The Bard

Discover the ultimate Bard build for Pathfinder: Kingmaker! Learn how to maximize buffs, utilize Bardsongs like Inspire Courage, and unleash Thunder Call for devastating sonic attacks.

Alright, let's talk about the Bard in Pathfinder: Kingmaker. If you've been playing for a bit, you know how crucial buffs are, especially on harder difficulties. While other classes can lend a hand with buffs, the Bard is in a league of their own. It's their entire reason for existing, and honestly, you're going to want one in your party.

The Bard brings a lot to the table, not just with their spells, but especially with their Bardsong abilities. While some of their spells can be covered by other casters, their Bardsong effects, like Inspire Courage and Inspire Heroics, are absolutely essential. They're game-changers that you just can't replicate elsewhere.

Now, we don't want our Bard to just stand there and sing all day, right? There are ways to make them more active in combat. You could go for a ranged damage build, focusing on sneak attacks and bows. But for this guide, we're going to focus on the Thundercaller Bard. This subclass adds some nice direct damage to the mix, making them more than just a buff bot.

The Bard (Thundercaller)

The Thundercaller is fantastic because it gives us all the essential Bardsongs we need, plus Bardic spells, without any real drawbacks. On top of that, you get access to Thunder Call and Storm Call. Thunder Call is an awesome area-of-effect sonic attack, and Storm Call adds some extra random damage to whatever Bardsong you're currently using.

Thunder Call is the real star here, but it has a few limitations. Each time you use it, it consumes one round of your Bardsong performance. This isn't a huge deal, though, considering it's an AoE attack that can also stun enemies. If you're facing weaker enemies that aren't worth using performance points on, you can always just switch to a ranged weapon. Thunder Call's damage progression is a bit slow at first, starting at a modest 1d8 sonic damage until level 7, where it jumps to 3d8. It gets better from there, hitting 5d8 at level 11, 7d8 at level 15, and 9d8 at level 19. The Fortitude Save for the stun effect isn't amazing, so don't expect to stun every enemy as you get into higher levels. Could you build a Bard that does more single-target damage with sneak attacks? Sure. But being able to blast multiple foes with non-elemental damage whenever you want is a pretty sweet deal.

With the Lingering Performance feat, you can keep your Bardsong buffs active – like the +4 attack/damage from Inspire Courage or the +4 Saves/AC from Inspire Heroism – and then seamlessly switch to Thunder Call when you need to blast some enemies without missing a beat.

Starting Stats & Race

When it comes to ability scores, the Bard's spread is pretty similar to a dedicated caster, and that's because they both rely heavily on Charisma for their spells and abilities. However, the Bard also needs a good Intelligence score. Since every skill is a class skill for the Bard, and the Thundercaller subclass requires a decent investment, you'll want enough Intelligence to cover about half the skills in the game. Strength and Wisdom are your dump stats here. Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence should all get a boost. Any race with a Charisma bonus will work well, though some are definitely better than others.

Human is still your top pick for this build. Those extra skill points and the bonus feat that translates into more performance points via Extra Performance are invaluable. However, if you're looking for something a bit more unique, Gnomes, Halflings, and Aasimar are solid choices. Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, and certain Tiefling variants are also decent options.

Alignment & Skills

Your alignment? Honestly, it doesn't really matter – pick whatever you like and enjoy the roleplaying aspect! For skills, the Bard is your party's go-to skill monkey. Depending on your race and Intelligence score, you'll get about 4-6 skill points per level. Since the Bard treats every skill as a class skill, you can make this character proficient in almost anything. Your main character should focus on Persuasion. Your Healer companion can handle Lore (Nature), Lore (Religion), and maybe Perception. This leaves skills like Athletics (unless you have a dedicated Strength-based warrior), Mobility, Trickery, Stealth, Knowledge (Arcana), and Knowledge (World) for your Bard to pick up.

Feats

The Bard has three main jobs: casting spells, using Bardsongs, and shooting enemies with a ranged weapon. Your feats should support these roles, with Bardsong abilities taking top priority. Make sure to grab Lingering Performance first, and then pick up Extra Performance every chance you get. After that, focus on core feats like Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot, and Spell Focus: Enchantment, depending on the specific flavor of Bard you're aiming for.