Bard songs

[VoidEngineer]

So what has everyone's experience been with the songs so far? What do you find useful and what do you think is not?

[asmodemus]

The healing song is really strong to even out hitpoints on the party - particularly if you get down to 1 enemy and dodge with everyone! If in doubt, combine with the dex song to dodge even better while you heal up :)

[VoidEngineer]

I've generally been running the dex song for the big boost in AC. Sounds like the healing song might be worth exploring.

[v0!d158]

i use the Travellers Tune most of time.
it lowers the Armor Class of the Party for -2 Points

[SpectralShade]

Originally posted by v0!d123:

i use the Travellers Tune most of time.
it lowers the Armor Class of the Party for -2 Points

once you get the magician spell that gives a shield, using the bard song as well is pointless.
the healing song is nice, especially when you got someone that is poisoned, as it negates the poison during combat.

[Manchine]

I use the healing at the start of the game but when I start to get up in levels it will probable be all Travellers Tune.

[DhuAlan]

Originally posted by SpectralShade:

Originally posted by v0!d123:

i use the Travellers Tune most of time.
it lowers the Armor Class of the Party for -2 Points

once you get the magician spell that gives a shield, using the bard song as well is pointless.
the healing song is nice, especially when you got someone that is poisoned, as it negates the poison during combat.

travellers tune stacks with the magicians shield spell though

[tremir]

It depends if there's a minimum armor class though.
In the original version you couldn't go below -10, so eventually stacking defensives stopped being useful

[PirateEmcee]

Originally posted by tremir:

It depends if there's a minimum armor class though.
In the original version you couldn't go below -10, so eventually stacking defensives stopped being useful

The game didn't display below LO (-10), but it did record it. That could be established by canceling effects or removing different armor to see how much each added. Eventually, you could show that it did count below -10 without displaying it to the player. Additional AC would provide benefits. Or at least it did in the original game. I haven't seen any statements to suggest how it works now to either way.

Badh'r Kilnfest, the healing song, has been nerfed some in the new version of the game. It used to be that one could initiate inter-party combat at any time and for any reason. Thus, in most versions of the game, it was very valid to start Party Combat, have everyone but the Bard defend, and have them sing Kilnfest to heal the party -- 1hp at a time -- each round. In the early game, it was a much cheaper way to heal up. On the PC version, the song would persist til you ended combat; for the C64, you'd have to sing the song each round.

But in the Trilogy, one cannot initiate Party Combat at just any time. I have yet to have anyone become possessed or go crazy, but I would assume that they've changed the implementation so that something like that needs to be present before you can enter Party Combat.

"There's no reason to initiate party combat!" my foot. My Paladin and Monk are beat half to death, I don't have the money to heal them both at the Temple, and you've arbitrarily tied my Bard's hands behind their back.

[Grondel the 10/10]

there is no L0 in this game AC get lower undefinitely and is displayed as such, my warrior currently is at -31 full buffed.

i used the healing song for leveling in skara brae and switch to traveller when i entered the sewers.

[Rei dos Vermes]

How does it work? My party is at LV4 and my Bard rarely sings any of the songs. What am I doing wrong?

[VoidEngineer]

Originally posted by Rei dos Vermes:

How does it work? My party is at LV4 and my Bard rarely sings any of the songs. What am I doing wrong?

Hit 'B' when out of combat and pick a song to play. You need to have an instrument equipped and you have to get a drink from the bar when you run out of songs. You get to sing 1 song per character level.

[jadeite]

Originally posted by Grondel the 10/10:

there is no L0 in this game AC get lower undefinitely and is displayed as such, my warrior currently is at -31 full buffed.

i used the healing song for leveling in skara brae and switch to traveller when i entered the sewers.

My Monk can't get below -50.

[PirateEmcee]

Originally posted by jadeite:

Originally posted by Grondel the 10/10:

there is no L0 in this game AC get lower undefinitely and is displayed as such, my warrior currently is at -31 full buffed.

i used the healing song for leveling in skara brae and switch to traveller when i entered the sewers.

My Monk can't get below -50.

I believe that -50 is the limit the Trilogy displays (I spent a round or three trying to push it lower with my Bard using The Traveler's Tune and it did not go any lower). Since modern tech means that there shouldn't be an issue with setting the display to display any total (see HP and SP reach into the mulitple hundreds), I think it's reasonable to believe that -50 is the functional limit to AC in Trilogy BT I.

[Thracite]

Originally posted by Skjarl:

Originally posted by Rei dos Vermes:

How does it work? My party is at LV4 and my Bard rarely sings any of the songs. What am I doing wrong?

Hit 'B' when out of combat and pick a song to play. You need to have an instrument equipped and you have to get a drink from the bar when you run out of songs. You get to sing 1 song per character level.

Lak's Lyre and the Bardsword will give you unlimited songs. Both can drop as early at the 3rd level of the Sewers. I had a couple of those drop at the Catacombs as well, so the drop chance seems high enough.

As an aside, I've noticed that I could get all the songs active during longer fights when using the song ability every round. Not sure if this is intended?

[Darklord]

Originally posted by Spitbeard:

As an aside, I've noticed that I could get all the songs active during longer fights when using the song ability every round. Not sure if this is intended?

It is.

Daniel.