I found an idea for a bard that specialized in a whip/net to control the battlefield via tripping, entangling and OAs. (To fill the gap left by the bard's sub-optimal spellcasting)
As I tried to put a character together, I found their is a serious gap between feats required and the feats a bard has available. Is this build feasible, because I really, really like the idea.
From what I can gather, the build needs the following feats:
Exotic Weapon (Net) / Net Adept
Weapon Focus (Whip) / Whip Mastery / Dazzling Display
Combat Expertise / Improved Trip / Greater Improved Trip
On top of that, I might need 2WFighting and Net and Trident, would Quickdraw do the job instead?
Should I drop the net and focus on the whip? Or get Net Maneuvering and forget the whip?
Should I use Weapon Finesse with the whip?
With this many feats, the fighter is the obvious choice, but I'm not looking for that: Is this possible with a bard?
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I would not spend all of those feats. Use a reach weapon, take the trip feats only, and just use the AoO from them standing to disarm them w/o the feats (it provokes, but if you're out of reach, they can't do squat about it). Or use disarm as a readied action w/ a whip to disarm casters of their material component mid-casting. My friend loved doing that.
Don't get Dazzling Display. Just use the Blistering Invocation spell, it works just as well.
DEFINITELY don't get TWF feats.
Don't use Weapon Finesse, it's just yet another feat, and you'll suffer for damage. Be a high str bard. Do keep dex reasonable and consider the Fury's Fall feat if it gets to a +3 or +4 or more.
Attack bonuses benefit CMB because combat maneuvers are attacks. So your inspire courage helps. You could do Dawnflower Dervish for self-only doubled inspire bonuses, that might be effective for boosting CMB. If you do that...I sort of retract my weapon finesse statement. Your free Dervish Dance feat basically gives you weapon finesse w/ scimitars, but you still need the feat to use dex w/ other weapons (I'd just stick to scimitar use and save the feat).
For dips, Lore Warden Fighter gives free Combat Expertise on top of the bonus feats, and if you go to level 3 you get a flat across the board +2 bonus to CMB. Another potential dip, maybe worth it but probably not...is Inquisitor. Go 3 levels for Solo Tactics and a free teamwork feat. Get Tandem Trip. Now if an ally is threatening a foe, all your trip checks roll 2d20, take the higher. You need Solo Tactics to make it so easy to use (otherwise allies would also need the feat), hence the dip.