Pathfinder Skald Build Guide

The new Skald PDF is out and the verdict is that the Skald is broken.  It is actually the first broken class I have seen.  Now not all Skald builds are broken, but the Skald builds in this PDF are – and that judgment is coming from an Optibuilder.    

With that said, lets talk about Skald’s in general in the guide below.  When judging how to build a Skald, you have to first ask if you want to play a Skald or a Bard given that the Skald is pretty much a glorified Archetype of a Bard.  Well technically it is not an Archetype – but practically it is.

The Skald (with her Raging Song performance) is perfect for a person looking to play a Bard-like Strength-based fighter who buffs his Strength-based or Constitution-based party members with Str/ Con and Will Save bonuses.  With that said, even some Dexterity-based Skalds and Dexterity-based party members will benefit from the Str/Con bonuses (i.e. range fighters that add Strength to damage).  Any party member will benefit from the Will Save bonuses.   Finally, the Skald’s Raging Song can grant the benefit of Rage Powers to the Skald and her party members.  The only negative is that the Skald’s Raging Song does not allow party members to use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration

If the negatives of Raging Song don’t cripple your party member’s abilities, I believe that the Skald is almost always an equal or better alternative to a Bard if you are looking to be a party buffer.  The truly unique quality that is currently left with the Bard over the Skald lies in the Bard Archetypes that allow the Bard to excel as a solo-buffer fighter (Arcane Duelist, Dervish of Dawn, Archeologist) or to acquire abilities not available to the Skald (i.e. Archaeologist) – See the Bard Archer Build Guide.

If you still don’t know whether you want to play a Skald or a Bard, the information that follows compares the similarities and differences of the classes.

Things the Skald shares in common with the Bard:  The Skald gets Bardic Knowledge, Versatile Performance, Lore Master, Cantrips, Well-Versed, and Dirge of Doom through 13^th level just like the Bard.  The Skald also gets Bard Spells that operate off of Charisma and Bard Spell Progression and the same amount of known and prepared spells per day as a Bard.

The Skald’s Raging Song vs. The Bard’s Inspire Courage:  Like the Bard, the Skald has a bunch of largely inconsequential / okay performances.  The main Bard Performance is Inspire Courage and the main Skald Performance is Raging Song.  They are both blue, but which is better.

• First, all feats that can affect Inspire Courage can also affect Raging Song, so they are on equal footing there.
• Second, Inspire Courage will grant a +3 competence bonus to attacks and damage and +4 moral bonus to saves against fear and charm effects for all allies within 30 feet by 13^th level.
• Raging Song will grant +4 Str/Con and +4 on Will Saves for all allies within 30 feet.  Additionally, by 13^th level, Raging Song will grant three rage powers to your allies.  The negative of the Skald is that your allies will not be able to use Charisma-based and Dexterity-based skills when under the effect of Raging Song.

Other Differences between Skald and Standard Bard: Let’s examine the other differences between Skald and Bard.  They are as follows:

• Saves (Advantage Skald): A Skald’s good saves are Fort and Will (the two most important saves), while a Bard’s are Reflex and Will.
• Weapon and Armor Proficiency (Advantage Skald): A Skald is proficient with more weapons and shields and can cast with medium armor and a shield without risk of spell failure, while the standard Bard can only cast in light armor without risk of spell failure.
• Skills (Disadvantage Skald): Skalds get less skill points than Bards.  Skalds get 4+Int and Bards get 6+Int.  Their skill selections are not the same, but are mostly the same.  Skalds get Handle Animal and Bards get Stealth.  I like Handle Animal a little more than Stealth, but not enough to give Skalds the advantage.
• Other Class Abilities (Advantage Skald): A Skald gets Song of Marching, Song of Strength, Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Spell Kenning, Scribe Scroll, and DR/1- instead of a Bard’s Inspire Competence, Inspire Greatness, Suggestion, Soothing Performance, and Jack of All Trades.
• Masterpieces (?????): I don’t know if Skalds count as Bards for the purpose of having access to Masterpieces or not.  If so the great.  If not, then major disadvantage for Skalds.

Going to Play a Skald?  Okay, if you are playing a Skald after considering the above, then here is the advice for Building a Skald.

Multi-classing – ¾ BAB classes can’t select some of the more common first level feats for melee fighters (Weapon Focus, Power Attack and Cleave).  This could make picking and ordering feats in an optimal fashion tricky.  For this reason, multiclassing with a full BAB class (likely one that gives you a free feat(s)) for one level could make sense.

Feats – Weapon Focus, Power Attack and Cleave are the basic fighting feats you will need for a melee build.  You don’t get any bonus feats so you may want to use some of your level feats for things related to Skald Song (examples, Lingering Performance or Extra Rage Power).  At first glance, I guess that there may not be much optimal variety for a standard Skald.  The variety likely comes from the selection of Archetypes.

Rage Powers: Spirit Totem Line, Beast Totem Line, Reckless Abandon and Superstition Line jump out as some of the obvious selections.  However, they may be others if you are tailoring them to a specific party.

Archetypes:  I will be back to add to this section