Pretty sure this is a common build. You'll want the air lores necessary to drop your Voln-Fu RT to a minimum. Because you'll be barehanded you can probably forgo Manipulation Lore and simply play a two-handed instrument you've mastered when casting 1030.

I'm sure folks who have done this build can expand on the finer points. I imagine getting dodge ranks will help - especially when combined with 1019 (Song of Mirrors) and Song of Tonis - both of which add phantom dodge ranks and can be combined with wizard Blurs. You'll be like a singing ninja! You might even be able to wear robes to further your dodge bonus- maybe someone could comment on the viability of that as well.

Follow a quick 1030 burst with a few kicks and voila!

"Get 425 as soon as possible its a huge help to your casting strength." -- Archales

Actually, it's only a help to the tune of about +15CS even working it for all you're worth. (202 Songs known, versus 75 MnE + 127 Songs.) Tinker with the spreadsheet trainer a little to see how it works out, and remember that as a Bard you are not likely to be regularly double-training in Spell Research unless you go really, really heavily down the pure-caster route. (Note that "all that training in Brawling skill" cuts into the points you have available for double-training in Spell Research.)

I don't see anything wrong with learning Targeting/425 at 25th, since it will help with your Brawling AS.

And I never recommend going the pure-casting Bard route before 30th level, since that's the earliest you can learn Disruption/1030.

On the other hand, note that that's 55 spells known in 32 (30 levels + level 0 + pre-training for 31st) possible trainings, or 1.7x in Spell Research. That's a LOT of doubling.

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What I would suggest is, play around as a brawling Fu'er from levels 25-29, taking advantage of Targeting/425. Do a migration over the course of 29th level so you walk into level 30 with 15 or more ranks of Manipulation [for single-target Disruption/1030] and knowing 30 Songs (you will probably need to un-learn a bunch of Minor Elemental), and then try that out and see how you like being a pure. BE PREPARED for it to be really, really, different from swinging a weapon/Fu'ing for 29 levels.

Then you can decide which one you really want to settle on.

Higher levels/more training points will let you blend the two more closely.

Let's assume it takes you more than 30 days to reach level 40ish, which is about when you might begin to lean upon 1030 as a primary weapon. Frankly, I'm more of the thought it won't start being truly viable for extended hunts til about 50+. The reason I say assume is because we're going to NOT focus on pure development but upon a brawling/fu build. This build will get you to a level where you begin to fixskill over to a more pure path.

1x Armor
2x Brawl
2x TWC
1+x Dodge (Get as much as possible along with CM)
1+x Combat Maneuvers (see above comment)
1x Physical Fitness
1x Harness Power
1x Spells (401, 1011,406, 1020, 430, 1035) Those are your break points for spells. Looks like level 64 to get those, but you could move 430 to 425 and get 430 after 1035. 1035 is too mana intensive to bother using it before level 55, IMO, other than for brief bits of fun.
30 ranks MMC
20+ ranks MIU or Arcane Symbols whichever you prefer.
40 ranks climb
60-70 ranks of swim (I have 70)
1x Air Lore
18 or 25 ranks of Telepathy lore.
5 ranks MOC ASAP, followed by working toward 30 ranks. Let the warriors go for more, use 1035 at level 60ish to speed swing instead of trying to do the same with MOC.
Whatever else makes you a happy person. If I missed something someone will let me know.

Things we can do with the above build:
TWC with brawling weapons, a fun fast but relatively light attack that is incumbent upon flares crit-killing as much as damage over time. Two troll claws or fist-scythes. Use your sonic in your off hand.

CMAN Twin Hammerfist - get it, live it, love it. After getting rank 4 or 5 of that, adding 2 ranks CMovement (requirement) then getting Side by Side is fun, at least I enjoy it.

Two open hands for Voln-fu. If you are going to fu, fu the way you should.

If you really desire a shield, drop the TWC and add 1.5x shield. If you go this route, get shield bash or sweep to help with mana consumption.

We know voln fu is going to change. We don't know how but let's presume it will still be a viable to very viable hunting path still. Secondly, if you want to go pure, I would not fixskill into it right away, because once done you can only change it with a potion for a year, so think about it. My suggestion would be to drop the Air Lore and Telepathy Lore, moving those points into Manipulation lore. I would gouge the CM and TWC next, giving yourself a bunch of extra spells. I prefer Dodge over Shield, but shield is purely ptp and many pure bards encourage that route (if so go more than 1x shield). Armor, I'd just get 90 ranks and wear augmented chain. Even if you get hindered, you lose no mana and can immediately re-incant. I would not go less than singled in PF, ever. All my pures are singled and they lose nothing but gain much for it.

If you cannot get the wiggle room to 2x TWC from the start, go at least 1.5x while working extra points to get it to 2x as you gain levels.

Hopefully, that covers the first 40 levels (and then some) of your bardic career.

~Galenok

Yes, you can always grab a shield. One reason I suggested TWC is because with the right spells you won't lose DS without a shield, even to bolts, and the amount of offensive power you gain is quite significant. I would go with a dextrous race, though, for that build. A full elf, halfling, even a half-krolvin or erithian would be superior early on with this build over a half elf, human or giantman. The reason is that in order to use two weapons quickly you need a bunch of AGI/DEX. The concept early game of being concerned with DS is solved by stance dancing and outside spells. There's really very little reason to ever hunt without your base spirit spells, bardsongs, minor elemental, colors and/or blurs (except maybe RR or Solhaven, if you play early). In my opinion, with any TWC build, getting resist elements (602) is important, because of the bolt DS it grants it counters the loss of a shield. It is simply a matter of being friendly and asking nicely for those spells. I've never turned someone down who was kind about it, often I'll even log in my wizard to add those.

You get the most martial brawl (MB) with nothing in your hands, by several points, and you can use voln throw with nothing in your hands. Most fuers tend to forget about throw and it's value is underrated.

~Galenok

You should decide whether you want to be primarily a Caster (who happens to be able to Fu) or primarily a Fu'er (who happens to be a competent caster). Decide on your race from there.

I would basically never take a Halfling, just from the encumbrance standpoint. I would consider an Erithian, but then work to offset the encumbrance issue. Elf you can at least pretend to be able to carry something. :)

Half-krol make decent TWC users because of the +5 AGI and +10 STR/CON. The -5 to INF hurts a bard, true, but I've seen many successful bards take non-traditional races and make it work. Some of my suggestion was to get away from the standard fare that Gemstone sees, and certainly sees in its bards. Human and Half-elven bards are common. Half-krol and Erithian bards, not so much. Erithians while weak, will make a decent to good pure bard. HK make fine warriorly bards without suffering terribly as a pure. Elves sort of win for speed and casting. I was just trying to suggest races that weren't a stretch but are not common either.

This is not to discourage the OP. Merely an explanation for Rathboner.

~Galenok

~facepalms~

Maybe you should just go sword and shield.

My suggestions hold true. We're getting a new form of unarmed combat, it'll either suck or it won't, and you can kill things with your hands...maybe...if Finros lets it happen for folks other than monks.

~Galenok