Blade's bard song?

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What does a Blade's song do? The other bards list what their song does. It doesn't say that the blade gets no song so I'm curious as to what it does?

 

As i recall it says that their bard song does not improve so they must get the 1st level bard's song. I think it might protect against fear and morale failure.

 

The blade's song grants immunity to, and protects from, any fear effect. It automatically sets the morale of all nearby allies to greater than zero. Note that fear effects only work if the target/s have zero or less morale. The song can also be used to remove fear effects.
Because it is a non-magical ability it is not affected by dead magic zones.

There's no real difference between the vanilla bard's song and the blade's song afaik. The former was supposed to also increase luck rolls but that part was never implemented possibly due to balancing issues (dunno about BG2:EE). Anyway the plain bard is like the plain thief or the plain cleric, not much point creating one since the bard/thief/cleric kits all expand on their abilities with very little cons, as opposed to say the paladin kits, which are really more like variations (the plain paladin is still pretty powerful).

 

Thanks. Much appreciated.

 

Actually, the plain bard is useful for pick pocketing. Both the skauld and the blade get penalties to that, and I believe also to the lore skill. The lore isn't such a big deal in BG2 for two reasons: 1, you are usually a high enough level to compensate, and 2, you can pick up the "glasses of identification" as soon as you reach the slums, giving you 3 casts of identify per day. So worth the 2000gp (20 uses, though it takes a week of constant usage) cost if you don't steal it (hint hint).

In BG1, it can be useful for the lore while keeping the bard song to protect against fear and to pick pocket Algernon's cloak.
In BG2, your choices for a pick pocketing spell caster are the plain bard or the jester, so if you want to keep the bard song, you need to go plain bard. If the benefits of the skald or blade outweigh pick pocketing stores and people (and most people can be pick pocketed in BG2 for gems, making it pay out quite well, unlike the other IE games).

 

You finished your own argument there. Bards gain levels very quickly and it only takes a few to raise the Blade/Skald's pickpockets/lore to decent->high values. As long as you have 18 Int/Dex and decent Wis (why not, you get 3 Wis tomes in BG1) you should have good lore/pickpockets by BG2. Then you have to consider other stuff like the Gloves of Pickpocketing, Potions of Thieving (for major stealing attempts) and various bonuses to dex from items, quests and shapechange.

I think the argument for pickpockets/lore only holds for BG1.

 

Even in BG1 pick pocketing is so easy when you use a few potions of master thievery and why wouldn't you? Either you are going on a spree in which case just save the potions and go nuts or you are trying to get a very special item (such as Algernon's cloak) in which case the cost of the potions is worth it. Pick pocketing is such a small part that really it isn't worth worrying about the penalties and you should worry about what you get instead more. Its not like money is a real issue in any of the games.

 

True, but the real benefit of the blade (any bard) song is with enhanced bard song ( level 24). With it you buff yourself with great AC and thaco, and the rest if the party gets good boosts too. If you cast mislead X2,3,4,5 then have them sing, you get the perks X2,3,4,5. Simply amazing! With these eve aerie could womp on a dragon single handedly

 

Is there a way to allow singing to still effect after you've stopped singing.

 

No, however you can have a simulacrum or projected image sing while you fight.

 

I prefer mislead personally. A brad can cast that himself without a mod or scroll and that is one of the only things a mislead can actually do.

 

Oops, I meant to say mislead vs projected image. Thanks for catching that mistake