----- Original Message -----
From: Morgan Allison <morgan@...>
To: <eqbards@onelist.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 1999 12:04 PM
Subject: [eqbards] Re: Level 9

> From: "Morgan Allison" <morgan@...>
>
> Your concerns really struck a nerve with me and I'd like to share some of
my
> observations about life as a bard. As mentioned in previous reply, we
> bards are actually very good soloists. When things get hairy, we have the
> accellerando - a near full-proff excape route. In the situation you
> described, if I was getting hit hard and hit a lot, I'd hit accellerando
at

I lasted about 15 seconds. I tried my damndest to get accell - but kept on
getting stunned...
While I was stunned the two cents and the legionaire were hitting me..

> about 3 bars of health. This is because you slow down below 2 bars and
you
> may need that extra bar to get some distance between you and the orcs.
> Always have accellerando hot-keyed.
>

Stupid me - didn't know you can hot-key a spell...

> Second, lament is a great spell but it can, as you have learned, fail.
> However, the lower the level of creature is compared to you, the more
likely
> it is to succeed. Never use it on a white or higher con. It will fail
way
> too often. But, if they all con green or a low blue, you could solo a
camp
> and clean it out.
>

I didn't realize they "fixed" that spell. When I first got it - it wasn't
working. Was soloing an orc camp in Lesser Feydark - (with a bunch of high
level guys - no prob that time) - and it didn't work. I recall comments on
this list about it. If there were comments that it was fixed - I must have
missed it.

> Third, our greatest power is in grouping, but grouping is risky. It is a
> high-trust situation. Be very careful who you group with and guage how
well
> you can trust them. I might group with a group like you had described,
but
> I would not trust them to save my butt if I got in trouble and at the
first
> sign of trouble, I'd run. Only when they have shown that they can be
> counted on to keep me alive when the going got rough would I let myself
get
> low in health. I die more frequently in a group then solo because I am
> still too trusting and eager to jump into danger to save someone whose
> stupidity got them into trouble... usually failing and dieing along side
of
> them.

Well the biggest thing I learned - not to listen to non-bards about what
song to use. The leader of the group (who seemed to know what he was
doing) - asked me to turn on the dischord song before starting to fight. I
should have trusted my own instincts than listen to someone else... I
usually start with a buff song - and switch when I feel it's appropriate.
>
> Be up front with them about this though. Make sure they understand that
> since you don't know them well, and your life is dear to you, you will do
> what you have to to protect it until some trust and teamwork has
developed.
>

I appreciate the advice. Live and learn (or in this case - Die and Learn!)
Getting Stunned is clearly the biggest problem we face in combat!

Slyde