9.4.3 The Bard Profession

"A glass cannon of magick."

Basic Information
-----------------

Armour:     Ringmail - Main
	    Leather  - Limbs

Main stats: Intelligence - Damaging attacks based on intelligence

Recommended statpacks:
            Intelligent
            Wise

Main balances:
            Equilibrium - Most of the attacks use equilibrium

Skillsets
---------

- Voice: Main arsenal of a Bard, Voice allows you to bend reality to your will. Using the Words, Bard is able to afflict their enemies as well as heal themselves, or their allies.

- Thespia: Bard's backup. This skillset consists mostly of Songs which, once sung, can both harm your foes and keep your allies safe. Once cast on the Bard, it ensures a bit of longevity in combat as well as in hunting.

- Artistry: The Art of Creation allows you to capture the essence of your subject and bend them to your will. The skillset also ensures you can craft all the musical instruments you might ever need.

Combat Focus
------------

Your primary path to victory in combat as a Bard are afflictions into damage bursts. Thespia songs, such as Bedazzlement, Dissonance and Revelation will help ensure the foe is passively afflicted through the sound of music. In the mean time use Voice attacks, mainly Nuarinyu and Myried combined with primordial notes, to ensure more affliction pressure. Sketches offer additional damage (Hunter's Fireblast or Mage's Fireash) or a way to keep the enemy in the room (Runeguard's engage), as since they act on their own balance unrelated to Bard's attacks, they should be used for additional pressure during the fight. Once the enemy is under the influence of enough afflictions, Cruel Lament should be sang to enhance the damage of Shaite and Rubait.

While you will have a low equilibrium cost for chanted Words, there are two problems you will encounter during your fights - the way you approach them will make a difference between being a great Bard and a mediocre one. First, your target will need to be under the influence of the Yoth Word (undeaf) so your Words can affect them. Second, each enhanced Word cast at your enemy will raise their resonance - at maximum resonance, the enhanced Words will have no effect.

Lack of health and heavy armour do make a Bard rather easy to kill in comparison to other professions, but a true master of Voice will know the balance of using defensive (Llan, primordial words) and offensive (Songs, Words) abilities ensures certain victory even despite the toughest of odds.

See also: HELP THESPIA, HELP VOICE, HELP ARTISTRY, HELP BARDS, HELP BARD ARTIFACTS.