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Topics - Endarire

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101
Min/Max 3.x / Druid6 vs Wizard6
« on: June 24, 2013, 04:07:27 AM »
Greetings, all!

One of my friends is convincing me that, at least for the first 6 levels, a Druid will usually outdo a Wizard.  (This is a normal game over 20 levels, not E6.)  Mind you, a Druid can't do everything a Wizard can, but brings up some good points.

This comparison ignores PrCs.

Compared to a Wizard, a Druid gets:
+More HP
+1 additional good save
+An animal companion (compared to a familiar)
+Full knowledge of his spell list
+Spot and Listen as class skills
+More stealth options due to an animal companion and Wild Shape.  (Wild Shape lasts as long as alter self and doesn't take spell slots.)
+Healing (self and party) via cure and vigor spells.  A Wizard can use repair damage... if he's a Warforged or Construct.
+Inherent spontaneous casting (summon nature's ally spells)
+Stronger summons due to Greenbound Summoning and Ashbound
+Into his stride faster.  A Druid is likely strong into his groove at level 6 while a Wizard needs to wait another level or 3 for level 4 or 5 spells.
+Better access to melee abilities.  Sure, Wizards can grapple, but they have to really specialize for it at this level.  (Proof.)

=More base skill points, but probably fewer skill points overall due to a Druid pumping WIS and a Wizard pumping INT
=No [Teleport] abilities I know of, but can burrow and swim and fly!
=STR, DEX, and CON that are form-dependent.  Usually these are better than your base form.

-Fewer bonus feats.  (If you account for PrCs, these feats are likely already spent on prereqs.)
-No Abrupt Jaunt/Rapid Summoning
-Generally, fewer Knowledge skills maxed
-A generally worse spell list when it comes to crowd control and 3D movement.  (A Wizard's spell list is, in general, superior for crowd control and 3D movement.)  Entangle and briar web (Spell Compendium 39) are useful but likely to hit your party, and both require existing vegetation.  A Wizard gets levitate while a Druid gets master air (Spell Compendium139).

102
This requires cross-setting material and a GM who allows Leadership, but consider this.

You're a Human.  You go Druid5/Planar Shepherd2 to 5/Hathran5Planar Shepherd5-8.  (Rearrange level order to suit your liking assuming you meet all prereqs.)

With an acorn of far travel (and plane shift and teleport via plants) you can continuously renew your ability to spontaneously cast any Druid spell of any spell level you can cast!  Oh, and Circle Magic @Hathran5.

Assuming you aren't going for free wishes with Fernia or 10:1 turns with Dal Quor, you can still do lots with, say, Lamannia, the Twilight Forest.

Sure, you won't have the full Wild Shaping of a Druid20, but you can do plenty.  A Dao (Manual of the Planes 172) via Lamannia gives limited with 3/day to nongenies... like party members.  (No XP cost!)  And you can use Circle Magic to cast all your spells at caster level 40 + other bonuses.

I jokingly call this the Commander Shepard build.  And yes, this interaction of abilities (Druid, Hathran, Planar Shepherd) is powerful, and you can probably make it even more so.  Please don't remind me that this stuff is powerful/good.

103
We've heard the theory before, again and again and again, that at a certain point, casters > non-casters.  People postulate that it starts between level 5 due to Wild Shape, level 7 due to black tentacles/dimension door/polymorph, or level 7 again due to Divine Metamagic: Persistent divine power. Taking a good look at what characters can do, I agree.  In theory.

I have a bit of anecdotal evidence.  In a low-op game, the party's Wizard (a Conjurer8) used Evard's black tentacles in a dungeon with a bunch of enemies in a room about 20'x20'.  The enemy force was slaughtered saved by GM Fiat.  The GM was angry that we so easily diffused the situation with a core spell being used for its intended purpose when he set it up for us.

This same low-op GM once threatened to kill the party (on purpose, for whatever reason) and outnumbered us 10 to 6.  We were again level 8.  The party's Wizard (the same guy) went first and hampered the enemy force a little bit.  Then my Psion went, used energy missile, and downright annihilated five of them became frustrated as he did about twice their HP in damage with a DC they'd need a natural 20 to save against.  (Go, go Power Link Shards!)  After that, my group threatened to disband my group threatened to disband and my GM ragequit.  Then he returned about 2 weeks later.

Conversely, when I GMed a game from levels 1 to 21, casters were noticeably more powerful than non-casters, but we also avoided making permanent minions (so no planar binding or animate dead or simulacrum or charm/dominate).  We all seemed to enjoy ourselves and never accidentally broke the game, or tried to outdo each other.  It seemed to be the group, but we were more interested in interesting plot developments and challenges to conquer than having moar power!  (As GM, I gave the group a chance to play with more powerful characters of a similar level for a section, and my friends preferred their own characters.)

Disclaimer: This is not a rhetorical question nor a thread intended to support boosting X or nerfing Y.

104
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / What did 3.x do right?
« on: May 24, 2013, 01:11:46 AM »
Greetings, all!

There's been much talk about the missteps of 3.5, Pathfinder, and other game systems.  However, what D&D 3.5 did right I'd like to get opinions on.

My list includes:

1: Spiffy spell effects! For all the complaining about Wizards and casters being awesome, there's an upside to being awesome:  Being awesome!  Yes, you may outshine your compatriots, but having such power is actually pretty neat, if you can find a GM who'll let you play with such power!  And if you get bored of dropping Flaming Cthulus on your foes (to use a Scribblenauts Unlimited example), you can always use less powerful abilities.

2: Tome of Battle! I love the concept (and mechanics) of melee being able to do something besides auto-attack, use some skills, and keep casters alive until they hit puberty their stride, which is spell level 4 or 5 for Wizards in my opinion.  (Wizard spell level 3 stuff is good too, but spell level 4 is a major mark of progress for me, if I get to use it!)

I've since revamped Tome of Battle's maneuvers and stances and added a bunch.  They are here!

3: Modularity and Room to Grow. 3.5 has enough flexibility to allow for a lot of things.  If you're skilled at balancing things (which means you're a system expert), you can do a lot of interesting and balanced things.  ("Balanced" in this case is up to your taste.  And yes, I'm aware of the tier system for classes in D&D 3.5.)

4: There's a handbook for that. Our Handbook Section has the collective wisdom of tens of people over hundreds of handbooks.  These handbooks aren't absolute in their advice, but they help.  A lot.  Handbooks are my go-to place for new classes and subsystems (like Incarnum).  And yes, I've contributed some handbooks there.

5: Community. In 2000, Wizards of the Coast started its D&D boards on wizards.com.  This encouraged people to talk about the game, and eventually spawned other communities, like this one.  As of 2013, our community is alive and well, especially considering 3.5 is 10 years old this year and 3.0 is 13 years old.

105
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / When should spells become obsolete?
« on: May 22, 2013, 02:55:04 AM »
Greetings, all!

One thing that's occasionally mentioned in arguments that say, "Casters are powerful/useful" is that a level 1 grease spell is still quite useful throughout a Wizard's career, and at a certain point, what else will you fill your level 1 slots with?

On a similar note, psionic powers scale, but differently.  Some, like psionic grease, are useful throughout your career without extra PP.  Most, however, require extra PP for the extra oomph to be viable, effectively costing the same as powers 1-5 levels higher.

I'm mostly concerned how many character levels past a spell's prime (that is, when it's first available for you to use) a spell should be relegated to 'niche only situations' or 'effectively trash.'

106
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / What would make a familiar worth a feat?
« on: May 12, 2013, 07:43:28 PM »
Greetings, all!

I'm aware of Complete Arcane's feat Obtain Familiar.  I'm aware that a familiar isn't a feat for the classes that get it (Sor/Wiz, some others), but it can be traded for alternate class features (like Abrupt Jaunt) as if it were a feat.

These are my current revisions to making a familiar useful.

1: Full summonling benefits!  I treat a familiar like any other summoned creature.  (The Sor/Wiz ability is called "Summon Familiar."  If your familiar dies, you can summon another one later.  You may use Summon Familiar once per 24 hours, and each summoned familiar has a duration of 24 hours.

Also, since a familiar is summoned, it's affected by Augment Summoning and all other abilities which affect summons.

2: HD scaling and feats a la psicrystals! Psicrystals get real, actual HD as their masters gain levels in the appropriate classes.  This grants them feats.  Mind you, they can't get much in terms of feats, but it's something

107
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / How do you feel about the 'Big Six' Items?
« on: May 07, 2013, 02:16:18 AM »
This WotC article defines the Big Six as thus:

  • Magic weapon
  • Magic armor & shield
  • Ring of protection (or a +deflection AC item)
  • Cloak of resistance (or a +resistance saves item)
  • Amulet of natural armor (or a +natural AC item)
  • Ability score boosters
For me, paying gold for these items is basically saying, "I want this effect so much that I'll spend permanent resources to keep these effects on all day."  These effects can be gotten temporarily, to some degree via greater magic weapon, magic vestment, shield of faith, superior resistance, barkskin, and the animal buffs.  Thus, it's a matter of spell slots for temporary buffs (even if they're Persisted, they can still probably be dispelled) or money (or otherwise acquiring these items) for permanent use.

In short, to me, the Big Six are OK because they're circumventable via spells.  (Just make weapon enhancements cost half so they're the same as armor enhancements- +1 costs 1K, +2 costs 4K, +3 costs 9K...- and we're set.)  If your group doesn't share these buffs (or something comparable or better, like polymorph), you're in more trouble.

And if you aren't saving your money for these Big Six, then what are you spending your money on?

108
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Courtroom Reviews
« on: May 03, 2013, 09:08:23 PM »
How did these start for d20 books?  Why such enthusiasm for them?

109
Min/Max 3.x / Where are the April Fool's jokes?
« on: April 01, 2013, 11:47:30 PM »
I checked Wizards.com today expecting to find something.  I saw nothing on the homepage and no obvious changes on 339.  No obvious pranks on MinMaxBoards.com, nor Blizzard.com (save for Crabby the Dungeon Helper).  What's happening?

I don't count this lack of foolin' as April Fool's.

110
For example, Tomb of Horrors still has a page but the links are dead.

How can I get those adventures/modules again?  (All of them.)

111
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / D&D Pro Leagues
« on: February 23, 2013, 03:25:16 AM »
Greetings!

Today, I did a quick Google search and found no actual 'pro leagues' for D&D (any edition), where people play in difficult modules or other adventures for cash & prizes.  (The closest I found was the D&D Championship Series, an event run yearly by Wizards of the Coast at Gen Con.)  I'd expect modules to be about as difficult as Tomb of Horrors, especially if this for professional-level players/optimizers.

Beyond the D&D Championship Series, I know of no 'pro' options for module writers nor GMs.

I'm also well aware that the RPGA and Pathfinder Society have standardized, official modules and events.  (I played RPGA at Gen Con one year and felt the thrill of the game being hard while winnable.  And my Dwarf Wizard saved a party member from a grapple via grease.  Woohoo!)

If there were to be pro leagues of D&D, what would you want?

112
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / A Newcomer Handbook?
« on: February 23, 2013, 02:18:44 AM »
BrilliantGameologists started it, but it was never published in any form, to my knowledge.  Any takers on this?

113
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Making Your Own Astral Construct Power Armor
« on: February 19, 2013, 12:32:13 AM »
Forenote: This is the same post from Brilliant Gameologists and Giant in the Playground, ported here for security.

These are the only range limits I've found for manifesting astral construct:
-The construct must be made within Close range.
-The construct can't appear inside another creature or object.  (Metacreativity disicipline limitation.)
-I must have line of effect to the target area.

Because of this, I see every reason to allow Astral Construct Power Armor.  Here's how:
-Manifest an astral construct of at least your size category.  It must be big enough to cover you completely, but I assume you can fit snugly or comfortably inside.  I advise making small holes on the face for breathing and seeing, and holes in the hands through which to use touch powers and rays.
-Mentally direct it.to act as you wish.  You did give it all the transportation modes you needed, right?

Power Armor: Allies and Mounts
You can manifest this 'power armor' on your allies as well.  They'd go on your initiative and use the STR and DEX scores of the construct while being able to act normally.   Effectively, the construct is a mount that surrounds the target instead of merely staying under the target.

Yes, this allows you to turn normal mounts (horses, ponies, force dragons...) into power armored mounts.

Here's how to make a larger power armor than your size category.
-Fly, levitate, or otherwise hover in the place you want to be when your power armor appears.  I recommend near the face or in a specifically-crafted hole in the construct.

Optional:
-Watch this and pay special attention to 0:16.  Start singing at 0:20.

Astral Construct as a No-Save-Just-Lose Power
With no save and no power resistance, you can make such "power armor" to encase your foes.  They'll probably get a STR check to override the AC's actions, and they can teleport out, but an Astral Construct Mobile Encaser seems like an awesome use for this power!

Skin of the Construct
PS: The feat Skin of the Construct (Complete Psionic 57) is worse once you realize how you can use astral construct by the rules.

116
Handbooks / Challenging D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder Parties in Practice
« on: February 17, 2013, 09:55:42 PM »
Forenote: I made this document for a GM years ago who, despite his good ideas, GMed too restrictively due to his inexperience.  It's been on the Internet for years, but I never thought to make it publically available until now.  And if you want to translate this to board code, be my guest!
Download the guide here
!  (Updated February 17, 2013)

PS: When I wrote this guide, official Pathfinder stuff only included core, some blog material, and the Advanced Player's Guide.  Still, I expect most or all of what I said to hold.

117
Zilzmaer from Giant in the Playground has contributed errata for this archive, as well as making versions that include stats for Rashemi Elemental Summoning, Augment Elemental, and Augment Summoning creatures!

ZIP with Summonling Stats: Version 1.4!

File Mirror: Download Here!

Format: .DOC (Word 97), 496K.

Why not use board code? I made this in Word for easy printing.  (I also greatly don't want to try formatting this for a board.)  The full list is 50+ pages per file, typically with 2 creatures per page, and includes every creature from the SRD's lists for summon nature's ally I-IX with the Greenbound and Ashbound template applied appropriately.  Another document has Greenbound and Ashbound stats.

Additionally: WotManiac wrote up board code versions of creatures using Rashemi Elemental Summoning and Greenbound Summoning (but no Ashbound nor other abiiities) here.  Enjoy!

Finally: If you were wondering why the Greenbound Summoning feat is so powerful as written, see here and here.  (It was originally intended as a +2 spell slot level metamagic feat, a cost that was never included in the print version for some reason.)

119
Handbooks / Breaking Down Inspire Courage, MinMax Boards Handbook Edition!
« on: February 17, 2013, 08:53:05 PM »
> > > Discuss this handbook here! < < <

Breaking Down Inspire Courage Optimization, MinMax Boards Handbook Edition

Optimized Dragonfire Inspiration is pretty much like this.

Preliminary Stuff
Credits
(click to show/hide)

Version History
(click to show/hide)

Links
3.5
All-Kobold Bard Campaign: The campaign's no longer recruiting last I heard, but the idea suited many.  [Giant in the Playground Boards]
Alternative Class Features [BrilliantGameologists Boards]
Bard's Handbook [BrilliantGameologists Boards]
Bard Inspire Courage Optimization [Wizards of the Coast Boards]
Bardzilla [Giant in the Playground Boards]
Inspire Courage Optimization [ENWorld Board]

Pathfinder
Treanmonk's Guide to Pathfinder Bards [Google Docs]
Treanmonk's Guide to Pathfinder Bards - Discussion Thread [BrilliantGameologists Boards]

Intro
For our purposes, I mostly care about getting bonuses to accuracy ("attack") and damage with a Bard's Inspire Courage.  I know there are threads on this, but they lack math and the above image.

The focus of this thread is for 3.5.  Pathfinder Bards benefit from most the same material, but have a slightly different Inspire Courage progression and slightly different rules for Bardic Music.
Inspire Courage (Su)
A Bard with 3 or more ranks in a Perform skill can use song or poetics to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the bard sing+. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the bard sing+ and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 8th level, and every six Bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1 (+2 at 8th, +3 at 14th, and +4 at 20th). Inspire Courage is a mind-affecting ability.

+This really should be "notice the Bard perform," especially for tap dancing or miming.

Justifying Your Existence
Classes that Advance, Grant, or/and Trick Out Inspire Courage
BARD LEVELS: +1 @1, +2 @8, +3 @14, +4 @20.  You can usually get by with 1-4 Bard levels and Inspire Courage enhancers.

Dread Pirate Levels (Complete Adventurer 39): +1 and 1/day @3, +2 and 2/day @7. Honorable Dread Pirates effectively get Inspire Courage (usable as a free action) that stacks with Inspire Courage.  Becoming a Dread Pirate is impractical for a typical Bard, though.

Dread Pirate requires being NG/CG/TN/CN/NE/CE, +4 BAB, 8 Appraise ranks, 8 Profession: Sailor ranks, 4 Swim ranks, 4 Use Rope ranks, the feat Quick Draw, the feat Weapon Finesse, and your ownership of a seaworthy ship worth at least 10,000G.  Phew!

Heartfire Fanner Levels ("Dragon 314" 23): @1: Gain Bardic Music as a Bard5 or stack with existing ability.  @3 you can give someone else (no, not you) +2 accuracy and AC while Inspire Courage lasts.

Heartfire Fanner requires 10 Diplomacy ranks, 10 Perform ranks, the feat Negotiator, the feat Skill Focus: Perform, the ability to cast level 1 spells, and you "[must] be a member of an organization that inspires as part of its dogma."  Short circuit that last requirement by founding your own one-member (or adventuring group-wide) organization with the name, "Inspirer(s)."

Incantatrix Levels (Player's Guide to Faerun 61): @3 you get Metamagic Effect which applies to "a persistent spell effect that is already in place."  This applies to a lot of effects, but not, by RAW, to supernatural (Su) effects, which Bardic Music is.  If your DM lets you, then with Persistent Spell and a high enough Spellcraft check you can make your Inspire Courage last all day, and Extend it too!  Even if you can't increase the duration of Bardic Music, this can make you an excellent support character!

Incantatrix requires 4 Concentration ranks, 8 Knowledge: Arcana ranks, 8 Spellcraft ranks, the feat Iron Will, a metamagic feat, the ability to cast level 3 arcane spells, and the ability to cast Abjuration spells.  Once in, you must forbid one school of magic like a Wizard does.  Debatably, this means you can keep the spells you know of your opposed school, but can't learn new ones.  Ask your DM.

Mythic Exemplar Levels (Complete Champion 86): Gain Inspire Courage as Bard of Mythic Exemplar level.  Mythic Exemplar and Bard levels stack for Inspire Courage bonuses.

NOTE: Only followers of Sir Reikhardt gain this benefit.

Mystic Exemplar has a buncha ways to enter.  Ahem.

Skills: 3 Knowledge: History ranks AND 7 ranks in any one of these: Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge: Arcana, Knowledge: Religion, Move Silently.

Special: ONE of these: +5 BAB, able to cast 3rd-level spells, sneak attack +2d6, or ability to grant allies a bonus on attack rolls, saves, or checks as an extraordinary ability.

Special: Must be a member of the Disciples of Legend.

Seeker of the Song Levels (Complete Arcane 56): @2 you can play two Bardic Musics simultaneously.  Go go Inspire Courage and Dragonfire Inspiration, or 2 types of Dragonfire Inspiration!

If you're also a War Chanter5, you should be able to play 3 songs simultaneously.  Ask your local DM.

Seeker of the Song requires 13 Knowledge: Arcana ranks, 13 Perform ranks, the feat Skill Focus: Perform, having Bardic Music, and hearing another Seeker of the Song perform its class-granted music abilities.  Ask around Very Big Cities™ to find such a person, or make a simulacrum of this Seeker and listen to it perform.

Virtuoso Levels (Complete Adventurer 89):Virtuoso grants a weaker Bardic Music as an equal-level Bard, but only gains fascinate (@1) and some unique songs later.  Sadly, Virtuoso doesn't grant Inspire Courage.  Virtuoso and Bard levels stack for all Bardic Music effects and uses.

Virtuoso requires 4 Diplomacy ranks, 4 Intimidate ranks, 10 Perform ranks, and an arcane caster level of 1 or higher.

War Chanter Levels (Complete Warrior 87): @5 you can play two Bardic Musics simultaneously.  Go go Inspire Courage and Dragonfire Inspiration, or 2 types of Dragonfire Inspiration!

War Chanter requires more levels for its dual songs, but gets this ability sooner.  If you're also a Seeker of the Song2, you should be able to play 3 songs simultaneously.  Ask your local DM.

War Chanter requires being NG/CG/TN/CN/NE/CE, +4 BAB, 6 ranks in Perform: Oratory OR Perform: Sing, the feat Combat Expertise, the feat Weapon Focus, and Bardic Music.

Warrior Skald Levels (Races of Faerun 187): @1 you get access to ALL standard Bardic Music abilities if you have the requisite Perform ranks and Warrior Skald and Bard levels stack for daily Bardic Music uses.  Bring on Inspire Courage and Inspire Greatness!

Warrior Skald1 also grants proficiency with all simple/martial weapons, all armor, and all shields.  It's a full BAB class with a good Fort save and a good Reflex save.  Booyah!

Warrior Skald is mostly meant to turn a warriorly non-Bard into a Bard.  The first level is truly the best, especially if more modern classes like Sublime Chord (Complete Arcane) and Jade Phoenix Mage (Tome of Battle) are available.

The prereqs are pretty lenient as well.  A typical melee man is expected to have Power Attack and Cleave.  In these modern times, getting 6 Concentration ranks is handy for Diamond Mind maneuvers.  The prereq of 9 Perform ranks (Poetry, Any Other) is confusing, but has been clarified elsewhere to mean, 9 ranks in Perform: Poetry.

Warrior Skald requires 6 ranks in Concentration, 9 ranks in Perform: Poetry, the feat Cleave, the feat Power Attack, and perhaps a DM into Beowulf.

Substitution Levels
Paladin1 (Champions of Valor Web Enhancement): +1 @1 and only while singing.  Harmonious Knights lose their detect evil ability ("evildar").

Unlike most Bardic Music analogs, this + does not improve and does not explicitly stack with other levels for the total Inspire Courage bonus.  So yeah.  At least the number of daily uses is based off your Paladin and Harmonious Knight levels.  Hopefully your DM will let this Harmonious Knight Inspire Courage stack with a Bard's and improve like a Bard's.  I'd allow it.

Remember, Bardic Music uses the term "sing" instead of "perform."  I don't know why they did this.

PS: Live, Lego

Feats For Classes
From Smite to Song Feat (Champions of Valor 29): A Paladin may convert a Smite Evil attempt into Inspire Courage with a "Bard" level equal to his Paladin level.  (Assumedly, Bard and Paladin levels stack for the total bonus.)  Perform becomes a Paladin class skill and your DM wonders why your class went up a tier.

Initiate of Milil Feat (Champions of Valor 31): Your Paladin, Cleric, and Bard levels stack for determining "which kinds of Bardic Music you can use."  This phrasing implies I can go Bard2/Cleric6 and get Inspire Courage +2.  Maybe I can even go Cleric8 and get Inspire Courage +2.

Considering I could instead go Cleric of Mystra3 for the ability to cast in no magic zones, getting a slightly higher Inspire Courage + seems balanced.

Song of the White Raven Feat (Tome of Battle 32): Crusader and Warblade Levels stack with Bard levels to determine Inspire Courage's +.  Debatably also grants extra Bardic Music uses per day, if only for Inspire Courage.  Finally, you can activate Inspire Courage as a swift action if in a White Raven stance, but most likely you'll use your swift actions for inspirational boost and a Badge of Valor.

Ask your DM if PrCs that grant access to White Raven maneuvers also count for this feat.  It ain't in the rules, but I'd like Eternal Blade, Master of Nine, and Ruby Knight Vindicator levels to stack as well.

Feats
*Dragonfire Inspiration Feat (Dragon Magic 17): Doesn't give a straight +, but does d6 fire damage per Inspire Courage +. 

You can get Dragonfire Inspiration for a Pyroclastic Dragon.  This damage becomes fire or sonic.  Casting the creaking cacophony spell (Spell Compendium 55) on your foes gives them sonic vulnerability (+50% sonic damage) with no save.  Dragonfire Inspiration's energy damage stacks with normal Inspire Courage but normally requires another Bardic Music use to activate.

The above requires a Sorcerer level, the Dragontouched feat, or a lenient DM who lets you just take Draconic Heritage or ignore the feat tax.

Pyroclastic Dragon stats are found on Draconomicon 182.  Racaes of the Dragon 103 has a list of dragons with their breath weapon damage type.

Lingering Song Feat (Complete Adventurer 111): Your Bardic Music lasts for 1 minute (10 rounds) after you stop performing instead of 5.

Song of the Heart Feat (Eberron Campaign Setting 60): +1.  Other feats get bonuses too, but those don't matter for our purposes.  Nyah.

Eberron Campaign Setting 34 states a Bard may take this feat in place of a new form of Bardic Music at level 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, or 18.  Since these are "bonus feats," you can debatably skip the prereqs.  If you can, then in short, you can dump Inspire Competence to take this and, say, Dragonfire Inspiration at level 3.

Words of Creation Feat (Book of Exalted Deeds 48): DOUBLES your Inspire Courage bonus with any instrument.  Saner interpretations say this is only from levels, but RAW says 'doubles.'  You also take icky subdual damage unless you're immune.  Hello, undead Bard!

(I once thought a Warforged Bard would be immune to subdual damage.  It isn't, but I wanted to keep the pics.  Rock!)

Words of Creation - The Relevant Bits
(click to show/hide)

Spells
Inspirational Boost (Spell Compendium 124): +1 on next Inspire Courage started within 1 round. 

Spell Compendium 6 overrides the old spell harmony from Magic of Faerun and Player's Guide to Faerun.

Items
Badge of Valor Item (1400G, Magic Item Compendium 208): +1 on current Inspire Courage.  Activate immediately after the round you use Inspire Courage.

Vest of Legends Item (16,000G, Dungeon Master's Guide II 272): Your Bardic Music is treated as being 5 levels higher.  (There are some other, less important effects.)  Non-Bards debatably gain a Bard5's Bardic Music abilities, including Inspire Courage +1.

Masterwork Horn, Natural [Wind Instruments] (100G/3 lb, (Song and Silence 46): +1 on accuracy/damage, -2 on fear saves.  Put a thin cord through this horn and hang it from your neck.  Nothing in the rules states you must use your hands for this.  Hold the horn with enough of your teeth to keep it in your mouth and speak with the rest of your mouth!
Your Performance
Masterwork Instrument List
Masterwork Instrument: 100G/3lb1: The rules as written say that all masterwork instruments cost 100G, and for a Medium creature, weigh 3lb.
1This weighs double for Large creatures and half for Small creatures.

Alphorn [Wind Instruments] (Song and Silence 42): Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness, and Countersong can affect people for d10 miles.  Yes, miles.

MASTERWORK HORN, NATURAL [Wind Instruments], (Song and Silence 46): +1 on accuracy/damage, -2 on fear saves.  Put a thin cord through this horn and hang it from your neck.  Nothing in the rules states you must use your hands for this.  Hold the horn with enough of your teeth to keep it in your mouth and speak with the rest of your mouth!

This is the instrument of choice for Inspire Courage.

Lute [String Instruments] (Complete Adventurer 126): You get +1 effective Bard level for Bardic Music.  Debatably, this lets non-Bards use Inspire Courage 1/day as a Bard1.  If this works, you've replaced the best part of a class with a 100G nonmagical item and 3 Perform ranks!

You can also cast spells while using Bardic Music if these spells have no somatic or material components and no focuses.

Other, Suboptimal Instruments.  List by Ed-Zero and Endarire
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Controversial Topics
Eberron Campaign Setting's Bonus Feats for Bards
Eberron Campaign Setting 34 lets you trade a Bard song like Inspire Competence for a "bonus feat" from the select list.  Sometimes, you can skip the prereqs of a bonus feat.  Here, it's uncertain.

I support the notion of bypassing feat prereqs in this case.  It gives a slight incentive to stay Bard and the feats gained aren't that powerful.  Besides, doing this lets me take Dragonfire Inspiration and Song of the Heard at Bard3.

Perform: One Man Band?
If you have the uses of Bardic Music, can you maintain various Inspire Courage effects?  For example, can you play cymbals, sing, tap dance, play bongos, and fart out a horn for stacking bonuses to Inspire Courage?  If so, you'll probably look incredibly silly, but when your allies get quintuple the Inspire Courage bonus, you can watch your foes bleed!

Second, let's assume I have 4 ranks in Perform: Wind Instruments, but no other Perform ranks.  Can I use Inspire Courage with another instrument, like singing?  The rules aren't clear on this, but suggest I can.

Ask your DM.  Promise him it'll be entertaining, in and out of character.

War Chanter + Seeker of the Song = 3 Simultaneous Bardic Musics?
If I'm a Seeker of the Song2 (Complete Arcane 56) and War Chanter5 (Complete Warrior 87), can I play 3 Bardic Musics at once?  I seemingly can.

What does Words of Creation double?
The Words of Creation Feat (Book of Exalted Deeds 48) DOUBLES your Inspire Courage bonus with any instrument.  Saner interpretations say this is only from levels, but RAW says 'doubles.'  You also take icky subdual damage unless you're immune.  Hello, undead Bard!

Words of Creation - The Relevant Bits
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Does Dragonfire Inspiration of the same energy type stack?
First, Dragonfire Inspiration.

Second, the energy damage type (fire, sonic, etc.) has no name.  Most bonuses have names, like morale or dodge.

On the other hand, the damage comes from the same source, either the same performer or different performers with the same feat.

How does Initiate of Milil affect Inspire Courage?
The Initiate of Milil Feat (Champions of Valor 31) states that your Paladin, Cleric, and Bard levels stack for determining "which kinds of Bardic Music you can use."  This phrasing implies I can go Bard2/Cleric6 and get Inspire Courage +2.  Maybe I can even go Cleric8 and get Inspire Courage +2.

Do Bardic Music level enhancers apply to Inspire Courage from non-Bard sources?
A Vest of Legends (Dungeon Master's Guide II 273) costs 16,000G and gives its wearer (if a Bard) +5 effective Bard levels for determining the effects of Bardic Music.  (Assumedly the 'Bard' mention is in there to prevent anyone with 16,000G to learn Inspire Courage.)

If, however, you gain Bardic Music through some other means, such as Dread Pirate or Heartfire Fanner, do those levels count?  I believe they should, but ask your GM.

The same logic applies to the 100G Lute (Complete Adventurer 126) .

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