Bards...

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I can't decide what kind of a bard kit my new character(half-elf, female) should be. I've already eliminated the Blade kit. Should she be a jester or a skald?
(Any name suggestions would be appreciated also!)

 

skald, indeed a skald. As for a name, I can't help you, not so good with names

 

Why not try the pure bard class? My first main character was a pure bard and by the end was a formidable spell caster and his battle song was great. Also due to the wimpy nature of bards you usually hide them round a corner or something so i didn't die alot which is good given the game's annoying reloading time.

 

PS: there are some great threads about bards on here. And some of them (the better ones) have some detailed comments expounded by yours truly.

 

Hee, double posting...

Pure bard is indeed the best choice to play, good capabilities and no limitations.
The use of Jester kit is very cryptic, Skald works bad as the main char, because we all want his song to sound all the time

 

why is a skald a bad main character, he has +1 to hit and +1 damage, so I think he is the best bard kit

And to Parvini: You can edit or add something to your post by clicking on the pencil. If you double post to often it is considered spamming and you will lose 50 posts

 

Fear not friend I know all this... but I thought Tal might let me off considering its the first time I've been on here in months.

 

Parvini:
Tal may, but don't count on the other mods to let you off so easily.

 

I'd go with a skald....it's a very powerful kit. The song becomes really great at high lvls....

 

argh!! Not only did you slash my levels considerably but you deleted my wonderous protest. I have been an avatar of honest and just gaming on this forum.. sriving to learn and help others. And now for one measley double post I am labasted, demoted to kobold and roundly mocked by the likes of Tin Man who is now somehow deemed my superior in rank. This is an injustice. Please restore my levels... I am sorry for what I have done. I repent in the style of Keldorn with the charm of a level 23 bard.

Parvini

PS. Old comrades please rally to my defence.

[This message has been edited by Parvini (edited July 09, 2001).]

 

Parvini, relax. The avatar rank system has been undergoing some changes. Don't take it personally. If you're that concerned read the faq. You can also check the Whatnots forum once in a while to find out about things like this.

 

I'd suggest that you skip any bard as your main hero. I love bards, but racism from Black Isle can't lead you to no good with that class.

For spoiler why do I think this read: http://www.sorcerers.net/ubb/Forum2/HTML/003088.html

 

Ok, the only difference between a jester and a true bard, is that the jester confuses enemies and the true bard bolsters friends with song.

If you want a noble bard, pick the skald, you were above that pickpocketing anyways.

Bard tips:
Keep your bard out of harm's way as much as possible. In general treat as a mage who can occasionally move in to help finish off an opponent.

Pick your spells to complement other spell casters in your group. If you don't have anything worth casting ready, use your song or a missile weapon.

You don't get as many spells, so make use of wands and scrolls to supplement your abilities. Use spells that improve with level, as you will generally have a higher casting level than other magic users in your party.

Bards like parties Your bard abilities allow other spell casters to skip identify, and anything that you can cover for them with your spell selection, you can cover pick pockets for your thieves, and support your fighters with missile weapons, and your bard song. I like to make the bard the party leader, and do a circle around him. This way all benefit from his charisma and song, but he isn't leading the charge.

Have your song on when you are walking around, if you run into an enemy your party gets the bonuses until the end of the round, even if you switch to another action.

Accept that others will be doing a lot of the killing and casting. You are helping them do their job better, and relieving them of certain burdens. Your strength is your flexibility.

You can use pickpocket to get the best stuff and spells for you and your party, if you aren't a skald. Don't have your party go without, get the good stuff as soon as you can.

 

I personally dislike the bardsong for when I have my bard standing behind my party singing a song to support us while my ass gets whooped would make me feel sick ... I prefer some more "substantal" support. However, for me the Skald seems to be the most interesting bard kit.

btw - here is a pretty detailed analysis about bards (though, I admit, especially boogie doesn't share your enthusiasm about bards).
http://www.sorcerers.net/ubb/Forum2/HTML/002258.html

 

I've read all about limitations of bards and I'm sure they're accurate, but the Jester-led party I was playing with (and all female NPCs - yum!) absolutely rocked. Assuming you roll up a bard with good dex, his missile weapon ability is outstanding. Also, he has plenty of spell slots and augmented with wands and so forth, he provides very powerful aerial support.

Regarding the bard song, I kind of agree - I walked him around with the song engaged to get a possible small advantage at the beginning of an encounter then switched him immediately to spells and missiles. Bards suck if you look at the math, but they play just fine.

 

I have never tried a bard yet and have no intention doing so, but I think it's not a bad idea.

Explanation:

The bard is a moderately good spellcaster.The upcoming damage lower level spells, like flame arrow, cone of cold and chain lightning can be really devastating.
Hey these guys level up to level 23!

flame arrow: 4d6(no save!)+16d6(8d6 when save successful)

cone of cold: 23d4+23(asstounding!!!)

chain lightning: 11d6 (doesn't hurt party members)

There are really good chain mail usable by bards like melodic chain AC2, jester's chain AC1 and bladesinger chain AC1; so that's for the defence.

When fighting from the background bard song can help greatly to party members.Skalds RULE!

Hey! I think I talked myself into starting a skald next time!

 

I thought I put the number crunching boogie in his place long ago. For the true role player discarded useless statistics and facts. The bard is driven by aesthetics - music and words, he has no time for AC levels and such other trivia. Boogie's analysis is technically sound but if you are one of these 'Power gamer' types then you'd have probably gone a half-orc barbarian or something. Having said that the Jester is possibly the most useless kit ever invented, his ability becomes almost worthless after the initial goblins in Irenicus' dungeon.

PS. Darien - this still doesn't explain why you robbed me of 50 posts.

[This message has been edited by Parvini (edited July 12, 2001).]

 

Parvini, my guess would be that it's a result of a rash of double posts? (I could be mistaken). There is a line in the faq about losing 50 posts for spamming. Ring any bells? If not, then it's a glitch. Sorry.

 

Parvini - the jester would be pretty lame if all you used him for was his song, but no lamer than the straight bard. The confusion song works on more than just the goblins and I do like it better than the effects of the regular bard song. If you initiate contact with the jester singing, you get some confused enemies for a round while the jester has already switched to his more useful rolls as spellcaster and archery support. Add in some of his utility abilities (highest lore available and outstanding pickpocketing) and this kit is very viable.

 

As I said, I think the Jester and Straight Bard are equally viable, the advantage of the straight bard (or skald) being that the effects happen every time. The advantage of the jester is that he can actually take multiple enemies out of action for a round if he gets lucky.