The Reaper (Bard 23 / RDD 10 / Weapon Master 7)

[unifiedworld]

This is a bard who has mastered scythes.

This build follows the principle of taking pre-epic feats during pre-epic levels and epic feats during epic levels. However, players may opt to take some pre-epic feats during epic levels. Here are some feats to consider:

1. Extend Spell
2. Knockdown
3. Improved Knockdown
4. Improved Critical
5. Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave (for Dev. Crit)
6. Blind Fight
7. Toughness
8. Armor Proficiency Heavy
9. Still Spell

Additionally, in epic levels, players may choose to learn the Lasting Inspiration feat in place of Epic Skill Focus: Taunt.

If players wish to cut the Weapon Proficiency Exotic feat, becoming a master of the morningstar instead of the scythe is an option.

A quick comparison with other Bard23/RDD10/WM7 builds:

1. https://world-of-greyhawk.github.io/builds/data/build220640.html This build also focuses on scythes, gets Improved Critical, Knockdown, Improved Knockdown, ESF: Discipline and Lasting Inspiration where I get 4 Great Strengths and ESF: Taunt. I think the builder miscalculated how many skill points his build was supposed to get.

2. https://world-of-greyhawk.github.io/builds/data/build218282.html Some attribute point allocation mistakes. Starts with 13 charisma but raises charisma to 14 at level 8. Should instead start with 14 dexterity, 14 charisma and 15 strength then raise strength at level 8. Opts for greatsword instead of scythe. Invests in Armor Proficiency Heavy, Improved Critical, Toughness, Silent Spell (shouldn’t that be Still Spell?) and “Armor Skin or Blind Fight” in place of my 4 Great Strengths and Armor Skin. Skills are similar.

3. https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/nwnecbguild/whirling-death-bard-23-rdd-10-weapon-master-7-t515474.html I wouldn’t recommend this build personally. It pumps Dexterity to 23 simply to qualify for Improved Whirlwind Attack resulting in a final Strength score of 26, which is very low for an RDD Strength melee build and relatively low for any Dev. Crit build, let alone an RDD Dev. Crit build. Chooses Dev. Crit and its five prerequisite feats along with Improved Whirldwind Attack in place of my 4 Great Strengths, Armor Skin, Epic Prowess and ESF: Taunt. Also, this build fails to take 4 weapon master levels by level 20, resulting in -1BAB and one less attack per round, though admittedly that’s easy enough to fix: just move Power Attack down to level 18 (moving other feats up) and RDD levels 9 & 10 to character levels 21 & 22 (shifting the bard and weapon master levels up). I think this build could be improved by cutting Improved Whirlwind Attack and increasing Strength instead of Dexterity.

Quick tips for playing my build:

1. Avoid flatfootedness. With +4 to dex from items or self-cast Cat’s Grace and scale mail that has had ASF % reduced to 0, this build will have only 1 less AC than a similar build wearing full plate mail but it will be able to cast freely with armor on. However, flatfooted, this build has 4 armor less than a similar build wearing full plate mail.

2. Use the Taunt Expertise combo.

3. Make a similar combo out of Expertise and Curse Song or use all three at once: Expertise, Curse Song and Taunt.

4. When surrounded, Curse Song followed by Whirlwind Attack seems like it will be fun 🙂

Skills should be adjusted to be appropriate for one’s environment. The way I set up the skills is for play in the Swordflight module, where the crafting skills are very useful and the other skills I added also have significant utility. Some players may want to add Concentration, in which case they will have to cut another skill in order to do so.

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Bard(23), Red Dragon Disciple(10), Weapon Master(7), Human

STR: 16 (38)
DEX: 14
CON: 10 (12)
WIS: 8
INT: 14 (16)
CHA: 14 (16)

Human: (Quick to Master)
01: Bard(1): Dodge, Expertise
02: Bard(2)
03: Bard(3): Weapon Proficiency Exotic
04: Bard(4): STR+1, (STR=17)
05: Bard(5)
06: Red Dragon Disciple(1): Weapon Focus: Scythe
07: Red Dragon Disciple(2): (STR=19)
08: Red Dragon Disciple(3): STR+1, (STR=20)
09: Red Dragon Disciple(4): Mobility, (STR=22)
10: Bard(6)
11: Red Dragon Disciple(5)
12: Bard(7): STR+1, Spring Attack, (STR=23)
13: Red Dragon Disciple(6)
14: Red Dragon Disciple(7): (CON=12)
15: Red Dragon Disciple(8): Whirlwind Attack
16: Weapon Master(1): STR+1, Weapon of Choice: Scythe, (STR=24)
17: Weapon Master(2)
18: Bard(8): Curse Song
19: Weapon Master(3)
20: Weapon Master(4): STR+1, (STR=25)
21: Red Dragon Disciple(9): Armor Skin, (INT=16)
22: Red Dragon Disciple(10): {Darkvision}, (STR=29), (CHA=16)
23: Weapon Master(5)
24: Weapon Master(6): STR+1, Epic Weapon Focus: Scythe, (STR=30)
25: Weapon Master(7)
26: Bard(9)
27: Bard(10): Epic Prowess
28: Bard(11): STR+1, (STR=31)
29: Bard(12)
30: Bard(13): Great Strength I, (STR=32)
31: Bard(14)
32: Bard(15): STR+1, (STR=33)
33: Bard(16): Great Strength II, (STR=34)
34: Bard(17)
35: Bard(18)
36: Bard(19): STR+1, Great Strength III, (STR=36)
37: Bard(20)
38: Bard(21)
39: Bard(22): Great Strength IV, (STR=37)
40: Bard(23): STR+1, Epic Skill Focus: Taunt, (STR=38)

Hitpoints: 332
Skillpoints: 286
Saving Throws (Fortitude/Will/Reflex): 20/22/24
Saving Throw bonuses: Spells: +9
BAB: 26
AB (max, naked): 45 (melee), 29 (ranged)
AC (naked/mundane items only): 26/34
Spell Casting: Bard(6)
Alignment Changes: 0

Craft Armor 5(8), Craft Weapon 5(8), Disable Trap 1(4), Discipline 43(57), Intimidate 4(7), Lore 8(34), Open Lock 1(3), Perform 43(46), Search 7(10), Spellcraft 43(46), Taunt 43(56), Tumble 40(42), UMD 37(40)

01: Disable Trap(1), Discipline(4), Lore(4), Open Lock(1), Perform(4), Spellcraft(4), Tumble(4), UMD(4),
02: Craft Weapon(1), Discipline(1), Lore(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(1), UMD(1),
03: Craft Weapon(1), Discipline(1), Lore(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(1), UMD(1),
04: Craft Weapon(1), Discipline(1), Lore(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(1), UMD(1),
05: Craft Weapon(1), Discipline(1), Lore(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(1), UMD(1),
06: Craft Armor(3), Discipline(1), Spellcraft(1),
07: Craft Armor(2), Craft Weapon(1), Discipline(1), Spellcraft(1),
08: Discipline(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(3),
09: Discipline(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(6),
10: Discipline(1), Perform(2), Tumble(5), UMD(5),
11: Discipline(1), Search(2), Spellcraft(2),
12: Discipline(1), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(2), UMD(2), Save(1),
13: Discipline(1), Intimidate(1), Search(2), Spellcraft(1),
14: Discipline(1), Intimidate(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(1),
15: Discipline(1), Intimidate(2), Save(1),
16: Discipline(1), Save(5),
17: Discipline(1), Save(9),
18: Discipline(1), Perform(3), Tumble(6), UMD(6),
19: Discipline(1), Save(4),
20: Discipline(1), Save(8),
21: Discipline(1), Search(3), Spellcraft(7), Save(2),
22: Discipline(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(6),
23: Discipline(1), Save(11),
24: Discipline(1), Save(16),
25: Discipline(1), Save(21),
26: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(4), Taunt(10), Tumble(5), UMD(8),
27: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(4), UMD(1),
28: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Taunt(4), UMD(1),
29: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Taunt(4), UMD(1),
30: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Taunt(4), UMD(1),
31: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(4), UMD(1),
32: Discipline(1), Perform(4), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(1), UMD(1),
33: Discipline(1), Perform(5), Spellcraft(1), UMD(1),
34: Discipline(1), Perform(5), Spellcraft(1), UMD(1),
35: Discipline(1), Perform(5), Spellcraft(1), Taunt(1),
36: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Taunt(5),
37: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Tumble(5),
38: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Taunt(5),
39: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Taunt(5),
40: Discipline(1), Perform(1), Spellcraft(1), Taunt(5),

[Orion]

This looks really fun and powerful. High AB, High Damage, High AC, lots of skills (Bard Song 23 = +12 to skills), level 23 bardic spells, very high critical multiplier (x5 crits!).

[unifiedworld]

Thanks! I really wanted to play a scythe weaponmaster and I think this is the first one I’ve made for a level 40 environment. (I may have played one in one of the official campaigns before.)

I’m not really sure about the epic feats. Based on your experience and knowledge of the game, which feats would you take on this character?

[Orion]

I think the choices are great. I would swap ESF: Taunt for Lasting Inspiration. You can only get it at level 40, so its a really minor suggestion, unless the environment has a lot of level 40 content.

You also could aim for Str 34 and get four pre-epic combat feats (ie. blind fight, knockdown, improved critical, toughness). But the extra strength is fun too.

[unifiedworld]

I should clarify that I designed this build for the Swordflight mod. In that mod, there is a permanent companion who is a pure bard. Thankfully, the companion takes Lasting Inspiration, so there’s no need for the player bard to take it.

Thanks for your feedback.

[Author]

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