Prestige Class: Dragon Disciple

[Stratovarius]

Dragon Fan

When I hear "Dragonsong Lyricist", the first name that comes to mind is Deekin Scalesinger. But since he's someone else's character, I created the Dragon Fan!

Female Kobold Chaotic Good Bard 20 / Red Dragon Disciple 10 / Dragonsong Lyricist 10

Starting Attributes:
STR (14-4=)10 / DEX (12+2=)14 / CON (12-2=)10 / INT 14 / WIS 8 / CHA 16

Level 40 Attributes:
STR 18 / DEX 14 / CON 12 / INT 16 / WIS 8 / CHA 28

Armor Class: (10+4+2+1+1=)18
Base Attack: (7+7+10+1=)25
Attack Bonus (25+4+1): +30/+25/+20
Fort/Refl/Will: (3/7/7+7/3/7+1/2/0+10/10/10=)21/22/24
Max Hit Points: (6*20+6*3+8*2+10*5+6*10+40*1=)304

Special Abilities:
- Armor Proficiency (Light)
- Armor Proficiency (Medium)
- Artist
- Bard Song (24/day)
- Breath Weapon III
- Combat Casting
- Curse Song
- Darkvision
- Draconic Ability Scores
- Draconic Armor +4
- Dragonsong
- Dragonsong Focus
- Epic Dragonsong Focus
- Ethran
- Extra Music
- Greater Dragonsong (song of compulsion)
- Greater Dragonsong (song of fear)
- Greater Dragonsong (song of healing)
- Greater Dragonsong (song of speed)
- Greater Dragonsong (song of strength)
- Greater Dragonsong Focus
- Greater Spell Penetration
- Improved Combat Casting
- Immunity to fire
- Immunity to paralysis
- Immunity to sleep
- Light Sensitivity -2 (attack rolls, saves, checks)
- Lingering Song
- Natural Armor Bonus 1
- Practiced Spellcaster (Bard)
- Reptilian
- Shield Proficiency
- Skill Affinity (Search) +2
- Skill Focus (Craft Trap) +2
- Small Stature
- Spell Penetration
- Weapon Proficiency (Simple)
- Wings

Skills: (13*6+8*4+2*5+10*7+10*7=)260 points
- Concentration: (43+1=)44
- Jump: (1+4+2=)7
- Lore: (43+3=)46
- Perform: (43+9+2+2+2=)58
- Persuade: (43+9+2=)55
- Spellcraft: (4+3=)7
- Tumble: (40+2=)42
- Use Magic Device: (43+9+2=)54

[Stratovarius]

The Tale Keeper of Hlal is a freewheeling mind, which mix the embraced heritage of copper dragons with the ideals of Harpers. With Hlal?s guidance, she seeks to bring joy through her songs and spreads tales of her countless adventures with the Harpers everywhere she meets people who appreciate hearing them.

Title: Tale Keeper of Hlal
Race: Tallfellow Halfling
Base Class: Bard
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Deity: Hlal
Favoured Spell Types: Cure & Healing based spells, Enchantment

Starting Stats: Strength 8, Dexterity 16, Constitution 14, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 12, Charisma 14
Ending Stats: Strength 16, Dexterity 16, Constitution 16, Intelligence 16, Wisdom 12, Charisma 32

Main Skills: Lore 64, Perform 69, Persuade 60
Minor Skills: Use Magic Device 40, Concentration 46, Spellcraft 49

Build: Bard lvl15/Dragon Disciple (Copper) lvl20/Harper Mage lvl05

Level Progression:
01. Bard: Artist
Concentration +4, Lore +4, Persuade +4, Perform +4, Use Magic Device +4, Spellcraft +4
02. Bard:
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +1, Spellcraft +1
03. Bard: Alertness
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +1, Spellcraft +1
04. Bard: Charisma +1
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +1, Spellcraft +1
05. Bard:
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +1, Spellcraft +1

06. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Extend Spell, Dragon Blood Metallic - Copper
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
07. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
08. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Charisma +1
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
09. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Dragonsong
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
10. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
11. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
12. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Charisma +1, Force of Personality
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
13. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
14. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
15. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Skill Focus (Perform)
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1

16. Bard: Charisma +1
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +3, Spellcraft +1
17. Bard:
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +3, Spellcraft +1

18. Harper Mage: Combat Casting
Lore +1, Persuade +1
19. Harper Mage:
Lore +1, Persuade +1
20. Harper Mage: Charisma +1
Lore +1, Persuade +1
21. Harper Mage: Epic Reputation
Lore +1, Persuade +1
22. Harper Mage:
Lore +1, Persuade +1

23. Bard:
Concentration +6, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +11, Use Magic Device +7, Spellcraft +6
24. Bard: Charisma +1, Epic Skill Focus (Perform)
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +2, Spellcraft +1
25. Bard:
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +2, Spellcraft +1
26. Bard:
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +2, Spellcraft +1
27. Bard: Extra Music
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +2, Spellcraft +1
28. Bard: Charisma +1
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +2, Spellcraft +1
29. Bard:
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +1, Use Magic Device +2, Spellcraft +1

30. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Great Charisma I
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
31. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
32. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Charisma +1
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
33. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Great Charisma II
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
34. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Great Charisma III
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
35. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
36. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Charisma +1, Great Charisma IV
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
37. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
38. Dragon Disciple (Copper):
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1
39. Dragon Disciple (Copper): Great Charisma V, Great Charisma VI
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Spellcraft +1

40. Bard: Charisma +1
Concentration +1, Lore +1, Persuade +1, Perform +11, Use Magic Device +2, Spellcraft +1

HP: 365 (not re-rolled)
AC: 20
AB: +26/+21/+16
BAB: 23
Fortitude: 24
Reflex: 23
Will: 37

Pro?s:
? Immune to Acid, Paralysis and Sleep
? True Seeing (permanent)
? Spell Resistance 40, Hardiness vs. Spells
? Charisma modifier for Will
? Breath Weapon deals 12d10 acid damage, useable 4/day
? High Lore, Perform and Persuade score
? Darkvision and Keen Sense
? 19 uses of Bard Song

Con?s:
? No combat-related feats and can only use simple weapons
? Limited to fifth level spells
? Rather low HP for an epic Dragon Disciple

[Stratovarius]

And my turn. Technically this is a 2.3 build though, as I made use of 2.3 only feats. For a 2.2 build, substitute with whatever seems fitting.

Title: Draconic Commander
Race: Aasimar
Base Class: Sorcerer
Alignment: Lawful Good
Deities: Bahamut
Favoured Weapon: Bastard Sword

Starting Stats: Strength 16, Dexterity 12, Constitution 14, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 10, Charisma 16
Ending Stats: Strength 26, Dexterity 12, Constitution 16, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 10, Charisma 26

Main Skills: Discipline, Persuade

Build: Sorcerer 5/Dragon Disciple 25/Vassal of Bahamut 10

Level progression:

1) Sorcerer, Lore +4, Craft Armor +4, Heal +4, Toughness
2) Sorcerer, Lore +1, Craft Armor +1, Heal +1
3) Sorcerer, Lore +1, Heal +1, Lightning Reflexes
4) Sorcerer, STR +1, Lore +1, Heal +1
5) Sorcerer, Lore +1, Heal +1
6) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +6, Draconic Heritage Metallic Silver, Leadership
7) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +3
Dragon Disciple, STR +1, Persuade +2, Discipline +1
9) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +2, Sacred Vow
10) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +2
11) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +2
12) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +2, Vow of Obedience
13) Vassal of Bahamut, Persuade +1, Discipline +2
14) Vassal of Bahamut, Persuade +1, Discipline +2
15) Vassal of Bahamut, Persuade +1, Discipline +2, Weapon Proficiency Exotic, Improved Critical Bastard Sword
16) Vassal of Bahamut, CHA +1, Persuade +1, Discipline +2
17) Vassal of Bahamut, Persuade +1, Discipline +2
18) Vassal of Bahamut, Persuade +1, Discipline +2, Weapon Focus Bastard Sword, Power Attack
19) Vassal of Bahamut, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Heal +1
20) Vassal of Bahamut, CHA +1, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Heal +1
21) Vassal of Bahamut, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Epic Reflexes, Cleave
22) Vassal of Bahamut, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Heal +1
23) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Heal +1
24) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Force of Personality
25) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
26) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
27) Dragon Disciple, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Listen +1, Spot +1, Great Cleave
28) Dragon Disciple, CHA +1, Persuade +1, Discipline +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
29) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
30) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1, Overwhelming Critical Bastard Sword, Epic Prowess
31) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
32) Dragon Disciple, CHA +1, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
33) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1, Devastating Critical Bastard Sword
34) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
35) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1, Armor Skin
36) Dragon Disciple, CHA +1, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1, Epic Leadership
37) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
38) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1
39) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1, Legendary Commander
40) Dragon Disciple, Discipline +1, Heal +1, Listen +1, Spot +1, Epic Toughness I

AC 20
HP 466 (non-rerolled, I took what I got)
AB +34/+29/+24
Fortitude Save 25
Reflex Save 22
Will Save 41
Spell Resistace 45

Pros:
Two level 25 cohorts
Devastating Critical
Excellent Will Save
Excellent Spell Resistance
Fairly good HP
Fairly good Fortitude and Reflex Saves
Potent Breath Weapon
Cold Immunity

Cons:
Low AB and only 3 attacks
Sorcerer Levels/Spells effectivly useless on higher levels
Weak between level 6 and 15, must rely on cohort/henchman mostly
Dragon Disciple not as useful as could be, because Draconic Enlargement doesn't work

[Stratovarius]

An independant functional Scout and Skirmisher

the Ebony Ministrel (Bard 16/ MoE 10/ RDD 14)

Race: Avariel for Dex boost and Keen Senses (also normal Elfs will do)

Class: Bard

Stats:
Str.:16 -> 30
Dex.:18 -> 18
Con.:12 -> 14
Int.:12 -> 14
Wis.:10 -> 10
Cha.:14 -> 20

Skills(only the needed ones are listed):
Discipline:4 -> max.
Lore:4 -> 8 or more
Perform:4 -> max

useful Skill
Tumble -> max
Search -> max
Concentration

Feat.:
Martial WP

For Munchism use small statue appearance (->two handed Scimitar instead of Greatsword)

Level 2-8 Bard
Charisma +2
Feats.: Curse Song Skill Focus: Perform
Skills: Increase Lore to 8; Discipline and Perform to 10

Level 9-16 RDD
Charisma +2
Feats.: Pwr. Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus

Level 17-20 MoE
Strength +1
Feat.: Xtra Music

Level 21 and 22 RDD
Feat.: Epic WF

Level 23-28 MoE
Strength +2
Feats.: Lingering Song, Dragonsong

Level 29-34 Bard
Strength +1
Feats.: Impr. Crit, Gr. Cleave

Level 35-38 RDD
Strength +1
Feats.: Ovr. Crit
Epic Feat.: Armor Skin
Skill: Increase Search to max.

Level 39 and 40 Bard
Strength +1
Feat.: Dev. Crit
Skills: Increase as you see fit (Perform, Tumble, Discipline, Spellcraft, Craft Armor(Mithril Chain), Concentration, UMD)

You get:

Decent to good meelee, 20 Bard Songs (up to 4 at the same time, including Curse Song), some Spellcasting, medium Hitpoints, Dev Crit, good scout (Keen Senses, Invisible via Spell)

[Stratovarius]

Was going to post this last night, but didn't really feel like it. Here it is now after a few tweaks.

*****

Paltania Trilien
The Scalyslime Sorceress

Is a Sorceress Oozemaster odd enough? How about a Sorceress Oozemaster with quivering dragon wings, a faint layer of translucent scales, and a penchant for 2-handed exotic weapons?

The Scalyslime Sorceress, refered to by some as "The Ooze Dragon", is an oozemaster not afraid to show her face in public (no doubt in part because unlike her oozey-kin, she is not a disgusting quivering blob of flesh). Despite her relation to such majestic creatures as dragons, Paltania has always had a personal interest in Ooze. Finding it fascinating, that such complex behavior is found in what seems to be nothing but a puddle of matter, her interests are four-fold. The spellcasting which comes so naturally to her, her toughness in the face of damage, her draconic heritage, and her slimey pets.

Sorcerer 20, Red Dragon Disciple 10, Oozemaster 10
-Gnome (other races could pull this off, with increased difficulty. You need a race with a CON bonus WITHOUT a CHA bonus, so dwarf is out).

STR 10 -> 18
DEX 14 -> 14
CON 16 -> 22

INT 12 -> 14
WIS 08 -> 08
CHA 16 -> 24 (-5)

HP: 465 (524 Max: 80 sorcerer, 84 rdd, 80 oozemaster, 40 toughness, 240 CON bonus)
AC: 22 Naked (10 base, 2 Dex, 4 Dragon Scales, 4 Tumble, 2 Armor Skin) (cannot function in armor or shields)

Attack: 29+24+19 with Mundane Dwarven Waraxe
Damage: 1-10+6 (19-20 x3)

FORT 30
REF 18
WILL 21

Skills: No extra skill points. If you take your 9th level of RDD on level 20, you juuuuuuuuust manage to squeek in a perfect 20 in Tumble.

43 Concetration, Lore, Spellcraft,
20 Tumble

Noteworthy Feats
-Damage Reduction 2 ( 6/- )
-Improved Combat Casting
-Epic Weapon Focus: Dwarven Waraxe
-Armor Skin
-Epic Spell Penetration

Combat: Not superb, this character can still actuall hold their own in a fight. She cannot DEAL OUT a lot of damage, but despite being a sorcerer, she can take an immpressive amount of damage. Attack prowess is somewhat low, but still higher than your average spellcaster.
-Using two-handed weapons is ideal for this build. The RDD levels give it decent strength, so STR-and-a-half damage is 6 instead of 4. Every little bit counts.
-Low attack bonus by default, being a high level sorceress means she can self buff decently multiple times per day.
-While damage is low, she has rock-solid default AC. Not uber, but immpressive for a caster
-Damage reduction 6/-, and thanks to the OOzie levels, NO critical hits on her, and NO sneak attacks. Anyone fighting her will have to do it to her face, and can't count on dev-criting her. That means assuming they are enough of a fighter to beat her AC to begin with, they have to deal a minimum of 7 damage per blow, and won't be seeing any hard-hitting criticals.
-Reflexes are somewhat low, but can be boosted via buffs. Will is somehwat okay, but she is less vulnerable there thanks to immunity to mind-affecting spells anyway. Fortitude is awesome, and poison has no effect on her wether she saves or not.

Spellcasting: 43 in all spellcasting skills, 9th level arcane casting, with a good mix of spells for different situations. Epic casting with 4 spell slots per day.
-As a spellcaster with such good hitpoints, she won't be so reliant on a meat shield in front of her. She can take a hit, and with high HP, Concentration, and Improved Combat Casting, he spell will probably still be firing.
-25 Caster Levels (20 Sorc, 5 Oozie) and epic spell penetration. She's not the most potent caster in the world, but it's nothing to shy away from either.
-Premonition, Greater Heroism, Greater Magic Weapon, and Improved Mage Armor on top of her allready good physical prowess.
-Polymorph into a troll if you ever feel like regenerating

Summary: Immpressively hard to actually kill. With her oozemaster Immunities, RDD abilities (including +2 cha, to ease the Oozemaster penalties), and hitpoints and Damage Reduction worthy of a fighter, The Scalyslime Sorceress can tank better than some tank builds I've seen. Adding in epic spellcasting and a solid number of buffs is just icing on cake. er. Jell-O.

[Stratovarius]

I spent all week purposely ignoring'this build, because I thought the forum would be flooded with copies of it. Since it's going to be broken down in the build section anyway, I won't detail the by-level breakdown, but here's the build.

The Flamestorm.

Human
Sorcerer 20, Red Dragon Disciple 10, Mage Killer 10

STR 15 -Final-> 26
DEX 12 -Final-> 16
CON 14 -Final-> 16

INT 12 -Final-> 14
WIS 8 -Final-> 8
CHA 15 -Final-> 20

AC: 23 (10 Base, 4 Scales, 3 DEX, 4 Tumble, 2 Armor Skin) with no equipment
HP: 292 (324 MAX - 80 Sorcerer, 84 Red Dragon, 40 Mage Killer, 120 CON Bonus)

With Mundane Greatsword:
AttackBonus:33+28+23
Damage:2-12+12 (17-20 x2) (+1 Physical Damage) WITH Devestating Critical!

FORT 25
REF 26
WILL 23

Skills:
43 - Concetration, Lore, Spellcraft
20 - Tumble
19 - Persuade
5 - Appraise

This build is both a capable spellcaster, and a decent fighter.
She is capable of dealing very decent damage with her geratsword (25 damage max, with a mundane blade) and managed to get devestating critical as well! Despite only having three attacks per round, the damage dealt and chance of devestating crits (especially against mages, who will by default have low fortitude), she's quite capable in melee combat, especially with being able to buff her own weaponry and combat abilities by herself (true strike, flame weapon, greater magic weapon).
It's spellcasting capability is nothing to shy away from either. I focused a bit heavily on fire (going with the theme of a red dragon of course) but there is some other spells mixed in for diversity, so one fire-immune foe won't destroy this build. It reaches 9th level sorcerer spellcasting and is capable of learning epic spells! Not bad for someone with an attack bonus of 33 un-buffed.
Hitpoints aren't pathetic, though obviously it's not a tank-build, it should be able to stand up to some punishment. AC is 23 without any equipment at all, and while not staggering, it's still not bad for what is essentially a spellcaster centric build. I couldn't squeeze still-spell and armor proficiencies in, but a few DEX boosting items and some buffing will get the AC up to a good 40, so all is not lost.
The Dragon Disciple levels make this characters stats pretty well-rounded and developed, with a decent INT, solid DEX and CON, and high CHA and a STR that is just staggering for a spellcaster. Not to mention, overplayed or not, wings are still awesome

Summary: Decent hitpoints, acceptable 'nude' AC, high well rounded stats, saving throws aren't terrible (the mage-killer levels really rounded out the reflex saving throws), powerful combat casting, and very very strong melee capabilities.

Not bad for a build that has NO warrior classes

[Stratovarius]

Yelling Red Mercenary (Bard 8/ RDD 10/ Man@Arms 22)

Again slight Adaption of my former build

Race: Troll
Class: Bard
Alignment: TN (no smiting against this char)

Stats:
Str.:28 -> 46
Dex.:20 -> 20
Con.:20 -> 22
Int.:12 -> 14
Wis.:06 -> 06
Cha.:04 -> 06

needed Skills (for RDD):
Lore:8
needed Feats (for Man@Arms)
Power Attack, 4 times WF

Recommended Skills:
Perform -> 17
Discipline -> 40
Tumble -> 40
UMD -> 27
(Spellcraft 10)
Spot 30 (20)

Recommended Feats.(in order):
Pwr. Attack, WP:Exotic, WF:Katana, WF:Mace, WF:Heavy Crossbow, WF:Kukri, Cleave, TWF, Ambidex, Impr. TWF, Gr. TWF, Lingering Song, Blindfight, Impr. Power Attack

Man@Arms Epic Feats.:
Epic Powers, Armorskin, Epic WF:Katana


Stat. increase: Always Strength

Level 2-7 Bard

Level 8-15 RDD

Level 16-20 Man@Arms

Level 21 and 22 RDD

Level 23-32 Man@Arms

Level 33 Bard

Level 34-40 Man@Arms

You get:

HP (max rolls): 600
AB (mundane Katana, Mace, Kukri): 47/42/37/32
AC (naked): 34
Saves:
Fort.:28
Refl.:26
Will.:22

This is a very versatile Meelee build. What seperates it from others is the elemination of their common weaknesses:
low AC, weak Reflex and Will saves
The average damage output of this build is equal (eventually superior) because:
up to 9 Attacks (with haste and Furious Assault), high AB, high Strength
Impr. Pwr. Attack is aplied to both weapons this translates to
(Katana -> main Weapon; no magic items or spell boosting)
1d10 + 18/9 (Strength) +3 (don't ask where this comes from, it's just in the char sheet) +10 (Power Attack 5 + Dex Bonus from Man@Arms)
= Main Hand -> 32-41
= Offhand -> 23-32

by boosting Str. to 56 and Dex to 30 this becomes
= Main Hand -> 47-56
= Offhand -> 35-44

not counting magic (or magical effected) Weapons, which will be easy to come by via scrolls and UMD

Further you have:

5 HP/Round natural healing (get greater Amulett of Health and a ring of regeneration and you get +10/round)
Usage of nearly any gear and all scrolls, some neat immunities like fire, sleep, paralysis.


I like this one a lot!

[Stratovarius]

The main point of this build is simple?role playing with a rather strange but interesting and lore-fitting character. Thus, this build is not recommended for power/hack&slash players(!)
I?ve choose the human race because it is said that most song dragons live secretly in human communities around the Moonshae Isles and it?s plausible that some of them mate with humans rather than their own kind.

Title: Disciple of Draconic Symphony
Race: Human
Class: Bard
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Deity: Oghma

Starting Stats: Strength 8, Dexterity 10, Constitution 14, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 14, Charisma 16
Ending Stats: Strength 16, Dexterity 10, Constitution 16, Intelligence 20, Wisdom 19, Charisma 22

Main Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Lore, Listen, Perform, Persuade, Use Magic Device
Minor Skills: Appraise, Spellcraft

Build: Bard 20/Dragon Disciple (Song) 10/Dragonsong Lyrist 10

Level Progression:
01. Bard: Artist, Extra Music, Daze, Flare, Light, Cure Minor Wounds
02. Bard: Resistance, Amplify, Balagarn?s Iron Horn
03. Bard: Curse Song, Charm Person
04. Bard: Charisma +1, Heroism, Tasha?s Hideous Laugher
05. Bard: Identify, Hold Person

06. Dragon Disciple: Dragon Blood Obscure ? Song, Dragonsong
07. Dragon Disciple:
08. Dragon Disciple: Charisma +1
09. Dragon Disciple: Combat Casting
10. Dragon Disciple:
11. Dragon Disciple:
12. Dragon Disciple: Intelligence +1, Practised Spellcaster (Bard)
13. Dragon Disciple:
14. Dragon Disciple:
15. Dragon Disciple: Toughness

16. Bard: Wisdom +1
17. Bard: Sound Burst, Wounding Whispers, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
18. Bard: Lingering Song, Confusion
19. Bard:
20. Bard: Intelligence +1, Charm Monster, Legend Lore, War Cry

21. Dragonsong Lyrist: Dragonsong Focus
22. Dragonsong Lyrist:
23. Dragonsong Lyrist:
24. Dragonsong Lyrist: Wisdom +1, Greater Dragonsong Focus
25. Dragonsong Lyrist:
26. Dragonsong Lyrist:
27. Dragonsong Lyrist: Epic Dragonsong Focus
28. Dragonsong Lyrist: Intelligence +1
29. Dragonsong Lyrist:
30. Dragonsong Lyrist: Great Charisma I

31. Bard: Hold Monster
32. Bard: Wisdom +1
33. Bard: Great Charisma II, Mind Fog, Dominate Person, Greater Heroism
34. Bard: Ethereal Visage.
35. Bard:
36. Bard: Intelligence +1, Epic Reputation, Expeditious Retread, Healing Circle, Dirge, Energy Buffer
37. Bard: Silence, Mass Haste
38. Bard: Displacement
39. Bard: Great Wisdom I, Cure Critical Wounds, Mass Eagle?s Splendor
40. Bard: Wisdom +1, Greater Dispelling


Pros:
? Songs are powerful, long lasting, and hard to resist
? Good saves (Fortitude 23, Reflex 21, Will 28)
? Many Skill Points
? Sixth level spells
? Immunity to Poison, Sleep, Paralysis and Electricity

Cons:
? No Weapon Focuses and only use simple weapons
? Rather low AC & HP for a Dragon Disciple build (AC 14, HP 363)

[Stratovarius]

Trollish Sorcerer :E
Sorcerer 19/Red Dragon Disciple 10/ SpellSword 11

Race: Troll
Stats
Str 26 (Increase at lvls 28-40)
Dex 12
Con 26
Int 12
Wis 6
Cha 11 (Increase at Lvl 4-24)

Progression
1-5 Sorcerer
6-7 RDD
8 Sorcerer
9-10 RDD
11-20 Spellsword
21-26 RDD
27 Spellsword
28-40 Sorcerer

Feats
1 Weapon Proficiency (Martial)
3 Armor Proficiency (Light)
6 Armor Proficiency (Medium)
9 Armor Proficiency (Heavy)
12 Improved Critical (Greatsword)
12 Toughness
15 Weapon Focus (Greatsword)
18 Extend Spell
21 Epic Weapon Focus (Greatsword)
24 Silent Spell
27 Empower Spell
30 Maximize Spell
33 Epic Skill Focus (Spellcraft)
36 Epic Skill Focus (Lore)
39 Practised Spellcaster

Skills
concentration 18
Lore 43
Spellcreft 43
Tumble 20

Has a nice 26 Bab :naughty: and ability to cast epic spells

[Stratovarius]

The Red Mercenary (Bard 6/RedDragonDisciple 10/Man@Arms 22)

Race: Troll (Character History: Once opon a time a Red Dragon Female,
disguised as Troll, got into an antimagic zone
before reverting back to dragon form. Female
Trolls were realy sparse in the region, so a
particular nasty male(Troll) choose our
dragon-lady as mother to his kin
(hence the RDD))

Alignment: chaotic neutral
Starting Class: Bard

Starting Stats:

Abilities:
STR: 28
DEX: 20
CON: 20
INT: 12
WIS: 6
CHA: 4

Skills to boost:

Concentration 4+ (Bard starting)
Discipline -> 42
Lore -> 8 (at level 5)
Search -> 9 Ranks[ClassSkill for M@A] (personal reason: I don't avoid Traps, but I like to see it comming; secret doors OC)
Tumble -> 40
UMD -> 27 (final Bard Lvl)
Perform -> 12 (final Bard Lvl)

Starting Feature: Power Attack


Lvl.2: Bard [2]
Lvl.3: Bard [3] Feat: Weapon Focus 1
Lvl.4: Bard [4] Increase STR (always; end up at STR: 56 including Gr. STR)
Lvl.5: Bard [5]
Lvl.6: RDD [1] Feat: WF 2
Lvl.7: RDD [2]
Lvl.8: RDD [3] Increase STR
Lvl.9: RDD [4] Feat: WF 3
Lvl.10: RDD [5]
Lvl.11: RDD [6]
Lvl.12: RDD [7] Increase STR Feat: WF 4
Lvl.13: RDD [8]
Lvl.14: Man@arms [1]
Lvl.15: Man@arms [2] Feat: Cleave
Lvl.16: Man@arms [3] Increase STR
Lvl.17: Man@arms [4]
Lvl.18: Man@arms [5] Feat: Gr. Cleave
Lvl.19: Man@arms [6]
Lvl.20: Man@arms [7] Increase STR

All Epic Feat: Great STR
Lvl.21: RDD [9]
Lvl.22: RDD [10]
Lvl.23: Man@arms [8]
Lvl.24: Man@arms [9] Increase STR
Lvl.25: Man@arms [10]
Lvl.26: Man@arms [11]
Lvl.27: Man@arms [12]
Lvl.28: Man@arms [13] Increase STR
Lvl.29: Man@arms [14]
Lvl.30: Man@arms [15]
Lvl.31: Man@arms [16]
Lvl.32: Man@arms [17] Increase STR
Lvl.33: Man@arms [18]
Lvl.34: Man@arms [19]
Lvl.35: Man@arms [20]
Lvl.36: Man@arms [21] Increase STR
Lvl.37: Man@arms [22]
Lvl.38: Man@arms [23]
Lvl.39: Man@arms [24] Feat: Improved Power Attack
Lvl.40: Bard [6] Increase STR


STR: 56
DEX: 20
CON: 22
INT: 14
WIS: 6
CHA: 6

Pros'n'Cons

The Good

naked
- 600 Hitpoints
- 5 attacks (furious assault AB -2)
- good meelee (nothing fancy but Damage(vanilla Spear) 1d8+34 [23*1.5] +15 (power attack)
- Damage boost via str AND dex items/spells
(to 2d6(base) + 43(STR) +10(HotU Weapon Enchantment) +20(power attack) +elemental [Epic Warding, haha whats that]
- regeneratin 5 (without items)
- Fire Sleep Paralysis immune
- Use Any Item (100,000g value)
- easy to play (just mow'em down)

The Bad

- obviously no significant spellcasting (except scrolls via UMD)
- Immunities and resistances depending on items
- ugly

This build fits my picture of a mercenary:
- Puts everythink he finds to good use (bard)
- Dish out more pain than a regular Soldier and can take some (Man@Arms+heritage)
- kills some ale at the campfire and braggs about his "heroic deeds" (bard)

[Stratovarius]

After something I read earlier today, I figured I'd try something out. The result was pretty respectable, I think. Forgive the pun in the class name.

The Dragon Storm - Bard 20/Tempest 10/Red Dragon Disciple 10
Should probably be a human. You can choose another race if you like, but you'll be sacrificing a feat (I'd suggest the final feat, Improved Expertise, if you choose to do that.) Also, the final stats may be a bit different if you choose a different race. I'd recommend against that, though, because it means sacrificing a class skill, and because this character build is very light on feats, as it doesn't have any epic class levels.


For the levelling progression, I'm going to assume you can figure out where to put the skill points, how many to bank for a future level, and what to do with the spells. At the end, I'll put what I'd suggest for your spellbook at two critical points, and the rest of it is up to you.


Initial Stats:
STR: 12
DEX: 14
CON: 14
INT: 12
WIS: 10
CHA: 15

Levelling/Feat/Stat Bonus progression:
1 - Bard - dodge, mobility
2 - Bard
3 - Bard - weapon finesse
4 - Bard - DEX
5 - Bard
6 - Bard - spring attack
7 - Bard
8 - Bard - DEX
9 - Bard - two weapon fighting
10 - Bard
11 - Bard
12 - Bard - DEX - ambidexterity
13 - Tempest
14 - Tempest
15 - Tempest - weapon proficiency (martial)
16 - Tempest - DEX
17 - Tempest
18 - Tempest - toughness
19 - Tempest
20 - Tempest - DEX
21 - Tempest - armor skin
22 - Tempest
23 - RDD
24 - RDD - DEX - great charisma
25 - RDD
26 - RDD
27 - RDD - power attack
28 - RDD - CON
29 - RDD
30 - RDD - cleave
31 - RDD
32 - RDD - CON
33 - Bard - great cleave
34 - Bard
35 - Bard
36 - Bard - CON - expertise
37 - Bard
38 - Bard
39 - Bard - improved expertise
40 - Bard - CON

Final Stats:
STR: 20
DEX: 20
CON: 20
INT: 14
WIS: 10
CHA: 18

Fortitude: 25
Reflex: 25
Will: 20
BAB: 27 (17 at 20, for 4 attacks per round)

Naked AC (with two of any weapon equipped. you can pick what you prefer): 32
With Improved Expertise active: 42

Final skillpoint distribution:
concentration: 43
lore: 43
perform: 41
tumble: 40
umd: 40
spellcraft: 20
(you can check the character sheet if you like. I'm not going to copy those values here)

Hitpoints:
20 * bard (6) = 120
10 * tempest (10) = 100
4 * rdd (6) = 24
2 * rdd ( = 16
4 * rdd (10) = 40
40 * CON bonus of 5 = 200
40 * toughness = 40
=========================
540 naked hitpoints at level 40

So that'd be AC of 42 and 540 hitpoints (almost) naked.

Throw in some buffs:
AC: Bard Song (+5), Cat's Grace (+2), Mage Armor (+4) = 53ac self-buffed
HP: Bard Song (+26), Greater Heroism (+20) = 586hp self-buffed
DR: 20/+3 DR, immunity to level 2 or lower spells, 25% concealment (Ethereal Visage), 40/- against all elemental (Energy Buffer)


The Spellbooks:
As I said, this is really up to you. You can choose whatever you like, but this is what I'd take, because let's face it: with a caster level of 20 at level 40, you probably won't be doing a lot of nuking. Not that bards get many nukes to begin with. As you can probably guess, they're almost all spells with a base DC irregardless of caster level, or utility spells/buffs.

At level 12 (important, because it's the last bard level for a while):
0 - all but Read Magic
1 - Grease, Identify, Lesser Dispel, Mage Armor
2 - Heroism, Ghostly Visage, Cure Moderate Wounds, Cloud of Bewilderment
3 - Remove Curse, Remove Disease, Legion's Curse of Impending Blades, Gust of Wind
4 - Cure Critical Wounds, Neutralize Poison, War Cry

At level 40 (the final spell load):
0 - all but Read Magic
1 - Balagarn's Iron Horn, Cure Light Wounds, Grease, Identify, Mage Armor
2 - Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Cloud of Bewilderment, Cure Moderate Wounds, Darkness
3 - Find Traps, Gust of Wind, Legion's Curse of Impending Blades, Remove Curse, Remove Disease
4 - Cure Critical Wounds, Dismissal, Mass Ultravision, Neutralize Poison, War Cry
5 - Ethereal Visage, Greater Dispelling, Greater Heroism, Mass Cure Light Wounds, Summon Creature V
6 - Animate Object, Energy Buffer, Mass Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass Haste


The Good:
High UMD skill allows usage of many class-restricted items.
High naked hitpoints. Not as high as a pure-hitpoint build can get, but...
Very high naked AC. With top-end gear, can get a very high AC. (quick number run reveals it to be at least 111ac, and I'm surely overlooking something.)
8 attacks per round with the reasonably high BAB of 27, not counting melee feats* and stat bonuses.
Access to all non-epic bard spells.
Immunity to sleep, paralysis, fire.
Darkvision.
6d10 dragon breath.
Wings. Because they're just plain cool.

The Bad:
BAB isn't as high as a pure melee could have. Pure melee has 30 BAB, + weapon feats, which this build has decided not to take, and stat bonuses. You can mitigate this partially by taking Weapon Focus if you like, but it means sacrificing a feat. Fortunately, the stats are high across the board, which also helps mitigate this. This will hurt when you try to tank a top-end mob.

Caster level isn't high enough to be effective at debuffing/nuking resistant mobs. This is mitigated by your choice of spells, as described in the spellbook section.

A HotU build. You'll notice that I don't take Weapon Proficiency (Martial) before level 15. That's because I was trying to get Tempest levels as soon as possible, so that I could have 4 base attacks per round. If I had taken the proficiency any earlier, I would lose attacks per round and BAB. Unfortunately, this means that until level 15, you're probably going to be using a crossbow for melee. Fortunately, you're a level 12 bard, and can choose a spellbook that's still in relative synch with the mobs you're facing.

Wasted Feat. You'll notice that the STR and DEX are the same at level 40. This means that the only purpose for weapon finesse is to unlock the Tempest class. Dex is consistently higher until level 32 (RDD 10), but once you reach RDD 10, your STR and DEX are the same and you have a feat that does nothing.

No weapon feats. I haven't taken any weapon feats at all. No weapon focus, no improved critical. On the plus side, it means that all weapons are equal, and you can use whatever weapon you find, ignoring whether it's your weapon of choice. On the minus side, it means that all weapons are equally bad.

[ThE LoSt BoY]

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Hakpaks.Detail&id=7206

[ThE LoSt BoY]

[ThE LoSt BoY]

Zipped .bic's