Bard alterations/rebalance

[timothy trotter]

i agree with six of spades here, it would be good, maybe it could be made a innate ability, so you can choose the right song for the occasion. i generally dont use pickpocket, seems a wast of time. but im not bery uber h4x00r

[mad=dog]

Pickpocket is excellent for recharging wands and you really do need wands as bard. 50 cloudkills and 50 fireballs in the backpack is a nice aide. Not to mention the semi-cheesy wand of paralysis that stuns for 10! rounds with a -4! to saving throw stackable with malison. It has 100 charges so there is plenty to go around. Makes fighting demons a breeze. Also the rod of absorption with only 10 charges needs frequent recharging not to mention the greenstone amulet. Or the amulet of shielding for kensais. Since your pickpocket is so high you can essentially do this for free so why not?

Many quests rewards can be pickpocketed and some even douplicated though that is cheesy. You can also occationally pickpocket the weapons of someone you suspect will turn hostile forcing them to fight with their hands.

To the topic at hand - YES! It would definately be a boon if the songs and chants themselves got expanded as per the suggestions I gave previously. The party slowly regaining hitpoints to the tunes of the bard makes sense to me.

[Andyr]

With regards to bards and trap HLAs: Yes, they would definitely be removed.

With regards to different bard songs, yeah, a selection of songs is something I'd like to do. [img]smile.gif[/img] Probably via a Spell Immunity-type submenu, as Sim suggested.

[mad=dog]

Ideas for the submenu.

Chant of Combat: The regular bardsong.
Chant of Confusion: The regular bardsong for Jesters.
Chant of Vigor: Regain HP while the bard plays.
Chant of Freedom: Free Action on all members while the bard plays.
Chant of Eversight: Truesight while the bard plays.
Chant of Magebane: Dispel Magic at bards level/3 every round centered on the bard while playing.

The posibilities are endless. Hope something comes out of it.

[K2Grey]

Dispel at level divided by 3? Will never work on anyone.

Personally I think that a good boost to hit and damage, will be a good enough bonus for the bard, since Energy Blades from pure spellcasters benefits so much from that kind of bonus.

[Andyr]

I don't want to duplicate the Jester's unique song for kitless Bards. The rest are nice ideas, though Free Action and True Sight may be a bit powerful. The Dispel one I might tone down to a Magic Resistance boost.

[timothy trotter]

i think the jesters song should stay as a jesters song

[mad=dog]

That was also my intention. It should merely have a different name. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

[SixOfSpades]

I was under the impression that there was such an effect as Change Bard Song Effect, in which case a Special Ability, which opens a Spell-Immunity-like menu, would be enough to change the Song indefinitely, until the Bard chooses a different song.

A few Songs I came up with (power of each Song varies with Bard's level):

• Tarentella: Gives allies within X distance from the Bard bonuses to hit, damage, and attacks per round.
• Ritard: Gives allies within X distance bonuses to AC, Saving Throws, and elemental/physical resistances.
• Dance of Chaos: All enemies within X distance must Save vs. Spell to avoid Confusion.
• Soothing Lullaby: Enemies within X distance must Save vs. Spell or fall asleep, creatures that are immune to Sleep will be Slowed.
• Lament for the Damned: All allies within X distance are Protected from Evil, and recieve combat bonuses against Demons and Undead.
• Melody of the Nightingale: Allies within X distance, including the Bard himself, regenerate lost hitpoints.
• Fortissimo: All creatures in range must Save or be Deafened, which causes 50% Spell Failure.
• Steadfast Vigilance: All allies within range will attempt to Detect Traps and Illusions, even while they are performing other actions.
• Loyalty to the Cause: Allies within range become immune to mind-affecting spells & abilities, including Charm, Confusion, Feeblemind & Stun.
• Enchanter's Waltz: Enemies within range must Save or be Charmed. Charmed enemies will remain Charmed after the Bard stops singing.
• My Heart Will Go On: All enemies within range, provided they are not Deaf, must Save vs. Spells or flee from the Bard as fast as they can. Those who make their Save will try to kill the Bard as quickly as possible.

I see no reason that other Bards should not be able to sing the Jester's Song, provided that the Jester can sing it much better than they can. The different musical instruments in the game (Harps, Horns, Magic Flute) might also be Usable to cast Change Bard Song Effect, with perhaps different instruments being restricted from different Bard kits.

[timothy trotter]

i havent come across any instuments in the game, but that doesnt mean ther arnt any. the only ones i found were used in chapter 7.