The idea is a character who focuses on buffing the party primarily and being an archer when needed (meaning that's where my feats are going). Out of combat I'll have him get a ton of social and knowledge skills.
This might be the most crowded campaign I've ever played as there will be six other players. That makes me loathe to give up Inspire Courage or any other inherent Bard buff.
The campaign goes from level 6 to about 14. All published Pathfinder material ok.
I've looked over the archetypes, and unless I've missed something think that the bard core class will best serve my needs.
Any thoughts from you build wizards out there?
Will an Archer Bard be near enough to his allies to inspire them?
|
Any thoughts from you build wizards out there?
As a favoured class bonus the Aasimar get to add 1/2 their level to a particular bardic performance. This will let you get a little more oomph out of Improving Morale. And with one of the subraces having Dex + Cha its a pretty sweet choice for that as well.
Otherwise, make sure that your Cha bonus is high. As a buffer you don't really care about the saves but you want as many spells as you can manage. I'd be putting a lot of resources into Charisma (stat, stat bumps, magic items).
Will an Archer Bard be near enough to his allies to inspire them?
An Archer Bard makes a point of staying close enough to do keep his buffs/performances effective. That's the bard's main purpose; the archery is just a bonus on top of all the buffs you already give out.
I guess it mostly depends on what you're willing to give up. Obviously not Inspire Courage. But Fascinate and Suggestion might not be missed.
Geishas are nice for their pre-buffing - if the fights usually announce themselves ten minutes in advance. The Savage Skald works best in a party of various warriors, and the Dirge Bard obviously excels in an undead-rich environment. But frankly, I think the default Bard is the best Bard for an archer. Especially when you want to be the out-of combat skillmonkey.
straight bard
eventually you will both rock as an archer and the inspire/good hope will make every psrty member love you AND will never go out of fashion
dont go for many attacking spells as the DCs will never be great
Animal Speaker, because the best support is covering your ebonies in rat swarms!