As the title asks. Friday I'm starting a home campaign and I'd like to fill in our groups usual crippling weakness with casting. I could use a sorcerer specialized in Enchantment, I know that'll work, but it takes quite a bit of specialization, and when things are immune to that I'll have a lot less useful things to do.
So, I was wondering if a Bard could fill a similar role with casting. I don't expect to hit the same level of power with Enchantment, but the number of other options I'll have would make up for it handily. But if it's significantly weaker, I'll go with Sorcerer instead.
Eh, bump?
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Bards can totally specialize in enchantment.
Enchantment makes up the bulk of the bard spell list. The biggest issue that you'll run into as a bard is getting your DCs high enough, so you may want to pick up Spell Focus Enchantment early.
I do wonder what sort of campaign you're going to be in though, because some campaigns are more suited to Enchantment than others. If you're doing one that is full of undead, you may want to be a Dirge Bard, otherwise things are going to be rough for you.
Let's look at Enchanter Bards vs. Enchanter Sorcerers:
1) Bards get more skill points vs Sorcerers getting far more spells per day
2) Bards are definitely better buffers if your archetype retains: "Inspire Courage."
3) Bards get BARDIC KNOWLEDGE if your archetype didn't trade it away;
4) Bards get to wear light armor, but will need a higher strength to wear it;
5) Bards can better wield weapons themselves, but sorcs have more offensive blasts;
6) Both also have good illusions and other battlefield control spells;
7) If you're playing a Kitsune, your enchantment DCs will scale up far faster as a sorc than as a bard due to the Kitsune favored class bonus.
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I think that both classes can be incredibly strong in the right party.
QUESTIONS:
1) What else do you have in your party for PCs so far?
2) What sort of setting is your campaign?
3) What appeals to you more? What do you want to do?
NOTE: If you cross-class Dirge Bard with one level Serpentine (perhaps tattooed sorc?) you will get a bard that can enchant:
a) Undead
b) Humanoids
c) Animals
d) Monstrous Humanoids
e) Magical Animals
AND have everything react to your enchantment spells as if they shared a language with you. You would just have to be careful to take "verbal-only" spells like true-strike on your sorc level so that you can still wear armor without arcane failure.
Yes, bards make excellent Enchanters. In fact, they are the most useful Enchanters by far in a courtroom setting since they are one of the few classes that can easily hide their spellcasting. Which makes it a bit easier to tag that duke with Charm Person without getting cut down by his guards!
You can blend the power of your performance and spellcasting.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, bardic performance class ability, able to cast 1st-level spells.
Benefit: You can combine your bardic performance and your spellcasting in two ways. First, you can conceal the activity of casting a bard spell by masking it in a performance. As a swift action, you may combine your casting time of a spell with a Perform check. Observers must make a Perception or Sense Motive check opposed by your Perform check to realize you are also casting a spell. This uses 1 round of your bardic performance ability, regardless of the spell's casting time.
Second, as a move action, you can use 1 round of bardic performance to maintain a bard spell with a duration of concentration. You can cast another spell in the same round you are using bardic magic to maintain concentration; if you do this, your concentration on the maintained spell ends when you end the bardic performance the spell is part of.
Bards can totally specialize in enchantment.
QUESTIONS:
1) What else do you have in your party for PCs so far?
2) What sort of setting is your campaign?
3) What appeals to you more? What do you want to do?
NOTE: If you cross-class Dirge Bard with one level Serpentine (perhaps tattooed sorc?) you will get a bard that can enchant:
a) Undead
b) Humanoids
c) Animals
d) Monstrous Humanoids
e) Magical AnimalsAND have everything react to your enchantment spells as if they shared a language with you. You would just have to be careful to take "verbal-only" spells like true-strike on your sorc level so that you can still wear armor without arcane failure.
To answer the questions in order:
1. One inquisitor, one rogue-type (a homebrewed class, but it fits the bill), and two undetermined. I can pretty much cross off full casters from that list of possibilities though, hence thinking Sorcerer at first.
2. The vibe I've been getting from the descriptions the GM has given has a very strong Underground Resistance tone to it. Probably very urban, but the GM likes his Fey, so I'm expecting them to show up too.
3. I haven't really gotten to play many classes long term, so I'm happy with either. Here's why I'm having trouble deciding. That Kitsune Sorcerer class bonus is crazy good. There's no doubt I'd be all set with Spellcasting that way. On the other hand, I'd feel less pidgeon-holed into a certain thing if I had the variety a Bard offers. This group rolls more skill checks out of combat than all rolls in combat put together.
Yes, bards make excellent Enchanters. In fact, they are the most useful Enchanters by far in a courtroom setting since they are one of the few classes that can easily hide their spellcasting. Which makes it a bit easier to tag that duke with Charm Person without getting cut down by his guards!
Spellsong would actually be pretty cool. Great for keeping my cover in fact.
Bards also excel at useful charisma based skills. Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate being the big ones. At least in my experience. Having a really high Diplomacy and/or Bluff can really be useful at the right times. Not quite the same as enchantment, but they sure can be handy.
But if you want enchantment above all other things, a sorcerer with either the Serpentine or maybe the Rakshasa bloodlines might be the way to go.