Pure Bard: Runestaff, Shield, or Shield/Brawl?

[Jymamon]

I'm going to fixskills my 59 bard to pure to try out. With his TPs, I can do this core training:

Skill | Ranks
Armor Use|8
Physical Fitness|61
Climbing|20
Swimming|20
Perception|61
Harness Power|59
Mental Mana Control|24
MnE|32
Bard|79
ML:Manipulation|61


Based on what I've read in the other threads on going pure, he'd add in one of:
- Brawl: 1x Brawl, 1x Shield
- Shield: ~1.5x Shield (up to 1.75x by cap)
- Runestaff: 1x THW

For all three builds, he'd stop EL:Manipulation at 75 ranks and just manage 2x spells (75/127) by cap.

He won't have any EL:Air until 78, though, unless I cut other skills and will only have 12 ranks (+9% for double flares) by the time he caps. (Assuming I went THW, don't think I'd bother with the other builds.)

Currently, he's a CoL master and I doubt that'll change. If it did, he'd go to GoS.

Is there anything I'm missing or should be doing differently? My plan at this point was just to do the math on which of those gives him the best DS and go with it. Since I know there's more than a couple who've gone down this path already, I thought I'd ask for feedback first.

[Buckwheet]

I went 2x shield route before maxing brawling as I got more defense I believe. Here is my pure:



Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 160 60
Shield Use.........................| 302 202
Brawling...........................| 201 101
Physical Fitness...................| 201 101
Arcane Symbols.....................| 102 24
Magic Item Use.....................| 200 100
Harness Power......................| 201 101
Elemental Mana Control.............| 102 24
Mental Mana Control................| 102 24
Elemental Lore - Air...............| 120 30
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 175 75
Mental Lore - Telepathy............| 105 25
Climbing...........................| 105 25
Swimming...........................| 140 40

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

Spell Lists
Bard...............................| 117

[Jymamon]

I went 2x shield route before maxing brawling as I got more defense I believe
Thanks for the feedback.

Comparing a bunch of variants on what I had originally posted, my DS (based on Tsoran's trainer, ignoring bonuses from spells and equipment) should be:
Build|Def (59)|Guard (59)|Off (59)|Def (Cap)|Guard (Cap)|Off (Cap)
Shield (1.5x) [with instrument]|118|108|67|173|158|96
Shield (1.5x) [w/o instrument]|174|153|68|231|205|98
Shield(1x)/Brawl(1x) [with instrument]|91|84|55|130|119|75
Shield(1x)/Brawl(1x) [w/o instrument]|190|166|69|259|226|97
THW (1x) (didn't account for instrument)|165|142|52|212|181|66
These I ran just for data points. No instrument in hand.||||||
Shield (1x)|147|129|56|188|166|77
Shield (2x)|201|177|82|275|244|121
Brawl(1x)|141|121|64|173|148|55
Brawl(1.5x)|162|139|51|208|179|65
Brawl(2x)|183|157|57|243|209|75


If I get motivated, I might re-visit parry DS to ensure that's right (the sheet shows me getting ~45-60 parry DS with no weapon training which seems high) and/or calculate how the numbers change once I take into account dodge DS (from spells, not training) and how the shield would affect that. Odds of me finding that motivation is slim, though, as I've already wasted more time on a seldom played alt than I care to.

His unspelled/0x equipment DS as OHE/Shield was ~122 in offensive and he was doing alright (heavily spelled). I figure as long as I get close to that for guarded, I won't be too disappointed. As long as I don't keep my instrument out all the time, that doesn't appear to be an problem to achieve. (I'm leaning towards 1.5x shield, but a sonic runestaff does have some attraction. In any case, I have a few days to play through other characters' XXX periods before I feel obligated to decide.)

[AbnInfamy]

What did you decide on?

Has anyone that's been using the runestaff find that the sonic flares are worth a DS lose from shield use or brawling?

[Jymamon]

What did you decide on?
I ended up going with the runestaff option and dropped a few ranks here and there to bump my EL:Air. My final skills are:

Skill Name | Bonus| Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 40 | 8
Two-Handed Weapons.................| 161 | 61
Physical Fitness...................| 161 | 61
Harness Power......................| 159 | 59
Mental Mana Control................| 90 | 20
Elemental Lore - Air...............| 82 | 18
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 150 | 50
Perception.........................| 161 | 61
Climbing...........................| 90 | 20
Swimming...........................| 90 | 20
Minor Elemental....................| | 39
Bard...............................| | 72

The flaring runestaff is neat, but if I were to fixskills again, I think I'd go with a shield build. Each kill is too few casts to make the flares anything more than a novelty. Having given up some ML:Man, CS, and MMC wasn't worth it for the EL:Air.

That said, the runestaff option is perfectly viable so I won't be using the fixskills coming up just to change over, but I may use it when the following one is getting close if I'm still playing him.

[Delarock]

Why perception?

[DaCapn]

Probably for maneuver defense and bandit traps.

[Jymamon]

Probably for maneuver defense and bandit traps.
Yes, exactly.

[Darcthundar]

I ended up going with the runestaff option and dropped a few ranks here and there to bump my EL:Air. My final skills are:

Skill Name | Bonus| Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 40 | 8
Two-Handed Weapons.................| 161 | 61
Physical Fitness...................| 161 | 61
Harness Power......................| 159 | 59
Mental Mana Control................| 90 | 20
Elemental Lore - Air...............| 82 | 18
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 150 | 50
Perception.........................| 161 | 61
Climbing...........................| 90 | 20
Swimming...........................| 90 | 20
Minor Elemental....................| | 39
Bard...............................| | 72

A few questions. Why mental mana control? Wouldn't elemental mana control be better. Does the runestaff DS and Two handed Weapons DS stack?

Thanks

[Jymamon]

A few questions. Why mental mana control? Wouldn't elemental mana control be better. Does the runestaff DS and Two handed Weapons DS stack?

Thanks

MMC is for 1013.

No idea if the runestaff and THW DS stacks. I'm assuming not, but I haven't checked the my DS numbers to verify.

[Drakefang]

MMC is for 1013 AND 1040, which is more important later once you get it. Whether it helps solo or your group shouldn't matter as more effective is better. I prefer being able to share with empaths over wizards and sorcs, as they make better mana batteries, IMO. To each their own, though.

Eventually, and truly sooner than later, you should stop using THW for DS with the runestaff. It's a waste of points. You can drop all the THW, which is pricey as a bard, and just get more magical skills. It would appear that based on your magic skills alone, you are essentially .6x in THW for DS purposes without even spending a point on anything extra...thus the wasted points in THW. If you turn those points into more EL:Air, MMC, Manipulation lore, MIU/AS and HP, you'd be equivalent to 1x in THW for DS. 8x magic skills per level = 1x THW. I believe you are about 4.5x now.

[caelric]

Eventually, and truly sooner than later, you should stop using THW for DS with the runestaff. It's a waste of points. You can drop all the THW, which is pricey as a bard, and just get more magical skills. It would appear that based on your magic skills alone, you are essentially .6x in THW for DS purposes without even spending a point on anything extra...thus the wasted points in THW. If you turn those points into more EL:Air, MMC, Manipulation lore, MIU/AS and HP, you'd be equivalent to 1x in THW for DS. 8x magic skills per level = 1x THW. I believe you are about 4.5x now.

I was about to post something similiar, but you beat me to it. Those points in THW are more or less wasted. Convert them to other magic skills, and even if you don't reach 8x magic skills/level, you'll be close, and good enough.

Heck, convert them to combat maneuvers and pick up some disarm and cunning defense for protection against disarm and other cmans, and even though you'll be missing out on some DS, it's not a lot, and the cman defense is worth it, depending on what you fight.

[Drakefang]

Ignore the disarm training and use a sonic runestaff. It can't be disarmed. Use the cmans, assuming you bother with CM training at all, to get cfocus and cdefense. Personally, I might forgo the cm training for now to use the points for things like MoC, to assist with FoF. A lot of your DS can get eaten up fast by FoF because it'll be less skill based and more from spells. I assume that, as a bard, you can get double flares with a sonic runestaff with the proper amounts of air lore training.

The alternative would be something to use if you get throat chopped like dirtkick to keep an enemy off balance. I simply think that being a pure, you go full pure or go home. I am planning on going pure with the next free fixskill.

[caelric]

Didn't think about the sonic runestaff. Good call.

[Jymamon]

Eventually, and truly sooner than later, you should stop using THW for DS with the runestaff. It's a waste of points. ... You can drop all the THW, which is pricey as a bard, and just get more magical skills.
I see your point, but right now DS is his biggest weakness and your proposal is the more expensive route to go. He's currently 4.35 ranks/level in magical skills. To get to 7x/level, he'd need to 1x AS and MIU plus add in 2/3x EMC. Total cost per level would be 0/12. Since he's converting points, let's call that 24/0 effectively. THW costs him 11/0 and nets 10% more parry DS.

The magical skills do have more uses but being cheaper isn't one of their features when the goal is general DS.

Come fixskills, he's likely going to drop THW in favor of 1.5x shield use for a small savings in TPs (7.5/0 total cost) and a small gain in DS.


convert them to combat maneuvers

for now to use the points for things like MoC
Fitting in some of both of those is something I've considered. More so MoC to help with FoF. If there's only a single creature in the room, the pure bard doesn't seem to have any issues keeping them under control. (Read: stunned or dead).


Ignore the disarm training and use a sonic runestaff.
He's doing that. The EL:Air lore hasn't been worth it in my experience so far. They're neat and that's why I put some points into air lore, but he's already migrating those away even though fixskills is near.

[Drakefang]

Well, all I am going to say is that I believe you're making some mistakes. Good luck with your design and your overall skill choices.

[MrMortimur]

Wanna send me over your intended training plan Galenok? I'll be going pure with the next fixskills as well yet have a few last things I"m undecided on how high to train.

Lochiven

[Darcthundar]

I am also leaning towards a pure bard with the new fixskills coming up. Do pure bards sing 1018? Does it significantly help with mana regen and what is the failure rate like?

Thanks

[Drakefang]

I sing 1018 on every hunt in order to power 1035, currently. Since I've not attempted a pure bard I can't say how bad mana consumption is or isn't. I know it's devastating to hunt with. I would say 1018 is necessary to complete bounties but probably not if you just want to fry. Mana regen is significant but, again, only if your hunt is extended for clearing a warcamp or a long bounty. Failure rate is high but the penalties vary wildly. The thing with it is that it will always fail if given time to fail. My own runs for about 30 minutes, give or take 5 minutes before blowing me up. An issue is that you can have a random failure without warning. The spell song does not give a warning 100% of the time. I'd say about 20% of the time it just goes poof.

The key is to highlight the warning line in your renewals. If it fires off, then stop it and restart it. You've generally got anywhere from 3 to 7 renewals but I don't know what determines how many renews you get out of it. My guess is levels and possibly Mental Lore:Telepathy.

[MrMortimur]

I use 1018 on every hunt currently in the bowels. I'm trained for archery but I resort to blowing up krynches and elementals with 1015/1030 while keeping up 1035 for elders/jarls. Only times I"ve had 1018 fail are when I go AFK after completing a bounty and even then sometimes it hasn't blown up yet.

I'm currently at 84 spellsongs and 12 telepathy, even more telepathy would give you longer renewals. How much MMC are you going to go for at cap Galenok? That's my biggest thing to decide, whether to go for a lot of mana control for the spell benefits and regen, or to just go for a larger mana pool with excess HP (and wracking)

Lochiven

[Drakefang]

Questions we now have to ask because of the new UAC:

1) As a brawling pure bard, is it worth splitting your focus slightly in order to have two methods of combat?
2) Assuming you want to use the UAC, how necessary is CM?
3) How much do you sacrifice as a pure bard to actually be a pure bard/unarmed combatant?
4) How badly does a shield hurt your use of the UAC?
5) How long til the UAC is released and makes it worth caring?

I'd love to be able to do both, but am not far enough post cap to do it full bore. Close but not quite. Right now I can 2x shield, 1.5x brawl or vice versa. That's without any CM training, though. If using a shield hinders the UAC only slightly, I can see going without the dodge skill.

I can likely manage at least .5x dodge by dropping armor to double leathers. I can easily be back to 1x dodge and 2 brawl by losing my shield training. That still leaves me with minimal CM training at best.

Has anyone tested the UAC as a bard in the test instance, yet? Right now my "pure" build has me easily able to use a tonis enhanced UAC, with no CM, as well as having 156 spells, 150 ranks of HP and 75 ranks of Manipulation Lore.

Any ideas along this route?

[Drakefang]

After spending some time in the character manager, I'm just not sure what the best route to go is, as a pure bard.

Presuming I wish to use a runestaff, I can have 8x magical skills per level AND have about 50+ ranks of dodge, 30 ranks of MoC and 20 ranks of CM (for whatever purpose).

If I want to go 1x brawl/2x shield, that cuts into the magical skills reducing it to .25x AS and MIU, 1.6x HP, 40 ranks of MMC, 75 ranks air lore, 76 manip, 25 telep and 160 spells. With that I have zero CM and dodge but keep the 30 ranks of MoC.

As you can see from that, it shouldn't be a stretch at all to bump up the brawl and drop some shield to add a Tonis-hasted UAC to the repertoire.

My conundrum is simply a lack of testing the effectiveness of any of those hunting methods. In the past I was ohe/shield, polearm and ranged. I've tested brawling and dual katars as a mid-level bard but not at cap. So far, ranged has been the most devastating and polearms were close. You can make an ohe/shield tank that is virtually unhittable in defensive but offensively they just lag behind.

So, if any of you bards in the test instance want to figure out a nice training method for a pure casting speed brawler, feel free to post your findings. I guess what I'd like to see tested is how bad a shield harms the ability of UAC and how much a lack of CM hurts the same.

[Jymamon]

I would say 1018 is necessary to complete bounties but probably not if you just want to fry.
So far, this seems to hold true. The only time I've run out of mana withouth frying is when 425 dropped midhunt and I wasn't paying attention.

If I'm hunting critters that are holding weapons (Illoke mystics and shamans currently), I rack up enough kills with 1002 that I can frequently fry and have a good chunk of mana left over.

If I have to go straight to 1030 (worthless mastiffs), things are tight, but I can fry without wracking as long as my head wasn't belled when I headed out.

The one culling bounty I did in a single hunt required wracking and draining a few wands to complete. (I don't normally run 1018, but probably should've been on that hunt.)

[MrMortimur]

A few things come to mind. As there is no reason to intentially go into stances other then guarded as a pure, 1x shield and 2x brawl might be very worthwhile simply for the second attack type even though I believe my numbers had 2x shield 1x brawl higher in overall defense and naturally more so against bolts.

Just speculating but I can't imagine Finros would alienate all the pures that currently use volnfu by making the UAC a waste for training less then perfect. Even without CM I hope to find UAC useful when combined with ewave/lullabye/1008 to kill off something if i'm not using 1030 for whatever reason. That and....how can 1-2 second UAC attacks from using Tonis not be effective.

As for dodge, I know i'll be dropping mine down to 0, the defense is cheaper gained through shield/brawl because of the lack of Mtps. I look forward to getting it back at some point...merely to dodge like a champion using a sonic tower shield with maxed out air lore. (someday)

But yes, if any testers are game to post clips of tonis+uac in action, please post away.

[Ker_Thwap]

It's pretty hard to screw up a casting bard. I started off 2x brawl and swung a weapon until level 44. Then, I started 2x shield but kept the brawl so I'd have an AS based attack when hunting with capped friends. Can hit stunned/prone creatures.

Currently solo hunting is stupid easy. I have just enough perception/CMANs to defend against shield bash, subdue from bandits. Some survival to spot bandit traps.

Just started learning dodge with the hope that when I get to the jarls and elders I can just explode them and not get crushed. Dropped maybe 400 stone giants and had 1 death by falling. Never died to a boil. So I'm hopeful if I get a nice small shield I can use the same strategy later.

The arcane was just to get into the broken lands, I may drop it. The MIU is sufficient to wave an oaken wand to keep friends alive.

Mental mana control is just now starting to get me decent returns from unraveling blue wands.

The character's died maybe ten times ever.

I do have some decent armor/shield, so I could forgo air lore and sonic equipment. I tried sonic armor early on and died twice when I got stunned late in the renew cycle and was unable to renew it. Screw that.

Armor Use..........................| 150 50
Shield Use.........................| 198 98
Combat Maneuvers...................| 74 16
Brawling...........................| 188 88
Multi Opponent Combat..............| 50 10
Physical Fitness...................| 126 33
Dodging............................| 50 10
Arcane Symbols.....................| 70 15
Magic Item Use.....................| 74 16
Harness Power......................| 166 66
Mental Mana Control................| 126 33
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 164 64
Mental Lore - Telepathy............| 15 3
Survival...........................| 86 19
Perception.........................| 126 33
Climbing...........................| 128 34
Swimming...........................| 99 23
First Aid..........................| 15 3
Pickpocketing......................| 5 1

You weave another verse into your harmony.
CS: +324 - TD: +216 + CvA: +8 + d100: +40 == +156
Warding failed!
A lesser minotaur reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 69 damage!
... 65 points of damage!
The lesser minotaur's neck explodes launching his head into the air.
[You have earned 100 prestige points.]

A low gurgling sound comes from deep within the chest of the lesser minotaur as he falls slack against the ground.

CS: +324 - TD: +216 + CvA: +8 + d100: +74 == +190
Warding failed!
A lesser minotaur reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 90 damage!
... 85 points of damage!
The lesser minotaur's midsection swells painfully then bursts, sending the lesser minotaur everywhere.
[You have earned 100 prestige points.]

A low gurgling sound comes from deep within the chest of the lesser minotaur as he falls slack against the ground.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.

You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at a krag yeti.
CS: +324 - TD: +227 + CvA: +25 + d100: +30 == +152
Warding failed!
A krag yeti reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 67 damage!
... 70 points of damage!
Spine ripped from the krag yeti's body and thrown to the ground.
[You have earned 80 prestige points.]

The krag yeti collapses to the ground and shudders once before finally going still.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.

[Lumi]

I realize I'm late to the party, but I guess I'll weigh in as a pure bard.

When I first went pure (level 40), I went with 2x brawling and 1x shield, specifically to use Fu, and quite enjoyed it.

Now that I'm capped, I've gone with 2x Shield and 1x brawling, and haven't looked back since. The extra DS is totally worth it in my opinion. I dont Fu any more, but I find that I simply don't need to. Eventually I'll get my brawling back up to 2x (sooner rather than later when the UAC goes live in Prime, probably), but for now I'm working on picking up dodging ranks.

Re: 1018, I use it all the time, but as others have said, if I'm not doing a bounty, I don't need it. And even if I were doing an extended hunt for one reason or another, I could use 1013 instead of 1018 (hunting ground dependent).

It really IS hard to screw up a pure bard, I think.

[audioserf]

Did you have any problems hunting pure at 40? That's my current plan (my bard's a polearmer and level 21, figured that was the easiest build for blowing through the physical levels). He's COL, so no Fu, and I plan to do 2x shield right out the gate at 40.

[Tenlaar]

I'm about to blow you guys' minds.

2x shield, 1x air lore, load up on magic skills. Use a sonic tower shield AND sonic runestaff.

[Jymamon]

When I first went pure (level 40), I went with 2x brawling and 1x shield, specifically to use Fu, and quite enjoyed it.
I'm curious, what did you train (pre-cap) in terms of spell ranks. I'm at 1.8x now and enjoying the guarenteed warding at like level, but I'm thinking about dropping down to free up TPs.


Use a sonic tower shield AND sonic runestaff.
I've seen 1 bard (maybe yours, I'm not sure) and a cleric that both do this. How does it work out in terms of DS v. TPs spent? (Assuming I'd only be training those extra magical ranks for the runestaff.) I assume the penalty for having an item in your off hand when holding a two-handed weapon would carry over into the parry defense values making the DS gains negligible.

[Suppressed Poet]

Instead of making a new thread, thought I would just ask here.

Has anyone tried going the route of a square bard when leveling? I've contemplated the idea...

2x CMAN and PF, use a lance, get the armor ranks to wear full plate, train in bard spells solely for the auto-renew songs, throw in a few telepathy ranks for the boost to 1007, maybe some air lore for sonic weapon. You wouldn't be able to cast anything in the field, but renewing would not be a problem. Wearing plate would be pretty cool and it would weigh next to nothing with good resistances.

Anyone tried that and if so can you give me an insight if it works well?

[Suppressed Poet]

Guess you really couldn't do it leveling because we can only 2x in armor. Wouldn't be able to wear full plate until 69 training off the MAN penalty at full 2x armor.

Probably not worth it because you would sacrafice using spells in the field. It would be an interesting build never the less seeing a bard in some sonic full plate swinging a lance. But I guess it would be a gimped paladin?

[Lumi]

I'm curious, what did you train (pre-cap) in terms of spell ranks. I'm at 1.8x now and enjoying the guarenteed warding at like level, but I'm thinking about dropping down to free up TPs.

I was a hair over 1.5x most of the time, 1x songs and .5x MinE. I rarely had warding or mana issues.

[DaCapn]

I'm about to blow you guys' minds.

2x shield, 1x air lore, load up on magic skills. Use a sonic tower shield AND sonic runestaff.

Pretty sure it only blows people's minds because you lose your parry DS.

Two-handed weapons require two hands.

[Buckwheet]

Necro.

Did UAC break brawling as an option for bards now?

[audioserf]

Only if they were Fu bards. Brawling provides the same DS it provided prior to UAC.

[Savageheart]

so... cause Im considering switching things up - and or hating life - is this a coke/pepsi argument for runestaves vs shield/brawl?

[Drakefang]

so... cause Im considering switching things up - and or hating life - is this a coke/pepsi argument for runestaves vs shield/brawl?

Obviously, we're way past a proper response time but I figured I'd wade in anyway.

If you're a pure you'll be wanting to go magic heavy. The use of a runestaff seems to naturally go hand in hand with a pure build. The basic pros are the you don't distract yourself from getting a ton of magical skills, which will all aid in you being a better pure. The downside is that you end up with fewer skills overall because you'll be concerting mad ptp to mtp. Singling shield and brawl will probably give you roughly the same DS or more than the runestaff in guarded stance. I suck at numbers but I'd be surprised if they weren't close. So, the question becomes do I then go 2x brawl to access the UAC without CM or go full pure with runestaff. If I were a bard lower than 70th level, I would probably go for the UAC access to take into account potential mana shortages. Again, your UAC won't be near as effective as some designed for it but it should be doable.

tldr; it's a coke/pepsi argument, in the loss of some pure power to gain flexibility and slightly more DS.

[Jeril]

Someone was asking in another thread and was linked to this one, so I figured I'd share my bit of experience with this so far. I had been planning on trying a pure bard before the fixskills came, silly me though I forgot. But with the release of the UAC changes and a new fixskills going to be made available I got another chance. I tried the runestaff build first but found the DS lacking. I haven't used my fixskills to change anything I have just been working in shield training while keeping the core of my training. His CS at 38 is about 204, I planned his stats for cap so his CS stat isn't that high and the race I picked provides no bonus there.

I could have made it a good bit easier on myself and went with a dark elf but I felt like doing something different. I say dark elf because for a bard they have mostly good stats, +10 AUR for CS, +5 WIS for spirit TD, high dex/agl bonuses to swing a lance in five if you want to go that route, and +10 DEX if you ever decide to go ranged as is being talked about in a different thread. The two stats that suck are INF and DIS. Both help early with renew times, INF is directly applied while DIS helps mitigate the multiple song penalty, each of those negatives are easily overcome with levels though. INF also helps with lullaby but that only seems to be a huge factor if you are uphunting a lot, and obviously swinging a weapon.

To actually hunt well solo as a pure bard at his level requires that you find and hunt very specific things or tote around a bunch of wands. I always have someone hunting with him so I don't have to worry about it much though.

Currently, this is what his stats and skills look like:

Race: Erithian Profession: Bard (not shown)
Gender: Male Age: 0 Expr: 1639046 Level: 38
Normal (Bonus) ... Enhanced (Bonus)
Strength (STR): 82 (11) ... 82 (11)
Constitution (CON): 84 (27) ... 84 (27)
Dexterity (DEX): 79 (14) ... 79 (14)
Agility (AGI): 84 (17) ... 84 (17)
Discipline (DIS): 86 (23) ... 86 (23)
Aura (AUR): 83 (16) ... 83 (16)
Logic (LOG): 91 (25) ... 91 (25)
Intuition (INT): 44 (-3) ... 44 (-3)
Wisdom (WIS): 72 (11) ... 72 (11)
Influence (INF): 89 (29) ... 89 (29)

(at level 38), your current skill bonuses and ranks (including all modifiers) are:
Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 40 8
Shield Use.........................| 151 51
Physical Fitness...................| 136 38
Harness Power......................| 136 38
Mental Mana Control................| 120 30
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 140 40
Perception.........................| 136 38
Climbing...........................| 120 30
Swimming...........................| 50 10

Spell Lists
Minor Elemental....................| 25

Spell Lists
Bard...............................| 43

[Tenlaar]

I tried the runestaff build first but found the DS lacking.

Runestaff + tower shield, 2x shield use. Some day you'll see. SOME DAY YOU'LL ALL SEE.

[Jeril]

I'm working the shield use up to 2x, and LOL at using both, although it'd be even funnier if you still got the enchant bonus from the staff.

[TheOne]

Does no one use an instrument in their hand before they're capable of getting the 60 ranks required to fully strengthen 1030?

[Tenlaar]

I'm working the shield use up to 2x, and LOL at using both, although it'd be even funnier if you still got the enchant bonus from the staff.

As far as I could tell while playing with it up to level 50ish in shattered you get the normal shield defenses along with the reduced-for-holding-something runestaff bonuses. Worked out to higher DS than 2x shield and 1x brawl (without having even nearly maxed magical ranks) and double vibe flares. Some day I'll get back in there and keep leveling him to see how it works out at higher levels.

[Ker_Thwap]

Does no one use an instrument in their hand before they're capable of getting the 60 ranks required to fully strengthen 1030?

I use a one handed instrument with great success. I first got brawl to 88 (by level 44), so I could hit anything in a camp or the bowels when a group had it prone and stunned. Then left the brawl intact and started 2xing shield, and .3xing dodge. Mix in a few ranks of shield bash and subdual strike for bandit defense, and nothing much touches you. Feint is next. You'll have silly CS, so don't skimp on defense.

[Vorpodu]

i'm new to bard, but from my experience with sorcerers i thought id just say that holding a shield and a runestaff increases DS, even WITHOUT shield ranks. so i can only imagine with.

[TheOne]

I use a one handed instrument with great success. I first got brawl to 88 (by level 44), so I could hit anything in a camp or the bowels when a group had it prone and stunned. Then left the brawl intact and started 2xing shield, and .3xing dodge. Mix in a few ranks of shield bash and subdual strike for bandit defense, and nothing much touches you. Feint is next. You'll have silly CS, so don't skimp on defense.

So you use a 1h instrument with a sonic shield I assume? What train are you? The brawl doesn't serve any purpose other than to hit things that are way higher than you, right?

[Ker_Thwap]

I have the luxury of having nice gear, so I don't sing any gear. (Someone needs to sell me a 10x small shield btw.) Tried it early on and died a few times when I got stunned just prior to the renew, and all the gear dropped. I also don't have to spend points on air lore to make the shield and armor effective.

At level 79, I've just hit the 75 manipulation ranks to retire the cymbals. I have only 126 ranks of shield and 35 brawl, and the basic spelled up guarded DS ranges between 460 and 540. I'm assuming the brawl adds some sort of unarmed combat based DS into the mix. Not that I have a clue what the calculations are, it just seems to work.

[Suppressed Poet]

Assuming you have a good ammount of dodge and airlore, a 7X weightless sonic tower shield (with the penalties of only a small shield to dodge at 100 ranks air) is leaps and bounds superior to a 10x small shield.

Cases can be made on the other sonic equipment, but I can't think of why a shield user would not use 1009. Maybe if you don't train in air lore, but why?

[Jeril]

They spend the TPs else where, which can be understandable for some until postcap. Especially in a pure build where you don't really need that extra defensive boost and are better served with greater offensive capabilities. All a personal choice really though.

[Suppressed Poet]

They spend the TPs else where, which can be understandable for some until postcap. Especially in a pure build where you don't really need that extra defensive boost and are better served with greater offensive capabilities. All a personal choice really though.

Got it.

I have not tried the pure route (doesn't interest me), but I assumed all bard builds train in air lore because it benefits so many spells.

[Ker_Thwap]

An earth elemental pounds at you with its heavy earthen fists!
With no room to spare, you block the attack with your white-painted shield!

AS: +417 vs DS: +573 with AvD: +50 + d100 roll: +42 = -64
A clean miss.


Yeah, I already have DS out the wazoo. Would rather spend the points on CMANs and such. I'll probably use a sonic shield after cap, but until then the nice equipment is like an easy button.

I do have the worst tonis in game, but don't really need the haste, when an open 1030 clears the room. It's kind of a selfish build, not really the best group support build.

[Tenlaar]

Super flaring sonic weapon is where it's at for me, the shield bonus and haste are just nice secondary effects of air lore.

[DCSL]

Out of curiosity, is there anyone other than me who just uses brawl? No shield use, no runestaff, just walks around empty-handed? I hunt the Bowels or OTF, fry quickly and easily, and rarely die. I mean, it does happen, but not often and it's usually to a lucky Stone Fist. Mostly use 1030 to hunt wearing augmented chain sonic armor.

[Androidpk]

Out of curiosity, is there anyone other than me who just uses brawl? No shield use, no runestaff, just walks around empty-handed? I hunt the Bowels or OTF, fry quickly and easily, and rarely die. I mean, it does happen, but not often and it's usually to a lucky Stone Fist. Mostly use 1030 to hunt wearing augmented chain sonic armor.

I would like to see a log of this.

[DCSL]

I'll spell up and head on out.

[DCSL]

Ha ha, I got caught by a Stone Fist just like I said. But before I did, I was working on Illoke jarl bounty and doing fine:

>sw
>
[Thanatoph Bowels, West Lobe]
This dimly lit T-intersection echoes with a soft thrumming heightened by a vibrating thwump-thwump as something imaginably massive heads in this direction. The soft sound of trickling water seems to come from within the walls and moves in a southeasterly direction. You also see an earth elemental and an Illoke jarl.
Obvious exits: northeast, southeast, south, southwest
>sle jar
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Lullabye to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
The Illoke jarl falls to the ground in a deep slumber.
Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
(Forcing stance down to guarded)
>
A soft feeling of serenity touches your mind, providing you with a clearer understanding of recent events.
You've gained 1 mental training point.
(To use these new points, click on the "skill goals" link in the quick link bar.)
Unconverting 1 Mnt points to return 2 Phy points. (See HELP TPS)

Training Points: 91 Phy 0 Mnt (2456 Phy converted to Mnt)
>
* Imoras just bit the dust!
>1030 ele
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an earth elemental.
CS: +420 - TD: +308 + CvA: +25 + d100: +64 == +201
Warding failed!
An earth elemental reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 96 damage!
... 80 points of damage!
Heart explodes rupturing the earth elemental's chest.
The earth elemental topples to the ground motionless.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An Illoke jarl snorfles softly in his sleep.
>loot
You search the earth elemental.
It had nothing of interest.
Tiny fissures quickly spread over the entire form of an earth elemental. Within moments, it crumbles into a pile of dirt and rubble.
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
An Illoke jarl is awakened by your attack!
The dull golden nimbus surrounding an Illoke jarl suddenly begins to glow brightly.
CS: +420 - TD: +327 + CvA: +20 + d100: +63 == +176
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 81 damage!
... 70 points of damage!
Heart explodes rupturing the Illoke jarl's chest.

[You have 6 kills remaining.]
The Illoke jarl grumbles in pain one last time before lying still.
The very powerful look leaves an Illoke jarl.
The white light leaves an Illoke jarl.
The dull golden nimbus fades from around an Illoke jarl.
The dim celadon wisps about an Illoke jarl's hands flare up once more and fade completely away.
An Illoke jarl loses the flickering energy surrounding him.
An Illoke jarl seems to lose some focus as his eyes narrow and shift momentarily to one side.
The warm glow fades from around an Illoke jarl.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>loot
You search the Illoke jarl.
You discard the jarl's useless equipment.
He didn't carry any silver.
Interesting, he carried a rose-marrow potion on him.
He had nothing else of value.
An Illoke jarl cracks and collapses into a pile of craggy dark rock that rapidly disappears without a trace.

Moving around...

>sw
>
[Thanatoph Bowels, East Lobe]
Rubble is strewn here and there, gathered in tiny piles. The mixture of crumbled wall, ceiling chunks, dirt, and clay causes the mounds to send off tiny avalanches with the occasional tremors that shake this room, scattering the debris along the floor. You also see an Illoke jarl.
Obvious exits: northeast, southwest
>
An earth elemental trudges into view.
>sle jar
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Lullabye to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
[Spell Hindrance for a blazing conflagration of wind-whipped spectral flames is 8% with current Armor Use skill, d100= 7]
Your armor prevents the song from working correctly.
>sle jar
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Lullabye to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
The Illoke jarl falls to the ground in a deep slumber.
Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
(Forcing stance down to guarded)
>
An Illoke jarl snorfles softly in his sleep.
>1030 ele
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an earth elemental.
CS: +420 - TD: +299 + CvA: +25 + d100: +46 == +192
Warding failed!
An earth elemental reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 91 damage!
... 75 points of damage!
Spine ripped from the earth elemental's body and thrown to the ground.
It is knocked to the ground!

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>1030 ele
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an earth elemental.
CS: +420 - TD: +299 + CvA: +25 + d100: +48 == +194
Warding failed!
An earth elemental reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 92 damage!
... 80 points of damage!
The earth elemental's midsection swells painfully then bursts, sending the earth elemental everywhere.
The earth elemental shudders violently for a moment, then goes still.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>loot
You search the earth elemental.
It had nothing of interest.
Tiny fissures quickly spread over the entire form of an earth elemental. Within moments, it crumbles into a pile of dirt and rubble.
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
An Illoke jarl is awakened by your attack!
The dull golden nimbus surrounding an Illoke jarl suddenly begins to glow brightly.
CS: +420 - TD: +336 + CvA: +20 + d100: +32 == +136
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 57 damage!
... 55 points of damage!
The Illoke jarl's head vibrates violently, before melting away in a rush of heat.

[You have 5 kills remaining.]
The Illoke jarl grumbles in pain one last time before lying still.
The very powerful look leaves an Illoke jarl.
The white light leaves an Illoke jarl.
The dull golden nimbus fades from around an Illoke jarl.
The dim celadon wisps about an Illoke jarl's hands flare up once more and fade completely away.
An Illoke jarl loses the flickering energy surrounding him.
An Illoke jarl seems to lose some focus as his eyes narrow and shift momentarily to one side.
The warm glow fades from around an Illoke jarl.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>loot
You search the Illoke jarl.
You discard the jarl's useless equipment.
He carried a rotting tanik coffer on him!
An Illoke jarl cracks and collapses into a pile of craggy dark rock that rapidly disappears without a trace.
>def
You are now in a defensive stance.
>get cof
r
You pick up a rotting tanik coffer.
>You put a rotting tanik coffer in your ashen gossamer robes.


Moving...

>sw
[Thanatoph Bowels, West Lobe]
The stillness of the passage is broken by an occasional rumbling and a low buzz, the origin of which cannot be determined. A fine dust covers the walls, almost obscuring the glyphs carved into them. Rivulets of water gather in the ridged clay tracks along the floor, pooling in tiny puddles whose surfaces shimmer slightly when far-off tremors occur. You also see an Illoke jarl and a greater krynch.
Obvious exits: northeast, southwest
>sle jar
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Lullabye to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
[Spell Hindrance for a blazing conflagration of wind-whipped spectral flames is 8% with current Armor Use skill, d100= 5]
Your armor prevents the song from working correctly.
>sle jar
An Illoke jarl summons the wrath of his god while pointing at you!
An Illoke jarl's eyes glow with silvery grey light, and then everything around you shimmers to match the argentine color.
CS: +354 - TD: +349 + CvA: -8 + d100: +59 - -5 == +61
Warded off!
With a faint flicker, the grey luminescence fades away.
>
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Lullabye to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
The Illoke jarl falls to the ground in a deep slumber.
Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
(Forcing stance down to guarded)
>
An Illoke jarl snorfles softly in his sleep.
>1030 kry
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at a greater krynch.
CS: +420 - TD: +309 + CvA: +25 + d100: +38 == +174
Warding failed!
A greater krynch reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 80 damage!
... 75 points of damage!
The greater krynch's shoulder joint explodes, severing shield arm.
The greater krynch rumbles in pain as its heavy stone arm falls to the ground!

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
A greater krynch sinks into the ground, leaving no trace of its passing.
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
An Illoke jarl is awakened by your attack!
The dull golden nimbus surrounding an Illoke jarl suddenly begins to glow brightly.
CS: +420 - TD: +327 + CvA: +20 + d100: +3 == +116
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 45 damage!
... 35 points of damage!
Flesh and muscle stripped from the Illoke jarl's stomach.
The Illoke jarl is stunned!

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
CS: +420 - TD: +327 + CvA: +20 + d100: +61 == +174
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 80 damage!
... 80 points of damage!
Heart explodes rupturing the Illoke jarl's chest.

[You have 4 kills remaining.]
The Illoke jarl grumbles in pain one last time before lying still.
The very powerful look leaves an Illoke jarl.
The white light leaves an Illoke jarl.
The dull golden nimbus fades from around an Illoke jarl.
The dim celadon wisps about an Illoke jarl's hands flare up once more and fade completely away.
An Illoke jarl loses the flickering energy surrounding him.
An Illoke jarl seems to lose some focus as his eyes narrow and shift momentarily to one side.
The warm glow fades from around an Illoke jarl.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>loot
You search the Illoke jarl.
You discard the jarl's useless equipment.
He had 148 silvers on him.
You gather the remaining 148 coins.
He had an uncut diamond on him!
He had nothing else of value.
An Illoke jarl cracks and collapses into a pile of craggy dark rock that rapidly disappears without a trace.
>def
get dia
>You are now in a defensive stance.
>r
>
You pick up an uncut diamond.
>
You put an uncut diamond in your ashen gossamer robes.
>


Moving...

>ne
[Thanatoph Bowels, North Lobe]
At the northernmost point of the quatrefoil, a series of carved glyphs dabbed with greenish-black soot stand out against the pale stone surface of the walls. Emptied sacks of grain lie scattered on the floor, as though ransacked by something unspeakably powerful. You also see an Illoke jarl.
Obvious exits: southeast, south, southwest
>ne
You can't go there.
>sle jar
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Lullabye to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
The Illoke jarl falls to the ground in a deep slumber.
Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
(Forcing stance down to guarded)
>1030 jarl
Wait 1 sec.
>
You don't have a spell prepared!
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
An Illoke jarl is awakened by your attack!
CS: +420 - TD: +333 + CvA: +20 + d100: +96 == +203
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 97 damage!
... 90 points of damage!
The Illoke jarl's shoulder joint explodes, severing shield arm.
The Illoke jarl rumbles in pain as his heavy stone arm falls to the ground!
The jarl's pitted iron pavis falls to the ground.
The Illoke jarl is stunned!

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An Illoke jarl blinks dazedly a moment before shaking off the stun!
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
CS: +420 - TD: +333 + CvA: +25 + d100: +91 == +203
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 97 damage!
... 80 points of damage!
The Illoke jarl's hand explodes in a shower of blood and bone.
The Illoke jarl rumbles in pain as his heavy stone arm falls to the ground!
The Illoke jarl is stunned!

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
CS: +420 - TD: +333 + CvA: +25 + d100: +55 == +167
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 76 damage!
... 70 points of damage!
The Illoke jarl's head vibrates violently, before melting away in a rush of heat.

[You have 3 kills remaining.]
The Illoke jarl grumbles in pain one last time before lying still.
The very powerful look leaves an Illoke jarl.
The white light leaves an Illoke jarl.
The dull golden nimbus fades from around an Illoke jarl.
The dim celadon wisps about an Illoke jarl's hands flare up once more and fade completely away.
An Illoke jarl loses the flickering energy surrounding him.
An Illoke jarl seems to lose some focus as his eyes narrow and shift momentarily to one side.
The warm glow fades from around an Illoke jarl.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>loot
You search the Illoke jarl.
You discard the jarl's useless equipment.
He carried an enruned monir strongbox on him!
An Illoke jarl cracks and collapses into a pile of craggy dark rock that rapidly disappears without a trace.
>
An earth elemental trudges into view.
>get stro
r
You pick up an enruned monir strongbox.
>You put an enruned monir strongbox in your ashen gossamer robes.

Moving...

>ne
[Thanatoph Bowels, North Lobe]
At the northernmost point of the quatrefoil, a series of carved glyphs dabbed with greenish-black soot stand out against the pale stone surface of the walls. Emptied sacks of grain lie scattered on the floor, as though ransacked by something unspeakably powerful. You also see an Illoke jarl.
Obvious exits: southeast, south, southwest
>ne
You can't go there.
>sle jar
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Lullabye to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
The Illoke jarl falls to the ground in a deep slumber.
Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
(Forcing stance down to guarded)
>1030 jarl
Wait 1 sec.
>
You don't have a spell prepared!
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
An Illoke jarl is awakened by your attack!
CS: +420 - TD: +333 + CvA: +20 + d100: +96 == +203
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 97 damage!
... 90 points of damage!
The Illoke jarl's shoulder joint explodes, severing shield arm.
The Illoke jarl rumbles in pain as his heavy stone arm falls to the ground!
The jarl's pitted iron pavis falls to the ground.
The Illoke jarl is stunned!

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An Illoke jarl blinks dazedly a moment before shaking off the stun!
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
CS: +420 - TD: +333 + CvA: +25 + d100: +91 == +203
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 97 damage!
... 80 points of damage!
The Illoke jarl's hand explodes in a shower of blood and bone.
The Illoke jarl rumbles in pain as his heavy stone arm falls to the ground!
The Illoke jarl is stunned!

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>1030 jarl
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at an Illoke jarl.
CS: +420 - TD: +333 + CvA: +25 + d100: +55 == +167
Warding failed!
An Illoke jarl reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 76 damage!
... 70 points of damage!
The Illoke jarl's head vibrates violently, before melting away in a rush of heat.

[You have 3 kills remaining.]
The Illoke jarl grumbles in pain one last time before lying still.
The very powerful look leaves an Illoke jarl.
The white light leaves an Illoke jarl.
The dull golden nimbus fades from around an Illoke jarl.
The dim celadon wisps about an Illoke jarl's hands flare up once more and fade completely away.
An Illoke jarl loses the flickering energy surrounding him.
An Illoke jarl seems to lose some focus as his eyes narrow and shift momentarily to one side.
The warm glow fades from around an Illoke jarl.

Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>loot
You search the Illoke jarl.
You discard the jarl's useless equipment.
He carried an enruned monir strongbox on him!
An Illoke jarl cracks and collapses into a pile of craggy dark rock that rapidly disappears without a trace.
>
An earth elemental trudges into view.
>get stro
r
You pick up an enruned monir strongbox.
>You put an enruned monir strongbox in your ashen gossamer robes.

[Androidpk]

That's pretty bad ass. How awesome would it be if you could aim that spell? Explode heads on every cast!

[DCSL]

That'd certainly make it a lot faster. Although it's pretty fast right now.

[DaCapn]

The first time I tried pure bard I thought I was doing it wrong. It was just that I kept critting out non-lethal body locations.

But really, 1030 is rather mana intensive and yeah, you can't aim it. It's not like immolate or anything.

[DCSL]

I never have any problems running out of mana using 1030. Focused on just one critter, it's 10 per shot. Strata's level 87 and 1.5x Harness Power. She goes out singing 1003, 1010, 1014, 1018, 1019. Her song renewal time is just under seven minutes, I think. Works out alright.

[Drinknation]

I'm not sure how you're getting a 1030 cast at 10 per shot but let me in on the secret. It's 15 per shot on focus..


At 15 ranks in Mental Lore, Manipulation, the singer will be able to focus the disruption on a single creature, at half of the normal mana cost.

At cap I'm 1x (108 ranks technically) in HP with a renewal time around 9 minutes. I sing 1003, 1010, 1009, and 1019 to hunt. The only time I run out of mana is if I'm hunting from Bell to Fried and I get unlucky with hits. Whenever their is more then 2 critters in the room I typically just open cast 1030 since the mana cost is significantly justified. I've been doing Nelemar lately but Plane 4 and Scatter are both incredibly easy to hunt as well (With the exception of the random crawlers that decide to be a pain in the ass)

I also have a wizard(16.4 mil) that hunts with Immo and I will say my bard is significantly more effective when it comes to hunting as far as times. While my bard can fry in under 30-45 seconds (from muddled) sometimes it takes the wizard up to 1 minute to fry (Yes I know it's not that significant of a difference but 15 seconds over the course of a month is a big difference).

I have also noticed that I have an easier time warding and killing critters faster on Plane 4 and Scatter on my bard (10.3mil exp) then on the wizard.

I'd like to also point out I have 0 ranks in MMC and 1013 still works relatively well whenever I REALLY need to use it which I really can't remember the last time I did. Then again I don't hunt post fried (bounty hunt) as there is significantly less incentive to do so versus doing bounties as you go along. At least in my experience.

[Tenlaar]

How do you get a bard to cap without knowing that focused 1030 is 15 mana for the initial shot and 10 for the renewals?

[Tenlaar]

I MEAN COME ON MAN!!1!

[DCSL]

Lemme go kill a rolton real quick and post.

[DCSL]

Or a velnalin.

>exp
Level: 87 Deeds: 14
Experience: 6205771 Death's Sting: None
Exp. until next: 49729 Recent Deaths: 1
Mental TPs: 0 Fame: 24516476
Physical TPs: 97 Mana: 271/296 max
Avg. Exp: 0/hour Gift Remaining: 2:23:00 for XXX.
(2452 Phy converted to Mnt)

Your mind is as clear as a bell.

You feel a strange sense of serenity and find that you are able to reflect on recent events with uncommon clarity and understanding.

Your recent adventures echo powerfully in your mind.
>s
[Lower Dragonsclaw, Forest]
You come across a burnt-out fire pit, evidence that others have travelled through this deep forest. The charred remains of a large log hold no lingering warmth, but do provide a certain security with their assurance that others have passed the night here safely.
Obvious paths: north, south
>s
[Lower Dragonsclaw, Forest]
The forest floor slopes noticeably downhill here, thinning out somewhat at the bottom, where modwir, thick pine and fir trees predominate.
Obvious paths: north, south, southwest
>sw
[Lower Dragonsclaw, Forest]
You realize that you have been climbing steadily, if gradually, as the vegetation changes to the rugged pines and firs that thrive in the higher elevations. The subtle herbal scent of the lower forest has been replaced by the pungent aroma of pine. You also see a velnalin.
Obvious paths: northeast, south
>1030 vel
You change your tune slightly, adding the element for Song of Sonic Disruption to your song...
Your spellsong is ready.
>
You weave another verse into your harmony, directing the sound of your voice at a velnalin.
CS: +390 - TD: +9 + CvA: +25 + d100: +81 == +487
Warding failed!
A velnalin reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 268 damage!
The velnalin collapses to the ground, emits a final sigh, and dies.
Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
(Forcing stance down to guarded)
>exp
>
Level: 87 Deeds: 14
Experience: 6205771 Death's Sting: None
Exp. until next: 49729 Recent Deaths: 1
Mental TPs: 0 Fame: 24516476
Physical TPs: 97 Mana: 261/296 max
Avg. Exp: 0/hour Gift Remaining: 2:23:00 for XXX.
(2452 Phy converted to Mnt)

Your mind is as clear as a bell.

You feel a strange sense of serenity and find that you are able to reflect on recent events with uncommon clarity and understanding.

Your recent adventures echo powerfully in your mind.
>