Greetings and Welcome to the EQ Bards Mailing List, a mailing list
dedicated to all for and about the Bard in EverQuest.
This list will be posted semi-regularly, and updated as often as is needed.
If you have any suggestions, or any frequently asked questions, please let
me know.
First, some basic rules:
(Common sense stuff, really)
1) Stay on Topic (as much as possible). While we do
often stray off the
path of Bard-related stuff, lets try and keep the
material "of-interest" to
our readers. Ex: Discussions of DoT nerfing are
acceptable, because Bards
have DoTs. Discussions of Rogue Poison recipes are
not. Discussions of
Quests and items are okay, as long as you make an attempt
not to spoil
someone else's fun. Use [Spoiler] in the heading, or put
spoiler space
(several blank lines) to let people know in advance.
Deliberate spam will NOT be tolerated, and any person
doing so will be
immediately reviewed for warning, removal or banning.
On a related note, if you notice that your topic is
straying from the
original thread, please change the subject
header. Example: RE: Mistmoore
Battle Drums becomes:
re: Fighting undead as a Bard (was RE: Mistmoore Battle
Drums)
For those of you receiving the digest version, if you can
make an attempt
to change the subject field to something appropriate,
that would help those
of us not digesting our mail better pass it ;)
2) No Flaming. Not all of us share the same opinion as
you do, but please
be considerate of one another. Take a moment to read
through, and then
make sure someone hasn't already responded before posting
hastily. We're
all human, and no one likes to be called names. If you
simply MUST insult,
badger or degrade someone, DO IT PRIVATELY.
3) There is no Rule Number 3.
4) Watch for "KABONG!"s. KABONG! is an old list-term for
a thread that is
being forcibly killed. This sometimes happens when a
thread has
degenerated sufficiently off-topic to no longer be valid
for this list, or
when the subject matter has become too inflammatory to be
discussed.
Kabongs generally only occur in extreme situations.
5) No Attached Files! If you wish to share with us your
latest picture,
some nifty article or the Happy99 worm, please simply
include a link within
your email to an appropriate place online. If you have
no access to such,
email the file to me, (except viruses ;) and I will post
it for you, and
follow up to the list with the URL. Small infractions
will probably be
overlooked, but let's try to be considerate of our
European readers who
have to pay by the minute to download their mail.
6) Be Considerate of Others! Please keep "me, too!" posts
to a minimum, and
try not to quote more of the message than necessary
(although you should
always make sure that the message you are sending is
properly referenced,
so that people reading the messages out of order are not
completely lost.
And try not to abbreviate too much, or use strange "slang" or
incomprehensible euphemisms. Plain, clear speech is much
more effective,
and will cause fewer "WTF?!" messages... Also, use
spoiler headings and/or
spoiler spaces when presenting Quest hints or weapon details.
Okay, enough rules. Now for some Frequently Asked Questions!
Q: I keep seeing all these abbreviations: "DoT", "DD",
"PGT", "FBR" - What
do they all mean?!
A: Well, the best way to learn is to check out the
EverQuest Glossary at
http://amtgard.pinkpig.com/bards/eqglossary.htm
(shameless plug). Briefly,
those four terms mean "Damage over Time" (refers to
spells/effects that do
damage every few seconds for a while, instead of all at
once), "Direct
Damage" (refers to spells/effects that do all their
damage at once),
"Polished Granite Tomahawk" a nice weapon, and "Flowing
Black Robes"
something casters love.
Q: What song do I get at <foo> level? What does this
song do?
A: Well, again, shameless plug time: The EverQuest Bard's
Guild
(
http://amtgard.pinkpig.com/bards/eqbard.htm) has a list
of spellsongs,
however, most people seem to prefer detailed statistics,
so let me refer
you to
http://www.attcanada.net/~reaper/ - The Concert
Hall. Also,
the Soerbaird is a wonderful site:
http://www.soerbaird.com/
(Anyone want to suggest any other sites?)
Q: What do instruments do?
A: Some songs have associated instruments. Playing this
instrument will
generally enhance the song by as much as 50%, but this is
also related to
your relative skill with the instrument. Also,
instrument skill is
partially responsible for failure rate of related
songs. To avoid
"fizzling" (missing notes) even when singing, keep your
instrument skills
maxed out.
Q: Are there any magical or "Unique" instruments for Bards?
A: Yes, there are several known "special" instruments in
the world.
The Mistmoore Battle Drum (found in Mistmoore),
which increases the
effects of most drummed songs by 20%
The Lute of the Gypsy Princess (also found in
Mistmoore) which has no
discernible special effect.
Brahm's Horn (found in the Gorge of King Grobb)
which has no known
discernible effect.
Drums of Selo's March (Found on Cazic Thule?) which
increases the
effects of most drummed songs by 30%.
McVaxius' Horn of War (unknown) which adds +9 INT,
+9 DEX, +15 CHA and
increases Brass song effects by 15%.
Minotaur Horns found on minotaurs in Steamfont and
the Gorge of King
Grobb are wind instruments with no known special
effect. They are,
however, lighter than flutes, and don't cause that awful
animation.
The Lizard Scout Fifes are rumoured to be
non-magical wind
instruments, but this still remains to be proven.
The Unicorn Horn (found in Lesser Faydark), acts as
a Greater
Lightstone while held, as well as a wind
instrument. Other than that, it
has no discernible special effect.
Q: What's the difference between a Lute and a Mandolin?
A: Weight and cost. Mandolins are lighter, but a little
more expensive.
Q: When I get Dual Wield, will I be able to play an
instrument while
swinging a sword?
A: Unfortunately, no. While instruments are off-hand
only items, they are
also considered two-handed. Besides, it's ever-so-much
more fun to bash
monsters with your lute, dontcha think? (Sylly! WEP!)
Q: What's the best weapon/armour/equipment for <foo>
level? Where should I
hunt at this level?
A: Okay - time to ask the list ;)
Q: What are "Hotkeys" and how do I create them?
A: You'll notice that in the lower left side of the
screen you have 6 empty
boxes with the number "1" and two arrows above it. This
is the "hotkey"
box. Initially, hotkeys default to the numbers 1-6 on
your keyboard, but
you can reconfigure that through the options
settings. Songs, spells, the
spellbook, socials, and inventory boxes can all be made
"hotkeys". To
create a "hotkey", LEFT click on the box/spell/icon you
want and HOLD it
down. After a second, the box will magically "lift up"
and attach itself
to your pointer. Simply "drop" the new box onto the
appropriate hotkey
slot, and blammo! Instant hotkey. Now, whenever you
press the associated
hotkey button, you will activate the song/spell or action
in that slot.
Inventory boxes do NOT "activate", putting them in your
hotkey bank is
simply to avoid having to open your inventory to swap
items in combat.
Q: Why would I want to swap items in combat?!
A: Well, not just in combat, but by placing inventory
slots (General
inventory slots, or worn/wielded slots will work. Bag
slots will NOT) into
your hotkey bank, you can grab (for example) your sword
and swap it with an
instrument in order to heal faster, run faster or
whatever. PRACTICE THIS
MANEUVER. You *WILL* drop your weapon or instrument at
least once, and
more likely several times, so practice practice
practice! And if you *do*
accidentally drop something, don't panic, just back up,
grab the item and
run like crazy.
Q: Why can't Bards do <foo> as well as <other really buff
class>?
A: Well, simply put, we're the "Jack of all Trades,
Master of None." This
means that, while we can do so many different things
(sneak, dual wield,
pick locks, safe fall, etc. etc.) we're not meant to be
masters in any of
them, so you may notice certain skill caps (such as 40
for Forage and 75
for Sneak, etc.) that mean that you will never be
incredibly good at these
skills. Be thankful that you get them at all.
Q: Is it true that The Jig of Vigor song increases mana
regeneration
speed for your party members?
A: No. What the Jig does is increase the rate
of Stamina Regeneration
every six seconds and hence the display of the Stamina,
Health, and Mana
bars to show this increase. Without the song playing the
bars are refreshed
every eight seconds. The ultimate effect of this is that
the mana bar
"moves" every six seconds instead of every eight seconds
so it APPEARS to be
moving FASTER. In actuality - it is moving 75% of the
distance it would
move if it waiting the other two seconds. So bottom
line, it LOOKS like it
is regenerating faster but it does not. If you don't
otherwise have a need
to regenerate stamina, you are wasting a memorized song slot.
Q. Why can I never gain any experience in 2-handed slash
or 2-handed blunt?
A. Although Bards have these skills, and even though they
appear on the
trainer, you can never train 2-handed skills as a
Bard. This is apparently
a piece of virtual duct-tape to allow GMs and Guides to
play Bards and
still wield 2-handed equipment (like their special staff).
Q. What are the most important stats as a Bard?
A. Well, because no matter what I answer, someone will
disagree with me, I
will say this: No matter what your starting stats, odds
are, you will
eventually be able to balance any deficiencies out with
magic items and
jewelry.
Okay, well, this FAQ is pretty long as it is - and I've
run out of ideas.
If anyone has any suggestions for the next version,
please feel free to
send them my way.
Talies the Wanderer
Moderator