Minor enhancement: The ammunition text fields are char size '5' which makes them difficult to read. '10' would be more appropriate.
Also, is there any functionality to this section, w/r/t calculating weight and stuff? I rarely use it anyway because using pulldowns to check off boxes is kind of tedious :P
I would like to ask: What do you want you character to do? what do you want to concentrate on?
Skill-monkey/archer.
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Also, looking at your skill list, don't forget: You get FREE skills based off performances!!! Also, bardic knowledge makes it a good idea to spread 1 point around in as many knowledge scores as possible, and only max what is really important to you.
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That's exactly what I'm doing. The 2 x Perform is for 2 of those performance skill things.
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While I understand the desire to have a visual and audible performance right off the bat to gain access to all bardic abilities, I think your skills are costing you too much.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by this. Why would I need a skill to do "visual and audible" performance? Are you saying the bardic performances require these as pre-reqs? I don't see them used any where as skill modifiers.
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Constitution, while nice, may also be a bit steep, as you're going to be ranged and mobile - and your mount can't take much damage, meaning if you're in melee, it's already very very bad for you.
Good point. I guess I should learn to play him as a squish, even if he does get medium armor and d8...
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If you're going to be an archer bard with 15 point buy, I would suggest something like:
Str: 12, Dex: 18, Con: 10, Int: 12, Wis: 7, Cha: 16
Lower...
Yeah, this was my original stat allocation, until I messed around with lowering the DEX a bit to make me more balanced. I'll have to think about this.
Thanks for all your feedback so far. Very helpful!
with your high dex, a single skill rank in ride is all that's needed to use a riding dog as a shooting platform and later phantom speed as a FLYING platform. The advantages of that can't be underestimated. :)
Now THIS is what I'm talking about. Doing a little research, it looks like, with a riding dog, I can:
- Move 40'
- Ride in a dungeon
- Make full-round attacks while moving
- Have him actually attack in a pinch!
So this is actually a BIG advantage for a halfling!
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Now, if halfling doesn't appeal to you, don't do it. But I don't think the mechanics should hold you back at all.
It definitely does...otherwise I would have started this thread ;) I want to be one...I just want to make sure they don't aren't a lot worse than a human.
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That's not a bad set of stats for 15, plus wouldn't likely have two 16's with a human.
Yes..that's why I say, on average, being a halfling gives you a +1 CHA (every four levels) advantage over a human.
If I put a shield in the "Shield" section of my sheet, but select "Shield=No" under the "AC" section, then the shield AC is not calculated in the total AC.
This is great.
But, it still adds the armor check penalty to everything (particularly the skills that take armor check penalties).
I would assume the "Shield=Yes/No" toggle should also toggle off AC penalties as well.
I tested out the encumbrance hit and that seems to be working--can you recheck that one for me? I tested with both a human and a halfling couldn't find any problems.
I verfied it. The sheet thinks that I still have light load, even though the max weight is 20 and I'm carrying 21.5.
1st lvl Halfling Bard
Stats:
8 (Raw: 10)
18 (Raw: 16)
12
12
7
16 (Raw: 14)
Equipment:
MW Chain Shirt
Shortbow
Rapier
Heavy Wooden Shield
By playing a bard, you are already accepting that fact that you're not the primary damage dealer, so an 8 str isn't really going to be that much worse than a 10 str, especially if you use a bow that doesn't normally add str to damage anyway.
Yeah, but it subtracts from your dmg. 8 STR gives -1 dmg.
What do you want your bard to be? If you're going for melee, yeah, the halfling is going to be disadvantaged. If you're going ranged, however, the lack of movement won't be so bad, and the dex bonus will be helpful to hit as well as defenses without spending a feat. Another thought would be a mount, if you want to try a halfling archer.
I could see a halfling outrider squad leader, given to stirring speeches and shouting out coordinated attack plans. I believe Treantmonk's guide to bards has a ranged build that holds it's own.
I'm going archer build but, as you know, human's get the same Dex bonus as halflings. And, so you're not gimped in the dmg department, you will have to allocate SOME of that Charisma bonus for a few points in Strength just to get it back up to 10.
Hence, my conclusion that the net effect in stats, for a halfing vs human, is a small bump in Charisma effectiveness once every 4 levels (meaning @ lvl 1, its an odd-numbered Charisma, which is useless, but @ lvl 4 its an even-numbered Charisma, which isn't, etc).
Having to waste a feat (Combat Riding) just to move as fast as a human is still a disadvantage...
Again, I'm not trying to figure out ways to make the halfing bard effective...I'm trying to figure out why making one wouldn't be entirely less effective than a human bard.
I'm a min-maxer by nature, but I'm also trying to be a little flexible when it comes to adding flavor to my char. Right now I'm trying to choose between a halfling and human bard.
Bards, some would think, would already be gimping my char, so I don't want to do so even more by picking a gimpy race. Having said that, it seems to me, @ first glance, that halflings are such a race.
I've tried to break this down as easily as possible. If you choose a halfling over a human, you have the following tradeoffs:
- Using a shortbow, with an 8 Strength, does not give you a -1 to damage (Mine still shows 1d4), the rapier does show 1d4 -1 though, so I assume its a ranged weapon issue
- An encumbered halfling does not lower max dex bonus by 1 (my 18 Dex still adds +4 to my AC)
This, too, has replaced The Only Sheet for my needs. Great job!
Bug: The "Halfling Sling Staff" does not show up as proficient when the character is a halfling. When I select the class as "Fighter" my character has a +6 to his attack. When I select the class as "Bard" my character gets +1.
So I, a lvl 16 Half-Orc Monk with 170 HP, and the rest of my party go up the stairs and find Balor. After deftly avoiding his Rain of Fire spell, we spread out around the room and prepare our attacks. Knowing that I'm the only one that can withstand a few full-round attacks, with Fly and Displacement spells on, I perform a flying charge @ the demon in attempt to keep him away from our squishes.
Tumble check fails, provoking an AOO. Balor swings with his vorpal blade. Rolls against the Displacement and succeeds. Rolls the d20 and...rolls 20. My headless body falls to the ground.
I'm typing this as they are attempting to take the beast down. Doesn't look like they stand a chance...TPK fast approaching.
