So a bard can Dual Wield, use big ole 2h weapons. Gets 2 more HP per lvl, can get nitty gritty and toss on chainmail. Gains levels twice as fast as a mage, carries the thac0 of a rogue can cast some mage spells more effectively than a mage, the game's mechanics are more gratious with starting ability scores on re-rolls.
Has utility of being able to pick pockets and ID things. Can use bows,x-bows instead of slings.
They're a Mage, with the ability to fight like a rogue in my opinion. I guess, with a bard around the question kind of becomes, what's the point of a Mage? :P
Kidding on that one, they're just a good all around class. They jacks of all trades masters of none, they're a great stop gap filler for deficiencies in parties. The blade is a great example of this, dual wielding like a pro, nice speed buff (though lets be honest we all use haste) but a bard can haste as well.
Its funny cause some argue here that playing a bard is a great support way to replace wizard or a challenge. I find this to be ridiculous because you want your character to be way stronger than the rest of your party. Forget about those green robed monks in candle-keep at the start for me bard seems to be the unofficial BG tutorial mediocre class.
I have that npc bard in a previous party of mine and yes his lore checks are insane and useful, that said it is proven than you can accumulate casually over 20k in gold so its not hard to simply purchase identification.
I wanted to play a Jester but I wouldn't figure out what would be a decent jester lore-wise weapon. There is no giant saucepan +1
The Bard song only provides a +1 morale bonus until lvl 15 (aka not a damn thing), then it becomes a +1 luck bonus (better but basically unnoticeable at this lvl)., at 21 it also protects from fear (*chortle, snort*). This is unlisted by the way, despite technically working the same way since original BG1 (if you used a xp cap remover).
Why is none of this sort of thing documented properly in-game nor in the manuals?
The Bard song only provides a +1 morale bonus until lvl 15 (aka not a damn thing), then it becomes a +1 luck bonus (better but basically unnoticeable at this lvl)., at 21 it also protects from fear (*chortle, snort*). This is unlisted by the way, despite technically working the same way since original BG1 (if you used a xp cap remover).
Why is none of this sort of thing documented properly in-game nor in the manuals?
Laziness? I dunno. It's one of those things you have to go digging with NI (or the like) to find.
@Eightgallon If rogue-type dual-wielding was properly implemented EVERY bard could fight almost as good as a blade. The only real advantage a blade has is offensive/Defensive spin, which is just a slightly more powerful, personal haste effect, with Kai thrown in for good measure. All rogues (thieves AND bards, regardless of kits) are supposed to be able to master dual-wielding.
Well...to be fair...even a plain bard can destroy everything in melee just as easily as any other character (hell they're actually easier to solo with then a warrior). They just don't hit as easily, or get as many natural attacks (and are getting gip'd on their dual-wielding, adding insult to injury, and their bard song is garbage), but throw 2 speed weapons at anyone in sequel, even with just basic DWing proficiency and they'll destroy everything under improved haste.
And in BG1, there's plenty of easily acquired wands you can blast your way through the game with, if you know where to look.
I find this to be ridiculous because you want your character to be way stronger than the rest of your party.
Not necessarily. On my current (first BG:EE) playthrough, yes, my charname is a tank so strong that he doesn't really need the rest of the party. Next time (and previously in original BG1) I'll try a character which requires more skill and subtlety. In fact, quite likely a Bard.
I wanted to play a Jester but I wouldn't figure out what would be a decent jester lore-wise weapon. There is no giant saucepan +1
Well, Jester isn't a clown, his primary m.o. is confusing the enemy. It seems to me lore-appropriate that he could then stun them by surprise ... so I reckon the Stupefier Mace +1 would be fairly suitable in melee, with Darts for ranged (an unusual choice for a Bard type, but sounds right for a Jester i.m.o.)
I'm currently playing a Blade in a multiplayer game with my brother, and I'm loving the class. I get new spell levels faster than my brother's Sorcerer, with a higher casting level for those spells, at the expense of having fewer spells per day. However, once I'm out of those spells, I'm deadly with a longbow or with dual-wielding longswords, and offensive/defensive spin lets me fill the roll of a flank attacker or a tank with ease.
The Bard song only provides a +1 morale bonus until lvl 15 (aka not a damn thing), then it becomes a +1 luck bonus (better but basically unnoticeable at this lvl)., at 21 it also protects from fear (*chortle, snort*). This is unlisted by the way, despite technically working the same way since original BG1 (if you used a xp cap remover).
Why is none of this sort of thing documented properly in-game nor in the manuals?
I always thought Bard was the worst class. I tried to play once with him (don´t know which kit though, I think default Bard). At some point (maybe not until ToB) my bard song became so ridiculously powerful that I barely used any defensive spell after that, used him always to sing.
For BP, fighter level 7/Mage 9 would be more powerful.... Or multiclass fighter9/mage10... But for Bard the level cap in both BGEE and BP is level 10...
TACH0-wise multiclass F/M 9/10 would be the best (12) whereas HP-wise F7/M9 would be the best (110 vs. 92). Bard's TACH0 would be 16 at level 10 which is worse than that of dual-class F7/M9 by 2 and bard cannot cast level 5 spells either... Not to mention loss of attacks per round and weapon specialization...
Bard's only advantages compared to F/M are bard songs and able to reach level 10 in BGEE but since bard song never reaches level 15 it's kinda gimped IMHO...
Jester song is surprisingly good for BGEE since enemies don't save vs. spell often so Jester have infinite casting of confusion every round.... and think about it, confusion is level 4 spell for priests and level 5 for wizards and Jester gets free casting every round (not to mention bard song ignore magic resistance) at +2 penality to save, but at level 1(!).... And Jester are capable of casting invisibility and greater malison so bard can sing while moving around undetected and greater malison makes sure bard songs will confuse enemies more often... But even disabling 1 to 2 enemies, especially spell casters, is a huge bonus. For me it's much better deal than 1st level spell Chromatic Orb where wizard gets to instantly kill the victim at +6 save but at caster level 12....
For BGEE bards are fine but for BP bard sucks, I think...
For BP, fighter level 7/Mage 9 would be more powerful.... Or multiclass fighter9/mage10... But for Bard the level cap in both BGEE and BP is level 10...
Yes, but the bard gets to level 10 *much* earlier than the dual or multiclass f/m - the game is not just about who is most powerful right at the end of it...
Inspired by this thread, have just rolled-up a half-elf Skald (13/18/16/18/10/17), he's neutral good and I will play him in parallel (but behind) to my neutral evil elf fighter/mage game. I gave him halberds and crossbows as proficiencies, with two-handed weapon fighting style probably next. I've called him Benjamin and given him the male posh British voiceset :-)
The reason I don't like either Blade or Skald is that I think Lore is, as I stated above, bard's most important ability - and both of those kits significantly reduce it.
Which is a shame, because Skald's song is pure awesomeness.
Even reduced as it is, Skald/Blade Lore values are STILL significantly better than anyone else, and still improves beyond level 10 (not that you'd need it to.) As long as you don't totally dump your wisdom, your lore values should still be more than you'd ever really need beyond level 5 or so.
Also, who cares if your stuff is ID'd or not? I frequently spend the entire game with my weapons unidentified. The only things I bother to ID are wands or items that have On Use properties simply because without it, you can't use their abilities.
If you've played the game before, you pretty much know what everything does already. ID'ing is simply a convenience.
ALSO ALSO (and this is not to you), I have to laugh at the notion Skalds are "useless" because Epic Level Feats eventually replace their song. Up until that point (which is what, 2/3rds of the way through the saga?), they are easily the best buff-bot in the game, and it's not like you suddenly can't still pick up epic level song. Skalds are still better than regular bards because hey, +1 hit/damage just for being one.
@Oxford_Guy: The only Bard-only item I can think of are the Wondrous Gloves in Throne of Bhaal, which admittedly are amazing and one of the best glove slot items in the series. There's a handful of things only they and fighters can utilize that are clearly designed for bards or multi-classed fighters (like elven chain) but that's about it.
The reason I don't like either Blade or Skald is that I think Lore is, as I stated above, bard's most important ability - and both of those kits significantly reduce it.
Which is a shame, because Skald's song is pure awesomeness.
Even reduced as it is, Skald/Blade Lore values are STILL significantly better than anyone else, and still improves beyond level 10 (not that you'd need it to.) As long as you don't totally dump your wisdom, your lore values should still be more than you'd ever really need beyond level 5 or so.
The Skald's lore is not nerfed, *only* pickpockets! My Skald has 20 Lore at Level 1 with 18 Int and 10 Wis
< Also, who cares if your stuff is ID'd or not? I frequently spend the entire game with my weapons unidentified. The only things I bother to ID are wands or items that have On Use properties simply because without it, you can't use their abilities.
If you've played the game before, you pretty much know what everything does already. ID'ing is simply a convenience.
ALSO ALSO (and this is not to you), I have to laugh at the notion Skalds are "useless" because Epic Level Feats eventually replace their song. Up until that point (which is what, 2/3rds of the way through the saga?), they are easily the best buff-bot in the game, and it's not like you suddenly can't still pick up epic level song. Skalds are still better than regular bards because hey, +1 hit/damage just for being one.
@Oxford_Guy: The only Bard-only item I can think of are the Wondrous Gloves in Throne of Bhaal, which admittedly are amazing and one of the best glove slot items in the series. There's a handful of things only they and fighters can utilize that are clearly designed for bards or multi-classed fighters (like elven chain) but that's about it.
Okay, thanks. In BGEE my Skald will use the elven chain (CLUA-ed in after the encounter where it's meant to drop, unless this is fixed soon) when casting, and the +2 chain when out of spells, possibly will also keep a suit of studded leather on hand when trying to pickpocket, although it'll be a while before my pickpocket ability will be any good... Melee weapon of choice will be the +2 (+6 damage!) Chesley Crusher halberd, for a Bard it doesn't matter that this is limited to one attack per round! (though does anyone know if this can still be hasted?)
I'm glad I read this thread because I wanted to roll a bard, but couldn't get myself to. The standard song is so blah and the Skald song, while awesome, is pointless in ToB. But Jester sounds great.
BTW the bard song (well in my case, Skald song) does seem to linger *slightly* e.g. if you've been playing bard song for a few rounds you can get a shot off with a crossbow (and this includes the Skald song THAC0 bonus), then resume singing without interuption, though am not sure how long you have to wait before you can do this again - has anyone else noticed something like this?
The reason I don't like either Blade or Skald is that I think Lore is, as I stated above, bard's most important ability - and both of those kits significantly reduce it.
Which is a shame, because Skald's song is pure awesomeness.
Even reduced as it is, Skald/Blade Lore values are STILL significantly better than anyone else, and still improves beyond level 10 (not that you'd need it to.) As long as you don't totally dump your wisdom, your lore values should still be more than you'd ever really need beyond level 5 or so.
The Skald's lore is not nerfed, *only* pickpockets! My Skald has 20 Lore at Level 1 with 18 Int and 10 Wis
< Also, who cares if your stuff is ID'd or not? I frequently spend the entire game with my weapons unidentified. The only things I bother to ID are wands or items that have On Use properties simply because without it, you can't use their abilities.
If you've played the game before, you pretty much know what everything does already. ID'ing is simply a convenience.
ALSO ALSO (and this is not to you), I have to laugh at the notion Skalds are "useless" because Epic Level Feats eventually replace their song. Up until that point (which is what, 2/3rds of the way through the saga?), they are easily the best buff-bot in the game, and it's not like you suddenly can't still pick up epic level song. Skalds are still better than regular bards because hey, +1 hit/damage just for being one.
@Oxford_Guy: The only Bard-only item I can think of are the Wondrous Gloves in Throne of Bhaal, which admittedly are amazing and one of the best glove slot items in the series. There's a handful of things only they and fighters can utilize that are clearly designed for bards or multi-classed fighters (like elven chain) but that's about it.
Okay, thanks. In BGEE my Skald will use the elven chain (CLUA-ed in after the encounter where it's meant to drop, unless this is fixed soon) when casting, and the +2 chain when out of spells, possibly will also keep a suit of studded leather on hand when trying to pickpocket, although it'll be a while before my pickpocket ability will be any good... Melee weapon of choice will be the +2 (+6 damage!) Chesley Crusher halberd, for a Bard it doesn't matter that this is limited to one attack per round! (though does anyone know if this can still be hasted?)
Chesley Crusher can be hasted. Right now I can have Dorn, with 2 proficiency points in halberds, wielding it and getting 3 attacks / round when hasted (2 attacks otherwise). It may not be working right lol.
Even the overly-praised Blade kit with Rogue Rebalancing to grant 3 pips in two-weapon proficiency is worse than a fighter-mage MC:
Worse thac0 (11/13 or 9/11 with spin vs a F/M with 8/11 at 19 str) Worse bonus damage(except during spin, then only slightly higher) 1 less 1st level spell per day fewer attacks(3 with spin, cant haste. F/M has 3 all the time +1 with haste) Cannot dump charisma Cannot wear helmets(balduran widens the gap on thac0 and HP) Cannot wear ring of wizardry Cannot wear amulet of metaspell influence Cannot use warrior-only potions(heroism, etc)
very slightly better HP, worse if you have very high con on the F/M
All these disadvantages for ~30 more lore, access to a laughable pickpocket ability and an extra round or 2 on buffing spells.
At the XP cap in BG1, combat-wise a F/M is practically a spinning blade 24/7.
The Skald kit is the only one worth anything, and even then I'd only use one if I was planning a physical-damage heavy party where the song's bonuses to hit/dam/ac would be used by 4 party members.
Despite some people putting the Bard on one level with Beastmaster and Wizard Slayer, he's actually a very capable class. Especially the kits are devastating.
I'm playing a Blade, and he's a beast. He can use bard-only items (which often are quite powerful), he levels like crazy, he can identify *anything* (I've never had a problem even with halved lore), he picks pockets like a ninja god, he can dual-wield anything and has spells up to level 6, which means he can - with preparation - take care of nearly any situation. Tenser's Transformation turns him into a miniature tarrasque, his Skull Trap and Flame Arrow take apart anything that isn't highly magic resistant and Stoneskin + Mirror Image + high Dex make him practically unhittable. He hastes and strengthens himself and can cast a slew of situationally useful protection spells should the need arise. Combine it with Secret Word, Breach and Pierce Magic, and you've got yourself an eeriely effective mage killer as well as a gargantuan close combattant.
Of course, he misses out on fighter attacks, on the other thief skills and on high level magic. That's what it says on the tin, master of none. Still, he unites a satisfying amount of all the different disciplines in one package, which makes him far more than a simple identification machine. He's an ideal backup for any of the three above-mentioned roles (unfortunately, in 2E he can't heal), but he also packs enough of a punch to deserve his own spot.
Also, he makes an ideal party spokesperson. Of course, powergamers don't care about this, but with naturally high INT and CHA he's just about ready for any dialogue challenge the game might throw at you.
Garrick is just a poor specimen of a Bard.
EDIT: Oh. And they hands-down get the best stronghold quest in Baldur's Gate 2. It might be worth it for that alone.
BTW the bard song (well in my case, Skald song) does seem to linger *slightly* e.g. if you've been playing bard song for a few rounds you can get a shot off with a crossbow (and this includes the Skald song THAC0 bonus), then resume singing without interuption, though am not sure how long you have to wait before you can do this again - has anyone else noticed something like this?
So, is this slight "lingering" of the bard song actually usable I.e. is there a reliable way a bard can use it to get some ranged shots off (or even cast a spell) every few rounds with the song still "up"?
Actually...bards don't miss out on high level magic, nor are they particularly lacking in attacks, since gear can replace all of that, and with UAI they can cast any spells you have scrolls of, use any items they damn well please, including all the gear that makes F/M good in the first place. And yes, Tenser's obliterates most of the problems with bard thac0, and dual-wielding speed weapons will take care of the lack of attacks for all but the tiny handful of enemies that require +4 or higher to hit, which dual-wielding 2 applicable weapons still gives a respectable 4 attacks per round under IH, effectively 5 if you abuse the speed weapon MH glitch). A blade can actually hit 10 attacks under IH, with OS up (though this is a bug since the haste effect shouldn't stack with IH) or 9 attacks if that bug is corrected.
They're actually fully capable of handling just about any situation, but it still doesn't change the fact that they're getting screwed by the system with no compensation (their F'ing bard song doesn't even work right for god's sake, come on).
And no...the Beastmaster isn't gimp'd at all. Anyone that thinks that has simply never played one. They kill stuff just as easily as any other warrior class can, they just do so with weapon types that people rarely use. Dual-Clubs for most enemies, Staff for enemies your clubs can't hit. Stealth in, and take out the most dangerous enemies first, then laying to the others as you demolish them laughably with 2 sticks. And once you can cast spells, summon up meat shields for a distraction or to soak up spells. And the familiar is death machine at lower levels (though I still prefer to keep mine safe), as anyone can attest, and the extra HP gives them about the same hp as a barbarian...except they use stealth instead of a speed bonus.
(they're especially deadly in BG2 since the Gnasher and Blackblood can be easily acquired and rape everyone's faces for the majority of the game. And once you get the staff of the ram...you're set for the rest of the game. I don't really like the club of detonation since it tends to hurt me more then the enemies).
Yes. Watch your notification window. When you gain the song buff for the first time or you see "Singing Bard Song" that marks the beginning of the round. With careful pause management you can get a shot or two off with a bow and maintain the song provided you reclick the sing button before the 6-second round ends.
ie: -Select the bard song button. "CHARNAME- Singing Bard Song" is displayed -0.0s Some seconds later(depends on precisely where you were in the previous round when you clicked the button) you gain the song buff. This marks the beginning of the round. "CHARNAME- Singing Bard Song" is displayed -0.5s Pause and issue commands -2.5s first arrow launched -5.0s second arrow launched -5.5s pause and reselect bard song. "CHARNAME- Singing Bard Song" is displayed -6.0s The next round begins. "CHARNAME - Singing Bard Song" is displayed again -repeat
Comments
1250 exp (lvl2) 2500 (lvl3) 5000(lvl4) Bard
2500 exp (lvl2) 5000 (lvl3) 10000(lvl4) Mage
So a bard can Dual Wield, use big ole 2h weapons. Gets 2 more HP per lvl, can get nitty gritty and toss on chainmail. Gains levels twice as fast as a mage, carries the thac0 of a rogue can cast some mage spells more effectively than a mage, the game's mechanics are more gratious with starting ability scores on re-rolls.
Has utility of being able to pick pockets and ID things. Can use bows,x-bows instead of slings.
They're a Mage, with the ability to fight like a rogue in my opinion. I guess, with a bard around the question kind of becomes, what's the point of a Mage? :P
Kidding on that one, they're just a good all around class. They jacks of all trades masters of none, they're a great stop gap filler for deficiencies in parties. The blade is a great example of this, dual wielding like a pro, nice speed buff (though lets be honest we all use haste) but a bard can haste as well.
I have that npc bard in a previous party of mine and yes his lore checks are insane and useful, that said it is proven than you can accumulate casually over 20k in gold so its not hard to simply purchase identification.
I wanted to play a Jester but I wouldn't figure out what would be a decent jester lore-wise weapon. There is no giant saucepan +1
@Eightgallon If rogue-type dual-wielding was properly implemented EVERY bard could fight almost as good as a blade. The only real advantage a blade has is offensive/Defensive spin, which is just a slightly more powerful, personal haste effect, with Kai thrown in for good measure. All rogues (thieves AND bards, regardless of kits) are supposed to be able to master dual-wielding.
And in BG1, there's plenty of easily acquired wands you can blast your way through the game with, if you know where to look.
Nathan Explosion!!!
TACH0-wise multiclass F/M 9/10 would be the best (12) whereas HP-wise F7/M9 would be the best (110 vs. 92). Bard's TACH0 would be 16 at level 10 which is worse than that of dual-class F7/M9 by 2 and bard cannot cast level 5 spells either... Not to mention loss of attacks per round and weapon specialization...
Bard's only advantages compared to F/M are bard songs and able to reach level 10 in BGEE but since bard song never reaches level 15 it's kinda gimped IMHO...
Jester song is surprisingly good for BGEE since enemies don't save vs. spell often so Jester have infinite casting of confusion every round.... and think about it, confusion is level 4 spell for priests and level 5 for wizards and Jester gets free casting every round (not to mention bard song ignore magic resistance) at +2 penality to save, but at level 1(!).... And Jester are capable of casting invisibility and greater malison so bard can sing while moving around undetected and greater malison makes sure bard songs will confuse enemies more often... But even disabling 1 to 2 enemies, especially spell casters, is a huge bonus. For me it's much better deal than 1st level spell Chromatic Orb where wizard gets to instantly kill the victim at +6 save but at caster level 12....
For BGEE bards are fine but for BP bard sucks, I think...
Also, who cares if your stuff is ID'd or not? I frequently spend the entire game with my weapons unidentified. The only things I bother to ID are wands or items that have On Use properties simply because without it, you can't use their abilities.
If you've played the game before, you pretty much know what everything does already. ID'ing is simply a convenience.
ALSO ALSO (and this is not to you), I have to laugh at the notion Skalds are "useless" because Epic Level Feats eventually replace their song. Up until that point (which is what, 2/3rds of the way through the saga?), they are easily the best buff-bot in the game, and it's not like you suddenly can't still pick up epic level song. Skalds are still better than regular bards because hey, +1 hit/damage just for being one.
@Oxford_Guy: The only Bard-only item I can think of are the Wondrous Gloves in Throne of Bhaal, which admittedly are amazing and one of the best glove slot items in the series. There's a handful of things only they and fighters can utilize that are clearly designed for bards or multi-classed fighters (like elven chain) but that's about it.
Even the overly-praised Blade kit with Rogue Rebalancing to grant 3 pips in two-weapon proficiency is worse than a fighter-mage MC:
Worse thac0 (11/13 or 9/11 with spin vs a F/M with 8/11 at 19 str)
Worse bonus damage(except during spin, then only slightly higher)
1 less 1st level spell per day
fewer attacks(3 with spin, cant haste. F/M has 3 all the time +1 with haste)
Cannot dump charisma
Cannot wear helmets(balduran widens the gap on thac0 and HP)
Cannot wear ring of wizardry
Cannot wear amulet of metaspell influence
Cannot use warrior-only potions(heroism, etc)
very slightly better HP, worse if you have very high con on the F/M
All these disadvantages for ~30 more lore, access to a laughable pickpocket ability and an extra round or 2 on buffing spells.
At the XP cap in BG1, combat-wise a F/M is practically a spinning blade 24/7.
The Skald kit is the only one worth anything, and even then I'd only use one if I was planning a physical-damage heavy party where the song's bonuses to hit/dam/ac would be used by 4 party members.
I'm playing a Blade, and he's a beast. He can use bard-only items (which often are quite powerful), he levels like crazy, he can identify *anything* (I've never had a problem even with halved lore), he picks pockets like a ninja god, he can dual-wield anything and has spells up to level 6, which means he can - with preparation - take care of nearly any situation. Tenser's Transformation turns him into a miniature tarrasque, his Skull Trap and Flame Arrow take apart anything that isn't highly magic resistant and Stoneskin + Mirror Image + high Dex make him practically unhittable. He hastes and strengthens himself and can cast a slew of situationally useful protection spells should the need arise. Combine it with Secret Word, Breach and Pierce Magic, and you've got yourself an eeriely effective mage killer as well as a gargantuan close combattant.
Of course, he misses out on fighter attacks, on the other thief skills and on high level magic. That's what it says on the tin, master of none. Still, he unites a satisfying amount of all the different disciplines in one package, which makes him far more than a simple identification machine. He's an ideal backup for any of the three above-mentioned roles (unfortunately, in 2E he can't heal), but he also packs enough of a punch to deserve his own spot.
Also, he makes an ideal party spokesperson. Of course, powergamers don't care about this, but with naturally high INT and CHA he's just about ready for any dialogue challenge the game might throw at you.
Garrick is just a poor specimen of a Bard.
EDIT: Oh. And they hands-down get the best stronghold quest in Baldur's Gate 2. It might be worth it for that alone.
They're actually fully capable of handling just about any situation, but it still doesn't change the fact that they're getting screwed by the system with no compensation (their F'ing bard song doesn't even work right for god's sake, come on).
And no...the Beastmaster isn't gimp'd at all. Anyone that thinks that has simply never played one. They kill stuff just as easily as any other warrior class can, they just do so with weapon types that people rarely use. Dual-Clubs for most enemies, Staff for enemies your clubs can't hit. Stealth in, and take out the most dangerous enemies first, then laying to the others as you demolish them laughably with 2 sticks. And once you can cast spells, summon up meat shields for a distraction or to soak up spells. And the familiar is death machine at lower levels (though I still prefer to keep mine safe), as anyone can attest, and the extra HP gives them about the same hp as a barbarian...except they use stealth instead of a speed bonus.
(they're especially deadly in BG2 since the Gnasher and Blackblood can be easily acquired and rape everyone's faces for the majority of the game. And once you get the staff of the ram...you're set for the rest of the game. I don't really like the club of detonation since it tends to hurt me more then the enemies).
Yes. Watch your notification window. When you gain the song buff for the first time or you see "Singing Bard Song" that marks the beginning of the round. With careful pause management you can get a shot or two off with a bow and maintain the song provided you reclick the sing button before the 6-second round ends.
ie:
-Select the bard song button. "CHARNAME- Singing Bard Song" is displayed
-0.0s Some seconds later(depends on precisely where you were in the previous round when you clicked the button) you gain the song buff. This marks the beginning of the round. "CHARNAME- Singing Bard Song" is displayed
-0.5s Pause and issue commands
-2.5s first arrow launched
-5.0s second arrow launched
-5.5s pause and reselect bard song. "CHARNAME- Singing Bard Song" is displayed
-6.0s The next round begins. "CHARNAME - Singing Bard Song" is displayed again
-repeat
Alternatively, configure your auto-pause to pause at the end of each round. Can get annoying, but works exceptionally well in this case.