Raid Buff Bard

[majorhavoc]

Looking for suggestions on a 3rd life raid buff bard, don't need any DPS, CC or healing, just buffs!
Thank you for your consideration

 

[Dielzen]

Buff bards come in 2 generic styles

1 - Spellsinger, this bard style buffs and sits at the entrance
2 - Warchanter, this bard style has little in the way of persistant buffs and instead follows the group and provides the bard aura

There are numerous variations on those 2, but you'll need to pick one. Then you can prolly just look thru this forum at various buff bard threads, as there's several.

 

[rabidfox]

You following the party to provide the Bardic Ballad buffs or just doing songs (and buff spells) and piking at the front?

 

[Vox]

While you don't need it, bards can provide a lot of support to raids, with additional dps & heals being included with buffs they provide. Is it for a box account?

If you only want buffs for raids & there's no other bards, t5/c4 warchanter t4/c4+ spell singer might be a good split for enhancements.

You could also make it very tanky, add in debuffs, or go full sacrifice piker buffer, with multiclass splits.

 

[majorhavoc]

Buff bards come in 2 generic styles

1 - Spellsinger, this bard style buffs and sits at the entrance
2 - Warchanter, this bard style has little in the way of persistant buffs and instead follows the group and provides the bard aura

There are numerous variations on those 2, but you'll need to pick one. Then you can prolly just look thru this forum at various buff bard threads, as there's several.

Style 1 For sure, I am looking for long-duration Buffs that only a bard can provide, enough for the whole raid & sit at the entrance until completion or death, whichever comes first.

 

[majorhavoc]

While you don't need it, bards can provide a lot of support to raids, with additional dps & heals being included with buffs they provide. Is it for a box account?

If you only want buffs for raids & there's no other bards, t5/c4 warchanter t4/c4+ spell singer might be a good split for enhancements.

You could also make it very tanky, add in debuffs, or go full sacrifice piker buffer, with multiclass splits.

Yes, power leveled box, just mainly need buffs and some minor Rog skills would be a plus, I can't tell you how many times we are short on Rog skills.

I was considering Brd 18 /Art 2 Inquis to boost Rog skills

 

[woq]

t5 spellsinger stormsinger capstone; else t5 spellsinger 18 core stormsinger; 8 pts wc for sprint boost for rescue for reasons later and rest in rogue stuff if you wanna go 18/2. 18 core in spellsinger gives more songs, song regen; stormsinger gives freeze on strikes.

Why stormsinger: The t4 lets you let other ppl proc your stormstrike on attacks, and they're rather potent (look at cores).

Sprint boost to get faster to end for looting and/or to get to rez ppls / kite spawns that overran the party if you don't go t5 dc.

Epic destiny is trickier:

Option 1:
- T5 dc for aoe rez, t4 primal if theres a shrine close or at start of raid for +5% insight hp and full buffed prot from element Fatesinger 3rd for jack of all trades and +3 songs

Option 2:
- T5 Machrotechnic for EMA w/ good modules (i'd definitely lock in speed drive at least) + Primal 2nd + fatesinger 3rd (jack..)

Option 3:
- Fatesinger t5 for turn the tides / transcendence on inspire, t4 primal 3rd tree whatever - heck can go unyielding for the ele dr buff.

T5 aoe rez for a rescue bard - T5 machro for a "speed up already likely successful or dps race raids" -bard, T5 fatesinger for "moment of truth bard"... I would not go t5 fatesinger but the option is there if you like to click turn the tides at an oppourtune moment like for time stop windows.


DISCLAIMER: My "bot bards" are actually debuff warlocks with warchanter t5 + healing so I have not tested any of these afk bards and do not know which one I would choose in the long run on the epics, but the epic destinies can always be reset. I would start with option 2 because passive 5% atk speed is awesome.

 

[majorhavoc]

t5 spellsinger stormsinger capstone; else t5 spellsinger 18 core stormsinger; 8 pts wc for sprint boost for rescue for reasons later and rest in rogue stuff if you wanna go 18/2. 18 core in spellsinger gives more songs, song regen; stormsinger gives freeze on strikes.

Why stormsinger: The t4 lets you let other ppl proc your stormstrike on attacks, and they're rather potent (look at cores).

Sprint boost to get faster to end for looting and/or to get to rez ppls / kite spawns that overran the party if you don't go t5 dc.

Epic destiny is trickier:

Option 1:
- T5 dc for aoe rez, t4 primal if theres a shrine close or at start of raid for +5% insight hp and full buffed prot from element Fatesinger 3rd for jack of all trades and +3 songs

Option 2:
- T5 Machrotechnic for EMA w/ good modules (i'd definitely lock in speed drive at least) + Primal 2nd + fatesinger 3rd (jack..)

Option 3:
- Fatesinger t5 for turn the tides / transcendence on inspire, t4 primal 3rd tree whatever - heck can go unyielding for the ele dr buff.

T5 aoe rez for a rescue bard - T5 machro for a "speed up already likely successful or dps race raids" -bard, T5 fatesinger for "moment of truth bard"... I would not go t5 fatesinger but the option is there if you like to click turn the tides at an oppourtune moment like for time stop windows.


DISCLAIMER: My "bot bards" are actually debuff warlocks with warchanter t5 + healing so I have not tested any of these afk bards and do not know which one I would choose in the long run on the epics, but the epic destinies can always be reset. I would start with option 2 because passive 5% atk speed is awesome.

Thank you very much that is what I was looking for, I would like to squeeze in T5 AOE res, which can make a dead slot well worth it.

 

[Silverhilt]

Have a look a bit further down for a max buff bard. It doesn't have mass rez, but also isnt built for standing at entrance. Can work as low lifer with some scarifices.

Songs arent that hot, its your aura which buffs damage so you should stay near the melees imo

 

[woq]

Have a look a bit further down for a max buff bard. It doesn't have mass rez, but also isnt built for standing at entrance. Can work as low lifer with some scarifices.

Songs arent that hot, its your aura which buffs damage so you should stay near the melees imo

This is true, but if it's specifically determined that it's a "stand at entrance" -type character; then you work with what you get in those limitations.

You still get healing song and sp generation and stormsinger lightning claps and panic / rescue AoE rez epic moments for various purposes. You can even use a kamikaze time stop toon as a tactical nuke to minimize interacting with the box but still provide something unique.

 

[majorhavoc]

Have a look a bit further down for a max buff bard. It doesn't have mass rez, but also isnt built for standing at entrance. Can work as low lifer with some scarifices.

Songs arent that hot, its your aura which buffs damage so you should stay near the melees imo

I agree but the human operator will be otherwise occupied unless dead, so standing at zone and buff is all we need, and possible raid wipe rescue.

 

[Silverhilt]

Alright

 

[Frantik]

I rolled a pure bard on Cormyr; first life, farming gear, aiming for approx. 100+ Enchantment DC on first lifer (not there yet)... Spellsinger standard bard, 9 AP into SB for movement and deflect arrows, 13 AP into Feydark, rest into Chaosmancer - was originally thinking of going Magus but now Fatesinger (36), Primal (22) and either 13 into Shadow Dancer (energy drain immunity) or Machro (no ASF). Best spells are Mass Hold Monster, Strike A Chord, Cut the Strings, Disco ball, GCS and Heal. A bard can be a competent cc caster as well as providing buffs (+2 spell DCs, +3 spell penetration, +1 tactical DC, FoM, Greater Heroism, etc). The 2 sec CD epic strike packs a punch and i never run out of spell points. I solo and group, so solo i take my time when needed and in a group i cc and support. And its fun.

5 pc Vecna, 3 pc Vecna, 5 pc Saltmarsh and IOD short sword.

 

[JustHavingFunBro]

You could also make it very tanky, add in debuffs, or go full sacrifice piker buffer, with multiclass splits.

I am wanting to create the tank one. Do you have any links for it?