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Bard questions

Good evening everyone,

After playing BG2 more times than I dare to count I realized that it was ages since I played BG1. After buying it, I came to the regular crossroads, what character should I play? I started with an evil Dwarven Defender but after Nashkel mines I already started to think of a whole new way character to play. Last time I played BG1 was with an Paladin. To get a new experience I was thinking of maybe doing a run with a vanilla Bard. I like the roleplay aspect (and pickpocketing), hence no kit. I was thinking of playing as a CN, who has no qualms about robbing people in their houses but not evil enough to murder them in their sleep. I want to try some fun party members, are their any tips besides on fun NPC:s? With the Paladin I played the goody two shoes which has the most boring NPC:s and gameplay.

I am not very familiar with the Bard, so what quests musn't I miss, which NPC:s should I let tag along, and what equipment is essential? Are there any Bard only items like in BG2? Who is worth to pickpocket?

I remember so few things from BG1 and have never played a Bard so sorry for the newbie questions.

Take care y'all!

Comments

  • styggastygga Member Posts: 467
    Take Dorn with you, his quest line gives you the only elven chain mail so you can cast spells in armor.
    TwoWayFinessejackjack
  • nanonano Member Posts: 1,632
    Algernon in Beregost has a nice cloak, and Dushai in Ulgoth's Beard has a magical ring.

    For items, my checklist would include the Golden Pantaloons, the books for each stat (and 3 for wisdom), and the Helm of Balduran. That's if you're going on to BG2.

    The BG1 NPCs don't talk a lot, so if you're looking for conversation you should take the EE NPCs. Other than that it really depends on whose personality you enjoy. I like Coran myself.

    The one quest I would watch out for is a certain one in Baldur's Gate with a strict time limit. If you take too long you die. Anyways, have fun!
  • elementelement Member Posts: 833
    the shop in ulgoths beard has the captive audience which is a harp that casts domination for bards only

  • RuscoeRuscoe Member Posts: 126
    i think bards are the most fun class to play, u can do a bit of everything and not completely suck, totally a support class that can make your party more efficent on all aspects. pretty much vital at this point i'd say...
    BelgarathMTH
  • TwoWayFinesseTwoWayFinesse Member Posts: 128
    maybe obvious but wands are powerful, and Bards can use them all. Also longbow in the bandit camp is good for a bard.
    BelgarathMTH
  • ArchaosArchaos Member Posts: 1,421
    edited January 2014
    If you don't use the BGNPC mod and maybe shouldn't since it's not completely compatible yet (haven't tested it) take all the EE NPCs as mentioned.

    As Chaotic Neutral you shouldn't care about their alignments.
    Dorn, Rasaad, Neera and Baeloth.
    That's four plus you for a total of five characters.

    If you're feeling mad enough, get Tiax. He's a Cleric/Thief which covers both needed roles. Until then, you can use Viconia and until you get Baeloth you can have Coran or Safana.

    So now you have Dorn for melee, Rasaad for support melee, Neera for a Mage, Baeloth for extra damaging power, Tiax for Cleric support and Thief and you which can be an archer/pick-pocket/support mage/identifier etc.
    Not a perfect or optimized setup but they cover all your needs.
  • Zooey_GlassZooey_Glass Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the tips guys!

    Will definitely check out the suggested NPC:s and items. That it is not a perfect setup doesn't matter, I finished the game with a lot worse set ups. A very conceptual "nature" party comes to mind.

    I will probably using short swords (they look cool and there are some food ones in BG2) but should I go Bows or Crossbows? Long or short bow?
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    As an unkitted Bard then a ranged weapon is a good idea. Crossbows or Longbows would probably be best in BG1, with Crossbows or Shortbows being superior in BG2.

    As you can only be proficient with weapons as a Bard then start with 1 ranged and 1 melee weapon and then just go with whatever you feel like. By the end of BG1 you'll be able to use 4 weapons competently.

    I'll back up the recommendation to include Dorn in BG1 - his quest gives you the elven chain which will really help with survivability.

    As for unkitted bard - they are pretty weak compared to the alternatives. Blades and Skalds both have big advantages. Blades can dual-wield much more effectively and use their spins to be competent in melee early. Skalds have slightly better THAC0 and their song is better until you get the HLA song to replace it. Both have close to zero downsides, and aside from being slightly more Norse-themed Skalds are similar to regular bards from a roleplaying point of view.
  • abacusabacus Member Posts: 1,307
    edited January 2014
    Edit: Withdrawn... Posted in wrong thread. Apologies.
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