Animated Sword can be unlocked at Ranks to behave in ways more accessible with the other training abilities such as flares or aiming. If either path is chosen then it could be a selection made at the time of prepping the spell but with advantages to having one training path over the other. If they already flare and I missed it or aim sometime, then ok but I just got the spell and notice how huge of a spell it is. I always saw those hovering weapons in rooms but never used one before and it's a really big spell.

If it flares at like 50 Ranks of EMC or Bard Spell Ranks or a combo of those, then great. If it Aims when you get a certain number of combined ranks of Perception, Ambush, CM, Bard Spell, EMC then it would be a really high impact hunting boon for the bard if it aimed *in the same location* that the bard was currently going to. A combination of Aiming/Flares would boost dramatically the power offensively of the bard. It would make sense for more high level stuff in the bards arsenal. In rooms with a lot of critters at the really challenging high level places then it will help a lot.

As an avid user of 1025 I like both of these ideas, I particularly like the concept of 1025 having a chance to parry incoming blows, that shouldn't be a runestaff only perk. I concur it is a travesty you can't sing a 1025 runestaff, but seeing as it just swings it sounds a bit underwhelming to me, maybe just make an animated shield option for bards who want to use 1025 for pure defense.

Archales

Would you mind putting the words "proposal for..." before posts? So, in this case, "Proposal for animated sword update.."

Your current posts titles seem too close to what a name in red might use for posting.