Battle Knight Bard of Sublime Chord (3.5e Optimized Character Build)

Introduction

3e Summary::Handsome Fight Bard, to show the bard can be useful, and he not only needs to give bonus to your party friends. A good fighter, with nice stats and maximized '''CHA''', and 9th level spell slots, to be epic read. A non-break game build.

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References

Core:

Optional:

  • Unearthed Arcana
  • Complete Warrior
  • Complete Divine
  • Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (DMG2)
  • Draconomicon
  • Dragon Magic
  • Races of the Dragon
  • Dungeonscape
  • Magic item Compendium (MIC)
  • Book of Exalted Deeds (BoED)
    • Soulfire (p. 112)

Game Rule Components

Point Buy Alternatives

Starting Ability Scores (Before Racial Adjustments):

Standard 25 point buy
AttributeBaseModifier
FOR10+0
DEX8-1
CONS14+2
INT10+0
WIS7-2
CHA18+4
Challenging 22 point buy
AttributeBaseModifier
FOR10+0
DEX8-1
CONS14+2
INT10+0
WIS7-2
CHA17+3
Tougher 28 point buy
AttributeBaseModifier
FOR10+0
DEX8-1
CONS15+2
INT10+0
WIS8-1
CHA18+4
High-Powered 32 point buy
AttributeBaseModifier
FOR12+1
DEX8-1
CONS16+3
INT10+0
WIS8-1
CHA18+4

Race:

If your DM allow you to get Apprentice feat and create a mentor with listen, get it. If this is possible, get any race with CHAR bonus, or go with human in doubt.

In a straight build(no apprentice), any elf, the best is: Star Elf. Elf is required for Aereni Focus feat, and chose listen as skill.

If star elf not allowed, another standard elf is half-elf. No CONS-2, more HP.

In this build, the chosen is Star 3e Race::Elf.

Progression
ECL Class/HD/LA Base
Attack Bonus		 Saving Throws Feats Class
Features		 Special
FortRefWill
1stSRD:Bard 1+0+0+2+2Aereni Focus (Listen)Bardic Music, Bardic Knowledge, Countersong, Fascinate, Inspire Courage +1By race: Otherworldly
2ndSRD:Bard 2+1+0+3+3
3rdSRD:Bard 3+2+1+3+3Knowledge Devotion (arcana)Inspire Competence
4thSRD:Bard 4+3+1+4+4Ability Increase: Charisma +1
5thSRD:Paladin (of Freedom Maybe) 1+4+3+4+4Aura of Good, Detect Evil, Smite Evil 1/day
6thSRD:Paladin (of Freedom Maybe) 2+5+4+4+4Combat CastingDivine Grace, Lay on Hands
7thAbjurant Champion 1+6/+1+4+4+6Abjurant Armor, Extended Abjuration+1 level of Bard
8thAbjurant Champion 2+7/+2+4+4+7Swift Abjuration+1 level of Bard, Ability Increase: Charisma +1
9thAbjurant Champion 3+8/+3+5+5+7Open Feat+1 level of Bard
10thEldritch Knight 1+9/+4+7+5+7fighter bonus feats (Open Feat)
11thSublime Chord 1+9/+4+7+5+9Bardic lore, bardic music
12thAbjurant Champion 4+10/+5+7+5+10Open FeatArcane Boost+1 level of Sublime Chord, Ability Increase: Charisma +1
13thEldritch Knight 2+11/+6/+1+8+5+10+1 level of Sublime Chord
14thEldritch Knight 3+12/+7/+2+8+6+11+1 level of Sublime Chord
15thEldritch Knight 4+13/+8/+3+9+6+11Open Feat+1 level of Sublime Chord
16thEldritch Knight 5+14/+9/+4+9+6+11+1 level of Sublime Chord, Ability Increase: Charisma +1
17thEldritch Knight 6+15/+10/+5+10+7+12+1 level of Sublime Chord
18thEldritch Knight 7+16/+11/+6/+1+10+7+12Open Feat+1 level of Sublime Chord
19thEldritch Knight 8+17/+12/+7/+2+11+7+12+1 level of Sublime Chord
20thEldritch Knight 9+18/+13/+8/+3+11+8+13+1 level of Sublime Chord, Ability Increase: Charisma +1

Ends like:

3e Final Class Progression::Bard 4/ Paladin 2/ Eldritch Knight 9/ Sublime Chord 1/ Abjurant Champion 4

Spells
Spell LevelSpells
1stImprovisation, Undersong, SRD:Silent Image, open
2ndSRD:Tongues, Whirling Blade, celerity, Lesser, Blade Brothers
3rdSRD:Glibness, SRD:Haste
4thFriendly Fire(Exemplars of Evil) or Ray Deflection, Sirene's Grace, Dimension Door, Ruin Delver's Fortune or Celerity or SRD:Legend Lore
5thDraconic Polymorph or Sakkratar's Triple Strike, Duelward or SRD:Wall of Force, Dancing Blade, Dragonsight
6thSRD:Antimagic Field, Superior, Resistence or SRD:Disintegrate, Empyreal Ecstasy, anticipate teleportation, Greater
7thElemental Body, Energy Immunity, SRD:Greater Shadow Conjuration, SRD:Limited Wish
8thSRD:Greater Shadow Evocation or Arcane Fusion Greater, SRD:Moment of Prescience, Celerity Greater
9thSRD:Time Stop, SRD:Shapechange or SRD:Mage's Disjunction

Items

If allowed, take this:

Good spells to take to Drake's Helm:

Armor:

  • Mithral Chain shirt
    • SoulFire (BoED) +4
    • Called(MIC) +2000
    • Healing(MIC) +8000
    • Greater Healing(MIC) +24000
    • Easy Travel(MIC) +1500
    • Quickness(MIC) +5000
    • Speed(MIC) +6000
    • Daylight(MIC) +10000
    • Aporter(MIC) +10000
    • Greater Agility(MIC) +12500)
    • Greater Stamina(MIC) 12500
    • Mithral +1100
  • Crystals for Armor(MIC):
    • of Adaptation 3000
    • Restfull 500
    • Screening 3000
    • Mind cloack 10000

Other Components

It's a core build, many things is open to create a PC as you wish. More variants in this section.

More HP build

Eldritch Knight is a good class to start epic levels, but if your game not go in epic lands, or more HP is required, do:

  • Change stats to increase the CONS
  • Be something with Unholy Toughness
  • Change Eldritch Knight 2 by Abjurant Champion 5
  • Change Eldritch Knight 3 by Spellsword 1
  • Buy more HP with feats

Persist build

Persist is not good because you are always vulnerable to disjunctions or similar effects, and as a spontaneous cast you no have a long know spell list(bard and sublime chord don't help).

Basically, take SRD:Extend Spell and SRD:Persistent Spell as open feats.

But, a persistent bard have some nice options:

Mage unfriendly sir build

A nice build, like 'The Black Mage destroy my village, vendetta!'. Antimagic field sucks a little less, and mages suffer in your side.

Against non mages, not very good, but usable. Reduce level of spell cast a lot, maybe Abjurant Champion 5 required.

Power Combat build

Five feats make a good charge fighter. Get wands for pounce(UMF is a class skill for you), ways to increase damage and things like that.

AMF and Disjunctions dont worry you too much because you don't have too much spells buffs. And time stop buff you in time.

  • Charge is a good(valorous weapon, power attack, leap attack, mount, pounce wand)
  • Arcane Strike
  • Get less damage in front lines: Displacement, Elusive Target and Empyreal ecstasy spell (Abjuration swift and extended)
  • I don't like, but if attack rolls is a problem: Snowflake Wardance
  • If feats starvation is coming, get 2 levels in Spellsword and get a extra Feat.
  • Slippers of Battledancing stack good with pounce...
  • Wraithstrike via (wand|blackmagic|DM-subornation|Kittens)

More magic Combat build

If you is a single mage on party, maybe increase magic is a good choice for you. Nice options:

Example Build

Maybe get 2 levels in spellsword in place of Abjurant Champion, for one more feat(Extraordinary Spell Aim, maybe).

Highlights
  • Good saves, and can be more better! (+24/+21/+26)
  • Nice BAB and attacks
  • Full 9th level spell progression
  • Epic ready!

Munchkin-Size Me

Well... Polymorph. Well... Draconic Polymorph... Well... Shapechange... Well... Skin of Proteus...

See Death Giant, pretty nice Huge giant with CHAR powers for shapechange. (saves with Ruin Delver's Fortune: +37/+34/+39 )

Starmantle spell or item.

Side Notes
  • no play test
  • Low levels go slow, maybe

Limitations
  • HP maybe low
  • Limited spell list and slots. A little less than normal.
  • Locked actions. Abjurant Champion burn swift actions.

DM Counters

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