> As to your question, looks like you will trade the +23
> agility and 20% speed for 6 AC, +15 strength, and 17%
> haste. I'm going for berserkers the moment I get it.
I've always found this kind of intriguing...even with the haste reduction,
6AC and 17STR is sufficiently more valuable than 23AGI (from VI's point of
view), to make Crescendo 6 levels higher than Celerity. Personally, I think
I'd use Celerity to buff monks and Crescendo to buff warriors.
> Well, for shoulders I'm wearing crested spaulders. 11
> AC +5 or 6 stamina. Not a bad item I think and it's
> selling for fairly cheap these days. As to back, I'm
> clueless on what to go for. I'm wearing a cloak of
> the icebear which has a nice cold protection to it.
I'm using this combination, too, but I'm leaning towards getting a lizzy
cloak (AC8, 5DEX) for day-to-day use, saving the icebear cloak (AC8, 20Cold,
10HP) for cold-resist situations.
> As to belt, I'm camping the thick banded belt. That
> +15 strength just makes me DROOL. Course, I'm also
> trying to get into the frenzied groups so I'm either
> going for a FBSS (+20% haste can't hurt) or the TBB
> (+15 strength /cheer).
I've taken the "AC is all-powerful" attitude and chosen a straw-spun belt
(AC10), but I'd have a hard time passing up either a TBB or an FBSS.
It seems to me that bards, more than any other class, need to be flexible in
their role in a group, and this extends to equipment. There seems to be so
little hard, specific data available about the pros and cons of one
attribute versus another, though, that it can be a very tough decision.
Basically, I choose Haste and STR as a "battle bard" and DEX and CHA when I
rely on songs. AC and AGI are always nice to have, so I'll sacrifice either
Haste/STR or DEX/CHA for AC/AGI depending on my role. Now that I have
Tuyen's, I'm moving toward the "singing bard" role a bit more, because I
know that with Tuyen's, Fulfil's, and my MM drum (next quest: Tambourine!),
I'm more dangerous than I am with weapons as long as I'm not getting
resisted.
[38 Bard] Mannerism Dirgesinger (Half Elf) <Intrepid Spirit> SERVER: The
Rathe