GameBanshee Forums

Anyone besides me that likes Bards?

I am playing through for the first time right now as a Skald (I just got the deed to the Playhouse).

I just thought I'd ask since I don't see Bards mentioned that much and yet I am having a blast with mine.

I am playing a Blade and I absolutely love him. I get this from PnP where all I ever play is thief or bard.

I always play a elf F/M but I used a bard in IWD. Damn, she could fight.

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"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not became a monster... when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss gazes into you..."
Friedrich Nietzsche

Am playing a bard now tough I usually go for fighter thief. He got kicked in very fight in the beginning, but I like his pickpocketing abilities and since he's got the Melodic chain he's okay. (I kind of play like a tank, don't use much magic so all my characters need to be strong I am seeing the sence in offencive magic now however Cloud kill is one of my favorite spells.)

I finally got Melodic Chain myself. Very nice.

I can't wait for level 15 when my song gets upgraded. Skald song is really good.

I think I'm going to try a skald. Can you cast spells with melodic chain on?

Yes, that's the beauty of it...

A bard can also cast with bladesinger chain +4 - the pest is that you only get that in Suldanesselar

I haven't played one yet but they seem to have a lot going for them. Decent fighting skills with stoneskin and tensers, pick pocket, and that skald song sounds like the single most powerful special ability of any character in the game...awesome in a fighter heavy party.

I'm currently playing a bard. I find them extremely useful and fun to play. Their songs boost up your fighters, their pick pocket ability complements your thief and their spells are be added to those of your mages. Add to this the high lore capacity, the use of intruments and the possibility to have a familiar. What more could you possibly wish for?

Anyone know exactly the effects of the normal bard song and how it improves when you level up?

Posting a follow up so we can move this to the top: No, I don't know exactly what a normal bard's song does and I wish I did!

Anyone?

According to you, which are the best spells for a bard? I hope you don't put the bard behind the fighters, standing completely still and singing a beautiful ballad while your other party memebers do all the nasty work. That would certainly be a waste!

I use a lot of protective spells before putting my bard in the middle of the heat together with my only fighter (Korgan - more than enough). My bard's AC is pretty low from start, using Melodic Chain, Ring of Gaxx, Ring of Earth Control and Cloak of Sewers. Amulet of Power also comes in handy when fighting vampires and such. Then, at least for the real tough fights, I throw Blur, Mirror Image, Iron Skin and Improved Invisibility. Who's gonna touch me now? Chopping wood, chopping wood... The Spirit armour is also an excellent choise of spell before going into battle. As is the Minor Spell Deflection when killing mages.

And then, of course, we have the Tenser's Transformation... Even the more powerful ennemies don't stand a chance! There are several advantages when thrown by a bard instead of by a wizard: First, the bard gets more HP. Second, the bard's starting AC is normally lower, making him (almost) impossible to hit. Third, the bard uses much heavier weapons which will cause more damage to your ennemies. Finally, the bard is normally two or three levels higher than the wizard, making the spell last two or three rounds longer.

So, give me your most used spells!

Stoneskin, haste, magic missile, mirror image, fireshield (right, the red and the blue ones) fire ball and cloud kill. I use my bard as a mage, as a thief (pickpocketing) and as a fighter (He's got katana's, it would be a waste to put him in the back ). Since I play a Blade the song kind of sucks, but offencive and defencive spin are nice.

The problem with bards is they suck in the beginning.(except for their lore) but later on in the game they can become very lethal fighters, especially the blade.

Thanks for charing Chrissy! Are we the onlý ones still playing bards? C'mon you guys! And I've gotten no anwer to my question about the normal bard-song yet, even though I posted a new thread for that particular question. Amazing that so many people play the game but none knows about this. Maybe I'll try at the official board tomorrow.

OK - I play a blade. He has prof with longsword and +++ in 2 weapon style. His equipment is as follows: Daystar and Flametongue (bring on undead), Melodic chain, boots of speed, ring of Gaxx, amulet of power, Displacer cloak.

His most used spells are: Stoneskin, mirror image, Tensor's transformation, and his Offensive Spin special.

I don't know the exact effects of the bladesong(my Blade never uses it) - or how it increases, but in PnP I think it used to act like a bless, +1 to hit and +1 saves - or something like that