my first ever Bard buffer/debuffer build... need help!

[sir_argenon]

ok.. so heres the build.. its my first bard ever so take it easy on me

Silverbrow Human. BAB 15. 9th Lvl Spells. 
Bard 1-7/ Paladin 1/ Marshal 1/ Human Paragon 1/ Sublime Chord 1-2/ Human Paragon 2-3/ Abj champion 1-5/ Spellsword 1

FEATS (2 flaws)
F: Dreadful Wrath.  F: Nymph's Kiss
1: Draconic Heritage (Battle Dragon). Human: Dragonfire Inspiration.  3: Lingering Song.
6: Words of Creation.  9: Doomspeak.  Marshall Bonus: Skill Focus Diplomacy.  12: Extra Music.
Human Paragon Bonus: Combat Casting. 15: Song of the Heart.  18: Haunting Melody.

Substitutions/ACF's

• Harmonious Knight:Paladin LVL 1, swaps detect evil for Inspire Courage (CoV Web)
• Trades the Paladin Lvl's Inspire courage for Inspire Awe (DM)
• trade bardic knowledge for Bardic Knack[ (PHB2) /li]
  

Final Abilities:
Inspire Courage AND Inspire Awe, 13 Bardic music uses a day, Cha Bonus to Cha skills and checks, lots of other goodies...

Notes:
i know that the CO opinion is that EK sucks, but i felt that it works for this build being that i qualify for free, and that i get full bab, and full casting when i needed it, after the Sublime Chord lvls, and i get a free feat for it too..

if there is any feat and spell advice i will gladly take it...

and finally i have a question... is the swap for the paladin's inspire courage into inspire awe a legal one?

EDITED

[weenog]

Eldritch Knight is worthless for what you want it to do, there.  The spellcasting advancement applies to "whatever arcane spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class", not before she started gaining spellcasting advancement levels from it.  In other words, you can't apply it to Sublime Chord casting unless your first EK level comes after your first SC level.

At free, Eldritch Knight still isn't worth the price.  I would put Spellsword 1 there instead, you qualify easily enough.  Not sure what I would add in as levels 18-20, though.

EDIT: Also, you can't pick up Lingering Song by losing a bardic music known, not even with ECS.  Furthermore, if you lose a bardic music known at level 3, you can't have Song of the Heart, because that feat requires Inspire Competence and that's the bard song you get at level 3.

[sir_argenon]

Eldritch Knight is worthless for what you want it to do, there.  The spellcasting advancement applies to "whatever arcane spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class", not before she started gaining spellcasting advancement levels from it.  In other words, you can't apply it to Sublime Chord casting unless your first EK level comes after your first SC level.

At free, Eldritch Knight still isn't worth the price.  I would put Spellsword 1 there instead, you qualify easily enough.  Not sure what I would add in as levels 18-20, though.

EDIT: Also, you can't pick up Lingering Song by losing a bardic music known, not even with ECS.  Furthermore, if you lose a bardic music known at level 3, you can't have Song of the Heart, because that feat requires Inspire Competence and that's the bard song you get at level 3.

thanks! i never noticed that text about the EK...  also i dont have lingering song with the ECS, lingering song is my 3rd level feat.    my ECS bonus feat is haunting melody.  i will have to remove that substitution, because song of the heart is too good to give up.

i also just realized that i didnt put combat casting, which i need for Abj Champ. 

i think i will use human paragon instead so i can keep my bonus feat (for combat casting), and it does not have that restriction in the text about the spells per day.   

the new build will be updated in the main post.    if there are any good prc's please let me know... thanks again.

[PhaedrusXY]

Eldritch Knight is worthless for what you want it to do, there.  The spellcasting advancement applies to "whatever arcane spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class", not before she started gaining spellcasting advancement levels from it.  In other words, you can't apply it to Sublime Chord casting unless your first EK level comes after your first SC level.

I'd guess many DMs don't enforce that (or even know about it...). It's kind of stupid for the various +1 CL classes to have different methods of advancement.

[stanprollyright]

Which Paladin are you using and why do you have that dip anyway?  The best Pal ability for a bard is divine grace.  Lay on hands is good too, because its cha based.  So I guess what I'm saying is go for Pal 2 or just take Bard 8 instead (inspire courage +2 is pretty good, esp. since you're a self-professed buffer).

[sir_argenon]

Which Paladin are you using and why do you have that dip anyway?  The best Pal ability for a bard is divine grace.  Lay on hands is good too, because its cha based.  So I guess what I'm saying is go for Pal 2 or just take Bard 8 instead (inspire courage +2 is pretty good, esp. since you're a self-professed buffer).

im using the harmonious knight paladin from the champions of valor web.  it grants inspire courage in place of detect evil..   i am then trading that inspire courage for inspire awe, as shown in dragon magic.   

[fuinjutsu]

Which Paladin are you using and why do you have that dip anyway?  The best Pal ability for a bard is divine grace.  Lay on hands is good too, because its cha based.  So I guess what I'm saying is go for Pal 2 or just take Bard 8 instead (inspire courage +2 is pretty good, esp. since you're a self-professed buffer).

im using the harmonious knight paladin from the champions of valor web.  it grants inspire courage in place of detect evil..   i am then trading that inspire courage for inspire awe, as shown in dragon magic.   

The you only get one use of it, since the Harmonious knight gets uses based on your paladin level, and it doesn't scale.

[sir_argenon]

Which Paladin are you using and why do you have that dip anyway?  The best Pal ability for a bard is divine grace.  Lay on hands is good too, because its cha based.  So I guess what I'm saying is go for Pal 2 or just take Bard 8 instead (inspire courage +2 is pretty good, esp. since you're a self-professed buffer).

im using the harmonious knight paladin from the champions of valor web.  it grants inspire courage in place of detect evil..   i am then trading that inspire courage for inspire awe, as shown in dragon magic.   

The you only get one use of it, since the Harmonious knight gets uses based on your paladin level, and it doesn't scale.

yes, but when it gets substituted for inspire awe, it converts to bardic music... does it not?   

[stanprollyright]

Which Paladin are you using and why do you have that dip anyway?  The best Pal ability for a bard is divine grace.  Lay on hands is good too, because its cha based.  So I guess what I'm saying is go for Pal 2 or just take Bard 8 instead (inspire courage +2 is pretty good, esp. since you're a self-professed buffer).

im using the harmonious knight paladin from the champions of valor web.  it grants inspire courage in place of detect evil..   i am then trading that inspire courage for inspire awe, as shown in dragon magic.   

The you only get one use of it, since the Harmonious knight gets uses based on your paladin level, and it doesn't scale.

yes, but when it gets substituted for inspire awe, it converts to bardic music... does it not?   

No.  Harmonious Knight doesn't have "Bardic Music: Inspire Courage" as a class ability, it has "Inspire Courage" as its own, separate ability.

[fuinjutsu]

Which Paladin are you using and why do you have that dip anyway?  The best Pal ability for a bard is divine grace.  Lay on hands is good too, because its cha based.  So I guess what I'm saying is go for Pal 2 or just take Bard 8 instead (inspire courage +2 is pretty good, esp. since you're a self-professed buffer).

im using the harmonious knight paladin from the champions of valor web.  it grants inspire courage in place of detect evil..   i am then trading that inspire courage for inspire awe, as shown in dragon magic.   

The you only get one use of it, since the Harmonious knight gets uses based on your paladin level, and it doesn't scale.

yes, but when it gets substituted for inspire awe, it converts to bardic music... does it not?   

No.  Harmonious Knight doesn't have "Bardic Music: Inspire Courage" as a class ability, it has "Inspire Courage" as its own, separate ability.

The way I read it, Inspire courage is a BM ability, but a separate one from any you get from the Bard class.  no stack, no scale.

Hmn, what about the bardic musics you get at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 from HK; can you trade those for other musics ala ECS?

[sir_argenon]

The way I read it, Inspire courage is a BM ability, but a separate one from any you get from the Bard class.  no stack, no scale.

Hmn, what about the bardic musics you get at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 from HK; can you trade those for other musics ala ECS?

i think the ECS thing only gives feats.. unless there is something else i am missing. 

and the inspire awe is only exchangeable for inspire courage... at least thats the case for the one in dragon magic. 

does anyone know another way to get inspire awe? i would really like to have both for this build. 

or maybe... getting the devoted performer feat..? would that give more uses by making the paladin level stack with the bard?

[fuinjutsu]

The way I read it, Inspire courage is a BM ability, but a separate one from any you get from the Bard class.  no stack, no scale.

Hmn, what about the bardic musics you get at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 from HK; can you trade those for other musics ala ECS?

i think the ECS thing only gives feats.. unless there is something else i am missing. 

and the inspire awe is only exchangeable for inspire courage... at least thats the case for the one in dragon magic. 

does anyone know another way to get inspire awe? i would really like to have both for this build. 

or maybe... getting the devoted performer feat..? would that give more uses by making the paladin level stack with the bard?

Devoted performer doesn't do that.

also, the ECs feats are mostly new musics you can use.