Check My Stats and Skills

[Loumeer]

Hello Everybody,

I am coming up the end of my 30 day change skills and stats and I wanted to check and make sure I am doing things correctly for an Elf Sword and Board Bard currently level 16:

Skills:
Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 78 17
Shield Use..........................| 82 18
Combat Maneuvers..............| 82 18
Edged Weapons...................| 132 36
Multi Opponent Combat.........| 50 10
Physical Fitness...................| 82 18
Dodging..............................| 82 18
Magic Item Use....................| 5 1
Harness Power.....................| 82 18
Elemental Lore - Air..............| 82 18
Climbing.............................| 50 10

Spell Lists
Minor Elemental.....................| 1

Spell Lists
Bard....................................| 16

Stats: Normal (Bonus) ... Enhanced (Bonus)
Strength (STR): 70 (10) ... 70 (10)
Constitution (CON): 85 (17) ... 85 (17)
Dexterity (DEX): 63 (11) ... 63 (11)
Agility (AGL): 74 (27) ... 74 (27)
Discipline (DIS): 90 (5) ... 90 (5)
Aura (AUR): 63 (11) ... 63 (11)
Logic (LOG): 90 (20) ... 90 (20)
Intuition (INT): 72 (11) ... 72 (11)
Wisdom (WIS): 78 (14) ... 78 (14)
Influence (INF): 49 (10) ... 49 (10)

I would appreciate any advice. Thank you all for the wonderful community.

[Whirlin]

I'd say you're rushing MoC a bit quickly/early.

MoC is nice... don't get me wrong, but FoF is going to force you down to offensive at worst. Since you're sword/board, your DS shouldn't be a huge concern, even if offensive. While MStrike is nice, it's gonna be a lot more ranks before it's advantageous against regular swinging.

I think you'll be seeing more substantial and immediate returns from overtraining Armor use until 60 ranks for Aug Chain, and/or Spell Research until 1020 and 430. Then, while letting those decrease down to 1x per level, you can work on perception to 1x, which you'll finish right around the time that critters will start to have CMANs... Then back to MoC!

[Tenlaar]

Nothing is really wrong there, most suggested changes are going to come down to personal choice. Stats are good and properly set for growth.

Harness Power ranks beyond your level are only giving 1 mana each, those are TPs better spent elsewhere.

I don't think it would be terrible to go ahead and push MOC to 15 ranks for three unfocused strikes (ewave + mstrike, fun times), but beyond that I agree with Whirlin that MOC is something better picked up later on mostly.

I personally think that you are better off going with 35 ranks of armor for brig and stopping there for a while, pushing up to aug chain later on if you want it. But that is purely personal preference, I think some decent brig is good enough to get to cap and beyond and I dislike spell hindrance.

As you level and get more TPs to play with I would invest in getting shield use up some and starting telepathy lore.

[Drakefang]

Your skills are fine for now. It's the eventual goals that need to be met that should be discussed. I feel you are where you need to be for now for an OHE/Shield bard.

Going forward, if you plan to open ambush, you should look to getting more CM (which is pricey). If going forward you wish to be able to outlast your opponents, you should look to over training in armor to get to aug chain and toward 2x in shield. If you wish to grow in magic, over train slowly in spells. There are many potential routes and suggestions really can only be made based on that. I would definitely work on adding in telepathy lore if you continue to wish to use a weapon, regardless of other choices.

Your stats appear to be completely geared toward growth. That's fine, especially if you have zero desire to invest in a fixstats potion later on. Based only on your stats, I might consider a polearm (due to nice AgiDex bonuses). However, that does not appear to be your goal mechanically or for your RP.

[Jeril]

I'd say you're rushing MoC a bit quickly/early.

MoC is nice... don't get me wrong, but FoF is going to force you down to offensive at worst. Since you're sword/board, your DS shouldn't be a huge concern, even if offensive. While MStrike is nice, it's gonna be a lot more ranks before it's advantageous against regular swinging.

I think you'll be seeing more substantial and immediate returns from overtraining Armor use until 60 ranks for Aug Chain, and/or Spell Research until 1020 and 430. Then, while letting those decrease down to 1x per level, you can work on perception to 1x, which you'll finish right around the time that critters will start to have CMANs... Then back to MoC!

FoF can reduce a persons DS far below offensive with enough of it, and if you are already in offensive any FoF will force it lower. And if he is just hunting self spelled, you are mistaken about his DS. What do you mean by a lot more? If he can push it up to 1x by the time he hits 28, he'll have 30 ranks and the first double strike on a single target which would net an advantage over regular swings. Hitting two targets at 5 ranks, or three at 15 ranks would also provide an advantage over regular swinging in those situations.

Personally on my bard and advice I tend to give people is to not train combat maneuvers for a while and focus on getting spells to 1019/430 first(1020 is nice, but not exactly a combat oriented goal). Getting 425 itself is the same AS as 49 ranks of combat maneuvers plus all the other benefits, self cast 401, 406, 414, 410. Then a person can refocus on combat maneuvers to get them up to 1x and have them up to a decent level by the time they'd be useful.

As far as armor goes, for a melee bard, not training down the MnE hindrance to utilize 410 doesn't make much sense to me.

[Whirlin]

I just say 1020 because that 20th rank provides:
+1 AS from 1007,
+1 AS on 1012 (if you use it)
+1 DS on 1009 (if you use it)
+1 DS on 1014 (if you use it)
+1 DS on 1010

Based on the reading on FoF, it's only further reducing DS beyond 4th like-level critter. Honestly, not a big concern at that level.
Fair... with that high of DEXAGL and a 1H, you're getting a preferential RT with MStriking at 2 targets... With a polearm, the RT wasn't beneficial until 55 ranks and 3 focused mstrike.

I'd cut MoC out before cutting out CMAN to rush on Armor/Spells though... but it's a good call at all to set aside CMAN to rush on spells.

[Jeril]

I just say 1020 because that 20th rank provides:
+1 AS from 1007,
+1 AS on 1012 (if you use it)
+1 DS on 1009 (if you use it)
+1 DS on 1014 (if you use it)
+1 DS on 1010

Based on the reading on FoF, it's only further reducing DS beyond 4th like-level critter. Honestly, not a big concern at that level.
Fair... with that high of DEXAGL and a 1H, you're getting a preferential RT with MStriking at 2 targets... With a polearm, the RT wasn't beneficial until 55 ranks and 3 focused mstrike.

I'd cut MoC out before cutting out CMAN to rush on Armor/Spells though... but it's a good call at all to set aside CMAN to rush on spells.

While singing this song, the Bard stirs the sense of confidence of all members of his or her party, giving them increased fighting ability. Following the base Attack Strength (AS) bonus of +10, the graduated bonus is +1 AS for every Bard Spellsong known over seven, up to +20 AS.

Which means that the song bonus to 1007 caps out at 17 bard songs known.

As far as the bonuses on the sonic equipment goes unless things have changed the bonus rounds up so you get those on the odd levels for the ones I underlined.

I am not sure what exactly you are reading in regards to FoF but I can tell you from experience that you lose DS the moment a second creature swings at you within the same round if you have 0 ranks in it. Sub level 20 creatures have less of an impact on it though but that diminishes the closer to 20 one gets.