Bardic spell progression upgrade mods. Trouble!

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OK. I know in vanilla game bards can learn up to level 6, and no higher.

I have so many mods, and thanks to one of them, a level 40 bard can learn 2 8th level spells in my game ...at most. I guess this is due to some mods claiming to make spell-memorisation tables same as pure AD&D rules.

According to true AD&D rules about the bardic spell advancament, from High Level Campaigns book, bards do get 1 7th level spell at level 21, and 1 8th level spell at level 29th. At this level also the bard can cast 5 level 7th spells. At the last table of level 30, the spells allowed are: 6/6/6/6/5/5/5/1.

So I guess what I have now in my game is true to original pen&paper rules. Assuming the bard CAN learn another 8th level spell up to level 40. NO 9th level spells are ever mentioned though.

But now I discovered Zyraen's Misc. Mods had a component for this purpose.

Taken directly from read-me:

9.2 Expanded Spell Progression for Bards

While at low-levels, especially in BG1, Bards have a distinct advantage over mages, the long term prospects for Bards in a BG2 ToB party game seems rather dismal, being capped at level 6 spells and being neither capable fighters nor adequate thieves. This gives them some longer-lived arcane usefulness, though again, they do not have access to mage HLAs. They gain access to level 7 spells at level 20, level 8 spells at level 26 and level 9 spells at level 33. Even at level 40, they can memorise no more than 3 spells each from levels 7 and 8, and 2 spells from level 9.

So this mod assumes bards can cast level 9 spells eventually, and gives slightly faster spell progression. BUT it also reduces the amount of level 7th spells a bard can cast, straying from original AD&D rules.

I am tempted to get this part, for 9th level spells, but I think I want to obey pure, and good AD&D rules. Plus I am not sure if this would overwrite without problems or bugs on my existing changed bard-table. Oh I am so confused.

So what do you suggest? What would you use? And why? Also can you tell me which mod changes the bard-spell table like I have now? Ease of Use? G3 tweaks? I have both and thus kinda confused.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks!

 

ease of use, unnerfed thaco table, saving throws, grand-mastery and arcane and divine spell progression

 

Ah, I found the exact table I now have, in Blucher's page. So I assume this is the very same of ease of use's?

I decided I don't need Zyraen's Misc mod. I want to obey pure and wonderful rules of AD&D 2nd edition as best as I can in this game!

(plus my Chorister can always use uber 9th level spells via scrolls and Project Images. FUN! )

 

Better in this way.
You will see that Bards can be a very powerful class (even with the nerfed spell progression of BG2)

 

^That is true enough, but I still do not understand why BG2 nerfed bards so badly, banning 7th and 8th level spells, which a bard SHOULD get at very high levels. Balance reasons? I don't think it would be too unbalanced if they had obeyed AD&D rules for this matter.

At least now I feel happy that I am both obeying the pure AD&D rules, (as far as spell-casting tables in my High Level Campaigns book goes) and am not creating any unabalance, my modded game is hard enough to make up for this.

Love bards, they are my current favourites! Can't wait to get spiffy new bardic HLAs like Mass Charm, Enthralling Melody, Sound Burst, Use Any Item, (Improved) Magical Flute, Improved Bard Song, Lingering Song, etc...oh there are so many good choices to make!