the singing marksman 35 bard/ 3 monk/2 aa

[thedomicron]

ok guys, after your input, along w/ advice from SG, miles, and mish, this is what i've got so far

race: half-elf, planewalker

starting stats:
str: 8 (6)
dex: 16 (18)
con: 16 (18)
int: 8 (10)
wis 8
cha: 16

level progression:
1 bard 2-4 monk 5-9 bard 10-11 AA 12-40 bard

feats:
1: luck of heroes
3: martial
6: wf-longbow
9: point blank shot
12: improved critical longbow
15: toughness
18: blind fight
21: ewf-longbow
24: curse song
27: lasting inspiration
28: great dexterity I
30: epic fortitude
31: epic will
33: great constitution
34: epic skill focus perform
36: great constitution II
37: great dexterity II
39: great fortitude
40: lingering song

LL spells:
armor skin
great dexterity III-VII

pros:
plenty of ab at 6 attacks/round
58 fort save, mid 60's reflex save
plenty of health
lvl 55 bard song
conceal from ethereal visage

cons:
mid 50's will save
relatively low ac (around 120)

lvl 40 update: this char has been fun to level, esp w/ a freedom of movement to speed around. because you only have 2 aa levels, dmg relies on the arrows you have at your disposal. i was lucky enough to get on a db run extremely early, and so i'm using my final bows, but some hunters points or even maybe artic storm arrows should bide you until you do dustbone. alternatively, sithrak arrows and devarial arrows are persistent on their respective runs and very few people take them.

its a bit difficult for me to max all 4 requisite stats so early (charisma, dex, con, wisdom) although it could be due to a shortage of gear on my part. i'd say dex is 100% most important to max, followed by wisdom, then con then charisma. a spider signet is not hard to find and is a great way to boost your saves early on. a mord ring is important in many ll areas.

i'm looking foward to leveling this guy up so i can put on some better gear and hit up areas like the pyramid, beholders, and illithids. i might dabble in the hells if i can find a comfortable equipment setup.

[ekstroem]

thedomicron said:

The idea of this build came from exeli (sorry if i misspelled your name). it combines the party-helping attributes of a bard, along w/ the self-concealment of ethereal visage with ranged attacks to create a true support char: one that buffs the party and stays in the back lines to fight.

I too have partied with Nawien but decided to try a build that was slightly different: 32 Bard, 7 AA, 1 monk. Get all AA and monk levels pre-epic to increase saves (and AB from AA). My feat selection was/is:

Luck of heroes
Point blank shot
WF longbow
Rapid shot
Curse song
Toughness
Blind fight

Armour skin
EWF longbow
Epic fort
Lasting impression
Great wis 1
Great dex 1-6

Great dex 7-10
Improved critical longbow
+ 2 more feats here.

Haven't really decided on the last two legendary feats. Might take 2 additional great wis for increased ac and will saves, or could go dodge/epic will. Also. I'm not really sure how well I'll be able to reach 104 in perform by level 60 so if I have problems hitting that I might use epic skill perform.

Saves are good (58 minimum each) and it's a blast to play (currently level 44). Ab should end in the high 70s for longbow. Let me know if you want more details.

Cheers,

Claus

[mrslayer]

Im thinking of a similar build using fallen angel and zen archery. Main flaw with that is I may have problems using some of my bard feats. Still, could be good......

[exeli]

I checked my perform yesterday. It is 107 without epic skill focus using soul mirror and ur bard robes. Base charisma is 16.

And you really should blame Holla for this build. ;D

[thedomicron]

hah, mind sharing your build? or at least your feats? the rest i think i can put together

[exeli]

Well, i can't recall exact stats right now, but I think Claus feats are pretty much the same. In order to use lvl 55 curse you will need either skill focus perform or epic skill focus perform which I actually lack. I took craft wand over it as there are certain use for it.

I used elf with fallen angel subrace.

Str 8
Dex 18
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 14 (19)
Cha 14 (16)

At lvl 60 my ac is 126 with 80% conceal, hp is around 730, song is lvl 53. With half-elf you would lose one ac and gain more hp. And half-elf wouldn't give you the xp penalty either.

[edit]You don't need to take skill focus if you're going to use immortal bracers.[/edit]

[Tar'Chul]

I read that caster bards on this server can cast spells that aren't bard spells normally (based on their own caster lvl and DC) once they find certain items. Is Tenser's Transformation one of those spells?

I know one common item that allows every class to cast this spell, but i haven't tested if it actually takes the bard lvls into account...

[thedomicron]

updated build

tar only wizards and sorcs and staffmasters use tensers

[starlandra]

couldn't you just use jade tooth then for a bard? It does not last super long, but would help in a meaty fight.

[thedomicron]

updated

[stonewarrior]

Hi, as it has been a while since these builds were posted I wondered if thedomicron, Claus and / or Exeli might provide an update on how their respective versions of this build have done. In particular, I would be curious if any of them have visited the hells. I have a Planewalker book that I am looking for an excuse to read and found this build very interesting. Thanks!

Peace, John.

[ekstroem]

stonewarrior said:

Hi, as it has been a while since these builds were posted I wondered if thedomicron, Claus and / or Exeli might provide an update on how their respective versions of this build have done. In particular, I would be curious if any of them have visited the hells. I have a Planewalker book that I am looking for an excuse to read and found this build very interesting.

I have mine tagged through Stygia (layer 5) and he's doing quite well. The only problem I have with him is that he was made before legendary saves so his saves are a wee bit lower (2-3 points) than I like. I could do an almost identical rebuild and get sufficiently high saves with the new feats. It hasn't been a major problem so far but I have a feeling it will be when taking him to Maladomini and below.

Cheers,

Claus

[stonewarrior]

So with your two feats at the end I am guessing perhaps Luck of Heroes would be one of them boosting your saves by 3. Would you rearrange any early feats to be able to include the required pre-epic save feats to get the LL save feats? Also, you stated you took the AA and Monk levels pre-epic, does it matter the order (I am not the brightest in maximizing stats with class orders).

Also, did you use Panewalker / Elf for your build?

Peace, John.

[thedomicron]

i used planewalker half-elf for my build to avoid the exp penalty and for 2 extra con. i haven't taken my toon to the hells yet (doubt i will) because i think the saves are too low. i do think this build has a place, though it'd be a lot of work because you depend on smart movement and placement of yourself etc. like you can't just charge headlong into the fray in order to curse everyone, nor can you reach most enemies if you stay where its safe for your relatively weak build

still, this build is alot of fun, though i'm more interested in other builds atm.

i'd say if you have pw or any subrace which gives dex, con or wisdom, or charisma actually a shot.fallen angel works well for this build, and maybe actually kenku too i dunno.

[ekstroem]

stonewarrior said:

So with your two feats at the end I am guessing perhaps Luck of Heroes would be one of them boosting your saves by 3. Would you rearrange any early feats to be able to include the required pre-epic save feats to get the LL save feats? Also, you stated you took the AA and Monk levels pre-epic, does it matter the order (I am not the brightest in maximizing stats with class orders).
Also, did you use Panewalker / Elf for your build?

Legendary luck-of-heroes would be one feat (and that would give me a fort/reflex/will save of 62/79/61). I'd then use the wisdom artifact to get 62 will (and +1 AC!). The fort and will saves are 1 below what I really want to hit but will only be sub-par on layer 9 on hells. Alternatively you could replace LoH with, say, great fortitude and use the two legendary feats for epic fort and epic will. That would give you fort 64 and will 62 - but you're spending 1 feat to increase a single save.

I used PW/elf and the pre-epic order has no importance here.

Cheers,

Claus