Hello all.

I've been away, on and off. Away, mostly. I was hoping that when I came back there would be a use for all these Performance and Bardic Lore ranks. I HAVE SO MANY! Is there anything I can use them on, or plans for same?

I don't mean to be an agitator, just wondering if anyone is thinking about this. The bard guild really needs some love.

Cheers.

- Useff

>>or plans for same?

A few years ago(?) a GM teased us with a partially written Busking system. It looked as though it would create crowds that would be drawn to the performer and they would reward in coins or possibly throw stones, depending on ability and playing to their tastes. There were also hints that the crowds would provide a stealing opportunity. However, that GM seems to have moved on from staff and no one else has picked up the project. It is possible someone will start it again but no one has indicated doing so.

Farther back, way back in 2011, when Raesh was in charge of Lore and working on Bard things, he posted a list of planned abilities:

https://elanthipedia.play.net/Post:Bards_3.141592653589793238462643383279_-_5/6/2011_-_16:00:07

Personally I thought his idea for Inspiration and Presence was really cool:

"Inspiration is the Bards active power pool and will ebb and flow regularly. Presence is the Bards connection to society and controls how much Inspiration they can have and how quickly it recovers. Presence should change slowly and only improve through active effort."

However, he has since moved on from Lore/Bards and no GMs have really stated concrete plans to work on Bards in the near future. What we have been told is that Trader magic is in the works and that the guilds slated for development afterward are Paladins, Rangers, and Bards. But keep in mind that it could still take years to get to us, if at all. These days we mostly encourage new players to accept the guilds and choose them as they are.

>>The bard guild really needs some love.

Agreed!


- Navesi

> We still don't have a great hashed out idea of what to DO with it (the performance skill) that makes thematic or lore-sense

How about this...

Step 1: Move the effects of hodierna's lilt into performance and open it up to everyone. Playing a full rendition will give you and everyone in the room a short buff or debuff (2-10 minutes), not overwriting more powerful buffs already on the players. Multiple songs will stack, but the effect only triggers when the song ends.

- scales and arpeggios: Performance, self only

- ditty, jig, rumbafolk, polka, march, waltz, battle, reel, tango, tarantella,: Vitality regen through invigoration

- ballad, wedding, hymn, psalm, dirge, requiem, elegy : Spirit through piety

- lullaby, lament, minuet, serenade, gavotte, bolero : Fatigue through relaxation

- nocturne, fantasia, concerto, rondo, aria, sonata: focus through imagination

Step 2: Differentiate between instruments. Instrument quality determines potency. Song type determines duration, and because everything has to have a pay-to-play hook, some instruments can offer special song types that tie into this system.

Step 3: Change some spells around.

- Hodierna's lilt is either altered or replaced entirely. My thought is it would now extend the effects currently on everyone it hits, max of 5 effects (FIFO). It has a small chance to increase their potency, increased by mana used for lilt. The increase sticks with you, and enough pulses could theoretically get all buffs to cap each pulse.

- Thieves get a performance boosting khri, and it lets them hum songs mentally (no messages) for the benefit (self only).

- Barbarians get a dance that keeps the music going, preferably in a fluffy and pink-tutu kind of way.

- Bards get another spell (non-signature) that let's them play instruments while in combat. This opens up a world of combat instruments. They wouldn't be the most effective at either combat or music, but they would work. Hollow maces made out of steel that let you "drum" while you hit. Swords with hollow grips that could act as a flute during a reposte. All sorts of weapons that double as tambourines, even toe bells while you dodge around.

- A new spell that follows off sanctuary (same visual effect, different function) will keep sound connected to people who are engaged with you. It protects from a certain Khri, and no one outside of your group will be able to hear you, nor you them. So their buffs won't touch you and your buffs/debuffs won't touch them.

Step 4: Give bardic lore meaning.

- Bards playing an instrument can now align <skill> to buff (or debuff! will save vs debilitation + bardic lore) that skill for everyone/thing in the room while they're playing the music. This caps at half-power (10% max), can increase crafting skills, and is a random % chance that is 100% at 1750. Multiple bards can each affect multiple skills.

- Bardic Lore is affected by hodierna's lilt, such that it will reset and buff an existing stack in the room.

- Align takes up a little mojo to use, and a lot of mojo to switch.

Step 5: Flesh it out with 5 new verbs for combat bards, usable on instruments (weapon based or not). These are based off tactics.

- Distract <item>: Use your bardic lore and an instrument to distract your opponent, giving them a slight RT (1-2s) and allowing you to greatly recover your balance and position. You're now at pole range too to everything you're engaged in. 3s RT.

- Mock <item>: Use your instrument, and a little bardic power, to immitate your target and strike a cord. This causes them to lose position and potentially fall down and start crying (you meanie!). Failure may have the opposite effect (it was only one show!)

- Bluff <item>: You move your instrument in a way to make your target think it's some magical device of immense power. They run away in fear.

- Call <item>: You use your instrument to immitate the mating call of the creature you're facing. It spawns another creature in the room. Easter egg messaging for using it on a player.

- Recall <knot>: The only one that uses a spirit knot instead of an instrument. Long CD. Commune with your bardic roots to get a surge of power. Mock, Distract, and Bluff now attempt to hit everything - EVERYTHING - in the room. You had better have the skill to back this one up, but it would increase the difficulty and teaching range of the ability.

>>What if we (again) let performance/bardlore ranks apply bonuses to enchante magic?

It thematically makes sense, but giving a magic secondary guild a permanent magic skill bonus seems a big unbalancing.

That said, what if performance skill allowed a Bard to have better control over how fast their cyclic music-based spells pulsed? Maybe you don't need a fatigue heal as fast as HODI provides by default, so you could play it slower, saving yourself mana to do other things. Or you're fighting mobs that spawn hidden so you prefer EYE pulsing faster, even though you pay the cyclic cost faster as well. This also fits in nicely with how bards are innately good at raw channeling.

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Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.