Author: Floss
Created: 25-NOV-2024
Boss Token (BT) Cost: 50 Boss Tokens (Race).
Summary #
Here is a Premium pure bard build suited for dungeon and (mostly) raid parties.
The build has been provided with both a Starter gear build and a Geared build which you will find below: they share the same CBC, with slight difference in feats, which will be noted in the appropriate sections.
Starter gear build #
Example starter gear #
- halfling rock flinger (improved evasion)
- mithral cloth armor (+7/15 soak, 5dex, 2con)
- shield of prator (resists, 3wis)
- mithral coif (haste, deflection AC, 5dex)
- gold thick cloak (resist, 2con)
- greater tribeslayers (10 phys resist, fear immune)
- gold melodic sash (5cha, 2wis, 14perform)
- rift ringlet right (+4 stats)
- nord bard ring (10 perform)
- ruby amulet (5cha, 8perform)
- dragon paws (KD immune).
Add another perform item or sing twice to get max song buff. Swap belt to Master’s Utility Belt (+4 stats) after singing.
Consumables / Other gear #
- Harm pots (mandatory)
- Greater sanctuary scrolls (buy from players or scribe yourself; mandatory)
- Restoration pots (buy in Abiz; mandatory until you fix saves)
- Runestone (trap finding)
- Extra melodic sashes (for healing teammates; you do no damage with starter setup)
- Extra arcane belts (rebuffing improved invis for teammates)
- Nord staff with greater sanc will help conserve scrolls. If you sacrifice 3 keybinds for this, the weapon swapping is fast and efficient.
Other options for KD immune: green set bonus, Cape of the Cat, anti-orc amulet from vendor above stonehammer mines, gargoyle helm, gold warding buckle, algoroth shield.
Other perform options: bloody weaver, jester’s ward, singing string shortbow.
Mind immune options: golden circlet, helm of shadows
Using darts instead of sling gets you +3 AC from set bonus (lose some range and damage).
First priority in upgrades is helm/cloak/boots to green items: AC/DEX/CON gems > save gems > WIS gems.
Eventually upgrade to venge Bloody Weaver as your improved evasion source.
Survivability build (Feats differences in CBC) #
When starting out, it may be beneficial to play a more defensive/survival build, with higher saves, by taking specific feats.
The caveat is that, when you finally reach the point in which you want to pass to the Geared bard build, you will have to change back these feats to the ones in the CBC.
Stats are the same, so it just takes some relevelling to change the feats. Should be able to deposit plenty of XP from raids even at 50%.
Pre-epic feats:
- Take Iron Will instead of Weapon Focus
- Take Great Fortitude instead of Weapon Critical
Epic feats:
- Take Epic Will instead of Epic Weapon Focus
- Take Epic Fortitude instead Epic Prowess
- Take Epic Skill Focus: Pick Pocket instead of Epic Skill Focus: Taunt
Geared bard #
Can take Epic Will instead of Epic Toughness.
You need 14 reflex, 14 fort, and 13 will to hit cap with song. This gives 60 reflex, 44 fort, 47 will. With max Cha mod (8), you need 32 perform for double sing or 48 perform for single song. With 6 Cha mod (14 base + 2 bloody weaver + 6 green), you need 50 perform for single song.
You need 32 taunt/pickpocket to hit cap with song.
At this point you should rarely die, so play more aggressively: Keep taunt on bosses. Help keep bosses in soup.
Use Flame Weapon sequencers. Take sling for more damage. Stay in close range for Point Blank Shot (less than half the grid shown here).
General class tips #
Improved evasion is not mandatory, but very good for certain areas: POR on the bridge before entering raid, por2 (Halamander), por3 (Danava), vald starting area.
Some bosses can’t be pickpocketed: abiz1 (Adamantium Guardian), abiz3 (Alura), moore1 (Xanasdem), moore2 (acererak).
Some minis can be pickpocketed: por guardian dragon, por Nybras.
Some sidekicks can also be pickpocketed: por3 Sammuel, bd3 Servants, moore3 Son, moore4 Guards.
To pickpocket, swap rings to nord thief ring and use greater sanc scroll. Saves are the biggest problem for a new bard going for this kind of gearing, especially during Isnar (Moore) fight. Also when gear swapping is involved, teammates who die or get god-saved will need to wait until you swap back to sing.
CBC #
| Class / Race | Bard(40), Vampire | |
| Abilities | STR: 10 | |
| DEX: 18 (34) | ||
| CON: 16 | ||
| WIS: 8 | ||
| INT: 12 | ||
| CHA: 14 | ||
| Class | Feats & Stats | Skills |
| Ba | 01: Bard(1): Toughness | 01: Save(20), |
| Ba | 02: Bard(2) | 02: Save(25), |
| Ba | 03: Bard(3): Point Blank Shot | 03: Save(30), |
| Ba | 04: Bard(4): DEX+1, (DEX=19) | 04: Save(35), |
| Ba | 05: Bard(5) | 05: Save(40), |
| Ba | 06: Bard(6): Rapid Shot | 06: Save(45), |
| Ba | 07: Bard(7) | 07: Save(50), |
| Ba | 08: Bard(8): DEX+1, (DEX=20) | 08: Save(55), |
| Ba | 09: Bard(9): Weapon Focus | 09: Save(60), |
| Ba | 10: Bard(10) | 10: Save(65), |
| Ba | 11: Bard(11) | 11: Save(70), |
| Ba | 12: Bard(12): DEX+1, Improved Critical, (DEX=21) | 12: Save(75), |
| Ba | 13: Bard(13) | 13: Save(80), |
| Ba | 14: Bard(14) | 14: Save(85), |
| Ba | 15: Bard(15): Curse Song | 15: Save(90), |
| Ba | 16: Bard(16): DEX+1, (DEX=22) | 16: Save(95), |
| Ba | 17: Bard(17) | 17: Save(100), |
| Ba | 18: Bard(18): Blind Fight | 18: Save(105), |
| Ba | 19: Bard(19) | 19: Save(110), |
| Ba | 20: Bard(20): DEX+1, (DEX=23) | 20: Save(115), |
| Ba | 21: Bard(21): Armor Skin | 21: Save(120), |
| Ba | 22: Bard(22) | 22: Perform(25), Save(100), |
| Ba | 23: Bard(23): Lasting Inspiration | 23: Save(105), |
| Ba | 24: Bard(24): DEX+1, Epic Weapon Focus, (DEX=24) | 24: Save(110), |
| Ba | 25: Bard(25) | 25: Save(115), |
| Ba | 26: Bard(26): Great Dexterity I, (DEX=25) | 26: Save(120), |
| Ba | 27: Bard(27): Great Dexterity, (DEX=26) | 27: Save(125), |
| Ba | 28: Bard(28): DEX+1, (DEX=27) | 28: Save(130), |
| Ba | 29: Bard(29): Great Dexterity III, (DEX=28) | 29: Save(135), |
| Ba | 30: Bard(30): Epic Prowess I | 30: Save(140), |
| Ba | 31: Bard(31) | 31: Save(145), |
| Ba | 32: Bard(32): DEX+1, Great Dexterity IV, (DEX=30) | 32: Save(150), |
| Ba | 33: Bard(33): Epic Skill Focus: Taunt I | 33: Taunt(33), Save(122), |
| Ba | 34: Bard(34) | 34: Save(127), |
| Ba | 35: Bard(35): Great Dexterity V, (DEX=31) | 35: Save(132), |
| Ba | 36: Bard(36): DEX+1, Epic Skill Focus: Perform I, (DEX=32) | 36: Perform(13), Pick Pocket(36), Tumble(36), Save(52), |
| Ba | 37: Bard(37) | 37: Save(57), |
| Ba | 38: Bard(38): Great Dexterity VI, (DEX=33) | 38: Save(62), |
| Ba | 39: Bard(39): Epic Toughness I | 39: Save(67), |
| Ba | 40: Bard(40): DEX+1, (DEX=34) | 40: Concentration(26), Perform(5), Pick Pocket(7), Taunt(10), Tumble(4), UMD(20), |
| Statistic | Hitpoints: 430 | |
| Skillpoints: 215 | ||
| Saving Throws (Fortitude/Will/Reflex): 19/21/34 | ||
| Saving Throw bonuses: | ||
| BAB: 25 | ||
| AB (max, naked): 29 (melee), 38 (ranged) | ||
| AC (naked/mundane items only): 32/35 | ||
| Spell Casting: Bard(4) | ||
| Alignment Changes: 0 | ||
| Skills | Concentration 26(29), Perform 43(55), Pick Pocket 43(55), Taunt 43(55), Tumble 40(52), UMD 20(22) | |