Human - Bard 20/Rogue 10/PM 10

[Rade]

Here's a specialty build...
The Barad Dur Support Rogue :

Just toying with the idea I mentioned in another topic. I need a little help picking feats. You'll notice I neglect AB/AC.. they're both really low and that's where they're supposed to be, I'm not concerned with those since this is a support character focused on Disarming traps, Taunting and Cursing enemies, Opening Locks, Searching, and Performing; it also features DR and Wounding Whispers to server as a damage soak.


Human
Any non-good & non-lawful alignment
HP 615 (+28 with song. +240 with +12 CON = 883 HP total?)
Progression:
Rogue 1
Bard 16
PM 2
Rogue 1
PM 8
Rogue 1
Bard 3 and Rogue 6 interspersed (order doesn't really matter)
Bard 1
Rogue 1

FEATS (in order)
Toughness & Blindfight
Curse Song
Extend Spell
Wpn Focus Rapier (or Iron Will?)*
Imp Crit Rapier (dur?)*
Combat Casting?*
Weapon Finesse?*
EDR I, II, III
Epic Skill Focus Taunt
ESF Disable Trap
ESF Heal
Lasting Inspiration
Skill Mastery*

*These 4 feats I'm really not sure about just for the general purpose of the build. I'm thinking I could add a couple "Skill focus" feats for +3 in certain skills. I've heard 2 different stories: That Skill Focus and Epic Skill Focus feats stack together (to make +13 to skill), or that they don't and ESF overwrites SF (+10 to skill only).
Skill Mastery could be replaced by things like Improved Evasion or another ESF.

STATS (start - final)
STR 10
DEX 14
CON 16 - 24
INT 14
WIS 8
CHA 14 - 16

SKILLS (+13 from song, no stat buffs included)
Craft Trap 28
Disable Trap 43
Heal 43
Discipline 20
Open Lock 12
Perform 32
Search 43
Set Trap 43
Taunt 42
Use Magic Device 27

Comments:

skill focus and epic skill focus stack.  Is that enough discipline?  If I only had 20 I'm not sure I'd bother with it...  I count 10 rouge you must have a reaon but personally I rather have more bard than rouge.  Maybe 3-4 rouge total and skill dump.   Then of course you'd need more intelligence at the start...hmm heh nm.  Looks like a great support toon!

hehe yeah it's for skill points and for 10th level feat. The discipline needs some serious work... I could take points from somewhere, but I'm not sure... maybe I could bump the starting int. Needs some play, that's for sure.

I was gonna lower Dex to 12 (since I don't really use it for anything), drop STR to 8 and bump int to 16. Or I could drop Dex to 10 and STR at 10 still.

PS: The build has since changed, it's more like bard 27/rogue 3/PM 10 - the 3rd rogue level is a skill dump and for evasion as a backup when it isn't using the improved evasion short sword.
There's an example of a "Specialty Build" 

[{AR}Skeevie]

Rade, do you have one of these or is it just an idea?

[Rade]

Rade, do you have one of these or is it just an idea?

I made one: Muttering Old Man. Only level 29, but I was keeping him at that level for farming reasons.

[Endlessorrow]

  Used to play a version of this build it was bard 17/ rg 13 /pm 10 halfling ac tank with no lasting insp
but uber ac and epic dodge and decent sneak attack damage used a handaxe......
 

Always wanted to remake some time so...  25 bard/ 3 rg/ 12 pm with uber song.......  in fact that is what the build template for my toon speaker for the dead is...  I use the rapier feats and went human so it requred wep prof martial

 also took dodge I know the feat gets hated on but i swear i notice increased survivability from the feat!

 Epic feats went different for me as he has a 14 con and bumps only dex.  Why not go str based if making a edr "hitme" bard?

[Rade]

Oh, you very well could go with dex or str I suppose. The original idea of this character however was to tank for Barad Dur; so if you're going to be useful in melee you need to really focus in it - and none of those classes are really reknowned for their spectacular AB (well, maybe the bard if you do it right).

So I went with EDR and "hitme" styling because essentially everything in Barad Dur has 80+ AB, but doesn't do tremendous damage unless they're critting - so this build removes most if not all of their damage when properly equipped, can go ahead and disable the traps and not worry about being caught off guard by a spawn, and party buff/heal/tank while -they- do the serious damage.
It was a party-build and EDR seemed the most logical - why bother with AC when it doesn't matter anymore? 

If you're just talking about shuffling the skills a little bit, I ended up draining dex to 8 and bumping Con and keeping strength at 10 (+12 from items, and you can carry enough).

[Abimael]

AC is important in Barad-Dur...

[Abimael]

Also, DC of Detect trap is Intelligence based, so it might be a good idea to put points into it.

I've thought of that kind of build before and I think it might be better to make a pm/wiz/rogue so you get the best benefits from intelligence and a wide range of skills. Since bashing enemies heads is not your top priority you could take medium and heavy armor proeficiencies early on and get a good boost on AC.

Another idea would be going to 25/5/10 on that build so you get better protection against enemies dispels.


Edit: read your logic....

[Rade]

Also, DC of Detect trap is Intelligence based, so it might be a good idea to put points into it.

Consider the modifier on intelligence from taking more than 14 ranks. At 14 ranks I'm only spending 6 stat points to get a +2 modifier. The next benefit is at 16 ranks, which requires 10 points, then 18 at 16 stat points. The benefit from putting in 16 ranks is +1, just doesn't outweigh the benefits of more HP to me (you're adding 40 per 2 stat ranks).
The bard song plays a huge part in getting your search up so high, as well there are tons of items in game that allow for +5 to +10 search and don't affect the build much by equipping - they also stack.

Dispells are a pain, but since it's a whispers tank there really aren't many buffs aside from whispers that you cast - the rest are undispellable like weapon buffs and bard song, and then aside form that you have item buffs.

Wizard is quite handy, and it has the pixie summon, but to really be effective for melee in BD you need a bard. The -AC from taunt and curse song are unequivocal by mage spells.

[Rabbac]

A bit late to comment on this build perhaps but i was looking at building something sort of, kind of simular  Was gonna do a bard 20/pm 10 and sd 10 (dex based for epic dodge) the ac would be through the roof (as well as epic dodge) but i'm not sure how well i could get the ab.. The only essential stat would be chr 16 the rest can go into dex and of course you could go either elf or halfling get dex up a little higher... I need to run it through the tester though.. nice built Rade

[Rade]

Supabastid had a nice version of you're talking about. Epic dodge and the whole nine-yards. There's a few nice tricks that make it an insane tank. Goodluck! 

[charliebuckett]

I made Getty Lee bard 22 PM 16 SD 2 ac was is the 90s.  Ab was 55ish.   But since bioware screwed up bards I doubt they can't be effective now.  You can't cast war cry in armor or darkness I think.