Bard-based gish builds?

[Braininthejar]

Are there any? (Its for an NPC so It doesn't have to be brilliant, just not gimped)

[Halinn]

Bard's practically a gish in itself. Grab some ways to expand your spell list from the usual sorcerer tricks, and do some inspire courage optimization to get the numbers up there, and you won't need much more.

[Braininthejar]

Any common tricks I should be aware of?

I vaguely remember some spell that allowed a bard to tank by keeping the opponent mesmerised with how gracefully he is being stabbed...

[InnaBinder]

Snowflake Wardance, in Frostburn, is one of the best "easy option" feat choices to make your Bard a better gish.

Improvisation, a 1st level spell, immediately improves combat ability offensively and defensively.

Bladeweave, a 2nd level spell, may be the spell you're remembering, as it allows the target to Daze opponents on a melee attack.

The Spell Compendium is practically littered with other solid options for a Bard interested in breaking faces.

[phaedrusxy]

A Sudden Stunning weapon can help a lot, and is very cheap.

[sirpercival]

What level?

Dragonfire Inspiration + Polymorph into a Hydra + Necklace of Natural Attacks (Harmonizing).

Other things are Bardblades/Bardsaders.

[imoenofcandlekeep]

There's always the classic Harmonious Knight.  Bit of a feat tax but you end up with more music as a paladin than a normal bard has.

You then have much suckier spellcasting, which is slightly offset by Divine grace and full BAB.

[Braininthejar]

What level?

Early teens,

[Shadowhunter]

I'm partial to the Bard/Swiftblade version myself, but that's mostly since I have a fanboy crush on the Swiftblade PrC 

[Braininthejar]

Where is it from?

[Rejakor]

I've always been a big fan of bardblade swiftsaders.  You go bard, warblade, crusader, using the usual Song of the White Raven dragonfire inspiration bardblade build, and then swiftblade, at 10th you pick up one level of that PrC that gives bards 9ths and keep advancing it via swiftblade/other gish PrCs.

Don't even need to be a hydra.  Pick up pounce, use TWF items (gloves of the balanced hand etc), abuse double dragonfire + regular inspiration as free/swift/all day actions, put up persistent buffs through Metamagic Song + Talfirian Song, and just smash everything in half.

There's even a decent sword that adds sonic damage equal to your bard level if you're singing - and it's one-handed.

[sirpercival]

Snowflake Wardance + Slippers of Battledancing = Cha SAD fighting.

[Braininthejar]

you pick up one level of that PrC that gives bards 9ths

Which is?

Pick up pounce

This seems to be a key ability. How do you get that? (I only know of the lion totem barbarian)

[phaedrusxy]

you pick up one level of that PrC that gives bards 9ths

Which is?

Sublime Chord

Pick up pounce

This seems to be a key ability. How do you get that? (I only know of the lion totem barbarian)

That's the easiest way. You can also polymorph into something that gets it, etc. Check out Surreal's "Lists of Stuff" thread to find a lot more. I know there are some spells that grant it, also (named Lion's Pounce, IIRC), which you could probably get from a wand.

[Rejakor]

Lion's Pounce, move as a free/swift action so you can full attack normally, dip into barb, there's iirc a warblade maneuver that does it at higher levels, but that's on a recharge so pfeh, if you want to invest the levels/feats you can pick up shadowpouncing, which is vastly superior for anyone with high level sorc/wiz spells or maneuvers, because you can full attack 4-5x per round all day.

[imoenofcandlekeep]

Snowflake Wardance + Slippers of Battledancing = Cha SAD fighting.

Uhm, no.  Slippers of battledancing specifically state you have to move AS A MOVE ACTION to get their benefit.  So unless you have a way of getting hustle a lot of times... or want to use Chimera Mask, no.

... Wait, nevermind, a High level Swiftblade has no problem with this.

[gorfnab]

Bard 8/ Paladin of Freedom 2/ Sublime Chord 2/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Sacred Exorcist 3
Bard 8/ Arcane Archer 2/ Sublime Chord 2/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Ruathar or Sacred Exorcist 3
Bard 6/ Crusader or Warblade 2/ Jade Phoenix Mage 2/ Sublime Chord 2/ Jade Phoenix Mage 8

Silver Brow Human
Bard 20
1. Dragonfire Inspiration, Jack of All Trades
3. Melodic Casting
6. Draconic Heritage: Battle
9. Snowflake Wardance
12. Words of Creation
15. Lingering Song
18. Versatile Spellcaster or some other feat
Trade Bardic Knowledge for Bardic Knack.
Trade Countersong for Spellbreaker Song.
Trade Fascinate for Hymn of Healing
Trade Suggestion for Song of the Heart (ECS, feat)
Spells: Inspirational Boost, Creaking Cacophony
Items: Crystal Echoblade, Badge of Valor


Silver Brow Human
Bard 8/ Virtuoso 2/ Sublime Chord 2/ Virtuoso 8
1. Dragonfire Inspiration, Draconic Heritage: Battle
3. Melodic Casting
6. Knowledge Devotion
9. Snowflake Wardance
12. Words of Creation
15. Lingering Song
18. Versatile Spellcaster or Chaos Music
Trade Suggestion for Song of the Heart (ECS, feat)
Spells: Inspirational Boost, Creaking Cacophony
Items: Crystal Echoblade, Badge of Valor

[SorO_Lost]

Crusader/Warblade is a must imho. Song of the White Raven let's you buff IC as a Swift Action and the maneuver boost is nice.

Normal super high Charisma applies as most are Bard songs or accessible via Arcane Disciple.

(click to show/hide)

Spells
Greater Visage of the Deity (SPC): 9th, good/evil +4/+2 unnamed. If cast from an item you can UMD being Good Aligned.
Snowsong (FB): 6th level and unpersistable, but provides a +4 moral boost to you an the entire party.
Nixe's Grace (SpC): 6th level, +8 enhancement bonus and some other stuff. +2 better than an item.
Righteous Aura (SpC): 4th and paladin only, +4 sacred. At 1/hour per caster level, UMDing a wand of it works just fine.
Devil's Ego (FCII): 3rd level, +4 profane and your type changes to outside, can be used on Undead to set up Polymorph.

Items
Luhix (BoED): a plant based drug (hello minor creation) that provides a +2 alchemical bonus, you should invest in a ring of mind over body too.
Hoseshoes of Flame (SS): +6 unnamed, takes up your boot & arms and requires you to UMD, may change you into a horse depending on interpretation.
Command (DotF): armor enhancement, +4 competence. Note "command" has been reprinted a half dozen times but this is the only +2 version. Your DM may not allow it.
Spellcaster Services[Wish] (Core): Paying for five spells comes out to 132,650 which is 5k cheaper than a Tome.

Misc
Worm of Minauros (FCII): magical location, +1 unnamed to highest ability score for 30 days for 8k.
Faustian Pact (FCI): +1 unnamed to any and you'll want the insidious version (page 24) to pick up an extra feat as well.
Age (Core): +3 to all mental scores and -6 to physical scores. Use polymorph to fix physical scores.
Level Bonus (Core): hey can't forget this, up to +5 by level twenty.

Races
Lesser Aassmir (Core/PGtF): +2 racial and a bunch of other abilities, there is a few +2 races but this is the only one I'll list.
Half-Giant (CPsi): Arguably you can choose not to take levels in the racial class instead opting the basic base traits but no LA.
Primordial Giant: template, used with half-giant and the only LA +0 race I know that provides a +4 bonus.
Magic-Blooded (Dragon): template, the only Dragon based material I'll list so you understand why the hell I stay away from this line of plastic enhanced toilet paper. For a -2 penalty to Wisdom you gain: +2 charisma, and double range low-light vision, and +2 unnamed to spellcraft/knowledge[arcane], and can use them untrained, and the following spell-like abilities - nystul's magic aura, nystul's undetectable aura, and read magic - all once per day and caster level equals effective character level. ALL FOR 2 POINTS OF WISDOM. And yet this is "mild", hardly powerful compared to the rest of the shit they printed.

Total
+51 excluding race, +55 if Prime HG, +57 if Dragon allowed. @18 base that's up to 75 (+32) without PoA abuse.

You know what I should just toss this into Class Boosters or something. Need a Sorcerer/wizard section anyway.

[sirpercival]

The only problem with SotWR is that you'll be hurting for swift actions -- Inspirational Boost and Badge of Valor both take swift actions as well.  In terms of that, really, Harmonize is better since you can activate more stuff at once.

If you can be a Divine Bard, dip something for Turn Undead, and be a Bardic RKV, THEN you're talking.

[Rejakor]

Inspirational Boost and Badge of Valor, can, iirc, be combined by using the swift action before activating and then the round after activating.

Considering there are are relatively trivial (at high level) ways of getting all-day music, there's no need to go RKV for that.  The inherent quicken awesomeness of RKV, on the other hand, is a reason to go RKV.

Song of the White Raven is so if you get flatfooted by something you don't spend an entire round getting your basic damage buff (dragonfire insp.) up.  You spend the first three rounds of combat, assuming the combat lasts that long, putting up your three musics as your swift each round while you smash people's faces in or chuck down some BFC or whatever.

In most situations where you're aware combat is about to happen you'll want to put up the music beforehand and sustain it until combat occurs then let it lapse.