How much dodge for pure bard?

[Tilnam]

Planning to change to a pure in a few levels when i get closer to level 40. I am afraid to drop all my dodging training, in fear of losing too much defense. I am going to be training in brawling and using the offhand 2h instrument for primary defense.

Will I need dodge training at all? If so, how much? Would 0.5x work out? Or would I need 1x? Or can I get by with none at all? I am nervous because I only get 1 shot at this. If I train wrong and my defense is too low, I am screwed.

[Deathravin]

Isin (at level 44), your current skill bonuses and ranks (including all modifiers) are:
Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 160 60
Shield Use.........................| 146 46
Brawling...........................| 146 46
Physical Fitness...................| 192 92
Harness Power......................| 144 44
Elemental Mana Control.............| 90 20
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 146 46
Perception.........................| 90 20
Climbing...........................| 120 30
Swimming...........................| 120 30

Spell Lists
Minor Elemental....................| 30

Spell Lists
Bard...............................| 45

That's my plat pure bard.
The PF is because he's in GOS... not sure why I went that way, but eh.

[Lumi]

I've been a pure from 40-cap. I didn't train a single rank of Dodging until post-cap.

You'll be fine. 1x spellsongs + 1019 == plenty of dodging for standing around in guarded.

That said, I recommend you keep a good collection of small statues and 102 scrolls around. They're not necessary, but they're a nice buffer to have, especially if you get stanced.

[Buckwheet]

When you say until post cap, did you 3x spells first or get 2x pt or?

I am looking at things to do on my post cap bard.

[Lumi]

When you say until post cap, did you 3x spells first or get 2x pt or?

I am looking at things to do on my post cap bard.

Well, seeing as we bards can only 2x spells...no, I did not 3x spells ;)

I'm relatively newly-capped. Dodging is my first post-cap goal. I'm up to 40 ranks (+5 from my blindfold), and I'm trying to decide if I want to go all the way up to 1x first, or stop at .5x and switch over to something else.

Priority goals for me are (not necessarily in this order) getting my brawling back up to 2x, getting 24 ranks of EMC and SMC, getting perception back up to 1x, getting my spells all the way up to 2x. After all that...I dunno, probably Trading.

Your first post-cap goals are highly dependent on your skillset when you reach cap. I had no dodging, no cm, 1x brawl and 2x shield, 2x lores, a little over 1.5x spells, .5x perception, 90 ranks of armor...not really the typical pure bard build.

[Buckwheet]

Er yeah I meant 2x spells I have 176 spells right now with no dodge, and light CM.

I started going 2x pt but then got to thinking that in my hunting ground, OTF, I don't get manuvered that much and there are times however when I get cmanned and the extra DS might be nice from dodge.



Armor Use..........................| 160 60
Shield Use.........................| 302 202
Combat Maneuvers...................| 35 7
Brawling...........................| 201 101
Physical Fitness...................| 227 127
Arcane Symbols.....................| 102 24
Magic Item Use.....................| 102 24
Harness Power......................| 201 101
Elemental Mana Control.............| 50 10
Mental Mana Control................| 102 24
Elemental Lore - Air...............| 120 30
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 175 75
Climbing...........................| 105 25
Swimming...........................| 160 60

Spell Lists
Minor Elemental....................| 75

Spell Lists
Bard...............................| 101


As you can see there is too much undecided going on there.