>Several points... bards are mob magnets... usually at the worst possible
>time. =) Fighters, even with same type of armor, seem to be able to handle
>dmg better than bards. And I don't know about others, but my ability to
>deal out damage really sucks. I hit about 60% of the time, and maximum
>damage with my current weapons (barbed whip and combine LS) is 42 per
>round,
>plus bellow for an additional 17 for a total dmg of 59. Compare this to a
>caster who can do 300+ with a single spell, or a rogue who can do 80+ with
>backstab, or a fighter with a good 2h weapon who can do 70+ with weapon
>alone, plus kick, bash, riposte, etc. And don't forget rogues and monks
>disarming their opponents.
>
>Basically, bards are, strictly speaking, a luxury item, not a necessity in
>a
>group. Every group needs tanks and healers. After that they need nukers.
>What we do is make everyone else more effective. We minimize downtime by
>topping off the hurt with our heal song, bringing casters back into action
>faster with mana song, make the tanks deal out more damage with anthem,
>protect with the guardian series, etc.
>But strictly speaking, we are not truly "needed", not the way a healer is.
>
>You want to show a group how important a bard can be? Go join a group
>that's
>camping Drez or any charm-using mob, and do nothing but stack Guardian and
>Elemental. That ups everyone's magic resist to 80 or better. No one gets
>charmed anymore. =)
>
>Or a Tae room group with 2 pallys, cleric, druid, wiz, and a mana bard. I
>did a group like that the other night and we did a 20 minute non-stop
>melee.
>No one died, no one was ever totally OOM. I'd step back and hit mana song
>to recharge the caster and healers, then back into melee and do anthem some
>more. We piled the bodies high around us that night. =)
>
> >I suspect it's just powergamers not wanting a jack-of-all-trades, but the
> >characters who can do the most damage standing behind those who can take
>the
> >most beating. Ah well, one day I'll be level 50 too. And know what?
>So
> >will those guys.
>
>
>What I'm finding is that it's people who were in early beta phases, and
>they
>want to be with their old friends more than being with new friends. Their
>old friends know the mobs, know how to stay on top of the spawn. Newer
>friends take time to learn this, and in bad situations, that time might
>spell someones death. They'll take a 33 shaman instead of a 33 bard
>because
>that shaman goes back to P0.5, etc.
>
>But once you become known as someone who is *GOOD*, you can break down
>those
>walls. It just takes so awfully long to do that most give up. I'm too
>damned obstinate to quit. =)
>
>Linako
>
Um - yeh, no way can a bard stack up to a similar-level warrior in melee
potential. They get the most hp, and they get dual-wield, double-attack,
parry, riposte, etc...
Back in p4, before they `ripped' out the bard speed-attack combo (whistling
warsong/anthem stacked), I was able to beat a friend of mine in melee one on
one. He was a ranger, we were both 10th level. He didn't have all the cool
skills fighters get so it was just a match with our mino axes. "damn songs!"
was all i kept hearing. Well, now that speed-attack combo is out, there is
definitely no way I could duel him at most likely any level.
I agree with the bard not being a necessity for parties, but I would hate to
be without one were I not playing one =)
Sartori of Kelethin
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