... because everyone seems to be raving about this class, but... I dunno.
Here's what I have so far:
Difficulty is Tactician for this one (my first run at that level)
Level 5, Human, College of Swords, Dueling.
Stats are something like this (from memory):
STR 8
DEX 16
CON 13 or 14
INT 8 (sacrificial stat, I thought, since you can always pick up that INT 17 headband)
WIS 10 or 12... not sure ATM
CHA 19
My usual party composition is Shadowheart to support/heal, Karlach for drawing aggro/killing stuff and Gale for AOE.
I probably made a mistake on my first feat where I put both points into CHA - I think I might try and revert that to either +2 DEX or +1 CHA / +1 DEX, giving me 18 DEX, 17 CHA or 17 DEX, 18 CHA.
I *am* using finesse-weapons so high DEX should benefit me I figured, besides lowering my chances to get hit. And since this is a Swords Bard, I should probably *only* invest in DEX from this point on, I guess, since CHA only benefits spell-casting in combat, right?
Or should I postpone the attribute upgrade and grab a different feat at level 4?
I have the usual spells in my book like Heat Metal, Faerie Fire, a healing spell and Hypnotic Pattern and Cloud of Daggers for a bit of AOE/Crowd Control.
I'm using him with (magic) light armor (total AC is 16 or 17 ATM, IIRC), a +1 Rapier and one of those Absolute-buffed shields (I am branded) for melee and two +1 hand crossbows for ranged attacks. I also gave him Crusher's Ring and I use a level 2 Longstrider at the start of each day on myself and another party member (usually Karlach) to give him more mobility.
Thing is: I think I'm playing him wrong and/or not fully committing to a play-style. What usually happens is that I try to open with some sort of AOE or debuff (Faerie Fire or Hypnosis for example) and then move to the rear and go into ranged attack mode. He does have the gloves of archery so his ranged damage and chance to hit aren't too bad - but it's nothing to write home about at this stage, really. But when I try to use him more up close and personal, he just gets annihilated in melee. Well... having just reloaded three or four times on that Gith fight near the map-exit to the Risen Road/monastary ... he does get annihilated pretty easily at long range, too..
After that unfortunate encounter at the bridge (Lae'zel got incapacitated on every one of my first three attempts before anyone in my party could even get a turn in, lol), I'm starting to wonder if my Tav and party are ready to face Auntie Ethel at this stage.
I played a sorcerer on my last run so I didn't want to go with College of Lore and it seems to me that "Swords" suggests a more direct approach to fights, but maybe I'm wrong? Should I just use the guy to hang back, wait for easy kills and do AOE/buffs? On that note: Are bardic inspirations generally better used for flourishes or for buffing other party members?
I do enjoy the options Bard gives you in dialogues and I generally like the idea of the class, so I'm not thinking of re-speccing/re-classing this dude - but any hints as to how to get the most out of him would be much appreciated at this point.
S.
