Bard Spells

[IAN FARMER]

Hi, I'm just starting out with Baldur's Gate, and decided to play a Bard
(since I've never played one, or seen anyone play one). My friend is
currently borrowing my rulebook, to see if he is interested in getting
into a multiplayer game with me. So since I don't have my book, there
is one thing that is really puzzling me.

My old First Edition rules for Bards says they get Druidic spells. I
don't know how the Bard has changed in Second Edition, but it seems
quite significant. The impression I'm getting reading stuff on Baldur's
Gate is that the Bard now casts Mage spells, and not Druid spells. Is
this true? I just want to know, so I'll be sure to pump up either my
Wisdom or my Intelligence, depending on what the answer is.

Thanks for the help,

Ian

[Joe Marley]

That's right. Bards lean & cast mage spells, much like a mage.

[Gert-Jan Spoel]

Just a little :( A bard in second edition is a thief (no
warrior/thief/druid) with a less abilities (no backstab) and in general also
equals somewhat a mage of one level less. (A second level bard = 1st level
mage)

At least that is in short. You need the rulebook to pinpoint the exact
difference, but (s)he is no longer super-
(wo)man.

Gert-Jan
IAN FARMER <supe...@home.com> wrote in message
news:384EA5E2...@home.com...

[James Prieels]

> no backstab

Not quite - Bards cannot Hide in Shadows, but in BG, they _can_
backstab. The trick is using the Bard's way of stealth: Invisibility.

Now I agree that is costly way of backstabbing. But it does not stop
there! Try the following neat trick:
- cast Strength
- case Draw Upon Holy Might
- cast Haste
- cast Improved Invisibility
- Go and backstab... up to 6 times!!!!!!

James

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[James Prieels]

Here are the Bard's pros and cons:

+ Identify anything on the fly - no slots wasted on Identify,
no resting delays and risks
+ Fast level-ups (esp. opposed to a Fighter/Mage/Thief)
+ High-level spells: their Skull Traps do 10D6 damage, their
Stinking Clouds last one extra turn...
+ Backstab (4X) out of Invisibility.
Strength/Draw Upon Holy Might/Haste/Improved Invisibility =
death for any single opponent (up to 6 backstabs!)
+ Pick pockets
Do this right and you get up to 3 Rings of Protection +2
+ Use Mage Wands
+ Able to use good weapons like Shapeshifter swords, Spider's Bane,
Twinkle, and the Lite XBow of Speed
+ High charisma, low shop prices
+ Bard Song vs. magical attacks
+ High minimal requirements
(Note that 16 INT will do if you hoard up spells and drink a potion
before writing all of them in your spellbook. DEX, on the other
hand, is more essential for a Bard than for any other character.)

- No level 5 spells
- Low HP, no helmet or shield, making Mirror Image essential
- No trap detection, lockpicking (and Invisibility is a costly
method of stealthing)
- No Mage items (Ring of Wizardry, Robe of the Archmagi)
- No Fighter items (Gauntlets of Ogre Power, potions of strength)
- Not enough Bard items (1!)
- Bard Song does not compensate for the loss of an attacker

A Bard is ideal when there's just one Thief and one specialist Mage
in your party, because they:
* unload the pickpocket skill off the Thief
* take some of the many wands off the Mage's hands
* can learn any spell
And when they're not doing all that, they make for good archers.
Well, better than a Thief of Mage, anyway.

[Gert-Jan Spoel]

Sorry, I was quoting from ad&d 2 rules. Never used a bard for backstab,
being too familiar with those rules. Beside I have good thiefs.

Will play a bard soon, will try your trick. Thanks.

Gert-Jan
James Prieels <james....@compex.be> wrote in message
news:2a1814d4...@usw-ex0101-003.remarq.com...

> > no backstab
>
> Not quite - Bards cannot Hide in Shadows, but in BG, they _can_
> backstab. The trick is using the Bard's way of stealth: Invisibility.
>
> Now I agree that is costly way of backstabbing. But it does not stop
> there! Try the following neat trick:
> - cast Strength
> - case Draw Upon Holy Might
> - cast Haste
> - cast Improved Invisibility
> - Go and backstab... up to 6 times!!!!!!
>

[Peter Gallert]

I play a Bard and I regret ist now because the game is too easy ;-)

You need someone with high charisma. If you don´t own the German
version of BG you can hire Ajantis (but perhaps he is as well a pain
in the neck if he is speaking English). You don´t find a good bard in
the game.
With the enormous initial requirements of a Bard, it is quite easy to
have an average of 15 points per ability. I pushed charisma, dexterity
and intelligence to 18. With some items from the game (and the armor
spell) you don´t need armor items.

In the game you can increase the charisma permanently to 19. One´s own
AFAIK is the only character in the game having that possibility, and
only playing a Bard gives sense to that opportunity.

At the beginning, the magic abilities almost eqal that of a mage.
Though it is true that a bard is like a mage with level -1, s/he is
also always one level up: at 2500 Xp a bard reaches level 3, a mage
only level 2.
Until getting 1250 Xp, a mage has the little advantage of having one
spell, and from 10000 Xp on the mage has much more spells. In between
they are equal.