tamer bard -- build suggestions?

Rock 2020-04-19 20:03 #0

I've finally got around to focusing on building a tamer. I did not realize right away, but now that I found out the music mastery buffs help pets too, I'd like him to also be a bard. This is his tentative template:

Gargoyle ("Fetcch")

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

110+: Animal Taming, Lore

110+: Music, <?>

100: Veterinary

90: Magery

60: Eval Int.

30: Meditate

Being a gargoyle gives Fetcch 2 advantages. First, he has 2 MR as a racial ability, so the 30 Med will work out to 5 MR. He'll of course have more MR on wearables. Second, he will be able to move at mount speed while controlling a 5-slot pet. The magery is obviously not meant to be a primary skill, but for healing, gating, curing, and some moderate offense the mage skills should be adequate. This isn't set in stone, so if you have counter-ideas, please offer them.

Now to where I don't even have a preliminary plan. What type of bard?

Peacemaking -- my most familiar bardic skill. People tell me it has been nerfed, but it still seems to do what I want it to do.
Discordance -- Nerf whatever my pet(s) are fighting. Should also indirectly amplify my non-pet offensive capability.
Provocation -- The feedback I get in game is, "go Provo. It's the all-around most flexible bard skill, for whatever template." I don't necessarily disagree, but it seems for a tamer it would be overkill. It seems the same as adding chocolate sauce to chocolate ice cream. Yeah, you can do it, and it will probably taste great. But wouldn't some variety be nice? Also keeping pets alive and provoking other foes in battle might be extremely awkward at times. Whereas I can peace or discord with just about 0 distraction.

In the meantime, I'm working taming and music. I haven't started training any of the 3 actual bardic skills. I guess the music masteries for each choice could be a determining factor. I see that the Discordance mastery songs are debuffs, whereas the other two offer buffs. I'm tending to favor buffs so as to provide direct support to my pets.

Urge 2020-04-19 23:36 #1

If you're doing a bard tamer i would highly suggest discord. The timer on peacemaking is too long to make a real substantial impact.

Provoke has it's moments but with a worked 5 slot pet you're probably going to do a lot of bosses. There aren't many with other things around to provoke onto them.

Discord reduces mob stats and skills which in return will actually help your pet to not get hit as much and take far less damage when hit. Both masteries offer offensive damage spells that compliment the pet damage very nicely.

Rock 2020-04-20 02:10 #2

@Urge thank you for your feedback. Discord does sound attractive. Is there a downside to discording an animal or monster prior to beginning the taming process? I would think if it were discorded, taming would be smoother. OTOH, if it does reduce taming difficulty, then the chance to gain in taming skill might also go down.

Urge 2020-04-20 02:40 #3

Rock said:

@ Urge thank you for your feedback. Discord does sound attractive. Is there a downside to discording an animal or monster prior to beginning the taming process? I would think if it were discorded, taming would be smoother. OTOH, if it does reduce taming difficulty, then the chance to gain in taming skill might also go down.

Mechanic wise, it's not supposed to. Actuality, it feels like a higher % to succeed.

There are two mastery spells. Despair does an elemental damage tick and you can choose your damage type by single clicking the mastery book. Tribulation is kind of like spell plague that does damage when target takes damage. It doesn't even have to be damage YOU deal. That spell works extremely well with a bleed attack from a trained Cu. It also works when people use rocks at Navery. I would assume if one did this at an event it would also count.

My exact template:
110 mage
120 tame
120 lore
100 vet
120 music
120 discord
30 med.

Suit can be cheap. You don't have near the expense as those with eval that buy slayer spellbooks. You don't have to worry about getting a spellweaving circle. Discord lowers resists which increases your pet damage. I believe this evens out with non discorders that cast spells. With a little med those mastery spells can cause some real damage.

Gm instruments give a better chance at discording but carry a set of the flutes of renewal. It's a real relaxing template you can get on and just enjoy the game and not feel like work.

tamer bard -- build suggestions?

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