Gnome Bard seeks combat viability for PFS

[Furthermore]

So I've got my Bard, right? He's fun to play and gots plenty of skills and performs to his hearts content...

But he's not got a whole heckofalot to do when combat starts. My spells are short in stock and I'm pretty poor with a bow. My stats are fixed so I gotta work with 'em. I'm thinking about taking a level in something unbardly to smooth things out in combat for a level or four.

Gnome Prankster Bard - lvl 2 (going on 3)

Stats
Str 10 Dex 15 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 7 Cha 19

In a consistent party where I know who I've got to buff each time I attend things is dandy. If it's me and three wizards and I'm expected to melee... whelp, nice knowin' you folks.

Spells Known
Disguise Self - Saving Finale - Hideous Laughter - Gnome SLA's on the Magical Linguist ability

Feats
Lingering Performance. I intend to take the Taunt feat sooner rather than later as Intimidating's what the build was intended to do in the first place (with Blistering Invective) in addition to Bluff and Disguise. (Disguise came in VERY handy tonight.

SO!

The two and a half ideas I have off-hand are:
A) Four levels of Cavalier. I can go either ranged or weapon finesse. I have a companion (wolf) to direct in combat and to buff with Performance and eventually spells. I can then take the Cocatrice order and get Dazzling Display (standard action) as a bonus feat. Still intimdating in a 30' radius as intended, but without being tied to spells per day.
B) Have just a single level of Gunslinger - Mysterious Stranger. I get charisma to damage rolls and 4 grit per day, have a decent dexterity and take Mending as my 3rd level Cantrip know to slightly offset the penalty for a misfire. Hardly slows my bardic performance progression at all.
C) Stick with Bard. If so, any hints as to improve my combat options? Currently I've got a True Strike wand I've been UMDing to get trips down with a whip. It's not terribly consistent at the moment.
D) Any other suggestions? My alignment is fixed at CG, so Paladin is right out. I can't really thing of many other heavily charisma focused classes.

I'd prefer to use content from books I have. I have all hardcover main books, (ultimate advanced etc) and the PFS field guide, Animal Archive, Gnome guide, and the "good" alignment one.

[Pupsocket]

If you must multiclass, Mysterious Stranger is a far better deal than cavalier.

In the meantime, you can solve your problems with gold. Throwing Alchemist Fire is still a decent combat action at this point, and a trained fighting animal is another decent option.

[Magda Luckbender]

Play reach-bard style and your damage output may go up substantially. You don't have high strength, but you can actually work with that. You'll never be outstanding in combat, but you can dramatically increase your effectiveness & also screen those caster allies. Since your party is lacking in melee power it's a safe bet no one is effectively using a reach weapon.

Get a magic long spear. A gnome-size long spear still has 10' reach. Learn how to maximize your AoO count. Get some of those vaunted spell casters to buff you: defensive buffs, Bulls Strength, et cetera. Consider taking Combat Reflexes and/or Power Attack feats. Buff yourself. Truestrike can help.

With a +1 weapon, Bless, your +1 bardsong, Bulls Strength & Weapon of Awe (both 2nd level Cleric spells), you will melee attack at BaB +5 for 1d6+7 damage. If you take Power Attack you will attack at BaB +4 for 1d6+10 damage. Not spectacular, but you are a gnome bard with STR of only 10 ...

If you have Combat Reflexes & face multiple mooks your Round One might go like this:

A. You have already been pre-buffed, including starting your bardsong (pre-buffing wins!)
B. Move to where you'll probably get some AoOs.
C. Ready an Action to Attack the first foe to come within reach. Alternately, cast a spell (e.g. truestrike).
E. Enemy movement. Either your foes move in such that you get your readied attack & up to 3 AoOs, or the enemy stays away from you and you protect the spell casters behind you. Either is a win.

You remain a low level gnome bard with low STR, but one easily able to inflict 40 HP martial damage in one round with a long spear.

If you want to maximize your melee power versus multiple mooks take Combat Reflexes. If you want to maximize versus a single BBEG take Power Attack, which combines nicely with Truestrike.

[Furthermore]

Power attack has a STR 13 requirement. ;_;

Combat Reflexes and longspear isn't a terrible idea. I don't know that I'll find it very satisfying. I would get another Spell per day, so that may make some difference.

At the moment I've been taking potshots with a shortbow (1D4 dmg plus performance if any), Truestrike with a whip (without truestrike I'd probably have to pop a 20), and of course casting Hideous Laughter assuming I have my highly valuable spells per day still available.

Feats are extremely limited. Small size -2 Str have hurt my non-ranged non-finesse (should I take the feat) to-hit.

Of course, that reach weapon could be a Lance from Wolfback. No additional spells per day for four levels, but I'll get Tactician and a constant companion to aid with Inspire Courage. I could even use my combat turn to Aid Another on my mount.

I'm gonna go look up Bard spells to see what might help, even though I only get one more at this level.

Is there a specific Bardy feat that might make me better at things? Aid another and sorts or buff my AC so I can get into range to aid another? Can I aid another with a whip at range?

[Rory]

You are built to be a caster bard, not a damage bard, so I think you are stuck for the most part. It is hard to get past the first three levels as a caster bard, so hang in there.

Multiclassing will only mean you will no longer be a good caster and you still won't ever do much damage.

Alchemist Fire (like Pupsocket said) can be good for you at level 2.

A Wand of Magic Missile might be fun for you. It will do 1d4+1 damage if you can get it to work.

The spell Chord of Shards (Ultimate Combat) will add to your front line damage potential. You can pick this up in a wand and have nearly as good of a chance to hit for damage as your bow attacks.

A Potion of Enlarge Person will add ~2 damage per hit with a melee weapon. You'll be hitting for 1d8+1 (+1 more for Inspire Courage) with a long sword.

At level 3, picking up the Arcane Strike will add damage on weapon attacks. This will grow with level. This might make you have palatable damage for a level or two more.

At level 4, you'll have more spells to cast, but still not that many. Make them count for sure.

The build won't really get rolling until 5th level. And even then, if you find yourself in a group of 3 wizards facing mindless foes, you aren't going to be a tremendous help.

[Akerlof]

You could try picking up a whip and disarm/tripping people from reach. You won't be successful all that often, but you'll be doing something.

[Mysterious Stranger]

The biggest problem I see is your spell selection. Bards have a very limited number of spells, but some of them are pretty good. Illusion and enchantment is what you really should be focusing on. Bards don’t have direct damage spells, but have some very good battle field control spells. Silent image is almost a must have especially for a gnome. About the only good combat spell you have is hideous laughter which is good and you should probably use that more often. Heroism is also a good spell to pick up when you get 2nd level spells.

If you want to contribute directly to combat then I would suggest maxing out UMD and picking up some wands. A wand of magic missiles is only 750 gold.

With your stats if you are not going to be good at non magical combat, and adding other classes is going to make you less able with your spells.

[Furthermore]

The trouble is not Hideous Laughter. The trouble is Running Out of Spells(TM). I use Hideous Laughter three times each session. I have three spell slots.

Suck It Up and Wait seems to be the advice there, which is valid.

I could and probably should take Silent Image as my Spell Known for 3rd level, certainly. I will still only have 4 spells per day. Better than 3 spells per day and that may be enough to make a difference.

I will also take the Taunt feat. This will allow me to standard action Intimidate to Demoralize with Bluff (in this case Perform: Act) at zero size penalty, which isn't nothing as I will have a +12 to the roll. It's kinda what I built this guy for, so I could just go ahead with that plan and have my standard actions spent on debuffing.

Then at 4th level... a whole 'nother tier of spells opens up and suddenly I'm viable. (Just not against undead or the like.)

[Rory]

Furthermore wrote:

The trouble is not Hideous Laughter. The trouble is Running Out of Spells(TM). I use Hideous Laughter three times each session. I have three spell slots.

Daze is a 0-level spell that you can cast unlimited tines per day.

It only has one less DC than Hideous Laughter and could be used in place of Hideous Laughter in some fights. This would lighten the spell load to be able to use your 1st level spell slots on other things occasionally.

[Chris Donnangelo]

Have you considered using the Aid Another action?

PRD; Special Attacks wrote:

AID ANOTHER
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent's next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.

That +2 to attack or AC stacks with everything. A whip will allow you to aid from 15' away, but a longspear trades 5' for the ability to make AoOs, if you go with combat reflexes build as in the posts above.

You'll never be a front-liner (who would expect you to be?) but you'll be excellent support, which is what I think you're going for.

[Furthermore]

So, Bard doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Daze: Completely sold on it. It's my new Cantrip for 3rd. I can spam Daze (among multiple critters).

Taunt: My feat for 3rd. I can now also spam Demoralizes (and the condition will likely last, and will make my will-save spells more likely to hit)
(Sidenote: I was under the impression that Demoralize effects didn't escalate beyond Shaken, but it doesn't say so under the intimidate skill. Am I mistaken?)

Silent Image: I'm pretty sure I can come up with at least one use for this spell.

-OR-

Sleep: Another spell I'd want to trade out when the HD cap leaves. (Daze would be the other) Another spell could be...

-OR-

Charm Person: Will you be my friend?

When in doubt (vs undead or constructs), aid another with a whip. And do those inspiring things!

Thanks for the help so far. I'm much better equipped to bard it up.

[Atarlost]

This is really a question you should have asked when you were still first level, because most of the best solutions are closed off now that you can't rebuild.

Gnomes are not very good bards, but changing your first level feat to point blank shot would put you on track to better archery. As a nonhuman, though, archery would eat your entire feat supply.

[Mergy]

Having seen this bard in action, I can say that while not directly combat viable, he is VERSATILE. He is certainly a help in several situations, and I would suggest that you keep him completely bard all the way through, as it will only get better.

Blistering invective is an excellent choice for you, but make sure you're not neglecting out of combat spells. For a spontaneous caster, scrolls are your friends, especially with your limited spell list. Remove fear, comprehend languages, invisibility, and expeditious retreat would all be helpful in your day-to-day. Especially that first one, if you keep grouping with -1 will save barbarians! ;)

[Furthermore]

Time to go scroll shopping!

I have Comprehend Languages as a 1/day gnome SLA.

Calm Emotions, Remove Fear, Invisibility, Exp. Retreat, Delay Poison, Tongues and perhaps Daylight & Ghostbane Dirge in a few levels. I should get a one of those handy scroll boxes.

Looking at all those lovely illusion spells later on, I kinda wish I took the stock-standard Gnome SLA abilities, but eh. My Suggestion will be the Suggestioniest!

[strayshift]

Get the Unwitting Ally cantrip and work it. Lose Hideous Laughter for the moment (duration too short) and look at Expeditious Retreat/Vanish as well.

Weapons? With your strength light say rapier, and carry a buckler.

Good luck.