I like bards and I'll definitely play one again. But, after mulling over the experience I have a few questions.

Proficient instrumentalist: I took this edge and still am not certain how exactly it works. Let's say for instance, I am a tragic preferred and singing in tragic and have an instrument that is strong for tragic singing. Does the edge give me a boost in this scenario to songs that are better suited for other repertoires such as apocalyptic or elven adagio? Or does the edge only work if I'm say a tragic preferred singing in Epic?

Psychological insight: My understanding is that the better your intelligence is the harder time other high intelligence races will have saving your songs. Is this correct? Or is it more like the swashbuckler edge where your songs will be based more off your intelligence (if higher) than your charisma?

Symphonic Echoes, Fantasia of Illusion and Dirge of Solitude: What repertoire is best suited for these songs? Are they all tragic?

Grand Nocturne: Am I correct in assuming that besides repertoire and the edge, that skill % and your lvl vs. opponents help determine the strength of fiend?

Proficient insturmentalist does nothing if you are singing in a rep with an instrument best suited for that rep. So if you are tragic with a ghostly lute, you're not going to see any change in any song.
If you are tragic singing with say a romantic preferred instrument, it's going to perform as if it was designed for whatever rep you are using. To me the edge is useful if you actually bother switching reps and don't want to bother with instruments for each, but if you never do, find an instrument suited to your rep. Or take it and use one of the few sweet instruments that prog that might not be best for your preferred.

Pysch insight gve bards wih 23 int+ a bonus when singing against other people with high int, probably 23+. Songs will not be based off of int. Otherwise elves would take it and sing with a 25, which is absolutelty not the case. It's likely a level or two boost to songs when sung to those people who because of their int have a naturally better chance to make the save.

Symph I am not sure, to me tragic and romantic both do well with it, dirge is certainly tragic, fantasia I never really bothered testing since I usually only sung it on people asleep, since you can't use it while fighting.

Grand Noct. Skill % is irrelevant as it is for all songs in terms of strength. Skill % for songs, as far as I have ever seen, only determines if you actually sing it. Level comparison does matter though. Which is why a level 45 bard's fiends are pretty useless on heroes, because at best you're probably getting a level 50/51 fiend which they'll tear apart pretty easily.

Maybe an Imm will be more exact, but this is just the info I have sort of put together from having played bards so much.

While looking at the helpfiles and Isildur's list thereafter I began to wonder if proficient instrumentalist will help mitigate penalties certain reps get in certain songs. The helpfile mentions "penalties to singing within a given repertoire may be reduced."

For instance, the helpfile seems to indicate a penalty for singing symphonic echoes in the Epic repertoire. So, if you are singing symphonic in the Epic repertoire, perhaps with an Epic instrument, will this edge reduce that penalty?

"penalties to singing within a given repertoire may be reduced."
- That is exactly the case from what I saw, but not like you may think. An instrument gets penalized when played outside of a rep it is suited to. Take this for what you will, an Imm would know best, but there is not so much a penalty for singing symphonic in epic. It's just not as effective as when done in another rep.

The penalties it negates are the penalties associated with using an instrument not designed for the rep you are using, and those penalties will impact every song. If you take the edge that allows you to change reps quickly, I could see the edge being useful in that you sleep them, switch to tragic, maladict and fiend. All with one instrument- all the while suffering no penalties for using say a romantic instrument in tragic.

"So, if you are singing symphonic in the Epic repertoire, perhaps with an Epic instrument, will this edge reduce that penalty?"

-In essence, you can't make singing in epic all the sudden have better echoes and decent fiends and such just by taking the edge. That would be such an awesome edge every bard would take it, it would essentially negate the weakness of any preferred rep a bit. Just like you'll probably not start seeing high damage songs and lagging vibrato while singing tragic by taking the edge. The edge doesn't make epic music better than what it already is when you have an epic instrument.

It is strictly designed for you to be able to make your instrument well suited to any rep you happen to sing in. And since most people remain in their preferred, most people end up not bothering with the edge. I know after I took it once I pretty much said I would never take it again, but that's cause of my playstyle. Other bards could get a lot of mileage out of it if they use it the right way.


Of course, I may be WAY off on this, but that's just what I think and have experienced. Note: I have never done an epic preferred, every other yes along with having taken most bard edges there are.

I was looking closer to the helpfiles and it appears that Dirge is a Tragic song.

The helpfile reads to me as Echoes would be a comedic song and that epic gets a penalty?

The helpfile doesn't seem to indicate that fantasia fits into any repertoire. Is this song kind of equal all around?

Lastly, it seems like a lot of people go tragic, and I can see why. Alot of the tragic songs are very useful, especially for PK. Grand Nocturne aside, just how much more effective are the maledicting songs in tragic than versus other repertoires? Will languid carol/laborious lament give a significantly more str/dex loss? Or is it just the duration is longer and it's harder to save against?

I just found this link to a post from Isildur as I was starting to compose a similar list that no one answered. He asked alot of the same questions I have concerning repertoires, bonuses and penalties. Perhaps someone can help out?

http://forums.carrionfields.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=6&topic_id=22017&mesg_id=22018&page=

I didn't get too far into my list so I'll take his word on what reps get bonuses and which ones get penalties. But, it seems to me that tragic doesn't get penalized too much and the songs it does get penalized for aren't that big of a deal. Epic on the other hand gets penalized for some nice songs, such as elven adagio, symphonic echoes, lullaby... Why so many penalties for Epic? Are these penalties significant?

I was considering trying Epic next, but, I'm not so sure I want to now.

My bard sucked though. You should probably do the opposite of what I wrote.

I was attempting to do the same thing but its tough to decipher certain helpfiles as to which reps that particular song is good or bad with.