Bards and Combat

Rangers, bards, treasure hunters, rogues - anyone with a love for the adventurous lifestyle beyond the town walls.
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ocayucos
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Bards and Combat

Post by ocayucos »

Bards aren't warriors, but would it be possible to get some kind of attack on a long cooldown, or something? My fights take a really, really long time to complete. I circle and feint, I buff myself with Confidence and I debuff the enemy with Despair and Wonder, but it's getting depressing to do a chain of set up skills only to whiff a regular attack, and have to start all over as I wait for all the cooldowns.

I am currently fighting something of almost exactly the same rolls, and I have had to refresh my Distyr four times so far, that's how long this is taking.

I also think Bards could do with a few more debuffs, with long cooldowns. A stunning shout or other way of stunning would be really useful. Stacking a big old pile of debuffs is a cool way for us to do combat that I think will distinguish us from warriors, because it takes a lot more preparation and time, but would still allow us to have our own brand of edge in combat.

One more thing. It seems like enemies shake off the stupor before the rolls are made when I attack them. Is this intended?
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ocayucos
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Re: Bards and Combat

Post by ocayucos »

One more idea I had while reading over my own post. A short lingering debuff to enemies who have suffered different conflicting emotional Words in a short time. For instance when I cast Wonder, and then Despair on an enemy.

Emotional Whiplash: You're not sure how to feel anymore. Warring swells of conflicting emotion make it difficult for you to concentrate, reducing all rolls by 1 reroll.
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ocayucos
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Re: Bards and Combat

Post by ocayucos »

Multithrow: After practicing and performing so much with acts like juggling and throwing knives, you have a talent for throwing things with speed and finesse. Throw additional small thrown weapons per attack.
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Rias
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Re: Bards and Combat

Post by Rias »

You may want to look into the True Strike ability (available to everyone regardless of guild or class - check the Shadgard barracks), which spends your combat balance on an attack with increased rerolls. The more balance you have (and therefore spend), the more rerolls you get for that strike.

From what I can tell, you've been fighting nethrim. They can be troublesome because critical hits don't work so well against them: Run a nethrim through with your blade and they aren't nearly as bothered by it as those creatures who are actually reliant upon internal organs and the like. So that's likely contributing to why the fights are taking longer than usual. Make sure to use an iron weapon for that added alchemical damage against nethrim, if you aren't already. Or in a pinch, a lit torch for that fire damage that nethrim are so weak against.

All that aside though, you made some good suggestions, and the concept of a Bard stacking a bunch of occult debuffs on their foes to then finally dispatch them does, I think, go well with their "scholar of the adventurer classes" schtick.

Something to look forward to in the very near future: Bards are about to get their own combat tactic they can activate, which will (along with the Duelist tactic) unlock the Flip Flank bonus of your Flip ability. Flip right over the head of your foe to land behind them, surprising them and giving you an opportunity to hit them with a significant flanking bonus that's essentially like an ambush attack, pushing down their defense rerolls. So, just imagine yourself stacking those debuffs, doing a flip over their heads as they stand mesmerized and surprised, and giving them a nice True Strike in the back to seal their fate. I'm hoping it'll have that delightfully satisfying combo-attack feel to it.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
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ocayucos
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Re: Bards and Combat

Post by ocayucos »

That does sound pretty badass, I'm looking forward to it!
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