Blade or Skald
Valchist
Member Posts: 44
i cant decide what is your favorite
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Blade actually has things to do while in combat, it's as simple as that really.
Edit: From a purely powergaming perspective however, Skald is probably technically "better"(since the improved song gives it a tool which is unique). A blade is basically a fighter/mage but worse at fighting than a fighter, and worse at casting spells than a mage(even considering the fact that a multi classed mage gets only half the experience).
Edit2: That being said, bards are way cooler than fighter/mages! So if you want to kill stuff in style, go with the blade. :P
Blades have a much more active role in combat. While you can get a similar effect by playing a fighter/mage, Blades level faster and have access to Defensive Spin. And as previously mentioned, they are much cooler .
*Shrugs* I dunno. Skald is pretty sweet for low-level play but high-level play with Skalds is underwhelming.
I'm not a fan, but honestly ... 3rd edition improved upon the bard vastly.
Everything that sould be said has been said so im just adding my own opinion
Demi-God(or God) Skald singing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2p9PsVD9Ho
Hope that helps you choose.
Recommendation: play in HD and use nice pair of headset if you have. Also, see the lyrics here:
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/wintersun/timei.html#2
Edit: This fact is BG2 specific though, as in BG1 skull trap offers no real advantage over fireball other than it's damage type being magical rather than fire, since fireball only stops scaling at level 10(which no class can surpass with a 161k XP cap).
Play as a Joanna Newsom instead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb5Jp_duKNM
Blades are hardly bards, and it's easy to make the point that a fighter/mage is better. But I still like playing blades... Defensive Spin plus defensive buffs makes them effective at tanking, Offensive Spin lets them jump into melee for a few good hits, and with mage spells on top of that, they're quite the versatile class.
Personally I'd usually prefer a fighter/mage, but am considering playing a Skald in my next game for something different.
RR also fixes the two-weapon fighting proficiency for all thieves and bards to allow any rogue to reach three pips.
Hopefully by the onset of BG2:EE we'll see mods such as RR updated to work with both EE games.
/End thread
RR is nice, but it doesn't change the fact that the actual amounts for the two weapon stuff are wrong. ** is supposed to be what 3 currently is..and ** is a little worse what * should be. Which means you get screwed twice. You have to place an extra point beyond what you should need to, and the 2 you spent prior were worth less then they should've been.
Other then that, I do like the changes since they brought stuff a lot closer to PnP....though still don't get why they made lingering song a HLA, when the bard songs are supposed to last 1 round/level anyway.
Regarding @Pshlos remark: Can use armor (Elven chain) so your party Mage uses a robe whilst the Bard gets that, Can't do traps - sure* but having a character that gets free Pick Pockets allows your party Thief to focus on other skills, they may not have a Fighters THAC0 or damage but they can buff using arcane spells - spells such as Tensers Transformation make a huge difference to Bards due to their more rapid leveling. Come epic level they also gain Thief HLAs (*epic traps) & Epic Bard Song which means even when passive or withdrawn from combat they can make a fantastic contrabution.
Anyone got fire or acid for the kill?
In BG2 there is also bard-specific armour (and other magic items, that are otherwise "wasted") Indeed, self-buffs are most of the point of bards and fighter/mages. I still think the fighter/mage is the stronger class, but bards (or at least blades and sklads) are not as bad as people seem to think
Seriously though bardsong is dumb. The bonuses aren't worth having an entire sixth of your party standing around doing nothing but granting them. The blade is utterly lethal. Offensive spin makes you a wrecking ball. It's unfathomably better than Kai--instant cast with no animation, two and a half times as long-lasting, and a movement haste on top? I didn't check to see if it stacks with the Boots of Speed or normal Haste spells, but certainly before those things show up you'll be a beast.
The only bitch about the blade is that he doesn't really measure up to a fighter/mage/thief in terms of later-game power, especially if you're playing with a small party so your FMT levels up rapidly. Being able to chain invisibility and backstab and bring your own buffs and have real access to thief skills with a fighter's THAC0 is hard to beat.
But the blade's way fun, yeah.
You can also use an inquisitor for that I guess, but a bard can memorize remove magic instead so you don't mess with your own spell protections so that's also an advantage.