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I'm helping a friend of mine create his first character for PFS for the upcoming GenCon. He has said he is leaning toward creating a Bard so I sat down and went through a sample build in my head and wanted to run it down for you.
Unnamed Hero
Azata-Blooded Aasimar (Musetouched) Bard 1
CG Medium outsider (native)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2
Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Special Attacks bardic performance 10 rounds/day (countersong, distraction, fascinate, inspire courage +1)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 1/day—glitterdust (DC 15)
Bard Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +4):
1st (2/day)—cure light wounds, grease
0 (at will)—daze (DC 13), detect magic, prestidigitation, read magic
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Statistics
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Str 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 13
Feats Lingering Performance
Traits armor expert, maestro of the society
Skills Acrobatics +6, Diplomacy +9, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +4, Perform (sing) +9, Spellcraft +6, Stealth +6, Use Magic Device +7; Racial Modifiers +2 Diplomacy, +2 Perform (sing)
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Varisian
SQ bardic knowledge +1
Other Gear studded leather, 125 gp
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Special Abilities
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Armor Expert -1 Armor check penalty.
Bardic Knowledge +1 (Ex) Add +1 to all knowledge skill checks.
Bardic Performance (standard action) (10 rounds/day) Your performances can create magical effects.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Energy Resistance, Acid (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Lingering Performance Bardic Performances last 2 rds after you stop concentrating.
Maestro of the Society +3 rounds of Bardic Performance a day.
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Any comments/criticisms will be appreciated.
My critique is that the bard can't really do anything but sing. Thats great, but its really not enough at a small table or a table full of casters and can get kinda boring for the player. Build a little more heavily towards either melee or archery for a more direct contribution. I wouldn't blow feats on extra performance: you might need it at first level but bard song rounds quickly outpace the number of combat rounds in a day as the bard song rounds go up and the combat becomes more rocket taggy.
Int may be overbought a bit. With pageant of the peacock you effectively have a base 16+int skillpoints per level, and it goes up as versatile performances kick in.
I have a Dawnflower Dervish build that I really, really love. The Dawnflower Dervish does not buff the rest of the party, so if that's what your friend wants out of the bard, it will not help. However, it is versatile (lots of skills and spellcasting) and a beast in melee.
There's also an arcane duelist archer bard that is fantastic. You can buff the rest of the party (haste, good hope, and bard song) and then you are fully buffed when you start shooting your bow and doing great damage on your own.
Depending on the type of bard he is looking for, I'd be happy to share. Bards are one of my absolute favorite classes.
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Ive got a melee focused half orc bard, she switches between melee/support casting/socials skills while benefitting from the performances. Like others have stated it's rather essential to have a main combat focus and build your supporting abilities around that.
What I find alot of fun personally is casting vanish, popping up behind an enemy with my keen falchion and critting the s+&$ out of them with added sneak attack damage (took a level of rogue) all while throwing swearwords at them in order to inspire my allies :P
Bards are full of fluff, just don't forget to specialize a bit as well.
I have a couple of bards.
The first is a vanilla core human bard with every single feat being archery and starting with 14 str, 18 dex, 12 con, 10 int, 8 wis, and 14 cha. He is incredibly effective as a damage multiplier to the party, which includes his own archery.
The second is an aasimar thundercaller bard, with charisma through the roof. He has spell focus and g spell focus enchantment and spends his first round buffing, then either debuffs the enemy or thundercalls them.
Both of them have tons of flavor...it's practically built in to the bard class! And with great class skills and being charisma focused, you don't have to worry much about your skills either. (I actually argue they have more skills than a rogue due to versatile performance). Focusing on what you actually do in battle is important with a bard, and "I sing" is usually not enough.
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Ok, we're going to see some fire works in this thread - at least until they move it to the Advice Board...
I often run Bards - I have several, and I'll post this as my 11th level so you can click on her name and see her build...
I generally leave the "face-melting", Damage dealing, beat-sticks to the other players. There's always one (or three) players at the table who just live for that, and who am I to steal their fun? no, I tread a different path...
The Party Face: ...
Azata-Bloodline (Aasimar), Street Performer Bard,
ST: 10, DX: 16, CN: 10, IN:12, WS:7, CH:20
Skill Focus (Perform - Strings), Trait Inner Beauty (Religion-Shelyn), should get the Perform Strings skill up to a 14 (18 with Inner Beauty).
Concentrate on face skills for the party, and use Disappearing Act in combat to make one of my friends (hopefully the Rogue) "invisibile" to the enemy.
Spells wise take:
zeros: daze, detect magic, message, prestiditation
1st lvl (3 per day): Grease, Unnatural Lust
Languages are: Common, Celestial, and one other.
With the money gained during the adventure, buy a masterwork musical instrument - so that for the day job check at the end he can take 10 on a Perfrom Strings and get a 30, for 75gp... which "Gladhandling" doubles to 150gp.
This guy fills a very needed roll in the party, is supportive in combat (good AC for light armor - and can make a friend "invisible" 9 times), has a lot of humor potential (really? Unnatureal Lust as an attack spell?) and is an all around fun PC to run...
Now let's talk about your build a minute.
First:
you picked Bard Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +4):
1st (2/day)—cure light wounds, grease
0 (at will)—daze (DC 13), detect magic, prestidigitation, read magic
I would suggest switching out the CLW for something else - as the bard will be healing with a wand, and not using his (few) spells for what almost everyone has a wand of. Select a different spell - maybe an attack spell? Or if the Bard player likes to RP a lot, take Charm Person (very judge dependant) or my favorite Unnatureal Lust.
Switch the read magic for message - this allows the Bard to act as Combat Coordinator and is overall a more useful spell.
Defense
Use Leather Lamellar if you can get it, otherwise the studded leather would be fine. For that matter, leather would be ok until you can afford chain shirt (mithril?).
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(your original) Str 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 16
Here's where the fire works start -
(My suggestion) ST: 10, DX: 16, CN: 10, IN:12, WS:7, CH:20
Str 10 (IMHO) more than a 10 is unneeded, as the Bard is not a melee fighter
Dex 16 (IMHO) after the Cha, the most important stat for a bard. More INIT, more AC, better skills
Con 10 (IMHO) could be a 12... so maybe switch this with Int.
Int 12 (IMHO) more skill points... but this could be a 10 with no problem, maybe even an 8...
Wis 7 (IMHO) this adds a bit of RP, meaning your PC is gullable...
Cha 20 (IMHO) gives an additional 1st level spell (3 rather than 2), bigger DCs, more performances, higher face skills... so many things. a bard is all about CHA.
Feats Lingering Performance
Nice choice, it wouldn't be my first, but then... likely a good choice. It will increase your amount of performance rounds - allowing you to stop a performance and still have the effect for 2 more rounds, so you spend more actions but get as much as 3 times as many performance rounds...
Traits armor expert, maestro of the society
(IMHO)I would take something other than armor expert - maybe something to boost social skills? Fashionable? or maybe something to give an odd skill like Goldfinger that gives Disable Device.
Skills Acrobatics +6, Diplomacy +9, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +4, Perform (sing) +9, Spellcraft +6, Stealth +6, Use Magic Device +7; Racial Modifiers +2 Diplomacy, +2 Perform (sing)
(IMHO)with only the STAT changes I suggested you would have the following (need to drop one trained skill due to less INT)...
Acrobatics +7, Diplomacy +11, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (planes) +6, Perception +2, Perform (sing) +11, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +7, Use Magic Device +9;
but I would suggest instead
Diplomacy +11, Disable Device (gained as a class skill from a trait)(+7), Perception +2, Perform (Dance or Strings) +11, Knowledge (local) +5, Spellcraft +6, Use Magic Device +9;
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Varisian
(IMHO)my suggestion of lower INT gives you less languages... likely drop the Draconic.
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I like the trait Charming.
Being a Enchantment specialist that uses Suggestion is strong. Upping the DC of your Language Dependent Enchantments are good.
You can go the other direction too.
Reach Bard:
Human Arcane Deulist 1/ Cleric of Shelyn 1/ Arcane Deulist 9
Str 17 +3 (7 points, +2 race, +1 at 4th)
Dex 14 +2 (5 points)
Con 14 +2 (5 points)
Int 7 -2 (-4 points, +1 at 8th)
Wis 12 +1 (2 points)
Cha 14 +2 (5 points)
Traits: Reactionary, Magical Knack (Cleric)
Skills: Acrobatics, Diplomacy, Perception, Perform, Use Magic Device, add something at 8th
1 Lingering Performance, Combat Reflexes, Arcane Strike, Bardic Performance, Distraction, Fascinate, Inspire Courage +1, Rallying Cry
2 Channel Positive Energy 1d6 5/day, Luck Domain, Love Subdomain
3 Improved Initiative, Combat Casting
4 Inspire Competence +2
5 Power Attack
6 Arcane Bond, Inspire Courage +2
7 Pushing Assault, Disruptive, Bladethirst
8 Inspire Competence +3
9 Improved Sunder, Dirge of Doom
10 Inspire Greatness
11 Greater Sunder, Spellbreaker, Arcane Armor
The character uses a longspear at level 1 and switches to a glaive at level 2. Getting Arcane Bond at level 6 means just try to get an adamantine glaive by then, and save lots of money. You are good at buffing and the plan is to use your standard actions to use performance or cast buff spells, use you swift actions for Arcane Strike or Adoration and make attacks of opportunity with your reach weapon.