Is there much benefit to continue advancing in bard after I get his music to 100? She's 8th level now, and I've found that a female bard with 2 stamina regen items can work up her music skill rather quickly. I just use the viola to charm someone repeatedly until she passes out, leave, and wait 5-10 seconds for her stamina to go back to full... Wash, rinse, repeat. Well, I'm now approaching 100 music and I was wondering if I should switch to something else for a while. Any suggestions?

To use the high-level bard instruments, you need bard level 18 (and music 90). Not character level, but bard level. So don't switch to another profession before level 19, unless you don't want to use these instruments.

Training music is just a waste of time. If you use instruments regulary (and you'll want to do it, some are very nice), your music skill goes up very fast, even in expert mode.

Wereboar wrote: "To use the high-level bard instruments, you need bard level 18 (and music 90). Not character level, but bard level. So don't switch to another profession before level 19, unless you don't want to use these instruments."

In addition to this, a bard will not use the higher end instruments to their full potential until she reaches 25 bard levels.

Level 18 Bard - Infernal Horn usually will go off at power level 3.
Level 25 Bard - Infernal Horn usually will go off at power level 7.

Hmm... Okay. I was thinking of turning her into a rogue or something for a few levels to get stealth and a few other skills that might help her out. Whaddya think? Should I do it, or are the later instruments just too good to pass up?

The later instrument uses too much stamina to cast. your bard may end up unconcious if the battle is long one.

Well, after three nuclear blasts, he hast to se the renessance (sp?) lyre to regain his stamina. And then continue to blast the opponents.
Or, give him a few stamina potions. They are very common, much more common than restore mana.

I find the dulcimer of mending invaluable along with the other high end instruments. I love my bard [img]smile.gif[/img] my bard is female, and her necklace of endurance is wonderful along with the other regen. items that help with the highish cost of stamina to use the instruments.
Just my 1.5 cents (not really worth the full 2... ;) )
PPG

In addition to the excellent points made above, a Bloodlusty Bard (one using Bloodlust) can be come an excellent (not just good) fighter without class changes, even at level 25 (when the game usually ends anyway).

With up to four swings per attack and up to three attacks, she becomes a powerhouse using the 2x Damage BL sword, and, if given a shield and high Shield Skill, she becomes a tank with many or even most attacks on her wasted by hitting the shield instead (plus the benefit of +6AC with a Heater Shield and skill >=75).

By going for Powerstrike and STR = 125 (don't stop at STR = 100, use one of the Bard-only +20 rings and maybe the Bard-only Curiass to get there), the +150% damage gives powerfull hits and with maxed Dexterity and high Senses (use Haste for Speed) she will be deadly accurate, and blazingly fast.

Don't stop at Music=100 either. There is a special cap which gives +10 Music (allows 110 Music) and is, more or less a must for the Bard, IMO. It costs her 10 Piety, but Bards are not known for being particularly Pious. This is the closest thing to Powercast that the Bard gets because maxing intelligence and getting Powercast does no good at all for the Bard (tried it myself, stupidly, in an early game).

To compensate, that STR = 125 gives a bunch of Stamina (and carrying capacity) and, after maxing natural STR and DEX, putting points in VIT (in addition to SEN) will give good and increasing Stamina for the Bard throughout the game.

In addition, the number of swings/attacks gotten depends heavily on that Stamina so you will want a Priest or somebody casting Rest All fairly often. That plus an occasional boost of Stamina directly will keep her in top form for Melee or Music. In terms of the extra swings and hits casting Rest All causes, it could be considered the most important fighting spell there is, in a sense, when the party is in heavy malee.

Like Wereboar said, you don't need to train Music or pump it at level-ups, but I find that using the Viola maybe once per NPC can, without becoming tedious, help compensate with the rate of increase, especially if you put none of your precious attribute points in Intelligence (which makes it rise faster). For a long time I thought the Viola was actually doing something, but now I think it does nothing if the NPC is already willing to talk. Later there is a +20 Intelligence item... which can help top out Music if needed and, perhaps more importantly, if you do the above, Close Combat.

Whether you go for this kind of thing or not, the Bard will be excellent at Music - that's easy. If you do go for it, Sword and Close Combat both become important skills to pump in addition to Powerstrike (once natural STR=100), Shield and (if she is your lockpicker) Locks and Traps. Pumping Reflextion (once DEX=100) is nice, but only nice. In terms of Priority I would say Shield, Powerstrike, Locks and Traps, then Sword and Close Combat and finally Reflextion. It is the shield that makes her a tank, not the few AC that Reflextion can give. In spite of the Bard bonus, Communication Skill is nearly worthless in this game (unless you have no Alchemy in your party and are short of cash). So don't bother to put any points in Communication. On the other hand, the Bard camping bonus is free and very nice, it you have magic spell users, plus the Bard-only equipment with Attribute bonuses from that is fantastic, so don't think the Bard was shorted, just because Communication goes up all you need on it's own.

This all relates to Bard levels because if you optomize in the above ways, your bard will not "top out" at level 18 or even 25 at all. Just keep going!

[ 05-08-2003, 04:44 PM: Message edited by: EEWorzelle ]