First, Bards are awesome.
Second, Vital Strike is a terrible idea and will always be an inferior choice to almost any other combat feat unless you are a T-Rex. So, definitely crit fish.
Third, I don't understand your build at all. Why Dirge Bard? Why only four levels of Bard? Why bother with Fighter levels? What class is "Pathfinder?"
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I'm assuming its the Pathfinder Chronicler prestige class from the Core Rulebook, which does mesh really well with the bard class.
Bards do not suck, but I totally understand your reference to the movie. I play bards (a lot), and every time I sit down at a new table and people ask what I am playing, I respond with "bard (insert archetype name here)" and I am immediately hit with the comment of my inevitable pile of corpses being used as cover for the ranged-based character.....thank you Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising.
Arcane Duelist is great; if you're going the whole artistic warrior route, it is a good fit. That's my two coppers.
Good hunting.
4 levels of fighter get you a 16 BaB as well. Weapon master gets you you weapon group and weapon spec by that 4th lvl. The whole dip gets you 3 feats an extra +1 to hit with your weapon (from the weapon training), +3 to damage (weapon training and spec), and a +3 to your fort save. If going arcane duelist, you still get 6th lvl spells (even though you aren't so jazzed about them), and like another +3-4 dmg from arcane strike. If you crit fish, then all that extra damage is multiplied and you will have 4 attacks to try to get it off with (5 from your haste spell).
The math favors multiple attacks with high static damage vs one attack with multiple damage dice. Not to mention, it would be embarrassing to work so hard on you vital strike and roll a bunch of 1s and 2s. All that static damage only applies once. Take the full attack and the static damage is multiplied by 4 (if you hit).
Those poor fish :(
Go with what works, just remember to pick up arcane strike.
hey thanks for the replies everyone XD.
Dirge bard works well with elements of the backstory so i think i'll stick with it :P
Dirge Bard is a nice archetype, but with only four levels of it...I guess I really should have asked, why are you not just making a straight Bard? I'm not sure what is worth getting out of Fighter and I still don't know what class "Pathfinder" is. Is it the Chronicler someone else suggested? Because that's kind of a lousy class in general, never mind when combined with Bard.
Now i'm a bit of a novice player (this is my first real character <.<). But i think going down the combat maneuvers route works with a dex based crit fish character? I could be wrong though?
Combat Maneuvers barely work regardless. But no, being dex based is not the best idea with maneuvers.
And I thought you were using an Elven Curve Blade. The benefit of using a two-handed weapon is getting 1.5 times your Strength modifier and a 3:1 Power Attack ratio. If you're not using Strength, you're not going to have Power Attack or enough Strength to bother multiplying.
You'd be much better off using the Dervish Dance feat with a Scimitar, which you get for free as a Dawnflower Dervish bard.
Arcane Strike is a waste for someone with 4 levels of bard, and no other caster levels.
Arcane Strike is a waste for someone with 4 levels of bard, and no other caster levels.
Agreed, I meant to say: pick it up if you go weapon master 4/ bard x.
If your dead set on a melee oriented class that is a bard, consider a couple of archetypes. The Dawnflower Dervish bard is particularly potent, but they trade out their party support features. If you want to have inspiration without casting, then it may be worth considering the battle herald prestige class. You will need a level of cavalier to qualify, but it increases inspire courage as if it was a bard and offers some other interesting buffs. Its also a full Base attack class with two good saves, which is better than the chronicler by a long shot. Check it out in the PFSRD website.
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I like your enthusiasm, and I hope you enjoy playing this character! :)
You mentioned that you're a novice player, so I'd like to offer this advice: think about what your character will be doing at *every* level, not just high levels. Unless your campaign is starting at high levels, you're going to be spending a lot more time at lower levels.
So think about things like: how long would to like to stay a straight Bard? Are you taking all of those Bard levels right off the bat, or are you alternating between Bard and Fighter starting at level 2? Are you going to start your Prestige Class as soon as possible, or would you rather put it off for a level or two?
There's a temptation to look at all those high level abilities and big attack numbers, and get excited with anticipation. That can be fun, but try to be sure that you don't end up feeling disappointed that you're still low level. Remember to enjoy the character you're playing *now*, not just the 20th level monster he might someday be.
But it looks like you're having a blast so far. Good for you! Keep it up! And welcome to the boards! :)
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Sounds like a pretty good game you're having!
Well, in that case, my only advice is to wait and see how you feel when you're level 12, and try not to lock yourself into any commitments yet. Who knows, by then you might be tired of playing a Bard and hankering to try something different, or maybe by then you'll love the class so much that all you want is more Bard levels forever!
In case you decide that you'd like a change, do you know how your GM feels about letting you roll up completely new characters later on?