Bards character concepts (that don't suck)

[Fourshadow]

The Harbinger wrote:

The "Behind Home Plate" (or, alternatively "The Coxswain") Bard who calls the plays in combat. Tactician and leader. "Squad A, wedge formation! Squad B, fall back now and execute Fastball Special!"

The android bard who releases an aerosol of specialized nanites that buff allies. "You will be assimilated!"

The Tenacious D Bard who earnestly attempts to imitate the great bards of the past but is too clueless or inexperienced to pull it off. Has no ranks in perform (instrument) and relies on Perform (comedy) to buff. Or takes a self-buffing archetype. "This is the Greatest Song in the World!"

The Muad'Dib Bard who professes a religious conviction and uses Perform (oratory) or (preach) about the glories of their faith.

The last one I expected to be a sound striker and if you have seen or read Dune, you would know why... So cool. Weaponized sound? Yes, that is the hieght of cool, if you ask me.

[sowhereaminow]

Kicking around a heavy metal style skald quoting lyrics from some of my favorite metal and hard rock bands. Disturbed has quite a catalog of appropriate songs...

Also have an Aasimar thundercaller bard who claims to be the son of Gozreh. He buffs the party most of the time, but when the chips are down, he brings the thunder.

[Panitaeo]

Alright. So check this.

You're a soldier. You're in a squad. You have a captain. These are the people you trust with your life and the people who trust you with theirs.
You enjoy war. You enjoy the fighting, the killing and risk of being killed.
You also sing. Not the beautiful, lilting elf crap. To hell with melodic. No, you growl. You scream. You shriek as you cleave through your enemies with two war axes, blood dripping down your face.
Your brothers-in-arms enjoy it too. It gets them in the spirit. Sometimes they headbang with you.
The problem with war is that people die. Mostly your enemies, but sometimes it's your captain. The blow is devastating. As he drops to the ground and life drains from his body, it also drains from your spirits. You're surrounded now. You all are, and muscle memory is the only thing keeping you alive.
Tears gather in the corners of your eyes as rage, despair and confusion overwhelm you, and you roar. Thunder booms from your throat. It rips through the bones of your foes, pushing some of them away. You laugh as you see them cry out in pain. You laugh even harder when two realizations tear through your soul: you are a madman, and you can control reality.
Your face contorts into a wicked, vicious grin. The air is filled with the sounds of slamming drum and screaming guitar.
The butt of a sword slams into your face. Blood and teeth fly from your broken lips. Your head turns and you focus your wrath. Cruel, torturous verse bores into the mind of the sword's owner like a rusted drill. They slump to the ground in agony, their mind broken.
A splatter of blood stains the sky as you slam two axes into the slag.
You stand and survey the battlefield. You see them. Reinforcements. They heard you. Your eyes and focus lock with the captain's. Everyone and everything else fades. For the briefest moment, he feels what you feel. He hears what you hear. He sees what you have seen, and his eyes become lit with fire.
It's contagious, spreading through his troops like the plague. They charge into the melee with the flashing of blade, the crushing of bones and slashing of flesh, tearing muscle, and severed limbs fills your vision in a shimmering haze of red mist.
The fury slowly leaves you.
The battle is over.
A few weeks later a messenger arrives at your camp. A few drinks, good stories and conversation later, it's only you and the messenger sitting in front of the fire.
He pulls a zither from behind his back. As he tunes in, he looks up at you with the grin of a cat with a canary in sight. He says, "So. I hear you like metal."
Years later, under loose tutorship of the messenger, your performances are told as legend. Stories of a murderous lunatic who can kill you with but one word. Stories about the man possessed by the spirit of war, blasting his enemies away like flies, whose song can fill a person with bloodlust. No matter how the stories are told, he is always called by one name: Deathcore.

[Ventnor]

Not exactly a bard, but in a pbp game a while back I played a Shoanti Skald. I played up his skills as him combining his martial training and barbaric rage with bardic magic that he'd learned from a Varisian troupe that he'd journeyed with. Also, for extra cool factor, his primary weapon was a Totem Spear.

[Davor]

Apparently we have some Dirge Bard fans on the forums.

[Cavall]

I couldn't have helped this OP when back when this thread started.

Bard concepts that don't suck and I'm like.. all of them?

[Heather 540]

I have a gnome Archaeologist Bard that starts out with a level in Inspired Blade Swashbuckler. This is so she can get Dex to damage from Fencing Grace at level one. She's not finished though. When I first made her, I was very new to the game and didn't build her well. Now she's a bit better. She has the Fate's Favored trait to double the bonus she gets from Archaeologist's Luck. I'm thinking either Nimble Fingers Keen Mind or Maestro of the Society for her other traits. I get the Parry & Riposte deed from the Swashbuckler level as well as the feats Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus Rapier. Then I took Fencing Grace as already stated. Agile Maneuvers at level 3 and at Bard level 4, I get a Rogue Talent. I selected Combat Trick to get a combat feat. I'm thinking of taking Weapon Focus Whip. Lingering Performance at level 5 and Whip Mastery at 7. I want her to be a trip build, and the whip is good at that since it's a reach weapon. And if she can't make a trip maneuver, she uses the rapier instead.