Quote Originally Posted by Wizzly Bear
I would think of it as a Ranger -. You lose 2 favored enemies, some ac from barkskin, and at least 1 rank of favored damage for an average song that could easily be beat by any other bard. You also run the risk of losing Tempest 2 and 3.
The described Ranger 12/8 Bard would not lose any AC from barkskin (1 + 1 per 3 levels, caps at a total of 5). With prior Prestige Enhancements being listed as 6/12/18 they won't have to fear a loss of Tempest/Arcane Archer/Deepwood Sniper II. Also, there are still occasions where my current 9 Ranger/7 Bard can "out-song" the Inspire Courage of some bards in a raid while often being the only source of Inspire Courage in a 6-man group.

The Ranger/Bard is can be a very versatile character and has a unique property where they are viewed as less useful as a group grows larger.

On a side note, the best part of a Ranger/Bard split like this is I'm absolutely loved in "Ranger only" Shroud runs and whatnot. A Ranger icon with a decent pack of songs.