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Pure Bard

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 6:58 am
by Hazard
How would one go about building a pure bard, now? (for dummies)
Looking to take fullest advantage of all the new bard toys and skills, not really concerned about mechanical strength in pvp/pve.
Just heavy cha and int?
Throw advice at me, some might stick. Please and thank you.

Re: Pure Bard

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:44 am
by Skarain
A Pure, combat-capable Bard or a pure support-based bard?

For the former, you would likely go 16 cha (full spellcasting), Medium Armor (Masterly Elven Chainmail), Elder Dream spear (simple weapon. If medium race can 1h or 2h, small only 2h), 8 dex (geared for 18 for chain armor +4 max) maxed out STR and a balance between INT and CON, 14 minimum in both, depending on preference of HP vs. Skills.

You would take at least the normal melee feats: blind fight, weapon focus, imp critical, curse song, still spell (for ASF reduction), extend spell pre-epic. In epics:;epic weapon focus, ESF: perform, lasting inspiration, armor skin, epic prowess.

You are left with 1 feat pre-epic, 2 if human. In epics left with 1 feat.

EDIT: You MIGHT also not even have that, as you might need Expertise and Improved Expertise aswell. You can obviously miss-match based on what you consider valuable. Metamagic can be dropped as needed, but I personally can't live without Extended.

For the Full-Support oriented bard, you have more leeway but you sacrifice solo-capacity for doing so (I am playing one such myself presently). Since the Perform requirements cap at 80, you are fine with 16 Cha (for full spellcasting) and the rest you place based on your needs and wishes to INT (more skills, I go for 24 INT myself, but int race + gift), CON (more HP to survive spells/pve/pvp) and STR (carrying capacity in general). You want the minumum of ESF: Perform, Lasting Inspiration, Curse Song and Extend Spell. The rest is up for preference, and what style of support bard you want to be. Higher skills via ESkillfocus vs. All song feats to spam curse song non-stop, or Spell and Greater Spell Focus for minor boons, like transmutation teleport self, other, +6 zoo. Or Ilusion GSF give you messangers and make your Invisibilitymto last longer when running from place to place stealthed (less need to stop and refresh wards, since pure bsrd get 50% move speed from a song).

Any specifications what you want out of the character?

Re: Pure Bard

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:56 am
by AstralUniverse
full cha, con secondary. how much int you want for skill points is really up to you. You dont need and spell focuses but gsf abjuration will make you a pretty good dispeller and gsf illusion will get you the invisibility duration buff, both of these focuses I personally recommend for flavor and utility. You dont really need lingering song but there's little reason not to take it. 15 minutes lasting inspiration songs means you can really keep going forever and spam curse songs every encounter (although you can do that without lingering song tbh, just for not as long.

say...
1- curse song, toughness
3- lingering song
6- sf illusion
9- gsf illusion
12- extend spell
15- sf perform?
18- craft/brew
21- ESf perform
23- lasting inspiration
24- ESF lore
26- ESF discipline
27- sf abjur
29- gsf abjur
30- cha? ad; abjure?

That's just one option. I know others who wouldnt bother with any GSFs at all.

Re: Pure Bard

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:51 am
by Gouge Away
I'd consider SF enchantment (probably don't even need GSF) to extend the length of dominate person if you can spare the feat. It's a QOL thing but it can make soloing a lot easier even in epics, since you don't otherwise get a summon of much use.

Re: Pure Bard

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:48 pm
by Skarain
Caster Support Bard could indeed take GSF: Enchantment + high Leadership. Dominates are considered Henchmen and while you're limited to 1 by Dominate, we just had a dozen new Henchmen added that massively benefit from a high Leadership skill, and as it happens to be, a lot of the gear you need to get Perform 80 also come with Leadership.

Re: Pure Bard

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:52 am
by Gouge Away
Oh yeah getting high leadership is a good idea too. GSF enchant gives you +4 perform as well, almost worth it just for that. If you're going charisma based you can have a finicky little army to fight for you and your confuse/hold and a few other spells will also be reliable enough to use. I might even try this now!

Re: Pure Bard

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:16 pm
by DangerDolphin
Pure bard strength build is not a thing, you have poor damage and only 3 APR.

To take full advantage of the new songs and toys all you need is 30 bard levels and 70 perform, with ESF: Perform in your build somewhere.

Ideally you would max CON and go EDR bard for this, so you survive while providing full bard song benefits to your party.

You can go CHA bard if you want and focus on enchantment spells, but Feylock does it better.

Re: Pure Bard

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 6:22 pm
by Gouge Away
Sure, but Feylock makes you an instant pariah to most of the surface population so CHA bard might have a niche among the good.

Re: Pure Bard

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:24 pm
by Hazard
DangerDolphin wrote:
Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:16 pm
To take full advantage of the new songs and toys all you need is 30 bard levels and 70 perform, with ESF: Perform in your build somewhere.
That's simple enough. Thanks!