A guide to bards on EfU, by Egon

[Egon the Monkey]

A guide to Bards on EfU, by Egon.
(Dedicated to LoveTheSuit, and his continual efforts to improve threads with meaningful sidebars. Rock on dude.)

1. Introduction
Bards. A class that offers a multitude of ways to be played, as well as ready-made RP possibilities from how you plan to play out your bardic abilities. My first PC on the server was a bard, and since then I've played a lot of different takes on the class and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Since someone asked for ideas on how to play them, I thought I'd go one further and do a guide.  

What is a bard? Well maybe it's this? Or this? It could certainly be this guy, or perhaps him with the hat. A bard can be all of those and more. A dwarven saga-teller with an axe in one hand and a horn in the other, an effete barkeep, a renowned scholar, or indeed, a polka-crazed gnomish engineer. They can be combative, stealthy, diplomatic or a mixture and the possibilities with one are probably wider than any other class. The things they all have in common are flamboyance and personal talent for some artistic skill.

[Egon the Monkey]

2. How Bards work on EfU
Before you read on, it's probably best to know how bards in EfU differ from in Default NWN. EfU has removed the requirement for a certain Perform score in order to get the benefits from Bard Song, which means you don't have to ensure you are always have it at a certain level. Instead, every 3 ranks in perform adds 1 round extra of Bard Song and Curse Song duration. Additionally, the Bard Song effects can be changed by the bard-specific perks and the elemental bond perks. Finally, Mithral armor on EfU is spellfailure-free and although slightly rare, is available.

[Egon the Monkey]

3. Bardic Talents
Bards do come with a certain responsibility to RP. A bard's powers are always related to some form of artistic skill, and what sets a great bard apart from a mediocre one is how well they represent that. Much like a cleric is responsible for showcasing their patron deity, a Bard is a showcase for his or her own talents. Bard Song doesn't have to be "Eye of the Tiger Montage" inspirational singing. It can be, but there are plenty of other options. Perhaps your Elven Bladedancer whirls through a melee in his bell-covered armor, and holds dance performances alongside martial training. Your scholar of ancient languages may be always ready with a suitable proverb or poem. Your wilderness-based shaman might roar like a bear as she charges, perfectly imitate the dawn chorus of birdsong to raise her allies spirits, and perform mystic drumming ceremonies at the Exiled camp. Nobody would expect you to fill a combat with emotes like you've got Shakespeare himself at the keys, but having a couple of hotkeyed phrases is a great way to add style to your bardsong.

[lovethesuit]

c-c-c-c-c-combo breaker

[Egon the Monkey]

4. Events and RP
   Non-combat RP is your character's chance to flesh out and define their art, to show that they're someone with style and ambitions, rather than "Toot toot! I have +1 AB and damage!". Writing books in the library is good if your PC wants to document their songs, tales or exploits. Seeking chances to record other PCs achievements is even better. You get a chance to earn money, forge alliances with other characters, and make a name for your PC too. Bards are naturally suited to applying for any "Inn staff" faction, as their social skills and charisma, plus bardic abilities, make them good at running events. Other than that, follow what you want to do. Hold musical contests, performances, run a newspaper, organise a "radio show" over the sending system, paint a mural across the wall of the ruins!

[Egon the Monkey]

5. Bardic Archetypes
Having got some idea on what you want to do on your Bard, you'll likely be thinking how to create a concept around that. There are many, many ways to play awesome bards, but here are a few classic concepts that should help you get into the class.

The Support Bard
Your classic, lute-wielding jack of all trades. This sort of bard could be an inspiring officer, a minstrel looking for heroes or villains to chart the saga of, a merchant looking to organise mercenaries, or a down-on-his-luck musician turned adventurer. With Heal, Bardsong, and common buffs, you can save allies on healing and spells, and help make everyone that bit more efficient. This archetype is great for getting to show off, as you can sit in the back emoting and singing with fewer distractions. It allows the most flexibility in your talent choice, as you won't be personally fighting much.

The Warsinger
This style of bard finds her place in the front line, looking to personally forge herself fame or infamy. The Warsinger's background might be be a northern skald, an elf bladesinger, or a mercenary. She uses her spells on herself more than others, and concentrates on skills like Taunt, Discipline, Tumble, and Concentration. Her spells and feats tend to be taken to improve combat power, and often include Curse Song. A level of two of barbarian, ranger or fighter can help you have weapons access and feats. Handy ideas for bardic talents include marching music, singing tales of battle as you fight, or anything you ever saw in a Scandinavian heavy metal video.

The Adventurer
The Adventurer is a bard in the mould of Indiana Jones, the infamous Jack Sparrow, or arguably the Doctor. They are an inspiring, well-travelled presence, in search of lost knowledge, sights to spread the wonder of, or new exploits to brag about. Often they'll have stealth or Invisibility to help them explore new places, and a good Lore Skill especially with Bardic Knowledge. Rogue levels work well on this sort of bard as they offer complementary skills and abilities. Their spells will be aimed at helping them deal with problems in their travels. Your talents might be cheery one-liners and later tales of derring-do, morale-boosting speeches, or playing your own personal theme song on the panpipes.

The Devious Bard
This sort of bard is a plotter, a schemer, a Man With a Vision. Maybe he's a playwright who wants to put on a city-wide performance. A flamboyant crook like the Joker who delights in inventive maliciousness, or a rebel secretly publishing a seditious newspaper and inside information on Countist forces. This sort of bard concentrates on the social abilities of the class, and has more on the mental attributes like Intelligence. They might have See Invisibility and Listen to allow them to keep an eye on what other PCs are sneaking about. They'll definitely have social Skill ranks, and maybe a crafting feat to help finance your plots.

[Pup]

Up-up-down-down-B-A-B-A-Start.

But seriously, good work Egon.  I was planning to come back with a Bard.  I don't think I'll even multi-class him.

Also.  To "Lenthis": I prefer Vans.

[Porkolt]

This is an excellent thread.
 
There are too many bards around that aren't very bardic. Pay some attention to this thread, and use it as inspiration!

[Egon the Monkey]

EDIT:
The post this was a reply to has been deleted. This post now makes bugger all sense.

[Nihm]

"Toot toot! I have +1 AB and damage!

[VanillaPudding]

Okay.

[derfo]

Okay.

[Lenthis]

Great guide mate,
Also bards are always a fun layer of spice to the server.
Its good to see someone helping add more to our ranks.

[Kinslayer988]

thanks egon. Sure of what I want to do as a bard

[lovethesuit]

Thanks for this, it looks like you've covered a lot of the main points of being a bard. Like every primary class, bard is one of those things you can really take in any direction. Sure there's a few common tropes, but ideally you should make it your own. Thanks for this guide, and I hope some folk get inspired to try out their own bards.

Right. Yeah. Seriously though. Since you're being sarky, you clearly don't want or need suggestions on how to play a bard, so why read it?

Wait, who's being "sarky"? Who are you yelling at?