>I gain so little exp in a group it isn't even funny. This is why I don't
>group, because the exp is AWFUL. Anyone else had the same experience? If
>you haven't tried soloing, I suggest you try it. You may never want to go
>back.
>
The amount of xp that is possible to earn in a group is greater than as a
solo imo. That is, if the monsters are plentiful where you are fighting and
you are not waiting around to fight them. My favorite scenario is a full
group of six people with one person constantly bringing back monsters for
the group to fight. As a bard you can heal and generally keep the pace up
so everybody is constantly fighting. Some nights its just one large battle,
with at least one mob on us at all times. This is an absolute blast and the
experiance comes very quickly. If everybody is sitting around and waiting
to get to 100 percent mana or health all the time, then you are wasting a
lot of time. Try and keep the pace as fast as you can with out getting
anybody killed. A lot of times this goes on for an hour or more till we
pull one to many and we all have to sit out for a bit and recover. Course
with a bard this isnt very long, just enough time for everybody to enjoy
talking about what just happened and then its on to the next one.
Soloing on the other hand means a lot of times you have to run or zone
because you JUST missed being able to finish the mob. In a full group this
rarely happens if everybody is playing their part and trading damage. I
think of the bard as a catalyst, we speed things up.
>>And my final point of the night: (And here's where I expect to work on my
>>dodge skill:) I think Bards should be denied Plate Mail. Already I can
>>hear the Battle Bards winding up - but hear me out: The Bard was never
>>intended to be a grunt-class. The big burly types should be the ones
>>soaking the damage and such, not us. Of course, before they make any
>>changes like this, they should also fix that tiny little bug that makes us
>>the primary target ALL the time :(
Heh, i was gonna chew whoever wrote this ears off untill that last clause.
I would gladly trade my rubicite for not being the monster magnet :)
>
>When I do group, I find one of my main selling points is "I can't dish out
>the damage, but I sure can take it". It seems to me that platemail is a
>perfect way to counter-balance the relatively small amount of damage we can
>do. Very few classes do less raw damage, but I can solo because even the
>toughest creatures find it difficult to dent my bronze platemail. And in a
>group, the combination of my platemail and ability to attract the attention
>of the mobs, makes me a great tank, taking the damage whilst the
>spellcasters dish it out. From a roleplay perspective (oddly necessary for
>some of you) . . . don't get an image of the Bard as some sort of
>wandering weakling artist. Our skill may lie in singing, not fighting, but
>we are strong surviving types. We are used to braving the dangers of the
>wild, and can take a beating, as well we should.
>
>-Musil Tearsong