Heed the Nep.
Love the Nep.
Fear the Nep.

Listen to me carefully, grasshoppah:

If the same character killed you 8 times... you couldn't pk your way out of a wet paper bag.

If anyone caught you by surprise 4 times(I'm counting the inn - if you hadn't have been surprised, you wouldn't have been bashed)... you couldn't pk your way out of a wet paper bag.

If the same character surprises you 4 times, "has a trick" one time, and just bashes you while you 'eat axe' another 3... guess what? He surprised you. At least seven times. If the same character surprises you 7 times... you couldn't pk your way out of a wet paper bag.

If he caught you by surprise 8 times... you couldn't pk your way out of a wet paper bag.

The first step towards a cure is admitting you have a problem.

Stop making excuses.
Stop explaining.
Repeat after me:
"I cannot pk my way out of a wet paper bag."
"I suck."
"I'm not worth a single lousy charge."
"I don't know how to avoid being surprised."
"I don't know how to defeat a bashing axe wielder as a bard."


Then start thinking about what you can do differently. The last two of those 'repeat after me's' are my gift to you. Think about them. Think about what you can do to avoid being surprised. Think about how to defeat bash. Think about how to defeat an axe-wielder. Think about how to defeat a bashing axe-wielder.

Do not whine about preparation. Preparation is not THE answer.

Short and sweet:
A bard is one of the meanest things for a fire AP to fight. If you don't put a dent in a fire AP as a bard you've got Issues. When you have Issues you need to admit that you have Issues, and work on your Issues. When you have Issues it is NEVER the skill of the opponent, nor is it the circumstances - it's the Issues.

At this point, you're not worth a charge because... you're not worth a charge!

Work on it.

PS. One of the handiest ways to find a clue, other than a severe beating from big foam clue-bat, is to play what beat you. To play what beat you the way you saw it played... and see what beats you. Then turn around and play that. Eventually you'll start figuring things out.

PPS.
Heed the Nep.
Love the Nep.
Fear the Nep.