Any way to wear Heavy Armor and cast Bard spells?

[Holgar]

I was trying to create a Valkyrie Build (12 fighter / 8 bard) and was wondering if there was a way for a Bard to use Heavy Armor without spell failure. I know that there is an Enhancement that allows you to wear Medium Armor, and that's great. But wondering if there is some way for it work with heavy as well.

Holgar

[cru121]

there is no specific way. you can grab proficiency with heavy armor (usually by dipping into a class which is proficient) and then you need to invest heavily into effects which reduce your arcane spell failure.
http://ddowiki.com/page/ASF

[Badmash]

You can reduce ASF with the elven (incl. drow & h-elf) racial enhancement Arcane Fluidity, but at most that's going to get you a reduction of 15% for 3AP. Heavy armours have 35-40% ASF, so at best this will only reduce that to 20-25% (not counting any other reductions, which the previous poster links to). Whether an elven race is in-keeping with your valkyrie concept is your call.

Alternatively, if you can mix in some eldritch knight, I think that has more ASF reductions, but it's not a tree I know at all well.

[unbongwah]

Some armors have reduced ASF (Twilight / Gtr Twilight); and you can get up to -15% ASF from blue augments (not sure if it stacks w/Twilight tho).

[Holgar]

Thanks, all! I also forgot that shields mess with the bard, so this build needs some serious help. I may end up going in a different direction.

Holgar

[MadCookieQueen]

Thanks, all! I also forgot that shields mess with the bard, so this build needs some serious help. I may end up going in a different direction.

Holgar


Looking at what a Valkryie is...they decide who lives and dies on a battlefield and for those that die they choose where to go to in the afterlife. In other stories they wield lightning and bring their prowess to battle, when needed.

two roads...depending on the aspect you want.

I'd go 18 FVS and 2 fighter. Carry a big old great sword (skybreaker = flavor win!) and get all Norse on some tails....well hand to hand style. With great healing and wings...you choose who lives and who dies...so to speak.

The other option is 18 Air Savant Sorc with 2 Pally....with lightning at your disposal and the Cha synergies of Divine grace and divine might...it might be a better fit....however you'll probably still have armor issues...but don't' quote me...I'm just thinking off the top of my head.

though yeah...I couldn't see Bard working in there.

Good luck!

[Seikojin]

If you go with eldritch knight and get the most tiers from there, you can reduce it greatly.

[Seikojin]

If you go with eldritch knight and get the most tiers from there, you can reduce it greatly.

I dunno if they stack, but EK and elf would give you 40% reduction from armor, and you can get 10 or 15% reduction from shields.

[LordTigerDawn]

need:
Planeforged Plate with a blue Augment
cannith crafting skills

Cannith crafting +5 greater twilight of greater nimbleness (+14 only believe it or not) -15% augment (sapphire of spell agility +15)

I have a suit of it crafted for my wizard that uses a ee skyvault shield (no asf).