Basics: Starting at level 10, 15 point buy, any Paizo material is ok, nothing else.
This bard despises getting her hands dirty, and is meant to help out the party as much as possible without directly engaging enemies any more than she can help. Her general approach to a new combat would be:
Round 1 - Begin pageant of the peacock as move, Haste as standard
Round 2 - Firmly grasp her spear with Banner of the Ancient Kings (free) , Knowledge check using Pagent of the Peacock (@+31 bluff + 5 from bard (which stacks with this, apparently) so +36 total) as standard, Begin Inspire Courage as move.
At this point, she is providing the party with (in the absence of other bonuses they might have that are larger):
+1 dodge bonus to AC/reflex saves (haste)
+3 morale bonus vs charm and fear (inspire courage boosted by the Banner)
+2 resistance bonus against mind affecting (banner - this will be intermittent as it only works if she is holding the banner with both hands, eg. not casting a spell)
+3 competence on attack and damage (inspire courage as above)
+1 untyped bonus to attack and damage (haste)
+2 morale bonus to attack and damage (flagbearer feat boosted by banner)
1 extra attack/round from haste
And most likely all the knowledge needed about what they're fighting.
Since all of her bonuses stack, if her party members don't have any conflicting bonuses, they are at +6 to hit and +6 to damage. Besides maintaining that, she'll probably just run around flanking and demoralizing people if needed and otherwise staying out of harm's way or casting spells in a pinch.
Remembering that combat damage is of no interest at all, what can I do to make her better/more fun/interesting to play? Additional limitation: I don't want to be a diplomancer, even if my DM would allow it, which he won't.
The build so far:
Level 10 CG Tiefling Bard
Alternate racial traits:
Rakshasa Spawn - +2 dex, +2 cha, -2 wis
Beguiling Liar (+4 racial to bluff)
Scaled Skin - Fire (resistance 5, +1 natural armor)
Feats:
Skill Focus: Bluff
Lingering Performance
Flagbearer
???
???
Traits:
Power of Suggestion
???
Bardic Masterpieces:
Pageant of the Peacock (taken in place of a 2nd level spell)
Stats (after level derived increases and enhancement bonuses)
STR - 8
DEX - 16
CON - 12
INT - 16
WIS - 8
CHA -18
Equipment
Bracers of the Glib Entertainer - 7,900 GP
Banner of the Ancient Kings - 18,000 GP
Masterwork Longspear - 305 GP
Boots of the Cat - 1000
Cloak of Resistance +2 - 4000
Boneless Leather - 12,160
Ring of Protection +1 - 2000
Headband of CHA +2 - 4000
49365 / 62000
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The +2 resistance to fear will not stack with anyone's cloak of resistance. Typically
they have a +2 cloak like you have.
Only thing about banner I like is you treat your bardic performance as a few levels higher.
Ive never understood peoples love for it though. Flagbearer is a crap feat alone. A wand of bless is better. Then banner is a 18k buy tax to make flag bearer better. I think you could do without both and make due with a wand of bless and or a scroll of prayer. But that is just my thoughts.
@Fruian:
1. You're right about the resistance. Guess I don't need to care about using two hands for my spear unless I think I'm going to need that recurring saving throw.
2. The banner/flagbearer together account for 3 of my 6 bonus to attack and damage (two themselves, one by buffing my inspire courage). Bless would only give +1 to offset the loss that, and would require an extra standard action to activate (whereas the banner's bonuses are either free action wise, or baked into activating inspire courage, which I was going to do anyway)
3. Adding Prayer to the mix is a nice thought, since it's a bonus type I don't have yet. Not sure how I feel about burning 375gp for a 3-round effect, though I suppose I've got plenty of leftover money.
Supposing I DID ditch the banner, what would you have me spend that money on instead?
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I'd swap Dex and Int (which should result in Dex 18 and Int 14).
I'd also, because it's better mechanically, actually fight. A Feat into Weapon Finesse, another into Arcane Strike and a +1 Agile Rapier and you're actually pretty good in a fight, since all your bonuses also apply to you. And you can do it all while holding a banner in your other hand.
It's not your primary area, but it's a nice sideline once you've buffed people. Particularly once you're rich enough to afford a Lesser Rod of Quicken and can do most of your buffs in a round.
Just to throw out, since you say you don't want to get your hands dirty and if you have all paizo sources allowed, I'd strongly suggest master performer and grandmaster performer. That's +2 to all bonuses from your performances, which would bump a lot of your buffs to your allies. Also haste is a bonus to hit and AC, not damage. Other than that what the others have said is solid.
Quite right about the Haste. What can I say, I was tired. :P
And yes, Master Performer and Grandmaster Performer look excellent. I expect they'd be allowed with suitable backstory... after all, I had to get to level 10 somehow.
I wouldn't rely on Pageant of the Peacock for this. It is not a stable ability, and it is highly likely to be made non-overpowered. Probably in the near future.
So, y'know. Shaking foundation and all that.
I wouldn't rely on Pageant of the Peacock for this. It is not a stable ability, and it is highly likely to be made non-overpowered. Probably in the near future.
So, y'know. Shaking foundation and all that.
Y'know, I'd be pretty OK with that. It's a terribly silly ability right now.
I'd swap Dex and Int (which should result in Dex 18 and Int 14).
I'd also, because it's better mechanically, actually fight. A Feat into Weapon Finesse, another into Arcane Strike and a +1 Agile Rapier and you're actually pretty good in a fight, since all your bonuses also apply to you. And you can do it all while holding a banner in your other hand.
It's not your primary area, but it's a nice sideline once you've buffed people. Particularly once you're rich enough to afford a Lesser Rod of Quicken and can do most of your buffs in a round.
If we were trying to be mechanically optimal, I think you'd be quite right about the rapier. But I'm so bored with basic Pathfinder/3.5 style combat that I could scream. This character is in many ways an attempt to "opt out" of the combat without screwing the party.
Good point about the lesser rod of quicken though!
What's the point of using Pageant of the Peacock over say inspire courage in combat?
What's the point of using Pageant of the Peacock over say inspire courage in combat?
None, once I've made the knowledge check, hence why I would replacing it with inspire courage after one round.
I wouldn't rely on Pageant of the Peacock for this. It is not a stable ability, and it is highly likely to be made non-overpowered. Probably in the near future.
So, y'know. Shaking foundation and all that.
Do you have a developer quote to share or is that just your personal feeling? Cause Pageant of the Peacock's RAW seems to match its RAI from what I can see.
A Musetouched Aasimar would get you Cha 22 with the other stats the same, and has a +2 racial to perform (which you use for bluff anyways)and diplomacy, and a free Glitterdust (based on your caster stat so full DC for you) per day. Aasimar also lets you trade FCB for +1/2 to a performance, so you could get the full +4/+4 at 12th level (with no banner needed). Scion of Humanity Aasimar can also choose the human FCB, and get more spells known (use them for extra masterpieces).
That still gives you 7 skill points/level, and with no need to put more than 1 rank in the knowledges (assuming you built like you played it from level 1) you should have 10 skills maxed, (factoring in 3 versatile performances that don't overlap). Sing Dance and Keyboard would make Acrobatics, Fly, Bluff, Intimidate, Sense Motive and Diplomacy maxed out.
Instead of Skill Focus Bluff, take the one that gives +2 to 2 performance skills, granting you +2 to 4 skills instead of that +1 more on knowledge/int checks (which you are already high enough on).
Good points about the race and skill focus, thanks!
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I would take the Eldritch Heritage feat and Skill Focus in one Knowledge to pick up a familiar. A bard can always find ways to make a familiar more fun. And at 11th level, you'll be able to add some Sorcerer/Wizard spells to your repertoire. If not direct damage, then maybe some debuffs like Enervation or a combat assist like Telekinetic Charge?
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Here is what I have so far on my Bard. I planed a PotP for my next PFS character.
Name: Unknown (still thinking on it)
Gender: Female (Time to really dig deeper into Role-playing.)
Race: Human
Str:8 Dex:14 Con:12 Int:12 Wis:10 Cha:19
Traits:
Eastern Mysteries (+2 DC to a spell 1/day.)
Favored Class Bonuses First 3 levels goes into HP. After level 3 I will take the extra Spells every level.
Feats:
H-Improved Initiative
1-Spell Focus- Enchantment
3-Lingering Performance
5-Greater Spell Focus- Enchantment
7-???? Can't decide
9-Spell Penetration
11-Discordant Voice
Master Pieces:
Triple Time
Pageant of the Peacock
Skills by Level:
Versatile Performances:
2nd Level- Oratory (Diplomacy/Sense Motive)
6th Level- Dance (Fly & Acrobatics)
10th Level- Percussion (Handle Animal & Intimidate)
Level 1: Perform Oratory, Dance, Bluff, Perception, Climb, Swim, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 2:Perform Oratory, Dance, Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Spellcraft, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 3:Perform Oratory, Dance, Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist x2, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 4: Perform Oratory, Dance, Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Linguistics (Need a Popular Language), Stealth, and UMD.
Level 5:Perform Oratory, Dance, Percussion , Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 6: Perform Oratory, Dance, Percussion , Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 7: Perform Oratory, Dance, Percussion , Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 8: Perform Oratory, Dance, Percussion , Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 9: Perform Oratory, Dance, Percussion , Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 10: Perform Oratory, Dance, Percussion , Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Stealth, and UMD.
Level 11: Perform Oratory, Dance, Percussion , Bluff, Perception, Escape Artist, Stealth, and UMD.
@ level 2 I will have roughly 12 skills plus all untrained Knows. with well versed. @ 5 I can make ALL Int based skill checks as bluff checks thus MAXING them all basically.
My spell choices for must haves to me:
Level 1: 0-Daze, Message, Read Magic, Ghost Sound, Detect Magic, Sift, Dancing Lights
1st- Grease, Hideous Laughter, Saving Finale, Vanish
2nd-Glitter Dust, Suggestion, Silence
3rd: Good Hope, Dispel Magic
4th: Dominate Person,
Some gear selections:
Headband of CHA +6, Circlet of Persuasion, Sihedron Medallion, Cloak of the Hedge Wizard- Abjuration, Belt of Health +2, +1 Mithral Breastplate, Ring of Force Shield, Ring of Protection +1, Stone of Good Luck, Ioun Stones
Haversack, Efficiency Quiver (Filled with Wands and Rods)
Lesser rods of Extend, and Persistent,
Wands: Divine Grace (+CHA to saves YES), Bless(Flag-bearer is a waste of feat, Use till Good Hope @ 7) , Silent Image, Cure Light Wounds (Replaced with Infernal Healing after depleted), Wand of Lesser restoration (I find cheap ones on Chronicle list with under 10 charges.)
I made a post a while back under my account name. I do so when Theory Crafting up my future characters. You can click on it to see the entire thread or just search Fake it till you make it bard.
At 11th Level, consider the feat Discordant Voice, if you are using Oratory or Song.
Which reminds me- what performance skills are you intending to use?
Was planning on dance and sing to start with.
And, for the record, you can have both a Masterpiece and a Performance up at the same time.
They are different abilities that share a cost pool, not the same ability.
That... is incredibly useful to know! Thank you!
Hmm really? If true it would make a lot of the masterpieces much more interesting.
Perhaps I'll start a thread on the rules forum.
@Fruian Thistlefoot - I quite like the idea of the Flagbearer feat on a subset of bards. Specifically strength bards who might be using a Longspear and Combat Reflexes anyway. Combined with the Banner of the Ancient Kings it effectively gives you an always-on Good Hope, +4 to Initiative and increases the level of Inspire Courage.
It's not useful until you can afford a Banner of the Ancient Kings though (level 9-ish). It does significantly improve your action economy (not needing to cast Good Hope) in the early rounds of combat, which is great at mid-high levels. Being able to throw out +5 to hit and damage and Haste on turn 1 at level 9 is hard to argue with. I reckon for a melee bard it's mechanically solid, possibly less so for controller types who need to invest feats elsewhere.
In case anyone is interested this is probably what TGMaxMaxer read.
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2oojw?Bardic-Performance-and-Masterpieces