Bards: jack of all trades vs. the need to specialize

[Peter J]

Early in the game there is less numerical difference separating the classes, and it's possible to pick up a secondary role within the group, such as a ranger switching back and forth between ranged and melee, or a bard who flips between a rapier for damage or a whip for tripping. However, as monsters get tougher, characters need to develop a specialty to be able to hit higher ACs and CMDs. You need the extra bonuses from feats to be able to pull of the same moves. This isn't a bad thing per se, but it does narrow your options a little. By mid game the cleric probably isn't doing much melee anymore in favor of being a full-time caster, for example.

Which brings me to the bard. Someone who has been traditionally typecast as a jack of all trades doesn't really have a good niche. He may be a great skill-monkey, but that doesn't necessarily help in combat. How do you build your bard, either as a supporter or as a damage-dealer?

[tonyz]

I do bards as primarily buffers, and then have them learn at least one other thing to do in combat. It could be archery, it could be mass intimidate, it could be something else, but you need to have simething to do other than sing/haste/good hope.

[Riuken]

Knowledge checks help combat alot (because knowing is half the battle). Bards do well at buffing allies through song and spell, and a bard can easily be focused into an enchantment monster. Essentially, a bard continues to be a jack-of-all-trades even if he/she specializes into being an archer, enchanter, buffer, tripper, or whatever.

[ConnorElzaim]

I'm currently in a scantly Pathfinder campaign with my sister that's solo and very social oriented. That said, I've still taken weapon finesse, because this thing went slowly for a number of years and prior to recent days I didn't exactly acknowledge the usefulness of strength over dexterity.

That said, I'm also intent on buffing her enchantment spells, maybe taking spell pen because this is a drow oriented campaign and spell resistance is an irritant to overcome.

Other than that, I do intend to specialize to the intent of the campaign with other feats like prodigy or skill focus performance, because versatile performance.