[EEWorzelle]

I would like to try to dispute the statement

"A Bard that isn't playing an instrument is a misused character".

I guess this thread has drifted from the Alchemist to the Bard, but actually there is one of each in all of my parties.

One experienced player on another board said recently that the Bard is the 3rd most effective fighter in the game after the Fighter and Rogue. Well, I am not an expert in either the Fighter, Rogue, or most Hybrid characters for comparison, but I can certainly verify that the Bard, at least the first one in the party, is awesome in both Music and Melee. To achieve that potential, however requires precise development of the Bard.

The Bard has one huge advantage over the Fighter, Rogue, and any other character in the game, and that is the Bard-only items that add to attribute points.

The "Bloodlusty Bard" (Bard equipped with the sword, Bloodlust) is an incredibly awesome melee fighter. With 2-3 attacks of 3-4 swings each, the Bard can sometimes rack up 500-600 damage in a single round. The extra swing and 2x beserk damage bonus of Bloodlust is what makes this possible. With Dexterity 100 and Senses almost that high, this gal just cannot miss or (with high Powerstrike) fail to penetrate.

The Bard can take advantage of several factors to become awesome at both Melee and Music, especially when a Mook (who would have guessed?) is chosen for the Race.

1) The Bard gets something like 60-70 Attribute points just from Bard-only items (the player gets no choice about which ones, but one can plan for what the Bard gets in games after the first one).

2) Some of what the Bard gets or can get from items can bring Speed up from 35 to 55 and Haste, from there can bring it to 125. Thus even a Mook, with just a starting Speed left alone at only 35 can be used and still operate with 125 Speed in most areas of the game. The Bard is the best Haster, but most of the advantages of Haste do not begin until the following round, so there is no advantage, just for Haste, to make the Bard fast before he or she casts it. This saves 65 Attribute points.

3) The Mook is also good for Piety being low. It starts at Piety=25 and goes down from there. No problem. Piety does give some Stamina but Strength=125 and Vitality increases later make the Bard's Stamina good. Some things have to be low for others to be high. This saves 20-30 Attribute points over a more typical level of 45-55.

4) Using one +20 Strength ROTR and another item it is possible to get the Bard to Strength=125 which gives +150% damage! Maxing Strength naturally give Powerstrike with excellent penetration. Strength of only 100 (example - natural 60 plus 2 ROTRs) is way below the Bard's potential. Attribute points are well spent here.

5) With Speed and Piety so low, the Mooks starting Level in things like Strength, Dexterity and Senses is excellent. Going for Strength and Dexterity first then Senses and Vitality is very powerful.

6) Dual Weapons are possible, but I have found secondary weapons in this game underwhelming and the Primary Weapon is impeded by the Secondary Weapon until Dual Weapons=100. With a powerful primary weapon like Bloodlust, it takes a long time to get a net gain from the Secondary Weapon. In the meantime, the Bard is very hitable, in spite of a few AC from Reflextion. But a shield, on the other hand, changes the Bard from a powerful fighter with light armor into a powerful fighter and tank. At high Shield Skill (over 75) and a Heater Shield, +6 AC is added and most attacks that hit are blocked outright by the shield. This allows the Bard to wear the relatively light, special Bard-only items, with their Attribute benefits, even when heavier armors are available.

7) If really trying to optomize, Intelligence is fine at the minimum level. Music takes a little longer but not much due to constant use.

8) In my current game, just after going to Level 6, my Bard's Close Combat Skill and Sword Skill are 27 and 32, respectively. This is made possible by also having a Gadgeteer in the party to do Locks and Traps. I am also trying no points at Level-Up in Music, so Shields, Sword and Close Combat get 3 at every Level-Up.


For the Alchemist, my current try is to make a Staff and Wand, as well as Alchemy specialist. Again, I use a Mook to get high starting levels in all except Speed and Piety. This time I am trying to go for Powerstrike before maxing dexterity. At a level of 70, Dexterity is already not too bad. The Alchemist doesn't get the Bard special items so, since I went for a Mook, I will be putting some points in Speed later, to bring it up toward 55. At Level 6, Staff and Wand and Close Combat are both over 20. To understand this development of the wonderful Alchemist, it is necessary to view him in context with the rest of the party.

I made my Priest and Alchemist melee specialists and my Psionic and Mage ranged specialists (in addition to maxing their Magic capabilities). Mainly this is possible through the discovery that Piety actually does very little for casters. It's direct and indirect effect on spell points is small and with Soul Shield, Element Shield and Magic Screen in place, Iron Will is mostly redundant (and only benefits each character that independently has it). It is ironic that even for the Priest the starting minimum Piety level of 60 is quite sufficient for all purposes, as far as I can tell.