|
1 year ago ::
Feb 17, 2012 - 7:26AM
#11
|
Date Joined:
Aug 31, 2009
|
You'd have to take Versatile expertise for now, but I believe there's also a playtest expertise for bards from a Dragon Article a while back. I can never remember what it was called though, and it still hasn't gone official.
Skald should work just fine as ranged. Everything they do is based on basic attacks, including ranged basic attacks. Although it does seem they were more intended to melee.
Cunning Bard is indeed a pretty good fit, but if you don't like it I suppose another alternative would be a lazy warlord, going all CHA and INT and letting one of the strikers attack for her. I'd be a little hesitant to do this with a newbie though, because some people might not enjoy that type of build.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Feb 17, 2012 - 8:43AM
#12
|
|
|
You'd have to take Versatile expertise for now, but I believe there's also a playtest expertise for bards from a Dragon Article a while back. I can never remember what it was called though, and it still hasn't gone official.
Skald should work just fine as ranged. Everything they do is based on basic attacks, including ranged basic attacks. Although it does seem they were more intended to melee.
Cunning Bard is indeed a pretty good fit, but if you don't like it I suppose another alternative would be a lazy warlord, going all CHA and INT and letting one of the strikers attack for her. I'd be a little hesitant to do this with a newbie though, because some people might not enjoy that type of build.
Just to clarify I WANT to make her a Melee Pixie Cunning Bard but she won't like it.
Actually lazylord might work she's the type that if she doesn't have to she won't move her character from the starting point (although I'm trying to get her to at least follow the group lol)
On that note..."Killswitch" might just work. Regardless any build she wants Teeny Target in...Mark of Storms would be nice too if another Mark of.... isn't needed.
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Pixie Killswitch, level 1
Pixie, Artificer|Warlord
Hybrid Artificer: Hybrid Artificer Will
Warlord Leadership: Combat Leader (Hybrid)
Hybrid Warlord: Hybrid Warlord Will
Choose Animal Minion: Animal Master Minion (Hawk)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 14, Dex 10, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 13.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 14, Dex 10, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 11.
AC: 17 Fort: 12 Reflex: 15 Will: 13
HP: 26 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 6
TRAINED SKILLS
Perception +5, Heal +5, Endurance +7
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics, Arcana +5, Bluff +1, Diplomacy +1, Dungeoneering, History +5, Insight, Intimidate +1, Nature +2, Religion +5, Stealth +2, Streetwise +1, Thievery, Athletics -1
FEATS
Level 1: Crossbow Caster
POWERS
Hybrid at-will 1: Magic Weapon
Hybrid at-will 1: Direct the Strike
Hybrid encounter 1: Powerful Warning
Hybrid daily 1: Punishing Eye
ITEMS
Superior crossbow, Leather Armor, Adventurer's Kit, Crossbow Bolts (60)
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======
Note: The "Superior" Crossbow is actually just a Handcrossbow I edited to match the stats of a superior crossbow because technically a Pxie can't wield a S-Crossbow due to its size but her Encounter power allows here to shrink it to Tiny size....did this for ease of calculating Attack Bonus,etc.
Note: This build probably won't follow the killswitch after this because after inital creation im handing the reins over to her so she can learn char creation a bit but its a solid build regardless.
Still open to other suggestions though.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Feb 17, 2012 - 11:16AM
#13
|
Date Joined:
Aug 31, 2009
|
Even with shrink, a Pixie wields weapons as a small character would, so a hand crossbow is the only crossbow they can legally use. If you want to houserule it though, it's not that big a deal.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Feb 17, 2012 - 5:13PM
#14
|
Date Joined:
Jan 30, 2009
|
Even with shrink, a Pixie wields weapons as a small character would, so a hand crossbow is the only crossbow they can legally use. If you want to houserule it though, it's not that big a deal.
That is why my pixie killswitch variant uses a dagger. It gives a +3 proficiency and can be used in melee if necessary. If you are worried about range, try a Weapon of Long Range which basically turns the dagger into a range 20 weapon with no range penalty.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Feb 17, 2012 - 10:45PM
#15
|
|
|
Ok she decided on a build..rolled the stats and we are starting at Lvl 4...so here's the build she went with after deciding she didn't really like the ranged build either (Her Backstory below) open to suggestions for changes.
Next couple feats planned:
- MC: Druid[Initiate of the Old Faith], Sorc [Soul of Sorcery] or Artificer [Student of Artifice]
- Staff Expertise
- Superior Implement: Accurate Staff
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Lilliandra, level 4
Pixie, Skald
Signs of Influence: Welcome Guest
Signs of Influence: Demand Audience
Fey Beast Tamer Starting Feature: Fey Beast Tamer Companion (Fey Panther)
Background: Durpar (Durpar Benefit)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 13, Con 14, Dex 14, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 20.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 13, Con 14, Dex 14, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 17.
AC: 16 Fort: 14 Reflex: 17 Will: 18
HP: 41 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 10
TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +11, Perception +11, Heal +9, Streetwise +12, Acrobatics +9
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Bluff +11, Diplomacy +11, Dungeoneering +8,, Endurance +8, History +10, Insight +8, Intimidate +11, Religion +10, Stealth +10, Thievery +8, Athletics +7,Nature +10
FEATS
Level 1: Bard of All Trades
Level 2: Mark of Storm
Level 4: Teeny Target
POWERS
Master of Story and Song: Cautionary Tale
Skald at-will 1: Bolstering Speech
Skald at-will 1: Staggering Note
Skald encounter 1: Lesser Flash of Distraction
Skald daily 1: Arrow of Warning
Skald utility 2: Canon of Avoidance
Skald encounter 3: Echoing Weapon
ITEMS
Rags
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======
Lily is a former member of a Traveling Troupe that used spellcraft and other tricks to rob the audience of their valuables while their entranced...Her job was to cause the target valuables to literally float out of the audience's pockets, bags,etc. and cause them to shrink to miniscule sizes allowing for them to be easily collected.
Lily never liked this but felt she had no where else to go so she was constantly trying to convince the others to stop but she was mostly ignored until she was caught by a powerful mage in the audience who was unaffected and the troupe claimed to be unaware of the happenings and the mage tossed Lily in his dungeon along with some of the other PCs and a bunch of NPCs...in a tiny bird cage to be exact.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Feb 18, 2012 - 11:51AM
#16
|
Date Joined:
Aug 31, 2009
|
I'm guessing she rolled those ability scores?
She should get some items too, as per the DMG guidelines for starting beyond level 1. The game math expects you to have a few +1 items by level 4 at the least. You can't use Arrow of Warning with rags.
Also it seems a little odd that her story revolves around thievery and yet thievery is nearly her worst skill... might be disappointing if she tries to act the thief in the game.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Feb 18, 2012 - 5:46PM
#17
|
|
|
I'm guessing she rolled those ability scores?
She should get some items too, as per the DMG guidelines for starting beyond level 1. The game math expects you to have a few +1 items by level 4 at the least. You can't use Arrow of Warning with rags.
Also it seems a little odd that her story revolves around thievery and yet thievery is nearly her worst skill... might be disappointing if she tries to act the thief in the game.
Forgot to mention the campaign started in the dungeon she got tossed in (well in here case the bird cage) so were all wearing little more than ragsour actual "Stuff" is in the armory...we just gotta find it :P
As far as thievery...she didn't want to...I can only make suggestions than she adjusts to suit what she likes..besides I don't think thievery is a Skald Class Skill
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Feb 19, 2012 - 10:06PM
#18
|
Date Joined:
Apr 16, 2009
|
The article Scatterbrained was referring to is "Tools of Two Trades" and yes it has gone official, but very recently (January or February) and is not yet in the online Compendium or Character Builder.
The specific feat in it that is most relevant is called "Battle Song Expertise". It's good for a Bard who wields a wand, any weapon or weapliment, and any other item specifically designated as being usable as an implement for Bard powers - such as enchanted musical instruments. But not for the non-weapon implements of other classes. In addition to the usual expertise bonus (which now scales at 11 and 21 for ALL of the heroic-tier weapon/implement expertise feats), it gives a +1 feat bonus to the distance of forced movement with Bard attack powers. I would seriously consider spending a feat for the forced-movement enhancement (keeping my Bard's existing Expertise feat) if it applied to all Bard powers and class features that do forced movement...
The only other feat in there that would be of interest to a Bard is White Lotus Dueling Expertise. It's a good feat if you want your Bard to use an orb, rod, or staff as his implement; it bundles implement proficiency in your choice of those (or wands, but a Bard already has that) with all-implement Expertise. The catch is that without it your Bard would take two very good feats - a multiclass to get the proficiency and a good side benefit, and then an Expertise feat to get the expertise bonus and a good side benefit. So WLDE is great when your Bard is at low levels and therefore feat-starved, but you'll leave it behind quickly.
"The world does not work the way you have been taught it does. We are not real as such; we exist within The Story. Unfortunately for you, you have inherited a condition from your mother known as Primary Protagonist Syndrome, which means The Story is interested in you. It will find you, and if you are not ready for the narrative strands it will throw at you..." - from Footloose
|
|
|
