Bard / Sorcerer stage magician build

[thomax]

I'm creating a first level character for a new campaign and would really appreciate some input on getting the most out of this, within the limits I'm operating. And the limits are these:
- 6 points stat buy.
- Human only.
- Multiclass bard/sorcerer, but mainly a bard.
- Bard can never be more than double the level of the sorcerer.

So far I've set up these stats:
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 13
Int: 10
Wis: 10
Chr: 13

...or should there maybe be some dex or wis in there?

For feats, I'm thinking Extra Performance and Lingering Performance, but I'm not really sure if I need both?

Regarding bard archetype and sorcerer bloodline, I'm completely stumped; any suggestion would be very welcome indeed.

And then there are spells: What to choose, from which class?

Can anyone help me out?

[Exocrat]

That's gonna be a rough one to play. Super fragile, bad spell progression, class abilities that don't synergize, etc. I'd suggest this stat line:

STR: 8
DEX: 13
CON: 12
INT: 10
WIS: 8
CHA: 16 (including racial +2)

Take Lingering Spell. Extra Performance isn't worth it.

If you're playing with traits you should absolutely choose the Magical Knack trait for whichever class you have more levels of. You should also look for feats that boost your caster level.

For bard archetype, you're best off with vanilla bard, though you may want to consider Magician for the bonus to caster level checks.

[Quandary]

1st off, congrats on playing such a low point buy!
i would agree that a stat array more like Exocrat suggests would work better,
you can shift things around, maybe ditch INT instead, but i think it's clear that an array like he suggests would be better at the stuff you need your character to be good at. at the minimum, having a decently high CHA means you will have enough rounds of Bardic Performance so that you don't need Extra Performance at low levels, and at higher levels you will have enough anyways... better to spend the Feat on something else (like Skill Focus to qualify for Eldritch Heritage).

i would suggest not multi-classing, but just going full bard.
with the magician archetype, you will be able to learn non-bard arcane spells,
and if you like the bloodline flavor/abilities, you can take Eldritch Heritage.
(Arcane Bloodline would get you a Familiar, other BLs could expand your Enchantment spells to Undead, etc)

[thomax]

Thanks Quandary and Exocrats for the insight! I agree I should face my destiny and just dump the strength.

Magician would be perfect, but it's a bit tough to loose the party buff (to hit & damage wise) granted by inspire courage, no? It's one of the main features of a PC bard, as I see it..

The Eldritch Heritage feat sounds very nice! But can this really be taken by a sorcerer, thus getting benefits from several bloodlines?

Also, I agree that Extra Performance is only necessary at low levels and that Lingering Spell can be useful on higer levels.

The bloodline which lets undead be targeted by enchantment spells sounds like a very good plan! Are there several who do this? Guess I'll have to really dig into the bloodline stuff from all the books now 8-)

[Corlindale]

Magician is a nice archetype. It's a little annoying to lose inspire courage, but you do get inspire greatness/heroics later on, at least. Also, you still get good support power through the bard spells (certain spells, such as Gallant Inspiration, actually work better for bards without inspire courage).

A regular bard would work fine as well. They actually have a pretty nice spell list out of the boxs. And they can do a lot of "stage-magician" type stuff.

If you want to target undead with enchantment spells, you could also be a Dirge bard, a necromancy-flavoured bard archetype with a selection of quite nice powers. Not quite stage-magician in flavour, though, unless it's a very shady place you're going to perform.

You could dip crossblooded sorceror for the bloodline arcanas. Fey+Undead or Fey+Serpentine could be nice for an enchantment-focused bard.

[Michael Radagast]

Have to admit, I have a soft spot for the Street Performer.

[Anonymous Visitor 163 576]

I might combine magician bard with the Maestro bloodline. That way, you trade out all your bard abilities with one hand, and get some of them back with the other.

I agree with the stats, you want some solid dexterity. Put ranks into sleight of hand as well.

Don't forget languages. Many spells and skills are language dependent, and you need to be able to communicate. It's also a good way to leverage your excellent social skills.

[thomax]

Thanks for all the good advice. I think I'll go with vanilla bard, and the Serpentine bloodline. Will definitely dump strength. Dirge bard is pretty cool, and tempting, but not really what I had in mind this time around :-)