[3.5] Best Non-Core Bard Sources?

[Kobold-Bard]

Ok so I have all the basics for my Bard from PHB.

What I am looking for is other sources to make my Bard great. Feats, songs, spells, ACF's etc.

I'm going for a music and magic focussed bard, in that order.

Also, what is the boards view of the Factotum?

[Flickerdart]

The boards would pretty much like the Factotum to have their babies.

As for Bard sources, Complete Arcane is your friend. Song and Silence should also be pretty useful.

[Eldariel]

Bard material is unfortunately heavily spread over multiple sources. I'll try to give you a short list.


Feats:

Eberron Campaign Settings
Haunting Melody - Whenever you use Bardic Music, an opponent within 30' saves or becomes Shaken.

Song of the Heart - Improves most of your songs by one "point"; Inspire Courage gives +1/+1 more, Inspire Greatness gives +1 higher bonus on both accounts, etc.

Book of Exalted Deeds
Words of Creation - Allows you to deal non-lethal damage to yourself to double Song-effects and to improve some spells and other miscellaneous goodies.

Complete Mage
Melodic Casting - Cast spells while using Bard Song, use Perform over Concentration.

Races of Stone
Metamagic Song - Use Bardic Music to apply free Metamagic to your spells.

Frostburn
Snowflake Wardance - Burn Bardic Music to use Charisma for attacks for a minute.

etc.


Prestige Classes:

Complete Arcane
Sublime Chord - Enter on level 10 to become a great spellcaster.

Complete Adventurer
Virtuoso - Advances your casting and gives you a new slew of bardic music.

Complete Mage
Lyric Thaumaturge - Learn a bunch of new magical abilities and such for some of your Bard-abilities.

etc.


Alternative Class Features:

Player's Handbook II
Bardic Knack - Lose Bardic Knowledge for half your class level in all untrained skills; great for über skillmonkeying.

Dungeonscape
Mimicking Song - Lose Countersong for a "song" that gives nearby allies (including yourself) scaling bonuses to Move Silently.

Loresong - Lose Bardic Knowledge for the ability to apply set insight bonuses to certain checks few times per day.

Complete Champion
Healing Hymn - Lose Fascinate to make Healing-spells more efficient and to heal more HP overnight.


etc.



Point being that all good Bard-stuff is split over a hundred sources, and there's nary a source with more than one worthwhile Bard-thing. Eberron Campaign Settings is pretty solid and C. Arc and C. Mage are both fine. Really though, Bard wants to draw off as many sources as possible.

[thegurullamen]

Check out the Spell Compendium. It's bardilicious.

[Fax Celestis]

Check out the Spell Compendium. It's bardilicious.

Mmm. Improvisation.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Mmm. Improvisation.

I must say, though, when you have Glibness, who needs anything else?

[Fax Celestis]

I must say, though, when you have Glibness, who needs anything else?

...because, while glibness applies to Bluff, improvisation applies to anything.

[Keld Denar]

Eldariel got most of it. Also of note are:

Dragon Magic:
Dragonfire Inspiration - You MAY convert your +x/+x Inspire Courage into a +xd6 elemental damage. This default to fire, although if you are a 1/2 Dragon OR have the Draconic Heritage feat (also in Dragon Magic, requries Sorc1) you may opt between fire and the element of your patronage.

Spell Compendium:
Inspirational Boost - Swift cast spell that increases the bonus of your Inspire Courage if you start it in the same round as it is cast.

Tons of other Bard only spells, and Wiz/Sorc spells for Sublime Chords.

DMG II:
Vest of Legends - 12,000 g and increases your effective Bard level by 5 to determine the power of songs you already know. Doesn't give you new songs though. Also gives +5 to concentration and perform checks.

Sudden Stunning - Weapon enhancement that costs a fixed 2k gold and allows user to stun a struck foe as a swift action. Times/day and DC both +Cha based and scale well. Combine with Whirling Blade from SpC for a ranged reflex disable.

Magic Item Compendium:
Badge of Valor - Immediate action activation to increase an ongoing Inspire Courage by +1.

Crystal Echoblade - Adds +Bard level sonic damage when attacker is performing bardic music.

Harmonizing - +2 equiv weapon enhancement that grants Lingering Song feat (essentially).

And a few from Dragon Magazines

Gauntlets of Heartfelt Blows - +cha as fire damage, I think they require you to be using bardic music.

[Kobold-Bard]

Thank you all for your help. I will definately use some of these, especially that improvisation spell. That is sweeeeet!

Ahem. Thanks again.