Bard Prestige Class/Options

[Paragon Badger]

So I'm planning on an 'all bards' game.

I have a number of books, but am a bit short on time and thought to ask the playground for some information. Mainly, what prestige classes are out there that are tailored for bards? Any feats or somesuch are also welcome.

I'd like to have all my players go in different directions, role-wise.

[Serenity]

I like the Virtuoso, which gives you a very nice suite of new options for your bardic music. He's in Complete Adventurer.

[Vortling]

Seeker of the Song and Sublime Chord from Complete Arcane are both meant for the bard. As far as feats go, take a look at Snowflake Wardance from Frostburn.

[SadisticFishing]

War Chanter (CWar) and Dawn Caller (RoS) are both really cool for the tank.

My friend's Dawn Caller build:

Bard 2/Barbarian 2/Fighter 1/Dawn Caller 10... Last 4 levels are probably War Chanter.

But a whole group of bards is not going to get very much mileage out of their Inspire Courage, so makes sure you have 1 designated Courage Inspirer, and the rest using other songs.

[Eldariel]

I really love the Sublime Chord/Virtuoso combo. Anyways, all-Bards actually works pretty well. You can make:

-Melee Bard
-Archer Bard
-Arcanist Bard
-Healer Bard

and they'll all be relatively competent (Healer least so - he loses out on the Skill Monkey-side). The most effort ironically goes to making one with Trapfinding and thus full skillmonkeying abilities :P Of course, since Inspire Courages don't stack, there's little point in focusing multiple characters on it. Maybe one using Inspire Courage, another using Dragonfire Inspiration and others being less mass boostish (Healer pretty much requires "Combat Medic"-progression, so he definitely shouldn't be Inspiring Courage and Meleer probably wants a non-Bard PrC too, so Archer and Arcanist could be the Inspirationals). The important ones were brought up already, but to recap:
-Snowflake Wardance (Frostburn) facilitates melee really well.
-Dragonfire Inspiration (Dragon Magic IIRC) gets you a nice bunch of damage bonus to go with your To Hits from the Inspire Courage.
-Song of the Heart (Eberron Campaign Settings or something), Words of Creation (Book of Exalted Deeds), etc. to pump your Inspire Courage.
-Melodic Casting (Complete Mage) is a must for the primary casters.
-Lyric Thaumaturge (Complete Mage) is a Bard PrC to consider, probably for the healer.
-Virtuoso (Complete Adventurer) and Sublime Chord (Complete Arcane) are awesome Bard-ability advancing PrCs.
-Dervish (Complete Warrior) and Combat Medic (Heroes of Battle) supplement the fighter and the healer greatly (Combat Medic learns Heal, the one major spell Sublime Chord can't pick up and Dervish just goes nicely with the whole "Dancing"-thing - combine with Power Attack for Massive Damage).

[Glimbur]

Dragonfire Inspiration; probably from some book about dragons; is nice because it gives xd6 energy damage to melee attacks. Replaces Inspire Courage and is probably also a feat. I need more books...

[Jack_Simth]

(Healer least so - he loses out on the Skill Monkey-side)

This is why you make wands common. Bards don't even need a check to use a wand of Cure Light Wounds - it's on their class list.

[Eldariel]

It's still nice to have access to Heal for in-combat healing, especially against the bigger, badder monsters.

[Hal]

It's not a PrC, but I'm a fan of Bard/Paladin multiclassing. Snowflake Wardance, Divine Might, and Divine Grace combine to give you some crazy Cha synergy. There's a lot more to pump it, but it's a great way of making a combat Bard.

An alternative is Bard/Crusader. That opens up a feat that makes Inspire Courage a swift action to activate, which is a nice feature.

[Recaiden]

The Fochlucan Lyrist prestige class from Complete Adventurer, Dragonsong Lyrist from Draconomicon, and Dirgesinger from Libris Mortis. The last 2 are 5 level classes, and none are especially good, but might be useful.
Like everyone said, seeker of the song and sublime cord.

[Kantur]

It's not a PrC, but I'm a fan of Bard/Paladin multiclassing. Snowflake Wardance, Divine Might, and Divine Grace combine to give you some crazy Cha synergy. There's a lot more to pump it, but it's a great way of making a combat Bard.

An alternative is Bard/Crusader. That opens up a feat that makes Inspire Courage a swift action to activate, which is a nice feature.

Devoted Performer [Complete Adventurer] helps a little as well, letting you multiclass between the two freely and having your levels stack for smite and bardic music uses.

[Flickerdart]

The Dirgesinger (Libris Mortis, I think) is an interesting one, though I'm not sure how powerful it is. Causing skeletons to rise from the ground with the power of music sounds like something from a death metal music video, which is probably awesome. Then take that feat from the Planar Handbook (or Manual of the Planes, I forget) that lets you substitute spell vocal components with any sound and the wailing of your instrument now does everything you ever imagined.
Also, his debuffs would work nicely since they don't interfere with the other bards' buffs.

[namo]

The Debuffer Bard:
- Inspire Awe from Dragon Magic
- Inspire Hatred from Exemplars of Evil
- a 1-level dip in Dirgesinger
- Doomspeak from Champions of Ruin
- Haunting Melody from the Eberron CS or Heroes of Horror
...

[Stupendous_Man]

The Dirgesinger (Libris Mortis, I think) is an interesting one, though I'm not sure how powerful it is. Causing skeletons to rise from the ground with the power of music sounds like something from a death metal music video, which is probably awesome.

Cause this is thriller...

[DreadWarlock]

It's not a PrC, but I'm a fan of Bard/Paladin multiclassing. Snowflake Wardance, Divine Might, and Divine Grace combine to give you some crazy Cha synergy. There's a lot more to pump it, but it's a great way of making a combat Bard.

how can you multiclass paladin/bard if paladins must be of LG aligment and bard of any nonlawful?

[Gralamin]

how can you multiclass paladin/bard if paladins must be of LG aligment and bard of any nonlawful?

Variant Paladins

[Kantolin]

The Devoted Performer feat lets you be a lawful bard. In large part because there isn't a lot of reason why you shouldn't be able to be. :P

For the bard healer, also consider the War Weaver from the Heroes of Battle. Team healing/buffing is awesome.

[OrpheeLyra]

a good prestige class for a bard is Dirgesinger, more if you're a bard neutral or evil alignment. only requires a requiem feat. prestige class makes your bardic music to influence the dead and undead, gives you some songs apart contrary to the bard gives you, as instead of giving bonus to the party, gives penalty to the enemy, and level 5 (Which is the last stage of the prestige class) makes your music can do undead bard. to my taste I will combine with seeker of the song to use the ability to use two bardic music at the same time

[Optimator]

Dirgesinger has some totally badass songs but loses out on spellcasting. Easy enough to get into though, and the trade-off is about even I'd say.

[Panigg]

I like the dervish.

It's a melee/tank bard. I think its in the complete warrior. Works better as a fighter or scout but it actually is a bard prestige class.

[Amphetryon]

Skald, from one of the Faerun books, is pretty kickin'.

[OrpheeLyra]

now that I'm reviewing books faerum, there is another kind of prestige that this interesting for a character bard: Celebrant of Shares, is very good for bards who like the fight, as it gives them something very similar to the ability of the barbarians: rage. bad thing is that is a kind of exalted status, and one of the feats that you must own forbidden to have contact with dead things, so you must not only keep chaotic good, but their contact with dead

[Amphetryon]

Stormsinger, from Frostburn, deserves at least some consideration. In an all-Bard party, Stormsinger's AoE damage is potentially useful.

[Zeta Kai]

One option that I don't see any talk about is the Bard prestige class from Unearthed Arcana (courtesy of the SRD). One or more of your players could start as another class, & then take levels in the Bard PrC. The entry requirements are fairly lax, & you'd all know which way that bard would be leaning right from the start. Also, as a bonus, that bard would be gaining spells from another arcane spellcasting class, so it would add much-needed variety to the party's casting pool.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Does Warblade count? Bard 1/Warblade 19 (usually a few other dips thrown in) is pretty awesome.

Even if it isn't much of Bard, and more a Warblade with Inspire Courage.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

This is what you want. Trust me.

[Flickerdart]

a good prestige class for a bard is Dirgesinger, more if you're a bard neutral or evil alignment. only requires a requiem feat. prestige class makes your bardic music to influence the dead and undead, gives you some songs apart contrary to the bard gives you, as instead of giving bonus to the party, gives penalty to the enemy, and level 5 (Which is the last stage of the prestige class) makes your music can do undead bard. to my taste I will combine with seeker of the song to use the ability to use two bardic music at the same time

How appropriate. Necroing a thread to mention Dirgesinger (redundantly, too).

[jguy]

You guys inspired me to make my Lord of the Dance character just now. Its looking pretty crazy what he can do. I didn't realize how strong Dervish was.

[Optimator]

How appropriate. Necroing a thread to mention Dirgesinger (redundantly, too).

I thought that was pretty funny too.

[Roland St. Jude]

a good prestige class for a bard is Dirgesinger, more if you're a bard neutral or evil alignment. only requires a requiem feat. prestige class makes your bardic music to influence the dead and undead, gives you some songs apart contrary to the bard gives you, as instead of giving bonus to the party, gives penalty to the enemy, and level 5 (Which is the last stage of the prestige class) makes your music can do undead bard. to my taste I will combine with seeker of the song to use the ability to use two bardic music at the same time

Sheriff of Moddingham: I'm sure they would have been interested a year ago. Please don't do thread necromancy.