JAW
Posts 24
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A late entry for the builder competition. I'm not sure it's ultra-original or especially clever. But I'm quite pleased with the potential here.
I like bards, but mine tend to die a lot. I'm hoping this one will last a little longer.
Objective: Fully functioning bard with all the perks, 30CL and 26BAB. Not flimsy. No XP-penalty or level reduction.
Elstraer - link
Human, Neutral, Mielikki, Veteran
Bard 12, Cleric 1, Canaith Lyrist 10, Dragonslayer 7
Stats:
STR: 14 -> 21
DEX: 15
CON: 15
INT: 10
WIS: 10
CHA: 14
Levelling and Feats
1 Bard
Blind-Fight Practiced Spellcaster (bard)
2 Cleric
Domain: Water Domain: Law
3-13 Bard
Dodge, SotH, Battle Dancer, Curse Song
14-17 Dragonslayer
Extend Spell
18-27 Canaith Lyrist
Toughness, Lingering Song, Epic Toughness (+30), Song of Requiem, Epic Resilience
28-30 Dragonslayer
Hymn of Requiem
Skills
Diplomacy 7
Lore 7
Sleight of Hand 7
Perform 33
Spellcraft 30
Tumble 30
Listen 33
UMD: 19
Concentration: 16
Appraise 3
Class Discussion
I love bards. So that was my base class choice. Canaith Lyrist is a great complement, thanks to continued song and spell progession plus higher BAB progression. It's a pain to get, though, because of the Evasion requirement, hence the cleric level. Cleric also lets me stop worrying about being able to cast divine scrolls and maybe lets me wear the Trinity armour if I raise enough cash. Dragonslayer is a solid addition which gets me to 26BAB without too much impact on spell progression and some potentially useful perks like Fear immunity and Greater Spell Penetration.
Stat Discussion
Pre-Er1 +5/+6 gear is about as high as I'm likely to be able to muster for stat improvements. In particular I'm thinking of the STR belt whose name I forget, Cain's Boots, Heavy Shield of Darkness, and a scimitar. My CHA and STR are a bit low for this sort of build, I admit, but hey - that's what ERs are for.
Feat Discussion
Blind Fight, Practised Spellcaster - I was sore not to be able to take Luck of Heroes with this build, but I really couldn't find anything I could sensibly sacrifice. Blind Fight is here for obvious reasons; Practised Spellcaster gets me to 30CL with this class split.
Cleric (Water, Law) - Evasion is a requirement for CL and a single cleric level is the simplest way to get it. Law domain gets me Iron Will, a requirement for Dragonslayer. Access to heavier armour might also be useful.
Dodge, SotH, Battle Dancer, Curse Song - should be pretty uncontroversial: you want these if you're a bard. Dodge is a requirement for Dragonslayer.
Extend Spell - This might be a more controversial choice. It kind of comes down to the question "how am I going to stay alive?" My answer is with concealment and mirrors. I want Extended Displacement and lots of it.
Toughness, Lingering Song, Epic Toughness (+30), Song of Requiem, Epic Resilience - More toughness is always a good thing, especially for a flimsy bard like me. I can boost my saves up by 10 with Superior Resistance and Greater Heroism, so Epic Resilience is certainly worth the money. Lingering Song was a really hard choice - choosing this means I haven't got Epic Prowess, but getting my Curse and Hymn to last 10 rounds is pretty much essential.
Hymn of Requiem - If Curse Song isn't the best spell in the game, then this certainly is.
Skill Discussion
Most of the skills are obvious choices or are prerequisites for the classes. Leaving Concentration at 16 might seem an odd choice, but every other piece of loot seems to have a conc bonus, so I've found this enough.
Strengths in brief
Full bard spell casting with level 30CL and six attacks. +5 Inspire Courage. Full curse song / hymn of requiem. Decent (if unexceptional) AC and HP for the type.
Regrets
Low STR and AB, missing Luck of Heroes and Epic Prowess are obvious deficits. That Fortitude save is rather distressing, too.
edited by JAW on 9/14/2011
edited by JAW on 9/14/2011
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'JustAnotherWanderer' in game.
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JAW
Posts 24
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Day One Observations
I've encountered both the Arcane Orbcaster and the Warlock in-game and they're both pretty impressive. They both get stronger over time, I think, too.
This bard is holding up well, but despite three of us in the group, we had to enlist extra support against Cain in Iron Claw. The lateness of Energy Immunity in my build (not till level 20!) was partly to blame, but a lack of ooomph in the 'hitting things' department was also a challenge.
HP and AC are OK, so are saves - but lack of decent AB can make a lot of fights tedious and more equal than I might have hoped. Maybe as my Curse Song matures that will be less true.
I'm at lvl21 now and I've changed my mind about EP vs. Ext Spell. I think I'm going to take EP instead - my buffs last quite a long time already.
A big worry for Day Two is the Atlantan Electromancers - my saves are holding up, but no spell resistance and limited immunity leaves me wide open to some powerful blasts. If - that's a big "if" - I can make it past them, then I should be OK for the rest of this chapter.
The 'Grease' spell is fantastic, btw.
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'JustAnotherWanderer' in game.
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