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Ideal Stats for a Blade

I've finally settled down on what I want for my first character and I've decided that I want her to be a Blade.

The problem is the best you can manage is 10, 18, 16, 18, 10, 18

I want strength so I can hit things, preferably without requiring a belt or a mage spell, on the other hand I want the high int to improve my Lore, I can't decrease my wisdom so I can keep my Lore, I need 18 Cha since I'm running with an evil party and the 18 dex (yay pickpocket) and 16 con speak for themselves.

This is going to be my following party setup:

Blade: Debating between a Crossbow or bow at the start and Longswords and then getting points in dual wield at 4 and 8 or whether to go 1 into longsword and 1 into dual wield at the start.

Dorn: Rawr 2h Sword Slash
Monty: Trap finder, might try to use him for backstab but really have a lack of front line at the moment, at least until lateish game with my bard and defensive spin
Viconia: It's a tough job but someone has to heal it
Xzar: One of the Job Arcana.
Edwin: The other Job Arcanist.

Except for Monty the party SHOULD level exceptionally fast. But early game I will be exceptionally frail relying on sleep, blind, web, etc as my mages/bard/viccy go up in power. If I pick bows, then Dorn will probably end up taking Crossbows and vice versa. Also considering giving Xzar a dual class into cleric to double up on the divine but I don't think I'll need it.

Anyway as the topic says, what would you do stat wise for the bard. The wisdom tomes are likely going Viconia, will probably give Con to Dorn, and otherwise the rest will probably go on my main (depending on how high strength I start out with. Otherwise its mage strength when I go into melee combat and possibly increasing Monty's strength or giggling my way to Dorn having 20 str.
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Comments

  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    @SandmanCCL
    @Quartz

    I summon you and your knowledge bombs.
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    With bard Thac0, i'd avoid dual wielding until you have two pips in it. Range will be your friend till then. Light crossbow of speed is for sale in beregost, and is one of the better weapons available, as it grants an extra attack.

    15 should be enough charisma. Just learn the first level Friends spell for when you need a face (+6 cha).
    On my blade I dropped wis to seven since I'm planning on using all the tomes on CHARNAME anyway.

    Lore is mostly just a convenience, honestly. You can always memorize a bunch of IDs for whenever

    INT isn't super important for bards. All it determines is number of spells scribable per level and scribing success rate. The latter can be addressed with int raising potions, and with 16 int you'll have plenty of space for the good spells per level.

    You reduce those stats as suggested, and you could then pump STR to 18, dramatically improving your melee success.
    Quartz
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    I was considering crossbows for just that reason. However currently with the evil party setup I have, I have 2 sling users (viconia and montaron who will both kick royal hamster arse with them), 2 likely dart throwers (Xzar and Edwin because slings are already called for) and then its just deciding between Xbow or Bow. As you said there is a really good Xbow option early and I don't remember if bards can use composite longbows.

    If you're going to dump all the tomes on yourself, wouldn't it make sense to drop Con by 1, and put that point either into Cha (allows you a natural 18 with a pickpocketable cloak) or int for a higher chance of scroll scribing?
  • sandmanCCLsandmanCCL Member Posts: 1,389
    You should avoid dual-wielding until you have 2 pips anyway. And even then, you should avoid it because it's boring and overdone and IRL it's borderline impossible to practically utilize two weapons, so single weapon proficiency is way cooler.

    My default blade build is pretty much what you've got going on, except because I whore out all tomes on myself I go down to 7 wisdom (all 3 = 10 = no more lore penalty).

    I disagree with Deucetipher's opinion of INT. I'd rather have a high INT score than a high strength score. Strength is as easy as liberal applications of the mage spell "Strength" anyway, which you should whore like like crazy. Even if you get 18, you can only get 18 without exceptional bonuses, so casting the spell is technically better anyway. Maxing INT means less reloads due to the game screwing you out of spells, or simply just max spells known per level. Both of which are pretty neat. Also even if you do hit a penalty to lore by nerfing your wisdom, it's not that big a deal because the INT will boost it back up so at level 3 or 4, identifying anything should be cake.

    I do agree with his opinion of Charisma. Charisma is such a joke stat, really. Bard's minimum required charisma + Friends = MORE charisma than you need to hit the max shop bonus. Or, you could just use the charisma book to get it to 16, then equip Algernon's Cloak (you can steal it yourself as a blade!) to sit at 18.

    With the same theoretical roll that you came up with, you could go 17 strength, 7 wisdom, 15 charisma instead and have a much more dangerous toon out of the gate.

    I also HIGHLY recommend doing my patented Friendly Arm Inn/Beregost Pyramid Leveling Scheme. Just those two zones with your PC and Imoen or some other plucky NPC before talking to or picking up any other guy. You should easily hit 2 or 3 from the quest experience, and the most difficult thing you get to do is fight the Spiders in Beregost (which you can just not do that part if it's too hard). Very little combat involved, as completing all the quests in both those zones is basically hobgoblins, ogres and Silke. You can either have an entire party full of guys at 2 or 3 before going into Nashkel, or not have them at level 3 til you clear half the entire coast. They really should have made it so all those quests offered quest XP rather than XP split up between your entire party.
    Stormvessel
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    I might drop imoen and pickup Xzar Montaron and then do all of the FAI and Beregost quests then. Hey I TOLD her to stay behind, its not MY fault she didn't listen.
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    edited December 2012
    My blade is currently rolling around as 18,18,16,17,7,15, before any tomes.

    Honestly, I don't think there are any real benefits to having a CHA north of 20. Friends puts me above 20 from whenever I can start casting spells. I usually pull it off some random monster before I have to buy it as well. You miss out on some loot in candlekeep, but other than that it's not too bad.

    I don't drop CON to 15 because I like to do no reload runs, and I like having that extra hit point when I run into a wolf on the coast way. It's not totally useless, as I can sacrifice it in the dream sequence in BG2, assuming I live that long. My Int is probably a little high, because if you're willing to use INT pots, you can get away with 16 or even 15 if you mass-scribe spells.

    EDIT:
    Sorry, was drafting this post and didn't see sandman's post till after I submitted. Sandman, what about the benefits of STR 19 w/tomes? That lets you net an additional +2 to your thac0, including over the Strength spell.
  • SedSed Member Posts: 790
    I'm going with a blade right now, and I went 18 str, 18 dex, 16 con, 15 int, 10 wis, 15 cha.

    Getting str and dex up to 19 with tomes, and 16 int and 13 wis and 16 cha (plus algernons cloak).

    I gave the con tome to Yeslick :-)
  • MeatBullMeatBull Member Posts: 5
    I'm also interested in making a Bard for my first character in EE. It's been a while since i played Baldur's Gate (Trilogy), for weapons styles and types, what should I be going for? I was thinking going blunt and a blade, like frail and short sword. Any suggestions?
  • MungriMungri Member Posts: 1,645
    edited December 2012
    I used these stats on my blade:

    image

    Quartz
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    Right now as I look at this I have the following stats:

    Str: 18
    Dex: 18
    Con: 16
    Int: 18
    Wisdom: 9
    Cha: 15

    I think I'm going to go ahead with Longsword and Xbow for my 2 initial weapons, and might put 1 point into single weapon style next in the early game just to have it.

    This still allows me to get my lore up relatively fast (only requires 1 wisdom tome which means I can still give 2 to Viconia should I desire, otherwise I can just take it to 12 for no reason), and with a Charisma tome and Alagorns Cloak I can have 18 Charisma without a friends spell.
    Deucetipher
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    Holy mackerel, great roll. I'm a bit jelly :).
    Quartz
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    Ya I was absolutely shocked when I got it too. To the point that I was trying to decide if I wanted to take a hit to wisdom such that I'd be able to have lore immediately. In the end I decided that the extra point of int was more valuable early just in terms of saving money on scrolls. *Trying to minimize the amount of reloading*.
    Quartz
  • MungriMungri Member Posts: 1,645
    You could just reduce the difficulty to normal when memorizing scrolls for a 100% chance.
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    I could but I won't. If I fail to scribe a spell with any of my 3 arcane magic users this go then that's it. Same for if a character dies. If they get chunked, then I need to find a replacement, if they die its either find a replacement or rez them.

    The only two times I'm really going to be lenient with reloads is pick pocketting or role-playing while turning in quests. I've played good for so long, I'm literally completely turning myself on my head by playing evil. For example, I just killed the ogre, and unless its a decent amount of XP and gold, chances are I'll prolly reload and just keep the belt instead. It's not MY fault that they lost it to the Ogre. And I said that I'd get it back for them. I just never specified WHEN I'd return with it.
  • szbszb Member Posts: 220
    You could always return the quest items, then pickpocket it back. Thats how I've been doing it in my bard walktrough.
  • MungriMungri Member Posts: 1,645
    I tried rerolling mine for more than 92 points, and after a while I got ...

    17, 17, 6, 18. 18 15 ....

    **** you 6.
    QuartzIchigoRXCTJ_Hooker
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    I had accidently erased my stats 3 or 4 times when I was trying to make the character Mungri. After the first time where I had a decent roll I decided to go back and lower the Cha. Then, managed to get them nice before I decided I wanted a half-elf instead of a human and more int. Low and behond as I'm spamming refresh on the forums the roll is just like "Here now stop talking and go play." And that's what I did until a few minutes ago. But its almost 7am now so sleep MIGHT be a good thing.
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    edited December 2012
    Hahaha @Mungri, once I played a Bard 18/18/16/18/4/15. I called her "Hot Dice," I actually had a ton of fun role-playing her severe lack of Wisdom. I made her pickpocket far too frequently, etc. She got in lots of trouble. :3
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    Yes my poor bard kinda challenges most everyone. Amazingly she didn't challenge Xzar and Montaron, maybe because they offered her something tangible at the start.

    However, her 18 int is making her wonder whether she really should have pissed off that crotchity old grey haired baffoon with the pointy hat along the road. We'll see if she's more civil to that guy in the future. Or if her ego kicks back in.
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    Mine died, so I rolled up a new one:
    image

    Went with Ninjato and Shortbow. Ninjato don't break and are d8 slashing, so that's nice, and bows have 2 attacks.
  • MungriMungri Member Posts: 1,645
    Why not crossbows or longbows? Shortbows are for thieves, bards can use better ranged weapons.
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    edited December 2012
    @Mungri
    Spoilers follow.

    BG2, in part. Tuigan bow is available early and is really good, and Gesen is pretty awesome to use against hard to hit enemies (Adamantite golems, Kangaxx, etc.). IIRC you could also use ammo with the gesen and stack the lightning with the regular damage, for something like 1d8+1d6 damage (though you no longer get the benefit of of the +4 hittable marker). Tansheron's Bow did something similar, but I liked Gesens +4 enchantment for determining what is hittable.

    I don't like accessing WK till after SoA because it can make SoA trivial, so I won't have access to Firetooth till ToB.

    In BG you lose out on the Army Scythe, The Dead Shot, and Composite Long Bow +1 but the Eagle Bow is pretty good in its own right. It loses one point of to hit v. Dead Shot or one point of damage vs. composite. Vs. Army Scythe, you get 3-8 damage instead of 2-9, and it used to grant STR bonuses, weirdly enough. I'm not sure if that is still the case. Haven't made it to BG yet.

    To be fair, you can get Army Scythe extremely early in the game.

    Taken as a whole, I prefer shortbows, even if Eagle no longer grants STR bonuses.
  • MungriMungri Member Posts: 1,645
    When you import to BG2EE you will be allowed to respec proficiencies. The thing is you can put eagle bow on a thief in BG1, and if you have a bard spec it to use crossbows for either the army scythe or heavy xbow of accuracy.
  • TJ_HookerTJ_Hooker Member Posts: 2,438
    My blade has:

    STR: 18
    DEX: 18
    CON: 18
    INT: 18
    WID: 7
    CHA: 15

    I actully rolled those stats a total of 3 times, (scrapped the first to change a proficiency, the second to change alignment). The first 2 times took remarkably little time for such a high roll (like 20-30 min), the 3rd time I rolled longer than I care to say. Anyways if you're wondering why I have 18 CON, it's to use the claw of kazgaroth.
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    @Dragonspear , I'm currently playing with a blade , and my character was :

    Human True Neutral Blade

    Str 15 Dex 16 Con 15 Int 17 Wis 10 Cha 18 profs - short sword and long bow (next profs on two weapons style)

    Not an overpowered physical character , but I also made it that way for roleplaying reasons :

    -blades aren't really fighters , they know how to swing a blade , and know tricks on how to look intimidating , but they're still artists.

    -I gave him a high charisma and intelligence 'cause he's a natural leader - all blades have an air of self confidence, I suppose. Having a lore of 5 per level still helps the party, and charisma 18 provides some benefits in BG, such as trading discounts and some reaction benefits in dialogues.

    -Short sword proficiency is good 'cause in BG2 there is a short sword which provides an extra attack (there's also a scimitar that does the same) , in BG1 there are great short swords (a sw +2 and a sw+3 ).




  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    I actually didn't know about respec after import, though that's pretty lame, imo. I just checked and Eagle Bow has lost its STR bonuses, so you make a valid point. In tutu/Vanilla it was a waste to put the Eagle on a thief, since no thief maximizes the str bonuses the Eagle could get. Montaron with 16 str got something, but nothing compared to a PC with 19 str. Kivan was a good choice for it, if you got him early enough to spec shortbows.

    This is my first time through EE, so I didn't know they changed the Eagle. I stand by my reasoning with the information I had at the time.
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    edited December 2012
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    Ok, now how about: Ideal stats for a halberd?
  • MungriMungri Member Posts: 1,645
    * Halberd, * Crossbow * Two handed Weapon style, 18 base str at least.
  • MungriMungri Member Posts: 1,645
    edited December 2012
    I really wish there was a new rogue kit simply called 'adventurer'.

    Combines bard, thief, and versatility.

    Abilites:

    - normal bard songs
    - gains open locks and detect / disarm traps
    - can put maximum points into any weapon style
    - 4 proficiency points to spend at level 1
    - 10 thief points per level
    - No backstabs, snares or set traps ability. Bard HLAs only.

    Then you have an ideal solo class without having to dual class.
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