Class: Bards

[MarcoDelVespuchi]

Well, I figure if anyone is going to start this, it might as well be me.

Ideas for the direction of Bards. Not just skills/spells but overwhelming themes behind the various ways a bard could be played.

I'm thinking of a buffer type that would enhance group member's abilities through various spells/songs and a debuffer that would negatively impact NPC's attacks and defense. I strongly see them as a 'Support' class.

Alot of ideas I have for them wouldn't be much fun in a mud environment since it is hack and slash effectively with no exp gained aside from killing mobs. However a master of lore would be another subgroup, but I'm not sure how knowing the history of Sanc City would grant any benefit to a character in a combat situation. (Unless that knowledge of lore would give some dodge bonus to mobs from certain areas that lore had been quested for and found)

I would like to see the colleges change a bit. Expand to keep up with the rest of the mud. Or have the current college restricted to entry from Mid, while NT and Skara have different colleges with different names, mobs, level requirements, entry requirements, the whole nine.

For example: If you put into place this idea of 'Sub-Bards', and have three types of bards, put not only a level restriction, but also a skill restriction on the colleges so you would need to possess a certain skill/spell set on the character to gain admittance into each college. Then the college could be tailored more towards each 'type' of bard.

More to come.
Work calls.

[pixie]

I personally would like to see all classes more along the lines of support, so grouping would be more common, aside from that though!

Um what about skills like silver tongue, where your bard couldgive a classic no! really! you HAVE one of those? gee whiz! can i see it? kind speech to up load rate on given mob for a next reset?

How about skills like Goblin Lore, Dragon Lore, Wraith Lore, etc and bards get better hit/dam/spell save what have you when facing them?

Ettiquite skill gives %chance to diffuse aggros you are familiar with? (see lore skills)

a limited type track skill if bards have learned the lore of a given area?

Also, Just an idea, dont know why I am posting it here, except Marcos brilliant guild idea, how about quest only skills? Give said assembly item to said mob and he teaches you said skill?

Return the Lost kings broken sword, reforged, and he is so greatful he teaches you the lost ways of berserker rage!

anyhow!

-Pix

[pixie]

Just watched a featurette on music in the movies, they showed the same clip 2x with different music in the sme scene, 1 was tragic, 1 was lol funny, so.

my thing on bards is nothing affects emotions quite like music, anything that can affect your mood, for better or worse, should be in the realm of bards skills.

there are myriads of ways emotions could affect you, make you superhuman, to sub pondscum all depending on whim.

bards should do that to mobs and players!

most buffing and debuffing belong in this class, imho

[Dank]

bards, to me, can be epitomized in the heroic character Tom Bombadil from LOTR lore.

Tom is the first bard, imho.

ask yourself what Bombadil would do, and you've got a bard. In fact, read the several chapters that revolve around the early fellowship's sojournings through the forests and barrows east of the Shire, and you have the essence of what a bard is.

[October]

As a newbie bard I have been amazed at how many items I simply can not use. Would one of you older and wiser bard players out there be kind to me and post a list of typical bard eq?

That would be swell.

[DaHart85]

My B30 Manabard: (can replace drakes with sphinxian)
<used as light> the Essence of Music
<worn on finger> the Ring of al-Hakim
<worn on finger> the Ring of al-Hakim
<worn around neck> an amulet of stasis
<worn around neck> an amulet of stasis
<worn on body> a royal blue and gold kimono
<worn on head> a kabuto
<worn on legs> Lightning-scorched Drake Leggings
<worn on feet> shimmering sandals
<worn on hands> a set of fingerpicks
<worn on arms> Mage Bracers
<worn as shield> a shattered fragment of Dasein
<worn about body> a chameleon cloak
<worn about waist> Belt of Knowledge
<worn around wrist> Bracelet of Disease
<worn around wrist> Bracelet of Disease
<wielded> a Bardic Guitar
<held> an engraved silver flask

A Damage Bard: (good align)
<used as light> a Glowing Opal
<worn on finger> a Bardic-Signet Ring
<worn on finger> a Bardic-Signet Ring
<worn around neck> a torn leather collar
<worn around neck> a torn leather collar
<worn on body> a suit of diamond armor
<worn on head> a golden crown
<worn on legs> Lightning-scorched Drake Leggings
<worn on feet> a pair of Nike Airs
<worn on hands> a set of Adamantite Gauntlets
<worn on arms> Bardic Armlets
<worn as shield> a Musical Force-Field
<worn about body> a Crimson Cloak
<worn about waist> Puff-Hide Girth
<worn around wrist> a Bardic Bracer
<worn around wrist> a Bardic Bracer
<wielded> Singing Sword
<held> 3dam 1str holdable

[Arizhel]

Bah. Don't listen to him. That's not just a 'typical' set. There's a few 'nice' items in there.

Typical neckwear would be tstones if neutral, and +str stuff if not. Typical weapon would end up being a laced or an enlibrite or some such. Maybe a tbolt or mallet if you're really motivated about it. Course, it -is- relatively easy to make, compared to its stats, or it can be acquired on auction for a fair amount of gold.

Oh, yeah. Dragon Wings are a better about body for damage mode.

The rest of it, though, is pretty typical. Bards are fairly easy to equip, as long as you run the colleges.

[Cordelia]

I have a completely different conception of Bards to Dank. I perceive Bards to be wandering minstrels, earning their coins, board and lodgings and a flagon of Mead through their story-telling; entertainers, who act to disseminate stories and tales from far-away lands. Thus, myths and legends are born through repeated telling (as the drink flows and becomes ever more copious, so do the tales).

Citizens of the realm would be wise to remember the fate that befell the folk of Hamelin when they welched on a deal ..

Regards,
Cordelia

[farbekrieg]

I see bards as having several toggable spells that can be turned on and off that cost no mana that affect everyone in the room except the bard (imagine a bardic banshee song that is area of affect of some points of damage to all mobiles in room) songs that can increase damage roll or mana regen. Remeber all these songs would just be one at a time, hence you couldnt be inspired and flown at the same time.

Also for equipment

Lights pretty much not a problem few are class restricted
Rings Rage, Guardian, Bardic Rings, Signets, Cobalt
Hands Bardic Adams, one in Weeden, brass claws
feet nikes, hover, sandals, stilts,
neck ankhs, stasis, torns, tstones, demon faced, r/b/g amulets
legs moorish, drakes, bardic greaves,
arms Tatts, bardic, toves
head gcrown, xmas wreath, diamond crown, garland
belt gods, puff
body pin, rd scale, silk shirt, stupid thing from eagle
about crimson, cj, dwings, ewings
wrists bbracer, red wyverns, bcb
shield bardic , that 1 con 1 int shield
wield psword, laced, enlib, nightbringer, rusty

[Griffon]

Has anyone ever thought about not only making bardic colleges, but also having colleges for all the other classes? I mean, they have to learn somehow, don't they?

That would be an interesting thing to see though... and then classes would get more class-only eq... which would be fun.

Is there a downside to this (besides the amount of time it would take to code)? I'd be more than willing to help write zones, if needed...

-Nic

[Pioneer]

From what I understand, Bardic college was put in due to the lack of bard gear in the 'normal' zones, so there isn't really much point for other classes to have a college of their own.

p.s. sorry for the delay in response, I only recently started playing again.

[AirIIDII]

Poor bard thread, it's the only class not on fire!

[AirIIDII]

Plus nobody posted to in almost 4 years!

[santa]

Besides for the fact that no one has posted in here in forever I truly believe that the bards in Jedimud are in dire need of some changes. Being that my main mort (only mort now days) for 14 years has been a bard. I would really like to see a major revamp of the skills list. We have some amazing abilities, but really as bards there seems to be a lot that we are missing. i.e more status affecting songs.
-Santa

[Simba]

If anything bards should be nerfed, with the spells/skills they have they can solo group exp mobs without getting hit. (I really don't want bards to get nerfed just proving a point.) Though I would personally like to see some more suggestable mobs and rooms that are !magic but bards could still sing and rooms that are !sing but other magic is allowed.