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Cruel Lullabies: The Bard Handbook (by Litigation)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nibelung" data-source="post: 6705348" data-attributes="member: 74499"><p><strong>Originally posted by Litigation:</strong></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><u>Canaith, Cli and Anstruth: Paragon Tier Powers</u></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><u>Lv. 13 Encounter</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p>Another level where implements have a ton of winning options. The Cunning love Foolhardy Fighting, Prescient Bards get to inflict save penalties with Sharp Retort, and Song of Storms and Insult of Passivity are good choices in general. Melee weapons get a solid off-action deterrent in Couplet of Deceptive Weakness. This is also a level where the basic attack-triggered powers make another appearance, and <strong>Dimensional Step</strong> is a lovely enabler, especially if you've picked up a means of doing a basic attack on something other than your standard. </p><p></p><p><strong>Melee Weapon</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Couplet of Deceptive Weakness</span> (AP): Essentially amounts to an off-action chance to pile on two hits on an enemy foolish enough to move next to you. The ally can shift into an easy flank to get combat advantage on his attack.</p><p></p><p>Earthquake Strike (PHB2): Can be effective, but the party as a whole should not fall into the trap of spreading its attacks out too thin. This one is best done in a situation where an ally can follow up against several enemies with an AoE attack.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Harmony of the Two</span> (PHB2): Never was a good choice to begin with, and now Dimensional Step has made it completely obsolete.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Ranged Weapon</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #800080">Enduring Struggle</span> (AP): The healing amount is a bit weak at this point.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Implement</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Foolhardy Fighting</span> (PHB2): Cast this when enough melee allies surround the enemy. This one is just plain sick; the enemy won't want to attack lest he suffer a serious beatdown. And if he doesn't attack, well, good for you still; he wasted his turn. Has the Charm and Psychic keywords to open up more fun times, and the Cunning get to slap a penalty on any attack rolls the enemy might want to do.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Insult of Passivity</span> (AP): Basically, you force a choice: the enemy you cast this on will either be dazed the whole encounter, or one of his cronies will have to snap him out of it by attacking him, thus wasting a turn by not attacking your party. This one is best cast on an enemy like a Controller, Skirmisher or Artillery who likes to harass the party while keeping its distance; with said enemy away from the party, a crony can't use an AoE to snap him out of it and nail your party at the same time. Solid choice with the proper coordination.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Sharp Retort</span> (AP): Best employed by Prescient Bards who want to all but guarantee an enemy's misery for another round from a save-ends effect. Doing damage as an immediate interrupt only sweetens the deal.</p><p></p><p>Slippery Feet (AP): Not bad; it can set up some flanks or isolation situations, but pretty mundane compared to a lot of the other powers here.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Song of Storms </span>(PHB2): This large, party-friendly close blast AoE is a fine choice. Allies in the blast get to do extra lightning damage when they hit, too. (Too bad the Ocarina is not an implement in this game, by the way. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43IPAGw01IY" target="_blank">Da-da-daaa, da-da-daaa, daaaa-da-da-da-da-da-daaaa</a>.)</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Basic Attack Triggered</strong></p><p>[sblock] </p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Dimensional Step</span> (HotF)</strong>: An upgrade over the Lv. 1 Lesser power, this one allows your ally to make a basic attack (melee or ranged), in addition to the existing option to teleport next to the enemy you hit. A very good enabler for attacking and positioning, and even stronger if you have a way of doing a basic attack on something other than your standard.</p><p></p><p><strong>Flash of Distraction (HotF)</strong>: Like the Lesser version, daze the enemy, and he also gets slapped with a -2 attack penalty. Not as great at this level as its Lesser variant was at Lv. 1, but not bad.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Ringing Weapon</span> (HotF)</strong>: This wasn't good at Lv. 1, and 5 more damage sure as hell doesn't make it good now. Avoid this like the plague. </p><p>[/sblock]</p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><u>Lv. 15 Daily</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p>And you thought Lv. 5 was loaded. You have so many amazing options here it ain't even funny. Once again, the true headliners are the implement powers. Satire of Evasion, Strike Up the Dance, Wall of Sound and Whispers of the Dream King are all winners. They all correspond to different playstyles, so pick which one fits you best. Ranged weapons also have a terrific damage buff option in Iceshard Shot.</p><p></p><p><strong>Melee Weapon</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p>Dance of Biting Wind (PHB2): The <span style="color: #ff0000">Cunning</span> don't need this one at all. Everyone else gets to do a poor imitation of a Cunning Bard once per day. Which isn't terrible, but note that the allies shift, rather than slide, hence the poor imitation.</p><p></p><p>Quick Steel Dance (PHB2): The effect, the most substantial part of this power, lets allies shift as opportunity actions with enemies, which can have its uses. It can help your allies maintain flanks, assuming the enemy doesn't still have a standard action to charge out afterwards for free.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Ranged Weapon</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p>Fated Vulnerability (AP): The usefulness of this one depends. <span style="color: #0000ff">Best</span> in a party where everyone is dealing the same damage type.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Iceshard Shot </span>(AP): Hit or miss, you inflict ongoing cold damage, which you or an ally can prolong forever as long as you hit the enemy to automatically make him fail the save. Just sexy.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Implement</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Confusing Chorus</span> (PHB2): Make an enemy attack one of his buddies at the start of every turn until he saves. Best cast on an enemy with reach. If you have powers that can potentially punish enemies for making attacks (e.g. Foolhardy Fighting, Counterpoint), this power can actually help force a nova in synergy with those, <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>increasing its value</strong></span>.</p><p></p><p>Funeral Dirge (D 372): Close burst 2 that creates a zone that weakens enemies who are caught starting their turns there. The attack and the zone are both party-friendly, making this decent to pull out when you're near a melee cluster.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Hole in the Mind</span> (AP): Basically Deflect Attention in daily form. The ally invisibility is save-ends on hit, and even on miss it'll last for a round. Pretty good.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Menacing Thunder</span> (PHB2): Party-friendly, Thunder-keyword close burst 2 that creates a zone of +2 power bonus to attacks for allies within. Not too impressive.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Satire of Evasion</span> (AP): A save-ends on hit that lets you roll d20s to cover for any ally misses on the object of affection. Excellent.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Strike Up the Dance</span> (D 383): Target up to three enemies, each up to 10 squares from you with this Psychic attack vs. Will, and you immobilize them, deny their move actions and slide them 5 squares every round until they save. Even if you miss an enemy, you get to tell it where to move for a turn, at least. This is as good as it gets in the map rearrangement category up to this point.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Wall of Sound</span> (AP): A fair-size wall that deals decent damage for being next to or in it, hampers movement and can potentially daze a lot of enemies. Very impressive control spell.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Whispers of the Dream King </span>(D 387): Knock a foe unconscious if you hit its Fortitude. The save that takes place whenever the target takes damage may sound like a bummer, but what the hell, your party is still likely to get at least one nice coup-de-grace in before the poor sap wakes up. And once he does (or recovers from the daze from a miss), you can have every single melee-capable ally nearby teleport into perfect offensive formation against him. Fun, fun, fun. Another grand option in a level full of them.</p><p></p><p>Wracking Radiance (AP): Ongoing radiant damage with possibly a modicum of free healing for allies near the target. Not bad. <span style="color: #0000ff">Better</span> if you're traveling with a Divine character of some sort who is geared toward creating radiant vulnerability.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Skald's Aura</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Directed Aggression</span> (HotF)</strong>: Uh, what the hell? No, seriously, what in the actual hell? The effect isn't worth an ENCOUNTER power several levels ago, much less a daily here.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Song of Solidarity</span> (HotF)</strong>: This one's actually pretty good in a melee-heavy party. Form a melee cluster and you can make enemies caught in it scared to attack or suffer some pretty nasty beatdowns, and the threat of this lasts the whole encounter. </p><p>[/sblock]</p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><u>Lv. 16 Utility</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p>This level has a bunch of options that certainly aren't bad, but aren't anything special, either. Song of Sublime Snowfall is the overall best here. A few nova-focused builds can use Haste to pretty good effect. Or you can go back to Lv. 10, where some truly great powers still remain.</p><p></p><p><strong>Class Powers</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p>Allied Rhythm (AP): Fair encounter power for a melee-heavy party, potentially granting some huge bonuses to attack rolls for one of your allies. Preferably the one packing multiple attacks.</p><p></p><p>Blink Zone (PHB2): A sustainable zone that grants power bonuses to AC and Reflex, as well as short-range teleportation within. Best cast on a melee cluster, helping your melee allies easily move into flanks and keep them. Fair.</p><p></p><p>Chorus of Recovery (PHB2): Grant your allies saving throws for starting their turns near you. This zone moves with you and is sustainable. Decent.</p><p></p><p>Chorus of Vitality (AP): Mass healing surge trigger as a minor action, but what sells this daily the most is the free shifting that also happens. Fair power.</p><p></p><p><strong>Dramatic Intercession (HotF)</strong>: This daily is an immediate interrupt KO-rescue spell that's best with a high INT. Pretty decent.</p><p></p><p>Elegy of the Undefeated (PHB2): A near-death rescue spell. It does grant two surges' worth of free healing, so it's worth mentioning, even if it does use a standard.</p><p></p><p><strong>Fearless Example (HotF)</strong>: End all fear effects and trigger mass saves against all effects. Decent.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Haste</span> (AP): This daily power trades one of your minor actions in the round for an extra standard action for you or an ally. That can be nice to have for that one big nova round.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Heroic Interjection</span> (AP): Amounts to an off-action Haste that is only usable against enemies with action points, i.e. Elites and Solos. Generally, you're a lot better off just taking Haste if that's the effect you were going for.</p><p></p><p>Musical Chairs (D 383): I've made my peace with it, even if the nerf from encounter to daily was uncalled for. Letting all your allies choose between long-distance shifting and saves with your CHA-bonus attached to those saves is pretty solid.</p><p></p><p>Song of the Soul Harvest (D 372): Helpful for Fighters and Wardens, not so much for Paladins and Swordmages.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Song of Sublime Snowfall</span> (PHB2): Sustainable zone, and every time you sustain it all allies heal your CHA-mod of hit points. It also creates difficult terrain, which even affects flyers, which means enemies can't get out of it easily. A good one for keeping a fight where you want it.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Class Skill Powers</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Insight</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Insightful Riposte</span> (PHB3): Per-encounter correction of a missed attack with a +3 bonus. Awesome, especially since hitting is important for Leaders. This one's actually a good use of the Skill Power feat.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><u>Lv. 17 Encounter</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p>The Valorous get to swing their weapons with the great Song of Summons, and the Prescient get to fire away with the ranged weapon gem Balance of Fortune. Not to be outdone, the Cunning can redraw a battle map with the implement-based Shout of Evasion. Alternately, all Bards have the option to pick up a potent weapon buff in <strong>Greater Echoing Weapon</strong> or a nice Defender assist in Masks of Menace.</p><p></p><p><strong>Melee Weapon</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Dissonant Imbuement</span> (D 383): Another one of those oddball melee powers best employed by the Cunning. But no one can say that it's not effective for setting up some absolutely glorious power plays for the party against AC and Reflex. It's an <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>outright winner</strong></span> if you are one of those Cunning Bards who interestingly likes to get your hands dirty.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Song of Summons</span> (PHB2): This one is for the Valorous, who can teleport a Striker ally next to the enemy and grant him huge bonuses to attack. Great.</p><p></p><p><strong>Spectral Vanguard (D 396)</strong>: Another one of those encounter powers with an effect regardless of hit or miss (and, yes, it's also Arcane/Primal), and this one is an aura 3 that gives allies a +2 power bonus to defenses and also lets you slide an enemy a couple squares if it ends its turn in it. Nothing eye-opening, but not bad, either.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Word of Vulnerability</span> (PHB2): Allies require combat advantage to take advantage of the favor. A little too situational.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Ranged Weapon</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Balance of Fortune</span> (AP): Geared toward the Prescient, this thing hits often since it's a weapon attack vs. Will. You screw over enemies' attack rolls and boost your allies' attacks for a round. Excellent.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Inescapable Fate</span> (AP): With so many better options at this level, this one is left in the dust.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Strings of Fate</span> (AP): Target up to three enemies, attack their Reflex to hit often, and help AC attackers out as they attack the enemies' Reflex. Good one.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Implement</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Masks of Menace</span> (PHB2): You essentially get to lay down an extremely strong Misdirected Mark that isn't a mark. Which means it stacks with a Defender's mark and other penalties, and Paladins and Swordmages benefit just as much as Fighters and Wardens. It's also Psychic, and you know what that means. -9 or greater to attack anyone else other than the Defender is pretty damn nice, indeed.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Resounding War Cry</span> (AP): Good, large, party-friendly AoE that can set up a lot of dazing. Best used when you anticipate an ally following up with an AoE of his own. Thunder keyword, too.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Shout of Evasion</span> (PHB2): Geared toward the Cunning, who can spur the entire party into all sorts of advantageous positions with this.</p><p></p><p>Turning the Tide (AP): Healing surge trigger for any ally who follows this up with a hit. Not bad, but mundane in light of some other powers here.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Weapon Boosts</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Greater Chilled Blade</span> (HotF)</strong>: This effect was good at Lv. 3, but not at Lv. 17. Too many nice options already existing at this level to even consider this one. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Greater Echoing Weapon</span> (HotF)</strong>: Echoing Weapon with an extra d6 of damage, but that's OK, since anything that amounts to what is essentially a full extra attack's worth of damage scales beautifully by default. Works just like it's predecessor, meaning it's not "extra damage" but actually a separate damage incident that gets the benefits of all modifiers from the buffed attacker (cast on a Striker's weapon for best results). (Another fun fact to note: If you keep its Lv. 3 predecessor around, you can spend two minor actions on your turn to stack both of these powers on the same weapon and essentially triple the Striker's ensuing hit.)</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Greater Seek Weakness</span> (HotF)</strong>: Seek Weakness upgraded to a +4 power bonus to damage. Which isn't quite good enough of an upgrade from its Lv. 3 predecessor.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><u>Lv. 19 Daily</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p>Several solid options at this level, although <strong>Satire of Prowess</strong> stands out the most.</p><p></p><p><strong>Special</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Increasing the Tempo</span> (PHB2): Its single-target beatdown potential has been diluted by the errata, as now the beneficiary can only attack a single enemy twice. If you use this on a melee ally, he or she must be adjacent to two foes to get all four attacks prescribed by this power and thus put this to the best use. Solid enough, still, but no longer a flat-out winner.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Ranged Weapon</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Linked Fortunes</span> (AP): Can screw your ally over as much as it hurts the enemy. Shun it.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Saga of the Harrying Foe</span> (AP): At this point, the power bonus to attack rolls for one ally just isn't enough of a selling point. Save-ends conditional psychic damage isn't either.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Implement</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p>All Soul's Ball (D 372): Helps if you hit with this thing so you can better trap enemies in the zone with the immobilization. The zone triggers healing surges and makes enemies give up combat advantage when an enemy dies in it. Decent.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Corralling Song</span> (AP): This AoE forces enemies to cluster together, and the save-ends effect, hit or miss, punishes them with damage if they don't. Good at helping your Controller do his/her job better.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Craven Chorus</span> (D 383): Is this some kind of joke? Because I'm not laughing. Garbage power that amounts to nothing more than a glorified Thunderwave. I mean, at least Sprightly Rhythm at Lv. 1 tried to get your allies involved.</p><p></p><p>Encircling Dance (PHB2): Basically a radiant attack against an enemy or two attached to a mass shift. Decent.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Irresistible Dance</span> (PHB2): Too bad this one isn't party-friendly. Because it had great potential as a beatdown from multiple Agile Opportunists. As it stands, it's still good for casting on a cluster of enemies for some massive sliding around and map redrawing.</p><p></p><p>Mocking Epigram (AP): An interesting power that effectively halves the damage your ally would've taken and makes an enemy suffer the remaining half. Could do worse.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Satire of Prowess</span> (PHB2): The enemy rolls twice to its peril; allies roll twice to the enemy's peril as long as the power lasts. A damn good one for sure, and it'll get even better when you can start loading up on save penalties.</p><p></p><p>Spring to Action (AP): Mainly used as a combat starter against a cluster of enemies from a distance. The usefulness of this one varies depending on party composition; it's best in a <span style="color: #0000ff">melee-heavy</span> party, who will really benefit from the instant distance closure and easy flank setups that can result, all done before the enemy party can disperse into better positions.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Skald's Aura</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Fable of Focus</span> (HotF)</strong>: Makes your allies' attacks all brutal 2 for the encounter. Not worth a daily at this level. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Song of Flagging Strength</span> (HotF)</strong>: Twice in the encounter, you can inflict save-ends weakening and ongoing psychic damage on an enemy when you or an ally hits it. This one's pretty good, particularly against a Solo, where you'll get at least two rounds of taking its attacks down a peg. </p><p>[/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nibelung, post: 6705348, member: 74499"] [b]Originally posted by Litigation:[/b] [CENTER][SIZE=6][u]Canaith, Cli and Anstruth: Paragon Tier Powers[/u][/SIZE][/CENTER] [Size=4][b][u]Lv. 13 Encounter[/u][/b][/size] Another level where implements have a ton of winning options. The Cunning love Foolhardy Fighting, Prescient Bards get to inflict save penalties with Sharp Retort, and Song of Storms and Insult of Passivity are good choices in general. Melee weapons get a solid off-action deterrent in Couplet of Deceptive Weakness. This is also a level where the basic attack-triggered powers make another appearance, and [b]Dimensional Step[/b] is a lovely enabler, especially if you've picked up a means of doing a basic attack on something other than your standard. [b]Melee Weapon[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff]Couplet of Deceptive Weakness[/COLOR] (AP): Essentially amounts to an off-action chance to pile on two hits on an enemy foolish enough to move next to you. The ally can shift into an easy flank to get combat advantage on his attack. Earthquake Strike (PHB2): Can be effective, but the party as a whole should not fall into the trap of spreading its attacks out too thin. This one is best done in a situation where an ally can follow up against several enemies with an AoE attack. [COLOR=#ff0000]Harmony of the Two[/COLOR] (PHB2): Never was a good choice to begin with, and now Dimensional Step has made it completely obsolete. [/sblock] [b]Ranged Weapon[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#800080]Enduring Struggle[/COLOR] (AP): The healing amount is a bit weak at this point. [/sblock] [b]Implement[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#00ccff]Foolhardy Fighting[/COLOR] (PHB2): Cast this when enough melee allies surround the enemy. This one is just plain sick; the enemy won't want to attack lest he suffer a serious beatdown. And if he doesn't attack, well, good for you still; he wasted his turn. Has the Charm and Psychic keywords to open up more fun times, and the Cunning get to slap a penalty on any attack rolls the enemy might want to do. [COLOR=#0000ff]Insult of Passivity[/COLOR] (AP): Basically, you force a choice: the enemy you cast this on will either be dazed the whole encounter, or one of his cronies will have to snap him out of it by attacking him, thus wasting a turn by not attacking your party. This one is best cast on an enemy like a Controller, Skirmisher or Artillery who likes to harass the party while keeping its distance; with said enemy away from the party, a crony can't use an AoE to snap him out of it and nail your party at the same time. Solid choice with the proper coordination. [COLOR=#00ccff]Sharp Retort[/COLOR] (AP): Best employed by Prescient Bards who want to all but guarantee an enemy's misery for another round from a save-ends effect. Doing damage as an immediate interrupt only sweetens the deal. Slippery Feet (AP): Not bad; it can set up some flanks or isolation situations, but pretty mundane compared to a lot of the other powers here. [COLOR=#0000ff]Song of Storms [/COLOR](PHB2): This large, party-friendly close blast AoE is a fine choice. Allies in the blast get to do extra lightning damage when they hit, too. (Too bad the Ocarina is not an implement in this game, by the way. [URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43IPAGw01IY]Da-da-daaa, da-da-daaa, daaaa-da-da-da-da-da-daaaa[/URL].) [/sblock] [b]Basic Attack Triggered[/b] [sblock] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Dimensional Step[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: An upgrade over the Lv. 1 Lesser power, this one allows your ally to make a basic attack (melee or ranged), in addition to the existing option to teleport next to the enemy you hit. A very good enabler for attacking and positioning, and even stronger if you have a way of doing a basic attack on something other than your standard. [b]Flash of Distraction (HotF)[/b]: Like the Lesser version, daze the enemy, and he also gets slapped with a -2 attack penalty. Not as great at this level as its Lesser variant was at Lv. 1, but not bad. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Ringing Weapon[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: This wasn't good at Lv. 1, and 5 more damage sure as hell doesn't make it good now. Avoid this like the plague. [/sblock] [Size=4][b][u]Lv. 15 Daily[/u][/b][/size] And you thought Lv. 5 was loaded. You have so many amazing options here it ain't even funny. Once again, the true headliners are the implement powers. Satire of Evasion, Strike Up the Dance, Wall of Sound and Whispers of the Dream King are all winners. They all correspond to different playstyles, so pick which one fits you best. Ranged weapons also have a terrific damage buff option in Iceshard Shot. [b]Melee Weapon[/b] [sblock] Dance of Biting Wind (PHB2): The [COLOR=#ff0000]Cunning[/COLOR] don't need this one at all. Everyone else gets to do a poor imitation of a Cunning Bard once per day. Which isn't terrible, but note that the allies shift, rather than slide, hence the poor imitation. Quick Steel Dance (PHB2): The effect, the most substantial part of this power, lets allies shift as opportunity actions with enemies, which can have its uses. It can help your allies maintain flanks, assuming the enemy doesn't still have a standard action to charge out afterwards for free. [/sblock] [b]Ranged Weapon[/b] [sblock] Fated Vulnerability (AP): The usefulness of this one depends. [COLOR=#0000ff]Best[/COLOR] in a party where everyone is dealing the same damage type. [COLOR=#00ccff]Iceshard Shot [/COLOR](AP): Hit or miss, you inflict ongoing cold damage, which you or an ally can prolong forever as long as you hit the enemy to automatically make him fail the save. Just sexy. [/sblock] [b]Implement[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff]Confusing Chorus[/COLOR] (PHB2): Make an enemy attack one of his buddies at the start of every turn until he saves. Best cast on an enemy with reach. If you have powers that can potentially punish enemies for making attacks (e.g. Foolhardy Fighting, Counterpoint), this power can actually help force a nova in synergy with those, [COLOR=#00ccff][b]increasing its value[/b][/COLOR]. Funeral Dirge (D 372): Close burst 2 that creates a zone that weakens enemies who are caught starting their turns there. The attack and the zone are both party-friendly, making this decent to pull out when you're near a melee cluster. [COLOR=#0000ff]Hole in the Mind[/COLOR] (AP): Basically Deflect Attention in daily form. The ally invisibility is save-ends on hit, and even on miss it'll last for a round. Pretty good. [COLOR=#800080]Menacing Thunder[/COLOR] (PHB2): Party-friendly, Thunder-keyword close burst 2 that creates a zone of +2 power bonus to attacks for allies within. Not too impressive. [COLOR=#00ccff]Satire of Evasion[/COLOR] (AP): A save-ends on hit that lets you roll d20s to cover for any ally misses on the object of affection. Excellent. [COLOR=#00ccff]Strike Up the Dance[/COLOR] (D 383): Target up to three enemies, each up to 10 squares from you with this Psychic attack vs. Will, and you immobilize them, deny their move actions and slide them 5 squares every round until they save. Even if you miss an enemy, you get to tell it where to move for a turn, at least. This is as good as it gets in the map rearrangement category up to this point. [COLOR=#00ccff]Wall of Sound[/COLOR] (AP): A fair-size wall that deals decent damage for being next to or in it, hampers movement and can potentially daze a lot of enemies. Very impressive control spell. [COLOR=#00ccff]Whispers of the Dream King [/COLOR](D 387): Knock a foe unconscious if you hit its Fortitude. The save that takes place whenever the target takes damage may sound like a bummer, but what the hell, your party is still likely to get at least one nice coup-de-grace in before the poor sap wakes up. And once he does (or recovers from the daze from a miss), you can have every single melee-capable ally nearby teleport into perfect offensive formation against him. Fun, fun, fun. Another grand option in a level full of them. Wracking Radiance (AP): Ongoing radiant damage with possibly a modicum of free healing for allies near the target. Not bad. [COLOR=#0000ff]Better[/COLOR] if you're traveling with a Divine character of some sort who is geared toward creating radiant vulnerability. [/sblock] [b]Skald's Aura[/b] [sblock] [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Directed Aggression[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: Uh, what the hell? No, seriously, what in the actual hell? The effect isn't worth an ENCOUNTER power several levels ago, much less a daily here. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Song of Solidarity[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: This one's actually pretty good in a melee-heavy party. Form a melee cluster and you can make enemies caught in it scared to attack or suffer some pretty nasty beatdowns, and the threat of this lasts the whole encounter. [/sblock] [Size=4][b][u]Lv. 16 Utility[/u][/b][/size] This level has a bunch of options that certainly aren't bad, but aren't anything special, either. Song of Sublime Snowfall is the overall best here. A few nova-focused builds can use Haste to pretty good effect. Or you can go back to Lv. 10, where some truly great powers still remain. [b]Class Powers[/b] [sblock] Allied Rhythm (AP): Fair encounter power for a melee-heavy party, potentially granting some huge bonuses to attack rolls for one of your allies. Preferably the one packing multiple attacks. Blink Zone (PHB2): A sustainable zone that grants power bonuses to AC and Reflex, as well as short-range teleportation within. Best cast on a melee cluster, helping your melee allies easily move into flanks and keep them. Fair. Chorus of Recovery (PHB2): Grant your allies saving throws for starting their turns near you. This zone moves with you and is sustainable. Decent. Chorus of Vitality (AP): Mass healing surge trigger as a minor action, but what sells this daily the most is the free shifting that also happens. Fair power. [b]Dramatic Intercession (HotF)[/b]: This daily is an immediate interrupt KO-rescue spell that's best with a high INT. Pretty decent. Elegy of the Undefeated (PHB2): A near-death rescue spell. It does grant two surges' worth of free healing, so it's worth mentioning, even if it does use a standard. [b]Fearless Example (HotF)[/b]: End all fear effects and trigger mass saves against all effects. Decent. [COLOR=#0000ff]Haste[/COLOR] (AP): This daily power trades one of your minor actions in the round for an extra standard action for you or an ally. That can be nice to have for that one big nova round. [COLOR=#800080]Heroic Interjection[/COLOR] (AP): Amounts to an off-action Haste that is only usable against enemies with action points, i.e. Elites and Solos. Generally, you're a lot better off just taking Haste if that's the effect you were going for. Musical Chairs (D 383): I've made my peace with it, even if the nerf from encounter to daily was uncalled for. Letting all your allies choose between long-distance shifting and saves with your CHA-bonus attached to those saves is pretty solid. Song of the Soul Harvest (D 372): Helpful for Fighters and Wardens, not so much for Paladins and Swordmages. [COLOR=#0000ff]Song of Sublime Snowfall[/COLOR] (PHB2): Sustainable zone, and every time you sustain it all allies heal your CHA-mod of hit points. It also creates difficult terrain, which even affects flyers, which means enemies can't get out of it easily. A good one for keeping a fight where you want it. [/sblock] [b]Class Skill Powers[/b] [sblock] [u]Insight[/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Insightful Riposte[/COLOR] (PHB3): Per-encounter correction of a missed attack with a +3 bonus. Awesome, especially since hitting is important for Leaders. This one's actually a good use of the Skill Power feat. [/sblock] [Size=4][b][u]Lv. 17 Encounter[/u][/b][/size] The Valorous get to swing their weapons with the great Song of Summons, and the Prescient get to fire away with the ranged weapon gem Balance of Fortune. Not to be outdone, the Cunning can redraw a battle map with the implement-based Shout of Evasion. Alternately, all Bards have the option to pick up a potent weapon buff in [b]Greater Echoing Weapon[/b] or a nice Defender assist in Masks of Menace. [b]Melee Weapon[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff]Dissonant Imbuement[/COLOR] (D 383): Another one of those oddball melee powers best employed by the Cunning. But no one can say that it's not effective for setting up some absolutely glorious power plays for the party against AC and Reflex. It's an [COLOR=#00ccff][b]outright winner[/b][/COLOR] if you are one of those Cunning Bards who interestingly likes to get your hands dirty. [COLOR=#00ccff]Song of Summons[/COLOR] (PHB2): This one is for the Valorous, who can teleport a Striker ally next to the enemy and grant him huge bonuses to attack. Great. [b]Spectral Vanguard (D 396)[/b]: Another one of those encounter powers with an effect regardless of hit or miss (and, yes, it's also Arcane/Primal), and this one is an aura 3 that gives allies a +2 power bonus to defenses and also lets you slide an enemy a couple squares if it ends its turn in it. Nothing eye-opening, but not bad, either. [COLOR=#800080]Word of Vulnerability[/COLOR] (PHB2): Allies require combat advantage to take advantage of the favor. A little too situational. [/sblock] [b]Ranged Weapon[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#00ccff]Balance of Fortune[/COLOR] (AP): Geared toward the Prescient, this thing hits often since it's a weapon attack vs. Will. You screw over enemies' attack rolls and boost your allies' attacks for a round. Excellent. [COLOR=#ff0000]Inescapable Fate[/COLOR] (AP): With so many better options at this level, this one is left in the dust. [COLOR=#0000ff]Strings of Fate[/COLOR] (AP): Target up to three enemies, attack their Reflex to hit often, and help AC attackers out as they attack the enemies' Reflex. Good one. [/sblock] [b]Implement[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#00ccff]Masks of Menace[/COLOR] (PHB2): You essentially get to lay down an extremely strong Misdirected Mark that isn't a mark. Which means it stacks with a Defender's mark and other penalties, and Paladins and Swordmages benefit just as much as Fighters and Wardens. It's also Psychic, and you know what that means. -9 or greater to attack anyone else other than the Defender is pretty damn nice, indeed. [COLOR=#0000ff]Resounding War Cry[/COLOR] (AP): Good, large, party-friendly AoE that can set up a lot of dazing. Best used when you anticipate an ally following up with an AoE of his own. Thunder keyword, too. [COLOR=#00ccff]Shout of Evasion[/COLOR] (PHB2): Geared toward the Cunning, who can spur the entire party into all sorts of advantageous positions with this. Turning the Tide (AP): Healing surge trigger for any ally who follows this up with a hit. Not bad, but mundane in light of some other powers here. [/sblock] [b]Weapon Boosts[/b] [sblock] [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Greater Chilled Blade[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: This effect was good at Lv. 3, but not at Lv. 17. Too many nice options already existing at this level to even consider this one. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Greater Echoing Weapon[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: Echoing Weapon with an extra d6 of damage, but that's OK, since anything that amounts to what is essentially a full extra attack's worth of damage scales beautifully by default. Works just like it's predecessor, meaning it's not "extra damage" but actually a separate damage incident that gets the benefits of all modifiers from the buffed attacker (cast on a Striker's weapon for best results). (Another fun fact to note: If you keep its Lv. 3 predecessor around, you can spend two minor actions on your turn to stack both of these powers on the same weapon and essentially triple the Striker's ensuing hit.) [b][COLOR=#800080]Greater Seek Weakness[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: Seek Weakness upgraded to a +4 power bonus to damage. Which isn't quite good enough of an upgrade from its Lv. 3 predecessor. [/sblock] [Size=4][b][u]Lv. 19 Daily[/u][/b][/size] Several solid options at this level, although [b]Satire of Prowess[/b] stands out the most. [b]Special[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff]Increasing the Tempo[/COLOR] (PHB2): Its single-target beatdown potential has been diluted by the errata, as now the beneficiary can only attack a single enemy twice. If you use this on a melee ally, he or she must be adjacent to two foes to get all four attacks prescribed by this power and thus put this to the best use. Solid enough, still, but no longer a flat-out winner. [/sblock] [b]Ranged Weapon[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#ff0000]Linked Fortunes[/COLOR] (AP): Can screw your ally over as much as it hurts the enemy. Shun it. [COLOR=#800080]Saga of the Harrying Foe[/COLOR] (AP): At this point, the power bonus to attack rolls for one ally just isn't enough of a selling point. Save-ends conditional psychic damage isn't either. [/sblock] [b]Implement[/b] [sblock] All Soul's Ball (D 372): Helps if you hit with this thing so you can better trap enemies in the zone with the immobilization. The zone triggers healing surges and makes enemies give up combat advantage when an enemy dies in it. Decent. [COLOR=#0000ff]Corralling Song[/COLOR] (AP): This AoE forces enemies to cluster together, and the save-ends effect, hit or miss, punishes them with damage if they don't. Good at helping your Controller do his/her job better. [COLOR=#ff0000]Craven Chorus[/COLOR] (D 383): Is this some kind of joke? Because I'm not laughing. Garbage power that amounts to nothing more than a glorified Thunderwave. I mean, at least Sprightly Rhythm at Lv. 1 tried to get your allies involved. Encircling Dance (PHB2): Basically a radiant attack against an enemy or two attached to a mass shift. Decent. [COLOR=#0000ff]Irresistible Dance[/COLOR] (PHB2): Too bad this one isn't party-friendly. Because it had great potential as a beatdown from multiple Agile Opportunists. As it stands, it's still good for casting on a cluster of enemies for some massive sliding around and map redrawing. Mocking Epigram (AP): An interesting power that effectively halves the damage your ally would've taken and makes an enemy suffer the remaining half. Could do worse. [COLOR=#00ccff]Satire of Prowess[/COLOR] (PHB2): The enemy rolls twice to its peril; allies roll twice to the enemy's peril as long as the power lasts. A damn good one for sure, and it'll get even better when you can start loading up on save penalties. Spring to Action (AP): Mainly used as a combat starter against a cluster of enemies from a distance. The usefulness of this one varies depending on party composition; it's best in a [COLOR=#0000ff]melee-heavy[/COLOR] party, who will really benefit from the instant distance closure and easy flank setups that can result, all done before the enemy party can disperse into better positions. [/sblock] [b]Skald's Aura[/b] [sblock] [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Fable of Focus[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: Makes your allies' attacks all brutal 2 for the encounter. Not worth a daily at this level. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Song of Flagging Strength[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: Twice in the encounter, you can inflict save-ends weakening and ongoing psychic damage on an enemy when you or an ally hits it. This one's pretty good, particularly against a Solo, where you'll get at least two rounds of taking its attacks down a peg. [/sblock] [/QUOTE]
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