Best Weapon Profs for a BG1 Bard?

Brude

I'm going to stop rerolling, I swear! But first --

Assume half elf and a true class bard (no kit) for BG1.

On another forum, someone suggested maxing STR and using slings for the bonus, which sounds a little weird to me.

What do you think?

stygga

IDK why.. but I always see bards in my mind with crossbows and short swords...

Seldar

I took Eldoth in my group in the passed... And he was very strong... gave him heavy crossbow +1 or +2 (I don't remember where you find it, I think it's a guy in BG City). With his offensive and defensive spells he can hold a good position in your party

sandmanCCL

Not going blade?

Use a two-handed weapon of some kind and a bow/crossbow. I vote Halberds because there aren't any NPCs in the saga who really utilize them otherwise.

Isair

BG1V or tutu? Blade is a far more appealing option. Long bow or light crossbow of speed, depending on your NPCs maybe scimitar for melee (if you're good & good enough to kill for the defender).

Otherwise like @sandmanCCL said, THW.

Take your Con to 18 (or 17 + tome) so you can use the Claw.

Brude

Thanks for the ideas, all!

@stygga Yep, exactly. Crossbow & short sword felt like the most "bardish" weapons to me. I started looking at alternatives when I realized that longbows give a +1 thac0 by default, though, since bards are working off crappy thief thac0.

@sandmanCCL I'm trying hard to save some kits for BG:EE. The blade & skald seem like they might be a bit too overpowered for a standard Tutu game (thoughts?). I also thought it'd be fun to play pure class in BG1, skald in SoA, and Shadowkeep my PC into a blade for ToB (only because the HLAs make skalds a bit obsolete).

The halberd suggestion is unusual; I like that.

@Isair I've always shied away from the Claw because I don't like items that impose any kind of base penalty while using them. Are the extra savings throws worth the two attribute points? Seems like a harsh trade off at first glance.

Dragonspear

@Brude

Skald will be great in BG:EE but honestly you might feel Blade is lacking. Blade has an exponential growth to it that really doesn't reach the top of its curve until 6th level spells and Tensers. That said, I think that's one of the Pros to the Class rather than a con since it has a steady growth throughout the levels so you never really feel (unlike say a warrior) that you've flatlined for lack of a better term.

Also in my opinion the most 'bardic' weapons are Crossbow/Longsword

Isair

@Brude Extra saving throws & -1 to AC that stacks with the ring of protection & or cloak. I think so, if you're a bard then any Con over 16 isn't effecting your HP. It'll only help passive regeneration if it reaches 20+. So starting with 17 and increasing it to 18 (or starting with 18 & using the tome on someone else... Kagain perhaps) will allow you to use the claw without penalty.

Really the more AC lowering items the better for bards, without any elven chain in standard BG they get bit of a raw deal. Sure they can cast ghost armor, mirror image etc but you won't be using them for every battle (unless you're resting alot). Even if you do, bards have inferior HP compared to say fighter/mages so anything to lessen their chances of being hit is a boon. Esspecially if you're casting in close combat.

Claw + Cloak of B + Ring of protection + Defender + Ghost armor + Blur + PFE = -13 AC! That's not including a belt or the claw bonuses.

I was overjoyed to hear that they're adding elven chain to BGEE.

kamuizin

BG EE will add more weapons, so, until a full playthrough we can't be sure of what are the best proficience status anymore.

sandmanCCL

Blades are actually kind of meh for BG1, even compared to a regular bard. They don't really come into their own until significantly later because they are designed for dual-wield and don't really have the thac0 to hit reliably til you get some of the better buff spells. Skald is pretty OP though.

And if you max your CON, there is no downside to equipping the Claw of Kazgoroh. The penalty IS harsh, but only if it affects your HP total. Otherwise, it's hard to argue against +1 AC, + to all saving throws. You do also lose saves vs. death, so poison is a pain in the ass. Make sure to buy some Elixirs of Health if you ever decide to use it.

Dragonspear

Please note:

I said Longsword/Crossbow merely because that is what I envision as the "classic" bard.

Isair

As a side note, I saw somewhere that Haer'dalis recieves two pips on longsword if you pick him up when you're level 15 or higher.

Can anyone clarify/confirm this?

Also, @Dragonspear no one has called you a mad rash fool for saying so. I envision the classic bard armed with a harp alone, avoiding all combat. I shouldn't have to clarify that this isn't my recommended tactic in BG.

Dragonspear

@Isair

I'm one of those weird people that always preferred my bard to tell their music via the whistling of their longsword. I guess that's why I like Blades and Skalds. Although my Skalds tend to only use 2h weapons on principle. And you're right no one was claiming I was mad, was merely pointing it out since others had said to wait until BGEE drops and we see what we get.

sandmanCCL

I played a bard in a Pathfinder campaign spring semester. I had a bow and an elven longsword, but never ever did anything in combat because everyone else was some munchkin build so I would just sit on my magic carpet and play Foo Fighters tunes on my guitar.

Playing "My Hero" when the psychotic gnome alchemist dropped some firebomb grenades on some goblins was easily the highlight of that campaign, for me.

Isair

@sandmanCCL I would of thought David Bowies Cat people (putting out the fire) would of been more appropriate...

HaHaCharade

Maybe I haven't given Bards enough love. I wouldn't know what they should take. I almost never take them... even in IWD when I can jack them up stat-wise. Probably my loss. I hear kits make them better.

kamuizin

@Isair, yes, i can confirm. Haer'Dalis get 2 proficience points in short swords if you pick him later, however in which starting level he comes with 2 prof points i don't know.

Permidion_Stark

HaHaCharade said:

Maybe I haven't given Bards enough love. I wouldn't know what they should take. I almost never take them... even in IWD when I can jack them up stat-wise. Probably my loss. I hear kits make them better.

I've never given bards a chance either. The character class just never made any sense to me.

"Guys we're being attacked by hobgoblins."

Fighter: I'll hit them with my sword.
Cleric: I'll pray to my god for divine aid.
Thief: I'll shoot them with my bow.
Mage: I'll cast a sleep spell.
Bard: I'll get my harp out and sing you a song ...

Moomintroll

When I think of a bard in battle I think of the carnyx!
Harps are better suited to reciting tales of valour by the fireside.
(sorry to disrupt your discussion with random youtube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVAWwWi0DbE&feature=related

Renulan

Whatever that thing is. I do not approve.

Hahaha.. WTF?!

mlnevese

I would either expect a bunch of elephants running my way or a train if I heard that in a battlefield...

sandmanCCL

kamuizin said:

@Isair, yes, i can confirm. Haer'Dalis get 2 proficience points in short swords if you pick him later, however in which starting level he comes with 2 prof points i don't know.

He has 2 points in short swords no matter what.

I think someone was saying if he joined super late, he had 2 points in longswords as well. I doubt this is the case.

DJKajuru

I prefer to see bards as artists who eventually learn to fight and cast spells by observing other classes in action. Nevermind the music...

CaptRory

I don't see why magic music is so weird considering that, you know, magic exists. Bards get a variety of abilities and magic music is just the gravy on top of the meat and potatoes.

DJKajuru

CaptRory said:

I don't see why magic music is so weird considering that, you know, magic exists. Bards get a variety of abilities and magic music is just the gravy on top of the meat and potatoes.

It's okay for music to be magic - but playing an harp *during* the battle seems strange . Historically, all I know of are drums being played at the battle field, or perhaps the standard bearer who keeps morale high enough.

Moomintroll

DJKajuru said:

CaptRory said:

I don't see why magic music is so weird considering that, you know, magic exists. Bards get a variety of abilities and magic music is just the gravy on top of the meat and potatoes.

It's okay for music to be magic - but playing an harp *during* the battle seems strange . Historically, all I know of are drums being played at the battle field, or perhaps the standard bearer who keeps morale high enough.

I demand that you look at my horn!

kamuizin

@sandmanCCL, in fact no. I don't know anything about 2 prof points in longsword, but if you get him right after you leave irenicus dungeon (and pass by the slums cos it's a mandatory path), you get Haer'Dalis with 1 proficience in short sword and you can't raise it to 2 in character level up. I know this cos i tested this issue a long time ago.

Moomintroll

Renulan said:

Whatever that thing is. I do not approve.

Hahaha.. WTF?!

It is a carnyx, an Iron Age Celtic horn, supposedly used in battle. Bagpipes of course have also been used by armies as well as being a really practical way of becoming a loner.
Bugels and horns have a pretty big history on the battlefield I'm sure, the flugelhorn is named after it's function of summoning the "wings" (flanks) of the army.

BelgarathMTH

I played a skald once in BG1, and my party just mowed over everything in the game with very little effort. It didn't matter what weapon proficiencies I took, because I was always singing and not fighting. The bonuses were just too good for me to be doing anything else.

The main drawback is that it can get a little tedious to control sometimes. I like to marquee select the party and order the whole group to attack a single target with one click. In order to keep my skald singing, I couldn't do that anymore. I had to keep separating out my skald from the rest of the party at the beginning of every battle, if I wanted to do any marquee selections, or else I had to issue commands separately to the each party member, one at a time.

I took crossbow so I could at least occasionally do a little shooting in some of the easy battles. I think I took shortsword for the other one, just for the tradition of the class, but I never drew it or used it for the whole game, not even once.

James

belgarathmth said:

I played a skald once in BG1, and my party just mowed over everything in the game with very little effort. It didn't matter what weapon proficiencies I took, because I was always singing and not fighting. The bonuses were just too good for me to be doing anything else.

The main drawback is that it can get a little tedious to control sometimes. I like to marquee select the party and order the whole group to attack a single target with one click. In order to keep my skald singing, I couldn't do that anymore. I had to keep separating out my skald from the rest of the party at the beginning of every battle, if I wanted to do any marquee selections, or else I had to issue commands separately to the each party member, one at a time.

I took crossbow so I could at least occasionally do a little shooting in some of the easy battles. I think I took shortsword for the other one, just for the tradition of the class, but I never drew it or used it for the whole game, not even once.

I am fairly sure the Skald is the most overpowered class in Bg1 for the reasons you outlined, I used the throwing axe from Prat, because the Skald seems quite Viking to me, I also had rogue rebalancing mod which added a buckler that allowed the user to cast sanctuary ...... and bard song was not interrupted

CaptRory

The problem with kits in Baldur's Gate 1 is that the abilities don't start "Level One Weak" then step up. Like, look at the Cavalier. Immunity to Charm and Poison could easily start as a boosted save vs. Charm and Poison then graduate to immunity around lvl 10 after a few boosts to your save.

Or like, Priest of Talos. A free lightning bolt at level one? Could start off as a weaker lightning effect then click over to lightningbolt around the level a character could cast it normally.