You have a lot more hobbies than my paladin did at this point!

My recommendations (in no specific order):
- Stop any additional Armor training until post near cap / post cap
- Push to get CM training closer to 2x between actual CM training and CM bonus from 1611-Patron's Blessing. I think you might notice not having this as you hunt tougher areas.
- Train in MOC: Even 10 Ranks will help reduce your Force on Force Penalty when going against multiple targets by an additional opponent. Training it even higher and start having fun with MSTRIKE.
- Train SL: Religion to 25 ranks for 85% Kneel on 1615/1630 (I would train this sooner unless you just don't use these spells much).
- Train SL: Summoning to 10 Ranks for an additional 1630 target
- Train Spirit spells to 120 (you'll likely be glad for 120 by the time you hit 80 or so).
- Once you get your CM training a bit higher you might consider investing in ~35 ranks of Ambush and go for aimed shots to the head vs. straight up attacks (which I am assuming is what you are doing now).

-- Robert

A powerful whirlpool is suddenly overtaken by a windy vortex!

>>I've noticed it seems to be harder to stand up, does that go away with more training?

Congrats! It feels good to be able to take a hit. You'll notice standing while in heavy armor can be troublesome...going to more offensive stances will make it easier and lower the RT. I think you could also kneel then stand if you didn't want to risk stancing up while prone.

You can stop training in armor at this point until cap unless you really wanted/needed the 5th rank of your armor skill (I assume fluidity). It is nice...but getting reimbursed for all of those armor TPs spent will go a longgggg way towards all of the other fun things to train.

Thanks for the replies all.

Looks like the near term plan is to increase physical combat skills first (CM/MOC/Ambush), and lores after/along with that as able. I'm already single-training in spells, so the plan there is to get to 120 next.

I went for Lores (up to 1x) in particular after getting in to full plate. I also increased my MOC.

Spiritual mana control is required for raising. I'm slightly baffled why you have knowledge of 1640 when you cannot cast it. 25 SMC is also nice for a free MANA SPELLUP use, sending mana to rangers (or empaths or clerics, but that's less relevant).

In any case, nothing really new to contribute to this discussion. My paladin is still at 1x CM, incidentally. Would love to get 2x but it's a lot of points, and I have more immediate goals.

I am (still!) routinely astounded that people stop at 24 (or 25, now) ranks rather than plugging away to 30. "But it's six (or five) ranks that don't do anything for me! And they cost so many training points!"

I grant that +1 mana/pulse (from having 30 ranks/getting +3/pulse, as opposed to only 20 [or 24, or 25] ranks and getting only +2/pulse) is pretty minimal, but it's an extra 1 mana that you will ALWAYS GET, from then on, forever, on every single pulse.
That's a lot of pulses.

Speaking as a runestaff-Bard who just turned the MC:Mental up to 40 ranks (had been 30)... I do! :)

However, I do it in steps of 10 ranks. That's my entire point: why stop at 24 or 25? Get 6 (or 5) more, and get the PAYOFF.
(I also counsel Sorcerers, and other Bards, though not Empaths now that they are no longer Mental, to go up to 20 ranks/90 skill in their <second Realm>, and STOP, because going to 30--as I would otherwise suggest--does nothing for them unless they kick it up to FORTY [second Realm only counts half].)

At 105,500 experience to make level, using GSWiki's estimated 105.5 hours (at 1k/hour average), figuring 25 mana pulses per hour (due to variable timing, and to keep the math pretty), is well over two and a half thousand extra mana for use, just for that one level.

I agree absolutely: it comes in as a trickle.

But mana is mana.

---

I mind me of when we were sussing out Bardic medley Renewal times: because I had started with a high CHArisma [now, INFluence], my renewal was something on the order of 2 minutes longer than my contemporaries (or "as long as someone 30-50 levels higher"). I compared medley renewal costs for identical sets of songs, even against someone with a MUCH higher DIScipline (the stat that reduces the Multi-Song Penalty). 100% true: his MSP was lower than mine... but I paid it so many times fewer, that I came out ahead on mana (by thousands), even singing one song MORE than he did.

(I use "2 minutes" as a significant point in bard song durations, because even a theoretical capped Erithian with maxed stats and Lore will only have a medley renewal of 11:47; max out the Enhancives and it is only 14:47. So, when comparing two Bards in their 20s, with a "two minute" difference in renewal time, is a significant fraction of the "less than 12 minutes" possible for a capped character of the best possible race for time.)

Useful to get the reminder!

I'll keep recommending that they train <the second Realm, who knows, they might start with Mental as their most-trained> in blocks of 20, then.

Hey, I like 25 as a breakpoint, at least he gets the Mana Spellup. :)