Are Skalds any good?
Klorox
Member Posts: 927
I was just horsin' around, and I rolled a 97 for stats. I never got that high before.
Now I feel like I'll be short changing myself if I don't play her out.
Now I feel like I'll be short changing myself if I don't play her out.
0
Comments
not bad
Sing a song (Skald is a good song too - too good for BG1). Fire off a wand or spell or a single attack in the round, sing again straight away, and the song will carry on without breaking.
Free buffing, fast levelling, Pick-pocketing Loremeisters.
Of course they also need to remove casting from wands and scrolls (can still learn spells from them) from all the bard kits. While there are kits that can use them, blades and jesters can't, and Skald only learn to cast from scrolls, later (though skald suck at casting due to their caster level and spell progression being 1 level behind a normal bards...but they can wear up to plate and use any weapon or equipment a fighter can, so....it balances out since they're supposed to stay engaged in melee combat to keep their battle-song going (it's not inspiring if they're not on the front line ripping into the enemy).
PnP Blades have no actual skill at combat, they're a support class...they're basically circus performers, with a flashy style that can potentially intimidate the opponent and inspire allies (Weapon display, +1 hit/morale allies, -1 hit/morale enemies for as long as the blade maintains the display, only works once per battle, and doesn't affect enemies with more HD then the blade), they're generally ambidextrous (maxed two weapon at creation), adept at throwing weapons (can make called shots with darts, thrown daggers and axes), their offensive spin is an intense wind up attack that if it hits will terrify the opponent (takes 1 round to cast, and the next melee hit causes a no-save fear (unless the target is higher HD then the blade, in which case they get a save), but is lost if the blade is struck any time between beginning the cast and landing the blow), their defensive spin is a high speed blur of blade-work that makes it difficult for enemies to strike and can result result in damage, but is interrupt if the blade is hit (raises AC and any enemy attempting to strike the blade in melee must save or take damage equal to 1/2 the blades level, disrupted when damaged). They don't sing (their weapon display serves a similar purpose), have no lore bonus, don't cast from scrolls or wands, and have a 10% penalty when attempting to learn new spells due to lack of focus on magic.
Skald on the other hand, as above are heavy duty warriors (2nd only to the Gallant in terms of melee ability) who sing inspiring battle songs while engaging the enemy, but suffer heavily in their spell casting and have a massive 20% penalty for learning new spells (Skald are illiterate at level 1 (they come from cultures with primarily oral traditions), and have to gain a level of experience while in a culture of literature, before they can even begin to learn magic which is why their progression is at least 1 level behind a normal bards). And technically their lore is only supposed to apply to weapons, armor, and items used directly for battle, such as certain potions, but..that's pretty much all there is to identify anyway in BG.
Also, even the bard doesn't work right. His song should take 3 rounds to cast, and then last for 1 round per level, allowing him to do other things in the mean time.
And the PnP jester is actually bit stronger then the BG jester...but since his "song" actually taunts the enemy to come kill him, he needs the extra AC and constant luck bonus to survive, especially since he can't wear higher then leather and is limited to darts, clubs, slings, staves, daggers for weapons.
Blades: Even though they can swing a blade in a flashy manner, they're still bards nonetheless . However , it doesn't mean they can't learn how to fight well with experience . My blade starts with short sword and bow proficiency , which he learned their use from the guards at candlekeep.
Skalds: Indeed , it would be nicer if they could wear heavy armor , but since BG skald can cast spells and read well (he was raised in Candlekeep , after all) , it's a pretty balanced class.
Jesters: They're pretty fun to play/roleplay with, and their bardsong is actually balanced , too - after all, powerful enemies won't easily fall to a +4 save confusion.
Meanwhile the skald is gimped due to not being able to sing while fighting......they over buff the blade (with no disadvantages..and no nerfing two more or less useless skills is NOT a disadvantage...just like limiting a berserker to proficiency only in range is a joke compensation for how OP their rage's immunties are), and nerf the skald, buff the jester, and nerf the bard (No counter song, no ability to max dual-wielding, their song sucks and doesn't work correctly (they're supposed to get to choose to apply +1 hit, +1 saves, or +2 morale....BG just give them the morale bonus, until 15+ which gives +1 luck instead)
(His (jester) song becomes ridiculous later when every enemy in range is have to save at +2 vs confusion, save vs slow (-4 thac0, +4 AC, halves speed) (15+), and save at +2 vs disabled (unable to act and auto-hit) (21+), every round vs all 3 effects).
Indeed! I find them tender enough to just sauté lightly with some turnip greens and onion and serve with some crusty dark bread and a nice Chianti...
Bards in general seem very poorly implemented in BG. I'm sure there's mods out there to address the issue, and add some much needed distinction and complexity to the various kits. If there was ever a class that deserves a lot of attention to its details, it's Bards.
Though it seems that this is a bug indeed and not just "weird design" as with IH + items that grant Free Action.
However, even in this extreme example the contribution wasn't that big compared to the 80+ damage/round that other characters were doing (before adding the song). Sure, the Skald brought other things to the table but nothing special over what the other characters brought (all dual classes).
I'd even say the Skald brought less utility to the group than any other character, add this to inferior damage and maybe a wasted party slot. The saving grace is the difficult to quantify THAC0 bonus and AC bonus. Maybe worth it. Maybe not.
Note: these arguments are all based on "objective" fighting power, i.e. no convenience, RP, or similar concerns (which may be more important to many people). Keep that in mind! Also, I assume adequate difficulty settings through mods/in-game settings; if you go with a vanilla game on "core" or less, small differences don't matter. Any class can beat the game with a hand tied behind their back. Heck, a naked Half-Ogre mage with 3 INT could do it.