Bard
General
The Bard in EFU: City of Rings is many things. A tale spinner, a singer, a master of lore, an inspiring presence to allies and filling enemies with dread. Bards can be adept at a surprising number of roles that their namesake would not suggest. Some bards choose to focus on a more martial role - using their songs, magic and ability to use a wide array of trinkets, scrolls or wands to make up for the lack of might that a Fighter or Barbarian might have. Other bards choose to focus on politics, subterfuge, adventuring or even darker paths. There is little a Bard can't do with at least a bit of skill.
Alignment: Any non-Lawful
Hit Points: 6 + CON per level
Proficiencies: Armor (Light, Medium), Shields, Weapon (Simple)
Skill Points: 5 + INT modifier per level (5+int modifier)*4 at 1st level
Save Progression: Fort Low, Will High, Ref High
Attack Bonus: +3/4 levels
Spellcasting: Arcane (spell failure from armor is a factor), Charisma-based (a base charisma score of 10 + the spell's level is required to cast a spell, bonus spells are based on modified charisma, and the charisma modifier affects spell DCs), and spontaneous cast (no spell preparation required). Bards begin the game knowing four cantrips.
Custom Bard Songs
In addition to the default Bard Song and the Cursed Song feat variant - Bards can discover and learn new server-specific songs. These songs have completely custom effects that can only be discovered through experimentation, you won't find them documented on the wiki or forums.
Songsheets and Songbooks
Bards in EFU: City of Rings gain access to the above mentioned Custom Bard Songs through song sheets and songbooks. See below for details:
- In order to access the custom Bard songs available in EFU: City of Rings a Songbook item is required - you will receive one when you activate a perk or buy one from a store.
- You can add a song to your songbook either by using a songsheet on your songbook or absorbing another songbook into yours (either by being gifted a songbook or stealing one from another Bard).
- To absorb a songbook into yours use it like you would a songsheet and target the songbook you want to absorbs the songs into.
- There are two varieties of custom Bard songs in EFU. The variety that are beneficial to your allies and the cursed variety which affect enemies via damage, negative effects or even damage.
- You can scribe cursed songs to your songbook without the Cursed Song feat but you will not be able to use them.
- There are two types of songs you can have active at any given moment in EFU. First, the Cursed Song feat (which requires you to take the feat to use) and only affects hostile targets. Second, any other custom bard song of which there are two types of - inspiring which typically affects allies positively or cursed which typically affects hostile targets negatively (and requires the Cursed Song feat to use but not to scribe into your songbook).
- For every 3 points of the Bard's total Perform skill Bard songs will last 1 extra round. Additionally, every character level over 5 grants another round of duration.
Cut Purse
Rogues and Bards receive a Cut Purse player tool accessible through the Crafting Menu which allows you to cut another player's purse to steal a small amount of gold from them - often without them getting any IC or OOC indication of who did it depending on how you perform the theft, how well your skill checks are and various other factors. Please remember that PVP rules apply to this tool!
You can use Cut Purse more often than Pick Pocket (the 30-minute delay only applies to the target you robbed previously).
- Size of the purse matters – for someone with five gold coins, losing even one is a major setback and very easy to discern. Get up in the thousands and you may not notice the few gold coins slipping away.
- Even if you are successful - the target will (after a certain delay) receive a message saying that their purse is missing.
- If you fail your PC will be dropped out of stealth and an emote forced on your PC indicating that he attempted so.
- Pickpocket skill will help ensure the target does not actually see the attempted theft.
- Bluff skill will allow you to act casually so that they do not know it was you.
- Stealth and or invisibility will increase your chances of success by making it harder to spot the attempt.
Multiclassing
Bards can multiclass freely but if they do the effects of their perk as detailed below are disabled. Whatever song you gained remains in your songbook, however. They may still take levels in prestige classes without losing their perk.
Perks
Bards are a colorful and strongly characterized class on EFU, but are frequently used for multiclass characters because of their versatility. These perks provide a small boost for characters fully dedicated to bard levels and are disabled if levels are taken in any other core class. Prestige Classes do not disable class perks, but may come with other restrictions. You can access the complete list of perks here.
Custom Spells
We have introduced a number of new spells which are available for bards. A complete list of all custom spells can be found here.