(I'm surprised I haven't seen a build for this PrC on here yet.)
"You'll never get through me and my friends, evildoer!"
Nymph Bard 26/Arcane Duelist 4/Sublime Chord 10
Neutral Good
Stats:
Str: 14
Dex: 20
Con: 16
Int: 20
Wis: 14
Cha: 22 (32 at level 40)
Feats: Weapon Prof. (Rapier), Weapon Finesse, Dodge, Mobility, Force of Personality, Weapon Focus (Rapier), Improved Critical (Rapier), Practiced Spellcaster (Bard), Lasting Inspiration, Epic Spellcasting, Epic Spell Penetration, Great Charisma (1, 2, 3, 4), Epic Prowess
Recommended Skills:
Discipline
Heal
Listen
Lore
Perform
Persuade
Spellcraft
Tumble
UMD
Concentration
Pros: Excellent buffs, hard to debuff, high caster level (CL 40, 44 with Song of Arcane Power), high armor class (41 AC butt naked, and it goes up to at least the mid 80's with HotU gear), very high saving throws, Use Magic Device, strong nukes in epic levels, powerful bardsong, epic spells, very high +Cha scaling, at-will high DC blind aura, fairly competent melee combatant, works extremely well with parties.
Cons: No natural spell resistance, somewhat feat starved, low HP, low per-hit melee damage, no natural evasion, blind aura has friendly fire, no devastating critical.
Commentary: Unearthly Grace, Apparent Defense and Force of Personality combined with Cha-based spellcasting turn Charisma into a complete powerhouse stat for this character. Every two points gives +2 AC, +2 Will, +1 Fort, +1 Ref, +1 Spell DC and +1 to Blinding Beauty/Stunning Glare DC. Sublime Chord PrC gives access to some wonderful arcane nukes like Doom Scarabs, Cone of Cold, Firebrand, and Isaac's Greater Missile Storm, and the fact that it stacks with bard to determine caster level means you'll be smoking mobs like a pro as soon as you get them. It also gives access to higher-level buffs like Egregious Might, Greater Stoneskin and Energy Immunity. And when all else fails, you can fall back on your passable melee abilities and sky-high AC to take the battle toe-to-toe. Your buffs and bardsong are a welcome asset in any group, especially since they come packaged with some significant offenses and defenses of your own.
(Go 18 Bard/2 Arcane Duelist up to level 20 to help maximize BAB.)