tralfaz wrote on Aug 21
st, 2015 at 10:20pm:
Bonus points if you can make a Drow can pull it off!
You can do anything with bards now. Easily the most versatile class in the game.
I suggest a con based dwarf like Zoda's build here.
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/444545-The-dwarven-defender-parody?s=a...It is the easiest swash build for beginners to pilot due to huge hp pool. Just put a few more points into Int at creation for trap skills.
You can also do an ice build. either macadope's pure ice baron here
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/449051-The-Ice-Baron-Freeze-Specced-Pu...or a 15/3/2 pdk version of it. Gets trap skills as well.
Or even your own swash build for drow. 15 levels here wont really matter much to a non-freeze spec'd build. Not as much as taking 6 fighter for feats and access to vanguard core lv 6. Go with something like 12 bard for ddoor, displace, cure crit. Add 6 fighter for 3 shield feats and power attack to open up cleave lines. And 2 rogue levels for evasion and traps. Str based is fine, so is dex, cha or int.
For cc you have stunning shield and fascinate. Get a guardbreaking buckler from crystal cove or three barrel cove. That shield is bonkers because daze has no save. Only needs to crit, with exploit weakness that isnt a problem and it can aoe on cleaves to daze all around you. Dont forget to put some skills into perform for your instakill and fascinate dc.