I'm making a level 1 Skald and I'm a little stuck as to what feat I should take. Unfortunately were restricted to core book only feats but it wouldn't be so bad if Skald's started out with a +1 BAB, but they don't so you cant take weapon focus. I'm leaning towards Toughness (meh) but there has to be something better...right?
Improved Initiative is another option. An average of 1/5 extra action per combat is worth thinking about anyway.
Blind-Fight is an often underrated feat. Concealment can be really annoying, let alone invisible enemies.
oooo improved initiative i forgot about that one
Arcane strike is good for a skald as well, extra performance, or skill focus in whichever performance you plan to versatileize at level two.
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You WILL need to spend/waste that standard action to activate Raging Song. The soon you do it the better, therefore Improved Initiative is a must.
If you are human, I suggest Arcane Strike as second feat, which is overall equivalent to Power Attack: in general a +1 to hit implies a +2 points to damage, therefore Power Attack with a 2H weapon gives roughly a net of +1 to damage, which is the same as Arcane Strike.
If you can, try to throw in also Reactionary and Community Minded traits if you can. The first gives you another +2 to Initiative, while the second one extends any morale bonus you grant to your allies (including yourself) for 2 rounds, and Raging Song does indeed grant a morale bonus!
Core only is fine a few feat options for you:
Improved initiative (get your buff up early for everyone)
Toughness (Stay alive)
Combat Reflexes (A reach weapon really is the way to go.)
Power attack- Later this can help you do more damage
Arcane Strike- Another good damage buff but later game the swift action conflicts with performance
Improved Saves- Always good to pick up for survival
As AVR says Blind fight is under rated but a godsend when you need it. If your allows the Heart seeker enchantment it can replace the feat but if your DM is mostly Core material it probably wont be allowed.
By "core book only", do you mean only the core rule book? Or only books in the rpg line? If you can use the Advanced Class Guide then you should be taking the skalds vigor feat unless you took an archetype to change your inspired raging song.
Power attack requires BAB +1.
Otherwise, I agree with a lot of Louise Bishop's suggestions.
I would've suggested Lingering Performance, but that's somehow now Core Only. (APG?)
only the core rule book. skalds dont get the bardic performance class feature i dont think. im using my traits to buff my saves since im playing a half orc and taking the sacred tattoo ARF. im leaning towards improved initiative now but skalds vigor is good ill have to ask our DM if its ok.
Skalds can take feats and such related to bardic performance, its in their write up.
ive never played a skald before. is it better to buff their support stuff rather than their combat stuff?
or better to buff their support stuff early and combat stuff later?
Seems odd to be able to play a class from a book but not be able to use the other elements of that book. The skald was made assuming that it would have access to some of those feats.
Power attack requires BAB +1.
Otherwise, I agree with a lot of Louise Bishop's suggestions.
I would've suggested Lingering Performance, but that's somehow now Core Only. (APG?)
Tis why I said Later next to power attack. Cause it's more a level 3 or 5 feat.
Only the rage powers granted by your class are shareable, rage powers gained via feats aren't.Dont waste feats on power attack, arcane strike, toughness or other "self only" feats.
The real strength of skald is the ability to share ragepowers. The more the merrier.
But given you only are allowed core feats, I would choose another class which has more core support.
I don't think I'd ever play a base skald without skald's vigor. If it's really not an option, you'd be better off to take the spell warrior archetype.
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Only the rage powers granted by your class are shareable, rage powers gained via feats aren't.Dont waste feats on power attack, arcane strike, toughness or other "self only" feats.
The real strength of skald is the ability to share ragepowers. The more the merrier.
But given you only are allowed core feats, I would choose another class which has more core support.
Thanks I didn't know that.
Thanks I didn't know that.Only the rage powers granted by your class are shareable, rage powers gained via feats aren't.Dont waste feats on power attack, arcane strike, toughness or other "self only" feats.
The real strength of skald is the ability to share ragepowers. The more the merrier.
But given you only are allowed core feats, I would choose another class which has more core support.
Id also disagree with your first post as well.
If you want to be 100% support who does nothing but make others look good then yes take support only feats.
But if you want to contribute more than being a buff bot then take something for yourself and your fighting style.
Not all bards go pure support and Skald is the same. You can either spec full support or you can pull off some decent Reach damage while buffing your team. So it is not being that selfish since they are still getting the buffs from you and you are contributing to ending the encounter even faster. Thus reducing the amount of healing and removal after the fight. There is nothing "Self only" about it.
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I will take this opportunity to elaborate. Most skalds should be melee. The base skalds abilities are more potent than a bard’s but useful to fewer people. They naturally increase HP, the 2 most important saves, attack, damage, provide a set of varied but useful rage powers and eventually fast healing. The drawback is they prevent spell casting and drop AC by 1.
To make this work you want a minimum of 2 people to use the ability because it has half the bonuses of standard rage. This makes it stronger overall than other similar abilities like rage. If the skald uses it on themselves then you only need one other person to accept it. When the skald plus 2 people and/or animal companions use, it you are dramatically amplifying the power of the group.
This is the better option IMHO because the best spells one the bard list are buff spells, utility spells and the finally set of spells. None require saves. Once you have supported with songs and spells the next best thing a skald can do is run clean up. Finish the fight.
Skalds get 90% or more of there support from spells, skills and songs and can get by with on 14 CHA and still be very threatening in combat. To get that last 10% of support you have to give up most of your melee ability.
The DM has been flexible with things that we want to take as long as we get his OK first. Because of the world we are playing in a lot of things have been restricted. For example, wizards and clerics have had their power level significantly reduced due to the absence of gods etc. I will check with my group to see if the skald bonus will be used by a number of people or if most will be refusing the buff. I think I will probably take Imp Init at first and then take skalds vigor and greater eventually when I get the GMs ok
I'm looking at the Spell Warrior archetype and I must be missing something. at level 10 you get:
At 10th level, a spell warrior can sacrifice his own rage magic to counter an opponent’s spell. When using raging song, he can counterspell as an immediate action without interrupting his raging song. However, in addition to expending a spell slot (or spell slots) to attempt to counter the opponent’s spell, the skald must expend 1 round of raging song per spell level of the opponent’s spell (for example, if attempting to counterspell a 3rd-level spell, the skald must expend one of his own 3rd-level spell slots and 3 rounds of raging song).
but at level 11 you get:
At 11th level, when counterspelling an opponent’s spell, the spell warrior only has to expend one skald spell slot of the level of the spell being cast.
why would you ever choose to use the lvl 10 ability over the lvl 11 ability other than you cant for one level
The DM has been flexible with things that we want to take as long as we get his OK first. Because of the world we are playing in a lot of things have been restricted. For example, wizards and clerics have had their power level significantly reduced due to the absence of gods etc. I will check with my group to see if the skald bonus will be used by a number of people or if most will be refusing the buff. I think I will probably take Imp Init at first and then take skalds vigor and greater eventually when I get the GMs oki can understand clerics and oracles getting a nerf but how does lack of gods equate to less powerful wizards?
oh it wouldnt the wizards are less powerful for a different reason i cant remember right now
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I'm looking at the Spell Warrior archetype and I must be missing something. at level 10 you get:
At 10th level, a spell warrior can sacrifice his own rage magic to counter an opponent’s spell. When using raging song, he can counterspell as an immediate action without interrupting his raging song. However, in addition to expending a spell slot (or spell slots) to attempt to counter the opponent’s spell, the skald must expend 1 round of raging song per spell level of the opponent’s spell (for example, if attempting to counterspell a 3rd-level spell, the skald must expend one of his own 3rd-level spell slots and 3 rounds of raging song).but at level 11 you get:
At 11th level, when counterspelling an opponent’s spell, the spell warrior only has to expend one skald spell slot of the level of the spell being cast.why would you ever choose to use the lvl 10 ability over the lvl 11 ability other than you cant for one level
The 10th level power only use an immediate action.