Sneak Attack Bard

[linklord231]

Is there a (relatively easy) way to get an average (say, 7d6 by lvl 20) sneak attack progression on a Bard base, preferably without giving up Inspire Courage or Spellcasting?
Decently balanced homebrew is acceptable, as are PrCs that advance both bardic music and Sneak Attack.  I'd prefer to avoid Assassin's Stance if at all possible.

[Solo]

Go into Chameleon and take Craven?

[sirpercival]

It's trivial.

Bard 14/Unseen Seer 2/Incantatrix 3/Archmage 1.  Pick up Hunter's Eye and persist it with Metamagic Effect; if you took Spell Power, you get 7d6.

EDIT: Alternatively, if you go into Sublime Chord (so you have an 8th-level spell slot), you can persist it the normal way.

[linklord231]

Does Unseen Seer give Sneak Attack if you didn't already have it? 

[Endarire]

Martial Stance: Assassin's Stance (L3 Shadow Hand) gives 2d6 Sneak Attack.  You can even fake the feat with heroics!

[sirpercival]

Does Unseen Seer give Sneak Attack if you didn't already have it?

No, but that's not why you take the class -- you take it to get a divination spell from any list added to your own. Hunter's Eye is a ranger spell.

Martial Stance: Assassin's Stance (L3 Shadow Hand) gives 2d6 Sneak Attack.  You can even fake the feat with heroics!

Is there a (relatively easy) way to get an average (say, 7d6 by lvl 20) sneak attack progression on a Bard base, preferably without giving up Inspire Courage or Spellcasting?
Decently balanced homebrew is acceptable, as are PrCs that advance both bardic music and Sneak Attack.  I'd prefer to avoid Assassin's Stance if at all possible.

[betrayor]

It's trivial.

Bard 14/Unseen Seer 2/Incantatrix 3/Archmage 1.  Pick up Hunter's Eye and persist it with Metamagic Effect; if you took Spell Power, you get 7d6.

EDIT: Alternatively, if you go into Sublime Chord (so you have an 8th-level spell slot), you can persist it the normal way.

Actually 8d6 since the bonus from unseen seer should stack after using Hunter's Eye......

[ksbsnowowl]

It would be feat intensive to go into either Hathran or Halruaan Elder, but if you went Unseen Seer to get Hunter's Eye, then in to either of the other two PrC's for 5 levels, you could get Circle Magic, which you could use to pump your CL up to 39, getting +13d6 sneak attack.

Add in Sublime Chord as mentioned before to be able to persist Hunter's Eye.

[Ithamar]

Be an outsider, then cast polymorph from a scroll or staff (or have the party wizard cast it!) to turn into a Kelvezu (MMII).  Voila, 8d6 sneak attack.

[linklord231]

Hmm.  All good suggestions, but none that fit the concept I was looking for.
I had hoped there was some way to get scaling Sneak Attack (rather than "ding! Suddenly I sneak attack for +8d6!), via ACF chaining or some Drag Mag variant or something.  I found the PF multiclass archetype Songfilch, but that gives up Inspire Courage.  And if I'm not Inspiring Courage, I might as well play a rogue or factotum 

[Ithamar]

If you have a couple of feats to spare, and a generous DM, see if you can take the feat for Generic Classes:

As the rogue ability, but +2d6 on damage rolls. Prerequisites: Hide 4 ranks, Move Silently 4 ranks.

If you take all 3 versions of it (levels 1, 9 & 15) you'll eventually end up with 9d6 sneak attack.

[linklord231]

If you have a couple of feats to spare, and a generous DM, see if you can take the feat for Generic Classes:

As the rogue ability, but +2d6 on damage rolls. Prerequisites: Hide 4 ranks, Move Silently 4 ranks.

If you take all 3 versions of it (levels 1, 9 & 15) you'll eventually end up with 9d6 sneak attack.

That's not a bad idea at all 

[betrayor]

Hmm.  All good suggestions, but none that fit the concept I was looking for.
I had hoped there was some way to get scaling Sneak Attack (rather than "ding! Suddenly I sneak attack for +8d6!), via ACF chaining or some Drag Mag variant or something.  I found the PF multiclass archetype Songfilch, but that gives up Inspire Courage.  And if I'm not Inspiring Courage, I might as well play a rogue or factotum 

Actually when you use Hunter's Eye it would be scaling since it depends on your caster level your sneak attack will rise as you level up....

[linklord231]

Hmm.  All good suggestions, but none that fit the concept I was looking for.
I had hoped there was some way to get scaling Sneak Attack (rather than "ding! Suddenly I sneak attack for +8d6!), via ACF chaining or some Drag Mag variant or something.  I found the PF multiclass archetype Songfilch, but that gives up Inspire Courage.  And if I'm not Inspiring Courage, I might as well play a rogue or factotum 

Actually when you use Hunter's Eye it would be scaling since it depends on your caster level your sneak attack will rise as you level up....

Not if I don't get Hunter's Eye til level 16 :-P

[sirpercival]

Why would you wait till level 16? You can get it at level 7...

Here, do something like this.  No flaws.

Lesser Aasimar Bard 5/Unseen Seer 2 (at this point you have hunter's eye)/Lyric Thaumaturge 3/Sublime Chord 2/Hathran 5/Incantatrix 3

Feats:
1 - Ethran
3 - Melodic Casting
6 - Leadership
9 - Extend Spell
12 - Persist Spell
15,18 - Free

Circle Magic yourself up to high CL, then persist Hunter's Eye & Shapechange.  Change into a Gloom.  You now have sneak attack +26d6.

You have Hunter's Eye at 8th level (for +3d6, which becomes +4d6 at 9th), and polymorph at 10th level.  Nice scaling, very powerful.  With flaws, you can pick up Dragontouched and DFI at 1st level, you can get Song of the Heart at some level, etc.

[linklord231]

Why would you wait till level 16? You can get it at level 7...

Because I assumed your build had levels listed in order, and didn't bother to check the prereqs for Unseen Seer.

Edit:  The DM has some "interesting" ideas about Level Adjustment and Racial Hit Dice (we have a LA 0 Minotaur in our current campaign, made by dropping all RHD and "balancing the stat mods to 0").  Given that most monster races could be given this same treatment, do you have any suggestions for race?

[ksbsnowowl]

You want to be an outsider that's good at sneak attacking things.

Even though its already +0 LA, Neraph are a pretty good race for sneak attackers.  Charge someone, and they are denied their Dex.  Once per opponent per combat.  The neraph charge feat can get you pretty much the same thing, though.

Edit:  A babau wouldn't be a terrible race given your DM's rules, depending how he handles its stats.