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Why stay pure?
First, while still feat hungry a THF bard doesn't need to take the THF line which frees up stat points as well as feats. Getting 2+ more feats from fighter levels isn't as critical. Full songs are rare and while that +1/+1 you get over a 14+/x/y warchanter isn't a huge difference it definitely helps. Full Spell Pen (at least 22 before items - 24 in what I posted) makes it reasonable to Irresistible Dance many enemies, giving yet another CC option. You're also future-proofing the build a bit in case Warchanter III is really nice. Most likely given the setup of this build Warchanter III will only be an enhancement respec from what we have here.
Why 12 starting int?
I could actually go either way between 17con/9int and 16con/12int. Would really depend on your gear and how you wanted to spend your last 9ap as you can spend those points on +1 con (4ap), +10hp (3ap), and the capstone if you'd like. That's worth it if you end up on an odd con but not so much if you're on an even number. If your planned gear would put you on an even number starting with 16 con and you want to max out health then I'd go 17con/9int. Otherwise the extra skill points are nice. Bluff and to a lesser extent Diplomacy allow you to control the battlefield while Spot (especially if you're geared up with an item like Tharnes Goggles) allows you to see enemies before they attack you to get in that early trip/stun/dance. I wouldn't begrudge someone that stole some points from Spot/Balance/Jump to get Hide/Sneak but that's just not my play style. In any case those skill points lets you play with some of those 'extras' while still covering the key skills for a bard.
Why X Enhancement?
Many of the items on here are no-brainers. To me these are Inspired Attack III (12ap), Bravery III (6ap Pre-req), Damage III (6ap), Warchanter II (6ap), All Half Elf Strategy Lines to II (9ap total for Trip, Stun, Sunder), Human Versatility II (3ap - no brainer because there's nothing more important at that point), Human Improved Recovery I (2ap - same reason as Versatility), Racial Toughness II (3ap - I'd take it anyway but at least the first point is also needed to get to higher tier stuff), and HElf and Dilly Str (4ap total). That's 51ap in what I'd term the set in stone category.
Next up we have what's set in stone for me but more flexible for others. Lingering Song IV (and Extend for that matter) are part of what makes a good bard. Capstone + Lingering IV = double duration songs which can be pretty important for avoiding rebuffing as often. And on a side note, especially with all the arcanes making the tough choice to cut Extend a pure bard should do everything possible to fit it in. 4 minute haste/displacement and 6 minute rage is a huge difference. That's 10ap. Then there's Wand and Scroll Mastery IV. For me this is another non-negotiable but I've seen people argue that 4 points for the last 15% is too much. Personal preference which is why I listed it here but that's another 10ap.
So that only leaves 9ap. 2 points is almost definitely for the Capstone. I would actually put that in the no-brainer category and really only moved it here as it's not addable until you've made your selections here. Again, if you went with gear that gets you to an odd con score you could spend 7ap on human con (4ap) and racial toughness III (3ap) to get an extra 30hp's. 10% more healing amp for 4ap wouldn't be a bad choice from the menu of choices. I put Human Versatility III and IV (7ap) to give more spike damage, skill boosts, save boosts, etc.
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Pure Warchanter Tactics Build (Read 2785 times)
