Starting a Bard

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=Starting a Bard=

The bard is a perfect addition to any party, a competent scout, warrior and spellcaster. Bards offer strong team buffs and can help shore up a team's shortcomings whatever they may be. Although bards rarely enjoy the spotlight, they will always be active in every situation. This is a fun and satisfying class to play.

All bards with enough ranks in Perform have access to bardic music, the bard's signature. Inspire Courage is a long-lasting team buff, and available at 1st level. Fascinate is an extraordinarily powerful charm, also available at 1st level. Additional levels bring additional buffs and charms of increasing power and utility.

Read more about bards with the Diva's Bard Love Guide.

Races
Human: Bards are a skilled class, so the extra skill points are welcome and can give you some flexibility on your starting INT score. The bonus feat helps a lot.

Elf: The DEX bonus is occasionally useful to TWF bards, while the CON penalty hurts bards a lot, especially if you intend to melee. Useful racial enhancements include bonuses to fighting with rapiers, scimitars, or falchion.

Half-Elf: Great synergy bonus with Paladin Dilettante background feat.

Halfling: STR penalty lowers your melee damage, but racial sneak attack enhancements more than offset this. Halfling Hero's Companion has synergy with the buffing nature of a bard.

Half-Orc: The STR bonus makes them usually extremely combat oriented and thus optimal for warchanters. The CHA penalty does not hurt too much either with warchanters. Half-Orcs seem moderately ineffective as Spellsingers and Virtuosi though.

Dwarf: The CHA penalty is irrelevant for many bard builds, CON is certainly nice. Multiclassing as a fighter or barbarian pays dividends here.

Warforged: Again, the CHA penalty sets you back a bit, but as with dwarves, multiclassing sets you apart from the rest.

Drow: Racial bonuses to CHA, INT, and DEX more often than not outweigh the penalty to CON.

Abilities
The primary (casting) stat for a bard is Charisma. However, it is not necessarily the highest stat. Bards focusing on crowd control favor Charisma, but melee bards favor Strength. A solid Constitution is required especially for melee bards. Bards that favor two-weapon fighting need also Dexterity. Some bards want to increase Intelligence to get more skill points. Wisdom is usually dumped.

Here is a stat block for a two-handed fighting build:

STR: 16 (+3)

DEX: 8 (-1)

CON: 14 (+2)

INT: 10 (+0)

WIS: 8 (-1)

CHA: 16 (+3)

Combat-minded bards will raise STR and CON and drop DEX, INT and CHA. Those focused on magic (casting and UMD) may drop STR, DEX or INT for a boost to CHA. Bards who prefer to buff and emergency heal will sacrifice points in CHA to bolster other stats.

The enhancement Bard's Charisma adds +1 Charisma at 2nd level, +2 at 5th, and +3 at 8th. Bards focused on magic, or dwarf and warforged bards, will want to take this enhancement if their charisma-10 is lower than their highest level possible spell.

The ability adds at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th will usually be placed in Charisma or Strength depending on the style of the Bard.

Spells
At 1st level you get just one spell. I'd recommend either Cure Light Wounds or one of the control spells like Hypnotism, Sleep, or Otto's Resistible Dance. The self-heal is nice early, and always welcome in any party. The control spells can save a lot of damage before it needs healing.

Bard spells might be categorized as Charms, Restoratives and Utility spells. Charms are powerful control spells (Hypnotism, Charm Person, Sleep, Otto's Resistible Dance, Fear). Restoratives are heals, buffs and status removers (Cure Light Wounds, Remove Fear). Utility spells are more situational (Detect Secret Doors, Expeditious Retreat). Bards with a lower CHA may want to concentrate on their Restoratives and Utility spells, which do not rely on a DC. The Charms offer powerful control possibilities that no bard should be entirely without. Most bards select a mix of Charms and Restoratives. Those with Spell Focus (Enchantment) and a lot of charms are not to be trifled with.

Skills
All bards should keep their Perform skill maxed, since their bardic music requires a minimum number of Perform ranks.

Past that, it's pretty wide open how you spend your points. You can reach big scores with the "face" skills (Bluff, Diplomacy and Haggle). Hide and Move Silently are class skills for the scouting types. Concentration is a good choice. Melee bards like the Tumble skill. All adventurers benefit from Spot, Listen, Jump, Swim and Heal. And bards excel at the Use Magic Device skill, which increases your flexibility greatly. Bear in mind that max ranks in UMD and a good CHA score will allow a bard roughly a 50% chance to activate an item with the same caster level as the bard.

Feats
Melee bards usually take power attack, improved critical, toughness, and either TWF or THF feat line. Extend Spell is useful to make the critical buffs like haste and rage last longer. Spell-casting oriented bards take Heighten Spell and spell penetration feats. Bards' healing abilities profit from Empower Healing and Maximize.

Enhancements
Bards take enhancements needed for their prestige enhancements. Inspired Attack and Inspired Damage improve bards' signature ability and are basically required. Song Magic improves your healing. Healing crit improvements are often not necessary. Energy of Music is also not too popular. Extra Song and Lingering Song are taken by most bards. Bard's Charisma is used by casting oriented bards.

Of the three Bard PrEs available, Warchanter is by far the most popular as of Update 1. Virtuoso is almost never taken, and Spellsinger has seen its usefulness drop. The role of the Warchanter is a topic of some debate, with some players insisting that Bards should focus on their role of party buffer, while other demand that Warchanters contribute directly to party DPS.

A Bard focusing on healing should consider taking all ranks of Wand Mastery, as Bard Wand Mastery provides a 75% increase to effectiveness of wands and scrolls.

Multiclassing
If you find a strong lean in your Bard build, you might consider multiclassing. Bards take exceptionally well to multiclassing, and with any other class. Bards cannot choose Paladins or Monks for multiclassing since Bards must be of non-Lawful alignment.

Warning: If you plan to reach level 20, multiclassing will hurt your offensive magic capabilities, due to the loss of the Bard capstone enhancement.

The Charlatan - Add 1 or 2 levels of Rogue for superior utility.

Pros: Gain sneak attack and access to Disable Device and Open Lock, additional skill points, evasion at rogue 2

Cons: Attack progression reduced slightly, potential skill points crunch, delayed access to more powerful bardic spells and music

Notes: This combo does not sacrifice much for ultimate dungeon utility. A higher Intelligence is sometimes needed to keep the skill points maxed.

The Adventurer - Add 1 or 2 levels of Fighter and/or Barbarian for improved overall balance.

Pros: Improved Attack progression, Fort saves, and HP; bonus feat and more weapon proficiencies

Cons: Delayed spell and music access

Notes: A fast way to cover a Bard's primary weaknesses (melee and Fort saves). Take at 2nd level for fast access to martial weapon proficiency, or to jump start or complete a longer feat chain. Rangers can work here as well, with less flexibility, combat-wise, but better skill points.

The Mystic - Add 1 level of Wizard or Sorcerer for improved spellcasting

Pros: Big boost in SP, additional spell options, many items can be used without UMD

Cons: Delayed Bard spell and music access, useful spell list is fairly short, Arcane Spell Failure chance on Sorcerer/Wizard spells.

Notes: Stick with Abjuration, Divination and Transmutation spells for maximum life from your new spells. This combo opens up the potential for metamagic feats. Choose wizard for more flexibility, sorcerer for more power.

The Lyricist - Add 1 level of Cleric for superior buffing

Pros: Big boost in SP, bolstered Fort save, cast all spells in light armor, large selection of spells, turn undead, some items can be used without UMD

Cons: Attack progression slowed slightly, need a fair WIS score, turning ability fades over time, delayed access to bardic spells and music

Notes: This one is about buffing, not healing. Bless and Protection from evil never go out of style

The Bard has a lot going for it, and is a terrific choice to run your entire career or mix with any other class. Best of luck!

Sample build
Human Bard:
 * 17 str
 * 8 dex
 * 16 con
 * 8 int
 * 8 wis
 * 13 cha

Bonus points into str.

Feats: Toughness, Weapon Focus: Slash, Power Attack, Improved Crit: Slash, Two-Handed Fighting, Improved Two-Handed Fighting, Greater Two-Handed Fighting

Spells:
 * 1 CLW, Detect Secret Doors, Expeditious Retreat, Focusing Chant, Remove Fear
 * 2 CMW, Blur, Rage, Heroism (swapped later)
 * 3 CSW, Good Hope, Haste, Displacement
 * 4 CCW, Dimension Door, Freedom of Movement, Break Enchantment
 * 5 CLW Mass, Greater Heroism, Greater Dispel Magic
 * 6 CMW Mass, Otto's Irresistible Dance, Mass Suggestion, Heroes' Feast

Enhancements:
 * warchanter II
 * Song +attack, +damage
 * extra song, lingering song
 * toughness
 * song magic
 * wand mastery

Skills:
 * Perform
 * UMD
 * Concentration
 * Tumble
 * Haggle
 * Diplomacy

Ranged Support Bard
(this build is obsolete and not recommended)

Human
 * Str 12
 * Dex 14
 * Con 14
 * Int 10
 * Wis 10
 * Cha 15

Drow changes: Str 12 (4), Dex 16 (6), Con 12 (6), Int 12 (2), Wis 12 (4), Cha 16 (6)

32 Pt: Con 14 (or 12 for Elf), Wis 12

Skills:
 * Perform
 * Tumble
 * Use Magic Device
 * Concentration
 * Haggle
 * Balance
 * Diplomacy (or Jump if you, like me, have trouble remembering to hit the diplomacy button)

Class Progression:
 * Bard 1: Rapid Reload, Point Blank Shot
 * Brd 1/Ftr 1: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Repeating Crossbow, Light or Heavy)
 * Brd 2/Ftr 1: Precise Shot

This build is greatly enhanced if you already have a Repeating Crossbow to send over. Other tactical recommendations include dragging many of your stacks of crossbow bolts to your action bar so that you can keep better track of your ammo.

Ultimate all-rounder bard
(this build is obsolete and not recommended)

Guess what - the bard that can do everything. Although this build is based mostly on healing, it can do all of the main roles of a bard - heal, melee, ranged and buff

Elf - dex bonus useful, longbows for more damage, Elven attack bonus in new Enhancements. Loss of con isn't too bad as the bard shouldn't have agro

STR: 12 (+1)- decent melee ability, but can be buffed to be much better - songs, then heroism, and enhancements

DEX: 16 (+3)- decent ranged ability, can be made higher with buffs and enhancements

CON: 12 (+1)- you run in after the fighter, thus don't have agro. Otto them if you do

INT: 10 (+0)- 6 skill points a level

WIS: 8 (-1)- With the new Force of Personality feat, you have no need for Wisdom

CHA: 16 (+3)- spell points - yum

Lvl 1 feat - Empower Healing

Lvl 3 feat - Mental Toughness

Lvl 6 feat - Extend Spell

Lvl 9 feat - Force of Personality

Lvl 12 feat - Skill Focus (UMD)

Lvl 15 feat - Improved Mental Toughness

From the lvl 1 feat, you can see that the bard is meant to be a healer from the beginning, but with the right items and buffs (which, luckily, you can provide) you can do anything. Annoying kobold sorcerer? Facinate it. Undead? Buff up, grab a longsword/mace. Or heal them to death. Cleric dead? UMD the raise dead scrolls.

The skills I'd go for are: Concentration, Use Magic Device, Tumble, Jump and (pick two more.) All useful, and being able to use any weapons, armour and scrolls is a huge boost over other people.

With this build [which I use, look for Sabrial on DDO Europe], with the right gear and enhancements, you can heal in the 350's with CCW, without being just a healbot. Take a vorpal longsword with you, a banisher, a smiter, etc, and you can get quick kills on almost anything, without needed a high strength to do so. Also, with the new spell, Master's Touch, you can wield almost any weapon in the game, without penalty. So the bards have things going for them now.