[SixOfSpades]

My, my, it appears that some people actually like Bards, and Haer'Dalis in particular. Now, Cerek, I'm not saying that trying to solo the game with a Bard is a fool's errand. Indeed, a Bard would likely have an easier time of it than a pure Fighter. But I should point out that the game has been successfully solo'ed with just about every class and kit--thereby proving that just because they can beat the game by themselves, does not mean that they do not suck in comparison to what else is out there.

Beating Improved Ilyich with a solo Skald is indeed one hell of an accomplishment. But how long did it take? I have never beaten it without Reloading, but I have always done it without Resting (except once, I think).

I believe I made my professional opinion of Bards quite clear a week or so ago: They are handicapped Mages with the fighting stats of a Thief, and the added capability to hold almost all types of weapons. That's it. Haer'Dalis can cast Stoneskin and PfMW? Hey, wow, so can a Mage! Haer'Dalis can dual-wield? Hey, wow, so can a Mage! Haer'Dalis can take Firkraag on one-on-one? Hey, wow, so can a Mage! And sooner, and more effectively, too.

I also notice that people are neglecting all the stuff that Fighters (such as Korgan) can do. I read things like
"Haer'Dalis casts Invisibility, what's Korgan going to do?" Well, how about
1) Read the Book of Infinite Spells (True Sight), or
2) Drink a Potion of Invisibility himself, or
3) Head straight for the nearest proper pub to wait for an opponent who doesn't fight like a bleedin' prickmedainty

"Haer'Dalis casts Stoneskins, what's Korgan going to do?"
1) Merrily pound away with Frostreaver and giggle at the poncy Bard's inability to hit anything with a decent AC
2) Whip out Ilbratha and show the twit that he can use defensive spells too
3) Fry the fool with a Potion of Firebreath (Have you read the Description on these things? 6D10 damage!)

"Haer'Dalis can Dual-wield, what can Korgan do?"
1) Uhhh......Dual-wield.

Now, how about some alternate scenarios....."Korgan uses Namarra to cast Silence 15' Radius, what's Haer'Dalis going to do?"
1) Run away
2) Drink an Invisibility potion
3) Flounder helplessly against Korgan's armor while wishing he'd memorized Vocalize, or that a Bard's Saving Throws were worth a damn

"The party is fighting Mind Flayers, what's Haer'Dalis going to do?"
1) Cast some Summons and try to stay the hell away from anything mindflayery
2) Get caught anywhere near a Psionic Blast (or Detonate, or Inflict Pain, or Project Force, or Psychic Drain) and die pretty much instantly
3) Cheese the hell out of Mislead and pray he's got enough PfMWs

And so on. Being a Tank does not just mean that you can hold your own in major fights like Dragon battles--it means that you can be on point, 24/7, stopping pretty much anything that moves, and hold your own in Dragon battles. Korgan need not fear pretty much anything other than Time Stop--he will always make his Save, he's got the hitpoints to suck up a double Horrid Wilting and stay in the bad guys' collective face, his Enrage makes him immune to all sorts of nasty stuff, and Haer'Dalis is far from the only NPC to be able to reap the benefits of Improved Haste.

Different strokes for different folks, of course. Dundee might feel the power balance leans more toward the Haer'Dalis side of the scale than I do, because that's his style: He's played his share of Solo Wizards and I have always played well-balanced parties.

By the way, I'm of the opinion that Hard and Insane difficulties do not apply. If you like Insane, good for you, and you have my respect for that, but don't act like those are the actual rules....or that they should be. Korgan and Mazzy can deal with Firkraag, Stone Golems, and Greater Mummies just fine on Core Rules.

Leslie, Korgan does just fine against Pontifex and the cheating vorpal Dwarf, provided you give him even a fraction of the prebuffs that people like Haer'Dalis can't even step out of bed without casting. He can take that hacked Yellow Dragon Scorching Sand with a quick shot of Ilbratha and Hardiness, or he could also just outrun it. And you speak of him vs. the Dwarf as if there was even the remotest chance that Korgan could ever fail a Save vs. Death.