GameBanshee Forums

I found my old Bg cds so i want to start a new game with a bard.
I always liked bards in dnd3 games, and they were very effective in iwd+how too 'cause of the bard songs(especially Warchant of Sith) but i never try them in bg or in bg2.
BUT i read they can have only one song(similar as luck/?/).
Still there is the pickpocket and spellcasting ability.

So is it worth taeking a bard as a main character(i don't want to use bgtutu)?
What ability scores should i take cause bard have way too many important stats?

In iwd i used str12 dex18 con16 wis10 int14 cha16 with bows.

Thanks for the help.

Bards aren't a "power" class in BG1, but they can still be very powerful.

I personally prefer them as a spellcaster over a mage, since they have a few more HP and since they can be effective when out of spells (and in BG1, you won't have too many spells).

If you import to BG2, they can become very powerful.

About the stats: Well, the higher the better.

I personally shoot for 18's in STR, DEX, INT, and CHA. WIS doesn't matter, but I'd try for at least 7 and CON needs to be 16, or 15 if you don't mind taking a chance.

If you don't have the patience for stats like that, you won't lose much at all with a lower INT and STR.

Thanks for the reply.
Right after i read it i rolled a str18 dex18 con16 int18 wis7 cha18 bard OMG.

Awesome roll.

My advice is to invest in the best missile weapon you can afford, and use melee as a last resort.

A few melee weapons are better choices than others (my powergaming solo Bard with the same stats started with Bow and Small Swords, and took Large Swords at 4th level), but honestly all will do. Just use that Bow, X-Bow, or Sling as much as you can.

I changed the stat allocation to:
str18 dex18 con16 int17 wis10 cha16
because i didn't wanted a - mod. in lore from wis and with the +2 cha is enough(i think) with 16.
Just got to Beregost alone . Maybe i was too pusillanimous(is this the right word?) abut the bg bard.

I personally would have kept your charisma at 18 as it makes "recharging" wands much easier. After, they are your greatest weapon and asset.

As for weapons, I always used large swords, acquiring a certain scimitar from a certain someone.

Crenshinibon wrote:I personally would have kept your charisma at 18 as it makes "recharging" wands much easier. After, they are your greatest weapon and asset.

As for weapons, I always used large swords, acquiring a certain scimitar from a certain someone.

You also get a magical weapon in the prologue with an 18 CHA.

I always start with small swords first, because of that prologue bonus. I get large blades for that scimitar later on.

What weapon are you referring to exactly?

SPOILERS
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
In the prologue, you can get a +1 dagger from the dude who wants crossbow bolts. Then there's Drizz'ts scimitar (only usable by a NG Bard IIRC). You can pick his pocket for it, or, with a lot of patience, arrows, and a wand of monster summoning you can actually kill the overrated Drow.
*
*
*
*
*

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
END SPOILERS

I just pickpocketed the +1 dagger . I use bows right now its very deadly with the speed potion.

I don't want to highjack the thread, but how do you recharge wands? In all my years of BG, this is the first I hear about this. Are you referring to the "Sell 1 charge wand, buy it back full" trick?

GawainBS wrote:I don't want to highjack the thread, but how do you recharge wands? In all my years of BG, this is the first I hear about this. Are you referring to the "Sell 1 charge wand, buy it back full" trick?

It's not a trick, but it's pretty old. You sell it to a merchant, and buy it back at a substantially higher price, full up. In BG2 you can employ Master Thievery potions to steal wands, once you've sold them to merchants. Needless to add, the BG1 system is better: no endless shoplifting possible.

Thanks. It's what I thought.

Oh, I thought you meant there was a weapon that gave you 18 Charisma.

In that case, I stand by what I said, Charisma is invaluable, as Wisdom is essentially useless to you, as was mentioned in this thread, it makes recharging wands a whole lot easier. Sure, you could stock up on Friends, but I think it's a pain to cast so many of them. With 18(and then 19) points in the stat, you only need two casts of friends to achieve a maximum of 25.

He mentioned going to Beregost. I presume that he is talking about pickpocketing a certain cloak. With that and the Tome, his charisma will be 19.
Good enough, I would have thought. later on with the helm it will be 20. let's face it, with this game, you have more gold than you can spend.

Bards can't wear helms though. I personally prefer a different cloak after a certain point.