Don't doubt the Bard
Draekin
Member Posts: 40
I just finished my first playthrough of BG:EE. I loved the idea of the Bard; shoot some arrows, cast some spells, inspire my party. The bard seemed to be the guy that everyone in the party would love... not because they are strictly awesome themselves, but because they make everyone else better.
That said, meet Rorik. A human Skald who won my heart over the course of his story.
He began to impress me at level 1, when he and Imoen were forced to fight an overly aggressive Dread Wolf that attacked the fledgling group. With careful song-twisting, Rorik bolstered the attack and defense of the group enough to defeat the savage beast.
And from then on, he only grew in his awesomeness.
Here is Rorik, just before the fight with Sarevok:
I song-twisted in nearly every fight, getting off 2 ranged attacks each round while maintaining the inspiring presence that granted my party -2 THAC0, Damage, and AC. Don't let anyone fool you -- the difference in your party with and without the singing Bard is MASSIVE. It really made a huge difference in most every fight.
Rorik had a THAC0 of 4 while singing (which was always), which is a very respectable number. His damage wasn't off the charts, but hitting mages with arrows of dispelling or just interrupting them consistently was huge. Not to mention his ability to throw Greater Malison, followed by a Slow or Chromatic Orb. He could use his spell slots to buff, to control the crowd, or do damage.
This wise-beyond-his years Skald was also an identification machine. With all the ID money the party saved, and because I never had to use consumables (due largely to song-twisting, which was a huge help), I ended the game with nearly 200,000 gold to spare.
Rorik didn't wear any armor, and yet managed to stay largely out of harm's way, being a spell-slinging archer at his core.
Overall, the Skald wasn't just a party member... he MADE the party. He was a jack-of-all-trades, but surprisingly not a "master of none". On the contrary, he was a master of all. I enjoyed him FAR more than I could have imagined, and he was a powerhouse in his own right.
I hope anyone on the fence about Bards comes to the right side of the fence, because Bards are amazing.
That said, meet Rorik. A human Skald who won my heart over the course of his story.
He began to impress me at level 1, when he and Imoen were forced to fight an overly aggressive Dread Wolf that attacked the fledgling group. With careful song-twisting, Rorik bolstered the attack and defense of the group enough to defeat the savage beast.
And from then on, he only grew in his awesomeness.
Here is Rorik, just before the fight with Sarevok:
I song-twisted in nearly every fight, getting off 2 ranged attacks each round while maintaining the inspiring presence that granted my party -2 THAC0, Damage, and AC. Don't let anyone fool you -- the difference in your party with and without the singing Bard is MASSIVE. It really made a huge difference in most every fight.
Rorik had a THAC0 of 4 while singing (which was always), which is a very respectable number. His damage wasn't off the charts, but hitting mages with arrows of dispelling or just interrupting them consistently was huge. Not to mention his ability to throw Greater Malison, followed by a Slow or Chromatic Orb. He could use his spell slots to buff, to control the crowd, or do damage.
This wise-beyond-his years Skald was also an identification machine. With all the ID money the party saved, and because I never had to use consumables (due largely to song-twisting, which was a huge help), I ended the game with nearly 200,000 gold to spare.
Rorik didn't wear any armor, and yet managed to stay largely out of harm's way, being a spell-slinging archer at his core.
Overall, the Skald wasn't just a party member... he MADE the party. He was a jack-of-all-trades, but surprisingly not a "master of none". On the contrary, he was a master of all. I enjoyed him FAR more than I could have imagined, and he was a powerhouse in his own right.
I hope anyone on the fence about Bards comes to the right side of the fence, because Bards are amazing.
11
Comments
I already have to micromanage my skald to the extent of moving him a bit away from the others, then selecting all except him, so as to use the "all attack" command. Then, I have to move him close enough to my attacking party members to keep them blessed with my sung bonuses, as the bard song in BG and BG2 has a frustratingly short range.
If I were to also start "song-twisting", then I would have to sing, wait for the bonuses to process, attack (stopping the singing), and then immediately start singing again, hoping that no one had gone out of range druing the round where I was attacking instead of singing.
It sounds like an awesome kind of character, but very, very tedious to manage and use, trying to duplicate the 3rd edition "lingering song" feat, especially with the short range of the song.
It might be worth it to do it, except that just making him a sorcerer or a cleric-mage could nearly duplicate the same powers without all the control tedium.
All the bards are OP anyway though, even vanilla
@supposedly I was thinking about my second run-through of BG:EE with a Jester as well. Can you give me some more details where they shine or are not so good? I was also considering a run-through with another class (deciding between Mage, Monk, Stalker, and Inquisitor). Whatever character I like most I will import into my newly downloaded BG2:EE. Any suggestions?
I was thinking about doing my 2nd run with a class that was more blatantly powerful than the Bard... but I've never run through BG2, so I'm not sure how things pan out in the later levels with each class.
I wasn't very impressed by the confusion effect in bg2, but once the slow component kicks in, its fantastic. Just invis and get near the fray. Obviously this tactic gets less powerful once mages start casting true sight. When stun kicks in, it's downright brutal. Drop a greater malison (or two) and have fun. In TOB the MR probably is problematic, but by then you can take improves song HLA.
Use Any Item and pickpockets is lots of fun.
Not to mention mislead and simulacrum mayhem with six bards singing. Equip dorns helm for added fun
Any thoughts on that stuff?
I've already rolled up both characters with basically identical stat-lines, so it's just a matter of choice at this point.
Plus, the flavor of the Stalker is just so far above the Archer that it's really not even close. And after all... this is a role-playing game, so what are we doing here if we aren't playing to a role??
BTW, Baldur's Gate has basically ruined me for all other RPGs at this point. The story, the characters, the party that is actually diverse, and not just homogenized re-skins of the same class... it's too bad they don't make games like this anymore. As far as I can remember, Dragon Age: Origins came the closest (of course!), but since the original DA:O they've gone off the rails, trying to make everything as WoW-balanced as every other sad excuse for an RPG these days.
Gone are the days of true character diversity and playing a real party role. Oh well... at least we have a safe haven, eh?
As for bards, like I said, Bards are good for what their options are. Only reason I don't take one usually is because A) I'm not playing one, or B ) They don't fit into my party plan. And there's only like, 2 parties I would *want* a bard in, and others would be consideration only.
I did enjoy an archer though.
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/19324/why-roll-a-stalker (just look at @lunar 's and @SionIV 's answers here)
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/16106/stalker-or-fighter-thief (the post by @RnRClown can be useful in particular)
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/27998/stalkers-are-awesome (the OP : )
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/12896/ultimate-backstabber-showdown (just compare different views on the subject)
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/21488/how-do-i-stalker (very nice feedback)
I had Garrick in my party during a recent BGEE playthrough. Wands are obviously a big help, especially Wands of Fire. The high lore was pretty nice to have too, though obviously money is never a problem by the end of the game.
Awesome dialogue too, though
"Tis a beautiful day in the neighbourhood"
did kind of become a bit creepy sounding when it was said in Ulgoth's Beard
Him: "Barbarian...Bard (don't be a bard, bards suck)..."
Me: "No they don't!"
Him: "You like bards?"
Basically, they make fun of me for liking bards. I wouldn't say I would choose to play a bard, but I advocate their versatility and well-roundedness. So I made the DM recurring NPC a bard, just to screw with them.
I think the problem is that lots of people say bards are bad, when they aren't at all, and once someone realizes that it's news. There's just too much of a negative connotation with bards.
As much as D&D fans or role-players like to believe that they are able to overcome silly labels and names and roleplay their character to their liking (e.g. instead of singing, my bard is going to be an inspiring leader whose charisma boosts the morale of the party, through the power of his magnetic presence)... it just doesn't happen that way. People hear the term "singing" and no matter how they try to roleplay it, singing just seems a little less-than-manly compared to a skill called "berserk".
And in the hostile, monster-filled, barbarian axe-wielding, skull crushing setting of D&D, some of these labels can't be overcome.