Doomspeak and Bards. Acquiring Intimidate?

[kevin video]

So I looked up the handbook, and it suggested that Doomspeak be one of the feats a bard should take. I agree. However, that Intimidate 8 ranks is a bit steep for a class that doesn't have it. How do you get around that?

EDIT: I mean besides human with Able Learner. That's not an option.

[Vladeshi]

First thing that comes to mind would be the feat Apprentice(Soldier) to grant intimidate as a class skill.
Or just multiclass to something with it as a class skill.
Human with Able Learner would not let it work anyways, it would just let you not pay cross-class cost, you would still be limited to cross-class for maximum ranks.

[skydragonknight]

Martial Study (Devoted Spirit) will give you Intimidate as well (and you will at least get a maneuver out of it). But since bards are fairly feat-starved already given how many options they have, it honestly might just be easier to do a one-level dip.

[phaedrusxy]

Isn't there a handbook on how to get things as class skills? I wonder if there isn't an ACF or something that could work here...

[Jackinthegreen]

Isn't there a handbook on how to get things as class skills? I wonder if there isn't an ACF or something that could work here...

Yes there is a handbook.

Nope, there isn't an ACF in the regular books or in Dragon mag to get Intimidate on a bard.

[kevin video]

So how do bard builds get this? Only by multi-classing?

[Jackinthegreen]

And/or prestige classing.

[kevin video]

And/or prestige classing.

Can't find a bard PrC that gives it to me. Not even the dwarven chanter does it, and it's a DWARF bard PrC. That seems wrong somehow.

[Vladeshi]

Dirgesinger has it as a class skill, but now you have a level in Dirgesinger.

[skydragonknight]

Virtuoso is also an option and would give access to the feat by level 9.

[Shadowhunter]

If you can stomach a hit to your effective Bard level, the customary single dip in Mindbender gives it as a class skill. Mindbender requires 4 ranks in intimidate to start with, so you can enter by 9th level, which also means you can pick it up right there and then. So it's like Virtuoso in a way, where the former gives up a level of bardic music and the latter a level of spellcasting.

[Maat Mons]

Without multiclassing, I don't see any options besides half-gnome (Races of Ansalon, p105) and various feats.