(3.5) creating a heavy metal themed bard

[maniakmastah]

Hey y'all, after making a few largely melee based characters, i'm gonna stat up something different and try my hands at bard, with a Judas Priest theme to him. So i'm gonna need suggestions on EVERYTHING, race, class, spells, items (especially trying to see if i can get a guitar around the DM that fires sonic damage), the whole shabang. One thing i wanna put an emphasis on is making him hard to hit and giving him good boosting and offensive abilities. I feel this would be a fun character to surprise my DM with, or a fun one to drop on my players to get a few good laughs. Eagerly awaiting your suggestions.

[Zom B]

Go with Libris Mortis and play an awakened skeleton. Nothing more metal than a guy with a skull for a head playing an electric guitar. Except maybe a guy with a metal spiked skull for a head playing an electric guitar.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

For stats? Bard/Paladin with Devoted Performer(stacks for Smite and Song) or Bard/Crusader with Song of the White Raven, snag Snowflake Wardance, and go to town.

For flavor, dump the guitar. It's classic metal, but too humorous. Go with a violin. With an adamantine bow.

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[maniakmastah]

Go with Libris Mortis and play an awakened skeleton. Nothing more metal than a guy with a skull for a head playing an electric guitar. Except maybe a guy with a metal spiked skull for a head playing an electric guitar.

LOL, if i did do this, i'd have to call him Eddie just on principle.

[JeenLeen]

There are a few magical instruments in Magic Item Compedium. I don't think any of them suit your needs, but they could be used as a template for what ideas work and what powers to allow: make something comparable that your character wishes to use, and price it the same.

Complete Adventurer also has masterwork instruments which give certain boosts. Nothing 'heavy metal' IIRC, but some stuff to use as a basis to refluff or to base new stuff off of.

[maniakmastah]

For stats? Bard/Paladin with Devoted Performer(stacks for Smite and Song) or Bard/Crusader with Song of the White Raven, snag Snowflake Wardance, and go to town.

For flavor, dump the guitar. It's classic metal, but too humorous. Go with a violin. With an adamantine bow.

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Any specific amounts of levels to take, as well as useful prestige classes to consider along the way?

Lol, nice, bow doubles as i playing instrument and garrote wire. Might consider that.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Melee-based, I like the Bardsader. Something like Bard 4(2nd level spells and Insp Comp)/Crusader 16(IL 18 and 19 BAB). PrCs don't work that well for a bard outside a small few, and most of those aren't suited for a melee Bard. Snowflake Wardance is a feat that adds your Cha to AB, stacking with Smite. Grab Power Attack, and you can convert that to damage, on top of the effects of your maneuvers.

And the bow isn't a wire, it's a blade. Granted, it would normally cut the strings, so they have to be adamantine, too. And the sound would be aweful without some sort of lubricant. I recommend blood.

[sonofzeal]

Did someone ask for the Disciple of Metal?

[DaedalusMkV]

Heavy metal Bard, eh? Well, bards can cast in light armour, so take Battlecaster twice and wear Adamantine Full Plate while you bard it up. That's about as heavy as metal ge... Right. THAT kind of heavy metal. Do the above, but light your helmet on fire, cover it with spikes and play a magical electric guitar?

[Thurbane]

Heavy metal Bard, eh? Well, bards can cast in light armour, so take Battlecaster twice and wear Adamantine Full Plate while you bard it up. That's about as heavy as metal ge... Right. THAT kind of heavy metal. Do the above, but light your helmet on fire, cover it with spikes and play a magical electric guitar?

Meh, I'd go for the classic JP studded leather myself...

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...or maybe a Warforged Bard who goes around singing "I...AM...IRON...MAN..." all day!

[Brendan]

Absolute minimal ranks in perform. Max out con for al the alchemical materials you use to make your head go bzzzzzz!
Wear a Mask of the skull.
have your guitar or violin be made into a functional battleaxe.

[maniakmastah]

Melee-based, I like the Bardsader. Something like Bard 4(2nd level spells and Insp Comp)/Crusader 16(IL 18 and 19 BAB). PrCs don't work that well for a bard outside a small few, and most of those aren't suited for a melee Bard. Snowflake Wardance is a feat that adds your Cha to AB, stacking with Smite. Grab Power Attack, and you can convert that to damage, on top of the effects of your maneuvers.

And the bow isn't a wire, it's a blade. Granted, it would normally cut the strings, so they have to be adamantine, too. And the sound would be aweful without some sort of lubricant. I recommend blood.

This sounds good, although i might need to convince my DM to allow Tome of Battle, and brush up on it myself since my experience with ToB is limited as well. The studded leather would fit the Judas Priest theme of the character, now i just need ideas to crank up AC and add miss chances, any suggestions?

[maniakmastah]

Meh, I'd go for the classic JP studded leather myself...

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...or maybe a Warforged Bard who goes around singing "I...AM...IRON...MAN..." all day!

i bow to your awesomeness for adding this pic of Halford. You know, that was a running joke me and my group had when i played a Warforged Fighter in a past game and one of his quirks was that he had ranks in Perform (stringed instruments) and basically played heavy metal, and whenever he'd go on a killing spree, we'd play Iron Man.

[maniakmastah]

Did someone ask for the Disciple of Metal?

LOL, this is the greatest prestige class ever, lol. I've gotta show my DM this just for laughs. Thanks for adding.

[Decoy Lockbox]

[Andras]

varg cat picture

Low-level wizard, equipment: dagger, cat familiar, prepares nothing but fire spells?

[Book Wyrm]

I think everyones forgetting the best heavy metal melee bard combo: Dragonfire Inspiration, it lets you light your weapons on fire.

It's from Dragon Magic, you need dragon blood subtype (I'd suggest Silverbrow Humans), Cha 11, and Bardic Music. (your a bard you better have the last two). The feat lets you substitute your Inspire Courage bonus for an extra 1d6 in fire damage on all weapon attacks for every bonus point you would have received from Inspire Courage. Then also take the Draconic Heritage feat so you can change the damage type.

To really cheese it out take the Words of Creation feat from BoED. Doubles your bonus to Inspire Courage (read Dragonfire Inspiration) for 3d4 nonlethal damage. Then take 2 levels of Seeker of the Song (CArc) or 5 levels of War Chanter (CW) for the combine song ability. Now you can play Inspire Courage and Dragonfire Inspiration at the same time.

So I'd suggest a Silverbrow Human Bard2/Crusader 8/Seeker 2/Crusader 8. You'll need Able Learner (to keep Perform and Know(arcana) as class skills for Seeker entry), Dragonfire Inspiration, Draconic Heritage, Song of the White Raven, and only Words of Creation if you want the ultimate cheese. Top it off with a Harmonizing Adamantine Greataxe/Guitar.

Nothing says Heavy Metal Bard like a face full of Flaming Axe.

[Fhaolan]

I think everyones forgetting the best heavy metal melee bard combo: Dragonfire Inspiration, it lets you light your weapons on fire.

<snip>

Nothing says Heavy Metal Bard like a face full of Flaming Axe.

*blink* *blink*

Okay, somehow I have to find a way to rebuild my Goth Paladin with a Dire Bat special mount character as a Paladin/Bard kind of thing. That would be too awsome for words.

"I smite you with my flaming Vox Phantom XII!"

[Book Wyrm]

Maybe bite the head off your dire bat mount as a sacrifice to the gods of metal to rework some of those paladin levels into bard.

EDIT: Also, I think I found a way to make this even better. Instead of Silverbrow Human just go regular Human for the bonus feat. Take the Dragontouched feat again from Dragon Magic. This gives you the some small bonuses, the dragonblood subtype, and treats you as a 1st level sorcerer for draconic feats. Now take Draconic Heritage and select either Bronze or Blue dragon. Now with your energy substituted Dragonfire Inspiration you can hit someone in the face with an ELECTRIC guitar.

[Andras]

Instead of Silverbrow Human just go regular Human for the bonus feat.

Silverbrow loses the skill point bonus, not the feat.

[Kris Strife]

*blink* *blink*

Okay, somehow I have to find a way to rebuild my Goth Paladin with a Dire Bat special mount character as a Paladin/Bard kind of thing. That would be too awsome for words.

"I smite you with my flaming Vox Phantom XII!"

Take your first Bard level at a level when you get a feat anyways and grab Devoted Performer from Complete Scoundrel.

[PinkysBrain]

Bard 5/dirge singer 5/seeker of the song X

It will take you till level 15 before you can do sonic damage with your song (fire at 11). From level 6 onwards you are this guy though :

[Gensh]

Depending on how you want to portray your metal, probably either war chanter for melee or seeker of the song for shooting blasts out of your instrument.

And seriously? Yeah, it's really more of a sorc/wiz thing but how is it that no one's mentioned DS?

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[The Demented One]

My suggestion?

[Rhydeble]

Play a warforged, build a door in your chestplate.
If anyone wants to cast something mind affecting on you, open your chestplate-door.

"can't break a metal heart"

[Thurbane]

I just had another thought: Bard/Binder/Anima Mage, going for Favored Vestige (Ronove - the Iron Maiden)!