Violin

[OldAquarian]

Warchanter/Arcane Archer 14 Bard/4 Fighter/2 Ranger

So the idea is to have a fully functional Warchanter and a fully functional Arcane Archer

Since you have a very good buff, you will be sought out and unlike other bowslingers you can justify never going melee: A dead Warchanter can't sing. With Arcane Archer you will do very good burst DPS with manyshot and decent, sustainable dps without risking death or being a burden to healers. Self buffed your dps is actually quite good.

That said, until you get Bow Strength at level 7 your bow damage will be weak. So until then, pick up a Mace or other blunt weapon so you can wack all those skellies. Also a ghost touch weapon will come in handy. And use a shield. At 8 and above, grab a Falchion for those rare times you need to beat things, but at 8 and above your melee days should be behind you since you are now a card carrying Arcane Archer.

Because of the fighter levels, your decent health will get you through times when evasion would have been nice. You can also heal in a pinch, especially yourself.

In order to get all the prereq feats and "required" bow feats, and toughness, you cannot be Bard 15.

Nothing comes without a cost. You will lose access to level 6 Bard Spells and Inspire Heroics (Activate this bard ability to grant an ally a +4 morale bonus to his or her saves, and a +4 dodge bonus to armor class.) But this is just a lesser form of the Greater Heroics spell.

But, the difference between a pure 20 Bard Warchanter and this build is minimum in terms of buffing, and you do a lot more ranged damage.

The only tome that is really needed is the +2 DEX by level 14 so you can take Imp Precise Shot. If you can't get the tome before level 15, you could take Toughness at 15 and wait till 17 to get the tome.

Keep in mind the CHA of this build is very low. But you don't need much for a Warchanter, so any extra is wasted.
NOTE: You will not be able to cast until you get +CHA items
You cannot cast at level 1, but you get the +1 CHA enhancement at level 2.
With a start of 9 and the +1 Enh you will need a + item to match each spell level.
A +2 CHA Item at level 5 is something to look for.
The +2 CHA tome eases this, if and when you can get one.

The other thing you can do is pick summon monster spells at each level and then swap them out when you get the next level summons. I would skip Summon II (scorpion) as Summons I (the dog) is actually better. Summon III is good.

(28 pt build - 16,17,14,8,8,8)

NEW AND IMPROVED UPDATE

please comment

(Original version people commented on preserved here: http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=2987877&postcount=5 )


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.32
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Violin Bow Singer
Level 20 True Neutral Elf Female
(4 Fighter \ 2 Ranger \ 14 Bard)
Hit Points: 282
Spell Points: 438
BAB: 16\16\21\26\26
Fortitude: 14
Reflex: 18
Will: 10

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 17 25
Dexterity 17 21
Constitution 14 16
Intelligence 8 10
Wisdom 8 10
Charisma 9 12

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

Level 1 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot
Spell (1): Cure Light Wounds


Level 2 (Bard)
Spell (1): Feather Fall


Level 3 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Spell (1): Focusing Chant


Level 4 (Bard)
Ability Raise: STR
Spell (2): Cure Moderate Wounds
Spell (2): Heroism


Level 5 (Bard)
Spell (1): Grease
Spell (2): Rage


Level 6 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 7 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead


Level 8 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons


Level 9 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Manyshot


Level 10 (Bard)
Spell (2): Blur
Spell (3): Cure Serious Wounds
Spell (3): Haste


Level 11 (Bard)
Spell (3): Displacement


Level 12 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons


Level 13 (Fighter)


Level 14 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Precise Shot


Level 15 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Precise Shot


Level 16 (Bard)
Ability Raise: STR
Spell (3): Remove Curse
Spell (4): Cure Critical Wounds
Spell (4): Dimension Door


Level 17 (Bard)
Spell (4): Freedom of Movement


Level 18 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 19 (Bard)
Spell (4): Otto's Sphere of Dancing
Spell (5): Greater Heroism
Spell (5): Mass Cure Light Wounds


Level 20 (Bard)
Ability Raise: STR
Spell (5): Shadow Walk
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost II
Enhancement: Ranger Sprint Boost I
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Acid Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Explosive Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Burst Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Slaying Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Terror Arrows
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack III
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Bravery I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Bravery II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage III
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song I
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song II
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song III
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song IV
Enhancement: Bard Warchanter I
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack II
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +2 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +3 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +4 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +5 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer I
Enhancement: Bard Energy of the Music I
Enhancement: Bard Charisma I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness II

[tomfar72]

Yeah, I'd like input on this also. I've started a very similar build myself, though I went with a little less Cha and a little more Str.

[donotdirect1]

Take your ranger enemy as evil outsider, it'll suck early but be good later on.

Undead is another option, but shooting undead with a bow is already ineffective.

Slot in a bit more constitution in my opinion. I come from the thinking that no one should have less than 14. You could go with a 17 dex as it'll fufill all your requirements and you'll get racial and ranger bonus to dex. And instead of bumping dex you could bump charisma instead, as I believe you'll be able to hit just fine with a bow, and more SP means more effectiveness.

I like the idea, it's certainly creative.

One of the *major* things missing is many shot, which turns ranged from "meh" to "wow" for it's duration.

I don't know how you'd fit that in. Power attack is really crappy on this build but you must have it. This type of character may want extend earlier than that.

One of the major disadvantages is that this split doesn't gain the evasion that other splits do, but I understand the feats are tight.

[unbongwah]

Pretty similar to my build (http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=2805268&postcount=36) a while back, although mine's only 28 pts and doesn't have any PrE. A few comments:

If you're willing to plan around a +2 DEX tome (which you don't need until lvl 15, so plenty of time to find or buy one), you could start with DEX 17 and still get Imp Prec Shot. That would let you start with STR 16 + 5 lvl-ups + 1 ftr enh = STR 22 unbuffed.

I don't see Manyshot; you definitely want that if you're serious about ranged DPS. And if you're not, why bother with AA in the first place?

Even though you get TWF free, since you don't take ITWF & GTWF, you might be better off using falchions + PA for melee DPS, especially once you start fighting things with high DR. I would try to squeeze in Imp Crit Slash somewhere, maybe instead of Extend or Imp Crit Ranged (+15% melee crit chance > 5% ranged crit chance IMHO).

You don't need so much base CHA; 12 would be fine. Put the extra points into CON or maybe INT if you need the skill points. You could even dump-stat CHA if you really wanted: base 8 + 2 enhs (or tome) + 6 item and you're set. But that does mean you couldn't cast any spells until you got your CHA up to at least 11, which might make the lower levels tougher if you don't already have a +CHA item sitting waiting for you.

[OldAquarian]

Not having many shot was a mistake - I lost it at some point shuffling things around
But now I'm not sure how to get it back

I could drop extend - but that seems like a bad idea
I could drop toughness - but that seems even worse
I could drop any of the non-required feats but that is also not appealing

I could get two more levels of fighter - and am leaning in that direction 14 Bard/4 Fighter/2 Ranger

Well I went that way and it looks pretty good - here's the original for reference:


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.32
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Violin
Level 20 True Neutral Elf Male
(2 Fighter \ 2 Ranger \ 16 Bard)
Hit Points: 194
Spell Points: 529
BAB: 16\16\21\26\26
Fortitude: 12
Reflex: 18
Will: 9

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 15 20
Dexterity 18 21
Constitution 12 12
Intelligence 8 8
Wisdom 8 8
Charisma 15 16

Level 1 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Spell (1): Cure Light Wounds


Level 2 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Elemental


Level 3 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons


Level 4 (Bard)
Ability Raise: STR
Spell (1): Feather Fall


Level 5 (Bard)
Spell (1): Focusing Chant


Level 6 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Spell (2): Cure Moderate Wounds
Spell (2): Heroism


Level 7 (Bard)
Spell (1): Grease
Spell (2): Rage


Level 8 (Bard)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 9 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Point Blank Shot
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons


Level 10 (Bard)
Spell (2): Blur
Spell (3): Cure Serious Wounds
Spell (3): Haste


Level 11 (Bard)
Spell (3): Displacement


Level 12 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: DEX
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons
Feat: (Selected) Precise Shot


Level 13 (Bard)


Level 14 (Bard)
Spell (3): Remove Curse
Spell (4): Cure Critical Wounds
Spell (4): Dimension Door


Level 15 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Precise Shot
Spell (4): Freedom of Movement


Level 16 (Bard)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 17 (Bard)
Spell (4): Otto's Sphere of Dancing
Spell (5): Greater Heroism
Spell (5): Mass Cure Light Wounds


Level 18 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Spell (5): Greater Dispel Magic


Level 19 (Bard)


Level 20 (Bard)
Ability Raise: STR
Spell (1): Detect Secret Doors
Spell (6): Summon Monster VI
Spell (6): Heroes Feast
Spell (5): Shadow Walk
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Ranger Sprint Boost I
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Acid Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Explosive Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Burst Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Slaying Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Terror Arrows
Enhancement: Bard Extra Song I
Enhancement: Bard Extra Song II
Enhancement: Bard Extra Song III
Enhancement: Bard Extra Song IV
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack III
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Bravery I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Bravery II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage III
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song I
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song II
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song III
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song IV
Enhancement: Bard Music of Makers
Enhancement: Bard Music of the Dead
Enhancement: Bard Warchanter I
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Damage I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage I
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +2 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +3 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +4 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +5 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer I
Enhancement: Bard Energy of the Music I
Enhancement: Bard Charisma I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I
Enhancement: Bard Wand Mastery I

[OldAquarian]

New improved version !!!

I like that it has alot more Hit Points and Strength and fits in Manyshot
Also moved Extend earlier

Get Wrachanter PrE at 6
And AA (2 PrE) at level 8

Bard at level 10 to get those spells early - thought of moving it up to 9 but felt there was a good enough chance of finding somebody else with them to wait a level

Did lose level 6 spells - but I think the benefits outway this loss

Thanks for the suggestions so far - keep em coming

[Symar-FangofLloth]

I'm trying a similar thing, but Ranger 11 / Bard 9.
I know, it's a whole lot less bard. But you need so many feats to have decent ranged, I couldn't figure out how to do it otherwise and still have feats for warchanter and general use.
That split also gets me evasion, and the TWF chain.

[OldAquarian]

I'm trying a similar thing, but Ranger 11 / Bard 9.
I know, it's a whole lot less bard. But you need so many feats to have decent ranged, I couldn't figure out how to do it otherwise and still have feats for warchanter and general use.
That split also gets me evasion, and the TWF chain.

Not really that similar, I wanted a fully functional Warchanter that Shot Things - very little melee

Your Ranger Levels are hardly a splash :)

Not sure what Bard 9 gives you over Ranger 20
( Take a look at Pure Ranger 20 Elf Arcane Archer: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=233991 )

I know what this build gains over Ranger 20

Plus I enjoyed the Challenge of getting it all to fit in

[unbongwah]

This build gets 9 chosen feats. Two are for the AA pre-reqs (WF Ranged & PBS). Toughness is practically a requirement for any build. Manyshot should also be on any AA, IMHO, otherwise what's the point? WC takes 2 (PA & WF Slash). That leaves you with 3 to pick. Here are the "options packages" I can come up with:

The Melee WC AA - IC Slash, ITWF, GTWF. This build spends as much time meleeing as shooting, if not more, and adds to party DPS with WC. But your archery suffers without Precise Shot, IPS, and IC Ranged; and you have no metamagics.

The Full-time AA - Prec Shot, IPS, IC Ranged. This is as good as your archery will get with this build AFAICT, but with a corresponding drop in your melee; and again, still no metamagics.

The Spazz - IC Slash, Prec Shot, IPS. Switches between melee & archery. Boost your melee & ranged DPS, but neither is maxed.

Balance Grasshopper - IC Slash, IC Ranged, Extend. Enh, what the heck?

Ftr 4 would get you 1 extra feat, but you give up Inspire Heroics & lvl 6 spells. Not sure it's worth it.

This feat shortage is why I haven't found a WC AA build I can commit to. I'm actually leaning towards something craaazy like going Virtuoso instead to free up the WC pre-req feats and focusing primarily on archery feats like this:

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.34
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Level 20 True Neutral Elf Female
(2 Fighter \ 2 Ranger \ 16 Bard)
Hit Points: 224
Spell Points: 464
BAB: 16\16\21\26\26
Fortitude: 12
Reflex: 18
Will: 9

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(28 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 16 22
Dexterity 17 20
Constitution 12 12
Intelligence 8 8
Wisdom 8 8
Charisma 12 14

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 14

Level 1 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 2 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead


Level 3 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot


Level 4 (Bard)


Level 5 (Bard)


Level 6 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons


Level 7 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Manyshot


Level 8 (Bard)


Level 9 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell


Level 10 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons


Level 11 (Bard)


Level 12 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Precise Shot


Level 13 (Bard)


Level 14 (Bard)


Level 15 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Precise Shot


Level 16 (Bard)


Level 17 (Bard)


Level 18 (Bard)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 19 (Bard)


Level 20 (Bard)
Enhancement: Bard Extra Song I
Enhancement: Bard Extra Song II
Enhancement: Bard Extra Song III
Enhancement: Bard Extra Song IV
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Attack III
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Bravery I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Bravery II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage I
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage II
Enhancement: Bard Inspired Damage III
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song I
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song II
Enhancement: Bard Lingering Song III
Enhancement: Bard Music of Makers
Enhancement: Bard Music of the Dead
Enhancement: Bard Virtuoso I
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Attack I
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Damage I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack II
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage II
Enhancement: Fighter Item Defense I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Bard Perform I
Enhancement: Bard Perform II
Enhancement: Bard Charisma I
Enhancement: Bard Charisma II
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I
Enhancement: Bard Wand Mastery I




Didn't pick skills, but you can max Concentration, Diplomacy, Perform, and UMD with a few points left to spread around. With 32 pt builds, I'd put the extra 4 pts into CON or INT depending on whether HPs or skill points are more important.

Or do something even wackier: ranger 6 / fighter 6 / bard 8. Your bard abilities take a big hit, but at least you've got less of a feat deficiency! Or maybe ranger 12 / bard 8? Get Ram's Might, max Barkskin, and Resist Energy 30 on top of all the ranger feats.

[OldAquarian]

Ftr 4 would get you 1 extra feat, but you give up Inspire Heroics & lvl 6 spells. Not sure it's worth it.

I'm thinking the updated OP might be worth it - 14 Bard Warchanter is common for Barb Mix (Skald)
So it seems reasonable to go the same route for AA, although for a completely different reason

Any thoughts on the updated OP?

[OldAquarian]

Added 28 point build recommendation

Don't lose all that much - 1 STR, 1 CHA

Also changed feat order:
Many Shot is now 9
And Extend is 12

This gives you everything except Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot and Toughness by 12
Improved Precise Shot is taken at 15
Since it needs BAB 11 and Precise shot and this build doesn't get BAB 11 till level 13, it's pretty tight ordering

Everything seems to fit very well now - still looking for feedback though

[OldAquarian]

Been leveling this and it keeps getting better,
but I would still like to see any comments people may have

[unbongwah]

I think you're venturing into virgin territory, as it were; we - or at least I - are waiting from comments from you on how it plays. :) Do you mostly solo or group? Are you able to fight mostly thru archery or do you have to melee a lot?

[OldAquarian]

I think you're venturing into virgin territory, as it were; we - or at least I - are waiting from comments from you on how it plays. :) Do you mostly solo or group? Are you able to fight mostly thru archery or do you have to melee a lot?

Level 10 now - brief summary of my experiences:

level 1-3: never found a build where this is a challenge - performed well though
couldn't cast until level 2 - not a big deal - used mace,shield, buffed Summoned dog performed very well, allowing for soloing
levels 4-5: still mace and shield - used some melee, some ranged - very popular in groups, self healing and emergency group healing was great, able to buff groups through encounters
level 6 - Warchanter - awesome - made alot of content much easier than on other builds - less solo - extremely easy to find groups, even groups a few levels above who welcomed a warchanter - still a lot of melee
level 7 - Got Silver bow - all ranged, all the time, good dps - great buffs - have a muckbane and a falchion, but only for extremely situational reasons.
level 8 - with Arcane Archer and Imbue had me doing dps on par with the melee - granted this was pug melee
level 9 - Manyshot - pulled a Beholder (on normal) - was mostly dead before anyone else got a shot in, at this level most encounters were short with enough time between that manyshot was up for most encounters (ok another pull got me basically one shotted, but we won't talk about that one)
level 10 - more of the same - got myself a metaline bow
level 11 - more warchanter goodness
level 12 - looking forward to imp crit


I use fearsome armor - solo its great - in groups, I generally don't get agro - so the few times I do, its a life saver and I can generally kill the mob as it flees (I have guard armor as well in case people object)

I also find fascinate hard to use in groups - by the time I finish playing everyone else has already killed everything, so I save my songs for buffs and for rogues who can't find the trapbox

The crafted rapier (from corroded rapier has anthem that refreshes a song every 5 minuts) comes in handy in wilderness or when people afk - never actually wield it in battle. ( http://ddowiki.com/page/Unraveling_Enchantments )

Now the key I think is that with Warchanter buffs - Arcane Archer really is quite powerful
And I love the insta invites - "need a Warchanter?" <invite>

Since the 28 point version is fairly close - I imagine this would be a very good novice build

I think I made the right choice going 14/4/2 - most likely somebody else can cast Heroes Feast, and Inspire Heroics while nice, I think is outweighed by the dps gain of Improved Precise Shot

Playing as Violince on Cannith - come do a run with me if you want to see it in action.

TLDR: having a lot of fun with this

[OldAquarian]

Minor tweaks

Changed order just a bit to get Bard 8 before most of the fighter levels since Bard 8 is a big break for Warchanting
Dropped Extra Song IV for Bard Inspired Attack III
Lowered Lingering IV to Lingering III to get Elven Attack II

All based on analysis I did in this thread which talks about another variation of this build and the idea that for ranged "to hit" is important. That build is more ranger, less bard:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=255573

[koili]

A few newbie questions:
In which order do you get the enhancements?
What skills do you prefer for this build?

[OldAquarian]

A few newbie questions:
In which order do you get the enhancements?
What skills do you prefer for this build?

You can pretty cheaply reset enhancements - so i wouldn't worry too much - just take what you can from the list, you may have to hold enhancements for a while depending on the order you take them. Just make sure you can get Warchanter by 6 and Arcane Archer at 8.

Warchanter: Requires One of: Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons, Weapon Focus: Bludgeoning Weapons, Weapon Focus: Piercing Weapons
Requires All of: Power Attack, Bard Inspired Attack I, Bard Inspired Damage I, Bard Inspired Bravery II

Elven Arcane Archer: Requires One of: Mental Toughness, Elven Arcanum I, Sorcerer Energy of the Dragonblooded I, Wizard Energy of the Scholar I, Bard Energy of Music I, Past Life: Arcane Prodigy
Requires All of: Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons

For Skills Max Perform, and really should Max UMD - you can take them on your bard levels, you will have enough points to easily catch up.

Jump and Balance are good for your ranger/fighter levels, and a lot of people will up their Haggle and or Diplomacy is probably in there. Personally, I like taking some levels in stealth as well. Pop a point or two in Tumbling. None of these need to be maxed.

Aside from Perform and UMD - the build really doesn't need any skills, so it's a question of preference.

[OldAquarian]

level 12 now

lots of standing in Walls of Fire - shooting things
buffs are very good with bard 8

All the updates I've made seem to have been for the best
The one pitfall of this build is the lack of evasion, but lots of builds are in this category

[OldAquarian]

More thoughts

Buffs are still very good and getting a good number of invites

Do notice a number of misses - would probably recommend going more Dexterity - Less Strength, but will see how this plays out since I've been doing a lot of Elites a few levels above me and my gear isn't great.

Generally running with others who can buff - so now questioning the value of Extend vs two more bard levels

dps is now dropping down to mediocre - its very good as enemies approach - but I knew ranged was meh before I began
dps however is fantastic during manyshot - nothing seems to beat it for burst dps - but it's over way too quick

Well nothing conclusive - still having fun with it though

[OldAquarian]

Been distracted with other alts, but played some:

Still working pretty well - on runs with archers on ledges - able to knock most, if not all, out solo as long as Multishot is up

Still evaluating if losing 2 Bard was worth getting extend

[Parody]

Been wondering a few things on this build.

Since we have power attack, and auto crit situations for held mobs, wouldn't it be pretty decent to add in the rest of the 2 weapon fighting line for an additional source of dps when not in manyshot mode? Or simply rely on finding an epic sword of shadows + inspire recklessness and only use a bow when manyshort is up?

Just because I like multiple role filling for bards, how bad is it to remove say improved critical or similar feat (like improved precise shot?) from this build and squeeze in maximize for healing purposes? I know the Classic Rocker can get away with it, not sure if this one could unless it was bard 16 or so?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

[OldAquarian]

Been wondering a few things on this build.

Since we have power attack, and auto crit situations for held mobs, wouldn't it be pretty decent to add in the rest of the 2 weapon fighting line for an additional source of dps when not in manyshot mode? Or simply rely on finding an epic sword of shadows + inspire recklessness and only use a bow when manyshort is up?

Just because I like multiple role filling for bards, how bad is it to remove say improved critical or similar feat (like improved precise shot?) from this build and squeeze in maximize for healing purposes? I know the Classic Rocker can get away with it, not sure if this one could unless it was bard 16 or so?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

You might notice that the Classic rocker has no ranged feats at all - that's how it is able to fit in all the meta's

The whole reason for fighter 4, and ranger 2 is to get the most ranged feats in as possible
Going to Bard 16 would lose feats, not gain

AA prereqs + Warchanter prereqs + full ranged + extend and toughness add up to a lot of feats
If you can guarentee always having a Keen weapon you could drop imp crit. But I wouldn't recommend it. Dropping Imp Precise makes this much less of a viable ranged and ranged is bad enough as is.

You want healing and ranged and melee and songs and buffs. Thats not really doable. Focus on what you really want, if you want melee and healing, there are plenty of good builds out there, the Rocker being pure, others with melee splashes for more melee, slightly less song. A popular one is the Ghengis Khan http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=242633
The other popular split is 16Bard/2Fighter/2Rogue

If you want another AA Bard - I also created a Virtuso one: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=289505
But again no room for Maximize

[Ebforest60]

Hi, my name is Ed and I'm an altoholic. I tried a Kensai AA but didn't get very far as it was (honestly) a bit boring. I like the active playstyle (I tend to play monks and rogues) and I thought I'd give your idea a run. Any updates since December? How do you see this playing with the U9 changes, and is HElf workable?

Of course I might have to go more melee since that is what I tend to do anyway (heh even on my WF Wizard I get into the mix!)