.


MASTERWORK HORN, NATURAL [Wind Instruments], (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!

This is the instrument of choice for Inspire Courage.

based on this (found in the section of "your Performance" (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9830.0)) the horn does increase accuracy and decreases the bonus on fear saves. but I and the writer of this widely used and discussed handbook might be wrong. I am afb now so I can't look them up...

[Darrin]

based on this (found in the section of "your Performance" (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9830.0)) the horn does increase accuracy and decreases the bonus on fear saves. but I and the writer of this widely used and discussed handbook might be wrong. I am afb now so I can't look them up...

Song & Silence included a section on masterwork instruments for the 3.0 version of the rules. Complete Adventurer (CAdv) updated many of these instruments for 3.5 (but not all of them). Some of the benefits have changed in the 3.5 version, and the horn was one of them. The CAdv version does not specify whether a horn is "natural" or "shell". Neither version mentions an effect for metal/manufactured horns. Some instruments, such as the harmonica, were not updated in CAdv, so presumably the 3.0 versions are still legal in 3.5 games as they appear in Song & Silence.

Anyway, yes, CAdv updated the masterwork horn so it does pretty much the opposite of the 3.0 version. It's not clear if the alphorn or lur (non-natural horns) were included in the CAdv update. Presumably these are different enough from natural/shell horns that their 3.0 versions still exist as distinct masterwork instruments, but that's probably more of a DM's Call kind of thing.

[StreamOfTheSky]

And the lute gives you +1 to your effective level, which only results in an improved attack bonus if you're exactly 7th, 13th, or 19th level. You're thinking of the mandolin.

If you're using Dragonfire Inspiration, you want a mandolin.

Yeah, mandolin's the instrument I meant. I get them confused sometimes. :)

[Hiro Quester]

Badge of Valor improves your Inspire Courage. A Vest of Legends is a must-have.

Gauntlets of Heartfelt blows add your CHA in fire damage to all melee attacks.

But a CHA boosting item would probably be most high on my list.

+1 to the custom runestaff idea. There are a bunch of low-level spells you can benefit from having on a rune staff to increase your spells known, without it being too expensive. Bards have a bunch of great 2 and 3 level spells you can add without too much expense.

Edit: ooh. Get a wand of Heroics. Grant party fighters, rogue, (and/or yourself) the benefit of a fighter feat. Two castings give TWF and ITWF feats for 10 minutes. Get extra uses of the sweet bonus damage from your DFI.