Message: 4
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 16:49:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: John Kim <
kim@...>
Subject: Re: Mid-level songs
On Tue, 24 Aug 1999, Jim Mattson wrote:
> 26 -- Angstlich's Appalling Screech. In the wrong
place at the wrong
> time, this can be a disaster. However, I have
used it
> effectively a few times as a panic button,
giving my party (or
> what remained of it) time to zone. I guess it
could also be
> used for reverse-kiting in safer areas, but
I've never tried
> that. Because of its limited usefulness, I
rarely have it
> memorized, unless I strongly suspect a pending
disaster.
I vastly underestimated this song, and relegated
it to
practicing brass skill. Then while we were in the
depths of
Guk, I happened to have it memorized when we got
in over our
heads. My friends all ran out of the song's range
and died
within 30 seconds. I made it from the Lord room
to the zone
(a 1-2 minute run) losing only 2 bubbles.
Later, after I recovered their corpses and they'd
been
resurrected and were sitting out the resurrection
effects at
the zone, someone dumped a train on us. So I
fired up Screech
again, and I'll be damned it worked. The cleric
had to heal
me once in the 2+ minutes we sat there waiting for
the others
to finish looting and regain enough strength to
move, but we
went from a really bad situation to a yawner with
the cleric
"practicing" some little-used spells on the
fleeing frogs to
kill time.
I think we will change our dungeon retreat
strategy to me
firing up this song, and everyone sticking close
to me as we
*slowly* make our way to the zone.
-------------
I was ecstatic about this song as I thought it would
keep me alive! =)
Do you need to stop and restart this song repeatedly
or are you leaving it on? I twice failed in my
attempts to use this for myself running out in Guk:
once the Shin Lord room (tal shaman on me) and once
the prison (warden on me), although I came very very
close the second time. Is it best to stand still
during the first screech to evaluate the
effectiveness? Or just high-tail it whilst jamming
the screech button?
[As an aside, I was using Clouding (invis) both times
when I was attacked. Is it that one or both of those
in particular have see invis or was I unlucky? I have
run down to check Shin Lord spot a few times without
being jumped before but perhaps I stepped into room a
bit too far? Went too close to warden? It has also
failed repeatedly in Cazic in the maze where I know
the lizards don't have see invis. Ouch.]
John, have you tried screech in Cazic with the higher
level lizards? I have used on the lower level ones
successfully.
More general: please share more get-out-of death
strategies. I die a lot (ouch, hehe) as I'm sure many
bards do because of the taunt effect of many of our
songs, especially in indoor dungeons. Screech is one
strategy. Would pixie striking help? Lullaby?
--------------------------------------
It's also good for Chain/Fear attacks (snare/Fear
is probably
better as then there's less chance of the Fear
effect wearing
off due to resists). This will significant cut
down the
damage you take when fighting ultra-powerful
melee mobs
(griffins, giants, cyclopses, etc).
-------------
Chain/fear makes soloing a much more enjoyable
experience. Not only can you follow behind something
hitting, bellowing, and DoTing it from behind, you can
sometimes scare off that extra one you really didn't
want while keeping the one you did chained.
============================================================================
> 28 -- Crission's Pixie Strike. If this cleared the
mob's shit-list,
> it would be fantastic. As it is, I find it
disappointing. It
> is certainly no substitute for the enchanter's
mesmerize. If I
> can really charm multiple mobs at once, then I
see no real
> advantage to mesmerizing, but if charm is
limited to one at a
> time, then I guess mesmerize could be useful
as an alternative
> to lullaby. Still, it seems that when
mesmerizing two or three
> mobs, I'd have to pull out of the fighting
completely, whereas
> with lullaby I can still be in there bashing
on the same guy
the
> party is attacking. Not currently memorized,
but maybe I need
> to experiment with this more.
My experience has been that mobs break out of
Lullaby more
often and more quickly than with Strike. Also, I
dunno what
weapons you use or who you usually group with, but
each of the
folks I'm grouped with typically do twice as much
damage as me
in a fight, and there are usually two or three of
them. So
it's not a problem for me to drop out of a fight
and stick to
just my instruments while striking two or three
mobs.
Another thing it does is interrupt casters, which
is great in
certain areas since it's not area effect like
Lullaby. If
we're fighting something like a lizard herald or
justicar, I
will just strike it over and over instead of
singing any other
songs. Between me and the paladins casting stun,
solo casting
mobs usually get off 0-1 spells during a fight.
-------------
Very effective for interrupting casters! I saw that
suggestion here and have been using it in Cazic ever
since. Thanks, guys. =)
> 29 -- Psalm of Vitality. Um. Okay, great disease
resistance. (No
> poison resistance at all, despite what I've
seen on some of the
> song listings.) Big whoop. Am I going to be
fighting anything
> where people are going to care about this?
The last time I
> fought anything with disease, it was the
undead gnolls in Lake
It has a pretty nice AC bonus (same as Chant of Battle
with a
drum), but then so does Psalm of Warmth, and that has
a damage
shield to boot, so yeah, pretty useless. Maybe if
diseases
really meant something, like they added lycanthropy,
then this
song would be useful.
-------------
Psalm of Warmth has an AC bonus? I will have to check
that out. I like Psalm of Warmth as well when I am
the lowest level person in the group. Many of the
offensive songs are repeatedly resisted so I
concentrate on the defensive or non-combat ones:
warmth, anthem, and heal.
Also regarding Psalm of Warmth, I see the 'xxx was
burned' message much more often than the 'xxxx was hit
by non-melee damage for 5 points' (insert exact
wording). What is your experience on the relative
frequencies? Are the burned messages alone only an
indication that it is up and working and the damage is
only done when the non-melee message appears?
============================================================================
> I'd appreciate any observations that run counter to
my own analysis,
> plus some insight on what's coming up for me in the
30's. Do any of
> these new songs really rock?
Clarity (L32) is probably the most anti-climactic
song you
will ever get. Everyone wants it, you can't wait
for it, and
when you finally do get it... nothing. You cannot
see
*anything* this song does because it does not
affect you in
the slightest (except the annoying spam messages).
All you
get are reassurances from anyone who's not a bard,
monk,
warrior, or rogue, that yes, their mana is indeed
regenerating
faster. More like a whimper than a bang. :-)
-------------
I am sure I will need to carry a towel to deal with
all the drooling when I reach 32. I am currently
carrying a stick to poke those who say "Oh, you're not
a mana bard? =(".
Maravana Vireo of the Jus Divinum
30th season
Mithaniel Marr
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