Melee Half-Orc Bard

[Nubzcrymore]

The characters starting level will be 3 using the stat array of 15,14,13,12,10,8 starting gold of a level 3, only half gold can go to item creation feats (if i take them) and no more than half gold can go to 1 item.

That is the info the dm has given me to make a character. Currently I believe there will be a cleric and a rogue in the group. So he will fufill the melee fighter role.

The race doesn't have to be half-orc it was just suggested in my other thread.

[Dragonborn3]

Treantmonk's Guide to Bards has a nice section on melee bards. Try to flank with the cleric or the rogue as much as possible to keep the damage dice rolling.

[BobChuck]

Again, Treantmonk is the way to go.

Here's the bard I played in a recent one-shot. Character is 8th level, with standard wealth, and 15 point buy.

This guy is controller focused and defensive buff focused. He's good at making himself hard to injure and making enemies easy to injure.

He's a one-shot character, so there's a few bits that might need cleaning up.

Gorkor CR 8
XP 0 (PC)
Male Half-Orc Bard 8
CN Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +9
Languages common, orc, elf .
AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 20 (+8 armor, +1 dex, +1 nat, +1 def)
CMD 23, 25 vs sunder
hp max 88 (8d8+24 HD, +8 fav, tough)
Resist and SR none
Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +5 .
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee Scorn +12/+7 (2d4+7+1d6 /18x2)
Ranged Ranged +7 (1d0+0 /20x2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +6; CMB +11
Atk Options Cleave, Power Attack (-2 attack, +6 damage), Sunder +13, Bardic Music 21 rounds/day, Orc Ferocity 1/day
Spells Prepared none +0d1
Combat Gear none .
Abilities Str 20, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 7, Cha 17
SQ Versatile Performance (Oratory, Dance) (Acrobatics, Diplomacy, Fly, Sense Motive); Loremaster 1/day
Feats Cleave, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Toughness.
Skills acrobatics*, diplomacy*, fly*, sense*; Intimidate +16, Perception +9, Perform (dance) +14, Perform (oratory) +14, Stealth +12, Spellcraft +12, Use Magic Device +14; know +5.
Possessions combat gear, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Cloak of Resistance +1, Ring of Protection +1, Belt of Strength +2, Headband of Cha +2, Mithril Breastplate +2, blah; Scorn (+1 flaming Adamantine Falchion), combat item; 625 gold

Bardic Music: Fascinate (3 targets, DC 17; take no actions and –4 perception), Inspire Courage (+2 to attack, damage, saves vs charm and fear), Inspire Competence (Skill +3), Suggestion (DC 17), Dirge of Doom (enemies shaken)

Cleave: Standard Action, -2 AC. Single Attack; if hits, damage as normal and additional attack at full bonus to second target.

Spells per Day (DC 13+level): 1st – 5; 2nd – 4; 3rd – 3.
Spells Known: 0th – Detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, mending, read magic, prestidigitation; 1st – charm person, ex retreat, grease, hideous laughter, silent image; 2nd – glitterdust, invisibility, mirror image, pyrotechnics; 3rd – confusion, phantom steed, slow.

[insaneogeddon]

Fighter replacement Bard = Melee Half Orc

We will need to focus on damage and hitpoints relying on spells like MIRROR IMAGE then displacement for defence so dex is a low priority.

Your Buy was 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8

I would 15 str, 14 chr, 13 con, 12 int, 10 dex, 8 wis (dex might be swapped with int but skills are awesome and your AC is all about avoidance and HP not AC)

4th: +1 con or str (whichever is needed in game, 8th the other... depends on if you get a +2 or +4 str item and when as you want your str bonus to be even which makes the 2hands damage maximised)

12th and 16th: Charisma. You want a +2 chr item before 7th +4 by 10th.
Or put this to strength and get yourself a +2 chr book... str items go to +6 and remember you want an even str bonus).

2 most important general items are: Con amulet, Ring of Evasion (negates HEAPS of damage). Otherwise your spells should cover all your get out of jail free needs.

Skills: Make sure you read 'versitile peformance' your 2nd level bard gift before choosing skills.

Feat choice i am angling heavily for more damage or 'DPR' if your into soul kill. I am avoiding item creation that isn't arms and armour as 1. your spell lists limit you with most item types and 2. Arms and Armour is made for the melee bard. This build should do well. Good damage, Great skills, Flexibility, Party 'face', Spells for defense and the odd buff and ranged lock down or invis/d.door help.

1. Arcane Strike (hit as magic, +1 dam per 2 levels)
3. W.Focus Falcion (+1 hit adds up :)
worth noting: if you cannot buy wanted items/get wanted items/build wanted items and are prone to swapping out weapons/using reach weapons etc I would swap this for step up. A long spear and tumble can be a handy combo)
5. Craft Arms and Armour (should add precious AC.. or crit immunity.. and keep a chosen weapon above the wealth average)
worth noting: if you don't get time to craft or didn't take falcion I would choose toughfness instead.
7. Power Attack (by now with the odd spell or rousing speech you should have to hit to burn)
9. Cleave (if you skirmish alot) but toughfness or step up are probably better choices mr fighter.
11. Critical Focus (this is wher falcions rock over longspears n other weapons cripples without acrobatics need)
13. Improved Critical
worth noting: 11 and 13 can be taken in either order I like the themantics of this order buy I believe damage is best served in its opposite.
15. Bleeding OR Sickening Critical (i do like bleed, some like sickie)

Don't feel you need to be some singing dancer prancer gre..ay elf you are a half orc. Be anything from a spiked leather and chain wearing lead metal singer rockstar to a jedi just wright brother up an inventive character history and behave as suits.

eg:

Jedi.
You don't need to sing. Make your peform Kata/Stances (dance), Kiai (oratory)
You can use said 'physical mastery' and 'breathing control' to do everything from acrobatics and diplomacy to sense motive.
Your focused Kiai can boost your and others combat spirit (inspire), break others magics (distraction), comand their focus(fascinate), intimidate them (suggestion), break their fighting spirit (dirge of doom).
You can resist others honeyed words (well versed) that sway those with less spirit.
You are no brute but a cultured highly sophisticated warrior. Capeable at many arts including calligraphy (act), and poetry (comedy) and educated in the ways of every enemy, every strategy, every esoteric secret (bardic knowledge) eventually mastering such knowledge as it becomes part of you and your art (lore master).

Or reject the MAN, grunt and ROCK ONnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnNNNnNnNNnN.....THUN-DA !

[SirUrza]

I hope your DM goes easy on you guys, because the bard is awefully squishy. I might talk to the cleric player and get him to do most of the melee. While a bard can't full-time heal like a cleric, you can atleast heal the cleric when he's in a situation where he can't cast a spell.

[insaneogeddon]

Reflex saves and Mirror Image add many phantom hit points.
HP are d8 + 1 (fav class) + con + toughfness
Ith a psycotic rogue and bard boosted full attacks they should be able to drop things fast or at least escape.

Its not a traditional party with a 'solid wall' at front and a 'wizard' behind so it appears the DM and the players are a little more creative and flexible.

[Iczer]

I have a half orc bard in a campiagn (well one of the players is playing him)

He calls himself a barbarian. It's written on his character sheet, but we have a nod nod, wink wink relationship. When he says 'Barbarian' he means Bard.

He's a high dex, medium strength guy with medium charisma. He uses Performance: dance as his schtick, and calls it 'wardancing'. when he 'wardances' as part of inspire courage, he only uses it on himself (the other party members do not benefit)

His build is pretty simple. str 12 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 12 cha 14 (IIRC) he uses a chain shirt and his Greataxe, so he looks very barbarian-ny, if a little weedy.

His spell choices are comprehend languages, expeditious retreat (which he uses to charge and perform prodigious leaps) and Fear (he is a barbarian after all)

He intends to, around 5th level, dip into ranger. he feels his combat prowess may need a boost by that point (he still intends to call himself a barbarian though)

Batts