Bard training path Polearm/Brawl/Pure

[Nihiladrem]

So I'm thinking of training a Bard. There are a few different builds I'm considering.

I'm unlikely to cap the character, so I want to plan for being very effective starting around level 35. I want to set my stats to be effective with whichever build I choose. And obviously if I plan for a Pure Bard, the stats will be very different then a melee bard.

Build Options as I see them:
1. Lance all the way up. Tonis, Air Lore, AGI/DEX bonus for minimum swing time, etc.

2. Brawling, Mstrike bard. Tonis, Air Lore, for crazy screen scrolling fast attacks and flares.

3. Pure Bard, some combination of 1 or 2 until level 35, but with stats set for casting and more mental TP's. Can a pure bard be effective at this level?

I'm looking for comments about the upsides/downsides of these builds, the build requirements of each. Template suggestions welcome.

Thanks!

[WRoss]

1. Lance all the way up. Tonis, Air Lore, AGI/DEX bonus for minimum swing time, etc.

Lance is definitely a very common choice for bards. Though in the early trains, its often difficult to incorporate everything you need to have mana to keep all your songs up. DS is also an issue until later trains (even still then). Though, I love having 2 second RT with a sonic lance. Its amazing. Consider training in other things, such as dodging, that will allow your char to survive before putting points into all the air lore and telepathy for tonis.


2. Brawling, Mstrike bard. Tonis, Air Lore, for crazy screen scrolling fast attacks and flares.

Again, incorporating all the TPs necessary for this at low trains will be difficult. Mstrike is very expensive. Also, the DF on brawling items suck. If you are going for tonis, just go with a shortsword, pilum (one handed polearm), or any other small weapon of another class and get 1-2 second RT and flare away. I've alway thought it'd be neat to see a polearm bard pick up shield and swing away with a pilum.


3. Pure Bard, some combination of 1 or 2 until level 35, but with stats set for casting and more mental TP's. Can a pure bard be effective at this level?

This has its own challenges, though there have been a few bards who have done this from the get go. I couldn't tell you much about the training as I've never tried it. Though all the bards that I've seen go this path, in later trains, have been amazing. I'm sure Dan will chime in.


Another path that you didn't talk about is archery. I've seen quite a few bards do this, and quite effectively. With tonis and 1 second eye shots, it is amazingly brutal.

[Nihiladrem]

I should mention that for the first 30 days, I'll be using a claid and maxing my strength, agi/ref and logic. Just so no one bothers to mention that.

[loxe]

>I've alway thought it'd be neat to see a polearm bard pick up shield and swing away with a pilum.

i actually have a onehanded pole /shield bard but so far ive been using a damage weighted trident.

its not as great as it might seem right off. tis slow and i dont seem to get the sheer kill power of polearms using it one handed.