Bard Guide

## Role:

\*\*Damage: They don’t possess a particular talent for damage with either spells or weapons

\*\*\*\*Debuff: Decent spells and plenty of debuffing performances let them torment enemies well

\*\*\*\*\*Support: A wide array of excellent buffs and helpful abilities make bards an ideal support class

\*\*\*\*Utility: great skills and useful performances and spells give them great options for utility

\*\*Tank: Though they have some defensive abilities, their support makes them a prime target to take out first. Tanking is probably a bad idea.

## Basics:

\*\*D6 hit die: A bit too squishy, and as a support you’ll be targeted a lot. Get some defense

\*\*\*\*3+I skill points per level: Even without high Intellect you’ll have plenty of skills to choose from

\*\*\*\*Class skills: A wide array of skill will let you do pretty much whatever your party needs

\*\*Good Resistances: These are not the most important resistances

\*\*Proficiencies: An underwhelming selection of armors and weapons

\*\*\*CB: Middle of the road, you can participate in combat even if you’re not the best

\*\*\*MB: decent casting progression, lets you cast what you need

## Features:

\*\*\*Spellcasting: A decent progression with useful spells a nice compliment to your other abilities

\*\*\*\*\*Performances:This is why you become a bard. These effects greatly sway the course of battle and can amplify any ability of your party or detrimental effect your foes.

\*\*\*Bardic Studies: Nice, access to more skills and get really good at knowing things.

\*\*\*Upstage: A nice spicy way to boost your Middling DC. Bonus points if you act out what you’re performing with the spell.

\*\*Jack-of-all-Trades: less bad at things you don’t want to be good at, using charm in place of stature to intimidate is funny though.

\*\*\*\*\*Dual Performance: Take the best thing you can do and double it. Awesome sauce

\*\*\*Grand Courage: A nice way to mitigate very common fear effects for yourself and your friends.

\*\*\*\*Triple Performance: Not a permanent duration, but a decent way to incorporate more performances.

\*\*\*\*\*Master of Ceremonies: Incredible battle-shifting ability. Multiply the talents of your allies

## Performances

\*\*Accursed Song: Situationally strong, but affects only one enemy

\*\*\*\*Atonal Melody: A great low-level debuff that hits any number of enemies every round.

\*\*Befuddle: Another situational single target performance, can be devastating if paired with other effects which take advantage of the lowered Charm and intellect resistances.

\*\*\*Charismatic Chant:A utility performance with *no resistance*, this lets a bard do their thing even better.

\*\*\*Song of Competence: Decent utility performance, help the whole squad

\*\*Countersong: Very situational. Winner of Battle of the Bands though

\*\*\*Song of Courage: Strong anti-debuff buff, less useful after Grand Courage

\*\*Dancing on the Wind: Very situational, but you just need to use it once to make people stop judging you for taking it

\*\*\*\*\*Dazzling Show: Incredibly strong debuff, requires the bard to get fairly close to danger, but can be worth it to force generally low FRs and blind any number of enemies.

\*\*\*Deadly Dirge: A strong performance to incapacitate a single target. Burns performance fast

\*\*\*\*Ditty of Distraction: Very useful for distracting out of combat, can help keep your allies secret

\*\*\*\*Diva’s Tantrum: Finally the bard is able to defend themselves.

\*\*\*Dominating Dirge:Strong single target effect

\*\*\*Dance with Doom: Decent low level debuff for a one-off fear effect.

\*\*Earth Rumbling Steps: A strong effect with harsh requirements.

\*\*Eye-Opening Tale:Strong situational buff, can be very good in certain encounters

\*\*\*Frightening Tune: Stepping up the fear factor

\*\*\*\*Gavotte of Greatness: Lovely AOE HP boost, start out the fight feeling like a frenzied warrior

\*\*\*\*Healer’s Hand: You’re no cleric, but healing the whole party consistently through a battle or in the rounds following can come in handy.

\*\*\*\*Heroic Ballad: Great defensive buff, keep your allies safe.

\*\*\*\*Inspiring Song: The bread and butter of beautiful bard buffs

\*\*\*Irritating Song: Not the true inverse of inspiring song, the resistance slightly weakens it

\*\*\*Lullaby:Potentially very strong, though less effective in combat

\*\*\*\*Suggesting Soliloquy: Very powerful mass controlling effect

\*\*\*Ready Rephrase: A nice utility for the party’s face

\*\*Resolute Refrain: Minor bard buff, with a huge bonus to not dropping performances, this is most useful once the bard has dual performance.

\*\*Silken Sway: Very nifty. Doesn’t do much

\*\*\*\*Soothing Song: Excellent burst healing and condition removal, it’s like you’re a paladin

\*\*\*Suggestive Sonata: Decent single target control

\*\*\*Tough Crowd: Nice endurance buff.

## Ability Scores

Compared to most classes, you have a lot of options once your top 2 are secured.

\*\*Power: You have the ability to engage in melee if you want, but probably isn’t your best place

\*\*\*Finesse: Much better for offense, pick up a crossbow and land those ranged touch attacks

\*\*Grace: AC is good, but you can wear armor

\*\*\*Vitality: Extra hit points is reat, but you should try to keep yourself out of danger anyway

\*\*Stature: If you’ll be on the front lines you can’t dump it, otherwise it’s unnecessary

\*\*\*Intellect: If none of the rest of your party wants to use skills, pump this up and you can handle pretty much everything. Make the best of all your skill features.

\*\*Acumen: Doesn’t help with your abilities much, pick up Resistor(A) if you’re afraid of illusions

\*\*Resolve: Nice for a lot of resistances and standing up against fear, but not top priority

\*\*\*\*Ego: Performance DCs, bonus spells, performance rounds, if you want to use debuff performances, this will be your #1, #2 otherwise

\*\*\*\*Charm: Spell DCs, Performance Rounds, your top skills, this is where a lot of your utility comes from

## Species

\*\*\*\*Human: double +2s for Ego and Charm and a bonus feat make humans hard to pass up. Either 1 extra skill point or 1 extra HP are great for you.

\*Dwarf: Charm penalty? No thanks. Defensive abilities don’t make up for it

\*\*Elf: -2V hurts and without a Charm or Ego boost it’s hard to justify. The Int isn’t worth it and magically trained isn’t as good for you as it is for a fullcaster. Drow are a decent pick, \*\*\*3Stars

\*\*\*\*Halfling: Nice ability boosts, and bonus to resistances is good, pick up a sling and heckle

\*\*\*\*Half-elf: +2 int with +2 to ego or charm is good, and skill focus(Perform) for free is sweet. Magical Inclination is a nice cherry on top

\*\*\*Half-orc: If you want to go melee bard, this is the way to do it. +2 to ego or charm along with power and stature boosts make a formidable frontliner/

\*\*\*\*Gnome: Great ability boosts, like halfling but trade that charm for ego, take those HP boosts

\*Goblin: -4 Charm is going to make this difficult, it’s possible to play with just a high ego build but even then they don’t have many abilities that directly help you

##### Easy Build:

Species: Human, +2 to Ego and Charm. Take Rugged. Take the Tough feat

Ability Scores: C > E > V > I > F > G > R > A > S > P

Feats: Extra Class Feature(Performance), Armor Focus, Skill Focus(Perform), Skill Focus(Diplomacy), Skill Focus(Deception), Skill Focus(Intimidate), Improved Initiative, Medium Armor Proficiency, Combat Caster, Patient Combatant

Traits: Reactionary, Armor Expert, Practiced, Rugged, Alcoholic, Retreat

Performances: Inspiring Song, Atonal Melody, Song of Competence, Dazzling Show, Ditty of Distraction, Healer’s Hand, Soothing Song

Playstyle: You are the face of the party, take charge of social encounters and use your people skills to solve problems when alone if possible. During combat with a large party, perform buffs for your party such as Inspiring song, and stay out of direct danger. If you have a smaller party, you will need to rely on your combat skills. Heal when possible, but take care of your own safety. At higher levels, you can get more aggressive with spells and performances