The Name is Bard, James Bard...

[Rasman]

bad puns are still bad...

...but srsly, I'm getting ready to introduce a character into a co-workers campaign, he bounces ideas off of me as to what to do with them and I know the party pretty well...they might all be idiots...and I got a pretty good feel for what they're missing, the party face. They have Dwarf fighter that...that...you just need to know he's Chaotic...a Ranger, Cleric and Transmute Focused Wizard, with a Druid and Necromancer on vacation. I'd be the most experienced player in the group when I joined, but that's not saying much, so I decided to play the "I know...didn't you?" kinda bard that spotlights as a spy. But then I got to thinking, can a bard really optimize for that kind of role? Wouldn't a rogue technically be better for a stealthy type considering that's their big pony trick anyway.

So, basically, I'm looking for advice as to what I should look at to turn a Bard into Bond.

I also failed to mention...I sadly start at level 5 and I'm limited to Spells, Classes and Feats from Players Handbook I & II, Complete Adventurer, Arcane, Mage, Divine and Warrior.

[hamishspence]

Bards make great spies- but not necessarily spies of the Bond type- more "real life" spies who carefully recruit agents in the enemy country without anyone finding out, and setting them to gather information.

An agent themselves would probably gain a lot from the bard class.

I think historical bards (because they had something like "diplomatic immunity" might actually have worked as spies- carefully gathering information in the enemy court.

[Morph Bark]

I think historical bards (because they had something like "diplomatic immunity" might actually have worked as spies- carefully gathering information in the enemy court.

Ju-ju-just like the bad guys from Lethal Weapon 2,
I got diplomatic immunity! So Hammer, you can't sue.

Seriously though, that could work. You could throw in a small dash of Indiana Jones with ease too, since Bards are proficient with whips. Perhaps add in a skill trick for your whip? (Or was that Complete Scoundrel, I forgot.)

[Rasman]

Ju-ju-just like the bad guys from Lethal Weapon 2,
I got diplomatic immunity! So Hammer, you can't sue.

Seriously though, that could work. You could throw in a small dash of Indiana Jones with ease too, since Bards are proficient with whips. Perhaps add in a skill trick for your whip? (Or was that Complete Scoundrel, I forgot.)

pretty sure that's Complete Scoundrel, but as long as it's something that isn't broken and I bring it up with the DM, he's cool with it...he mostly wants to keep it simple to keep the book keeping down and the flow faster because he likes to get as much done in a session as he can...mostly because the party tends to waste a lot of time...

I'm just a really bad optimizer with 3.5, I've only ever actually played Pathfinder and optimizing for it is slightly easier IMO due to the changes to certain aspects and class skills/abilities

[Tyrmatt]

Given the bardic bent for charm magic and the ability to recover lost information through various channels, the bard makes for an excellent spy, even on the Bond scale.

Stack on the Charm Person, Glibness etc and you're a smooth-talkin' joke crackin' espionage machine.

[Kol Korran]

i'm kinda bad at optimizing as well, but a few things come to mind: (make sure to read the last point!)
- James bond is also quite the physical spy, not just the social spy. maybe multiclass with rogue? or just have high enough int for skill points.
- if you can play one (not likely from the books you've mentioned, but still), try to go for the changling. awesome for infiltrations and social stuff. the changling rogue substitution class (races of eberron) is a master at socializing, and has 10 skill points per level.
- another idea... why not a warlock? your eldritch blast is your secret concealed weapon ("no, i don't carry a weapon. magic caster? don't they usually have a something called a spell component pouch? really, you can strip me") they have a high charisma, social skills, and some invocations might be nice (i'm thinking of Beguiling influence at the moment- +3 to social skill). and the reliable UMD just means that you'll be using all those nifty gadgets with ease... i haven't run the numbers to make sure he's as good as the bard, but he might. maybe multiclassed with rogue or bard?
- the main problem however as i see it, is that this type of character works mostly alone, and won't function well with the group as a group. you'll either hog some spot light time for yourself and your spy shenanigens, or get bored/ frustrated to death when the others get tired of waiting and break the tables.

i hope this helped, Kol.

[Rasman]

i'm kinda bad at optimizing as well, but a few things come to mind: (make sure to read the last point!)
- James bond is also quite the physical spy, not just the social spy. maybe multiclass with rogue? or just have high enough int for skill points.
- if you can play one (not likely from the books you've mentioned, but still), try to go for the changling. awesome for infiltrations and social stuff. the changling rogue substitution class (races of eberron) is a master at socializing, and has 10 skill points per level.
- another idea... why not a warlock? your eldritch blast is your secret concealed weapon ("no, i don't carry a weapon. magic caster? don't they usually have a something called a spell component pouch? really, you can strip me") they have a high charisma, social skills, and some invocations might be nice (i'm thinking of Beguiling influence at the moment- +3 to social skill). and the reliable UMD just means that you'll be using all those nifty gadgets with ease... i haven't run the numbers to make sure he's as good as the bard, but he might. maybe multiclassed with rogue or bard?
- the main problem however as i see it, is that this type of character works mostly alone, and won't function well with the group as a group. you'll either hog some spot light time for yourself and your spy shenanigens, or get bored/ frustrated to death when the others get tired of waiting and break the tables.

i hope this helped, Kol.

I'm actually not worried about being the "loner" type, loner type can be part of a group without being part of the group...I would make a Reborn reference to Hibari, but not the right boards...he'd basically be there to be the Social character with some combat support and maybe one "THAT'S IT!" spell or ability

[gallagher]

once you get glibness, you are the best spy the team could ever have.

as a bard, you dont have to worry about hide checks into the castle, you are already invited. whats that, you dont appear on the guest list? thanks to glibness, you were personally invited by the magistrate himself that morning!

[true_shinken]

The physical part of Bond can be easily done with Snowflake Wardance and Dragonfire Inspiration. Sadly, that's from Frostburn and Dragon Magic.

[Rasman]

The physical part of Bond can be easily done with Snowflake Wardance and Dragonfire Inspiration. Sadly, that's from Frostburn and Dragon Magic.

well, like I said, if I ask, I might be able to get it, I just have to get approval...I'm actually looking REALLY hard at Dragonfire Inspiration, tbh...I'll have to go look at Snowflake Wardance again though