You can cap bard without str and blades using 99% armor and 50ish (even some 40ish) utility jewelry. If this is too hard, renounce on +Power. They cost a massive amount of imbue points in the SC and cap is +26 which is not even enough power for casting one extra level 20 spell. Don't completely overlook quickness as evade can save your butt (you could get back those 26 power points with ethereal bond for 2 Realm points, while it would cost you 34 Realm points to get only 48 Qui rather than the +76 cap from equipment - i don't recommend either of these RA, but they just serve as comparison support)
You should be okay with a quite cheap template.
I did that when i started, and cost breakdown is about this (5 P)
- 1P500 armor
- 1P500 SC
- 1P jewelry
- 1P alchemy basic procs
If you want to cap all, including blade and strenght and power, weaponless, and add a few toys to have charge items (debuff str/con and DD with range 1500 for instance), this is possible too, but a bit more expensive (either add high utility jewelry or 100% crafting).
If you want the best, you'll go for all MP craft,
even if you basically do not need it. This is what i went with (20 P), you can certainly achieve the same much cheaper, but when you love you don't count (and for this price i cap not only blades but also blunt
)
- 7P armor + 20K feathers
- 1P500 SC
- 4P jewelry + 55K feathers
- 3P500 alchemy
- MP weapons and instruments 2-3P