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Cruel Lullabies: The Bard Handbook (by Litigation)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nibelung" data-source="post: 6705362" 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>Songs for Peaceful Times: Bard Rituals</u></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Bard Rituals</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 1</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Glib Limerick</span> (PHB2): The effect ends when you roll initiative, so apparently this is supposed to be used in the middle of a skill challenge, and not before? That makes its usefulness rather dubious. At least it requires no skill check.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Traveler's Chant</span> (PHB2): Get where you need to go faster. Good one. Needs no skill check.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 3</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Lullaby</span> (PHB2): This one is useful in all sorts of situations, many of which will end in your party getting the hell out of there ... or getting ready to ambush your audience. Uses an Arcana check.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 4</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Call of Friendship</span> (AP): Win a new friend for a while. Uses a Diplomacy check.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 6</u></p><p></p><p>Fool's Speech (PHB2): Used mainly for keeping secrets and confusing people. No skill check. Can be fun and handy at times.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 8</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Anthem of Unity</span> (AP): A logical progression from Call of Friendship, working on a whole bunch of people this time. Except if your Diplomacy check for the ritual is high enough you can even get them to take mild risks.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff9900">Song of Sustenance</span> (PHB2): Translation: You and your party don't have to eat. No skill check required, so no Bard has an excuse to be without this one.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 9</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Tune of Merriment</span> (PHB2): Roll twice on Diplomacy checks. Good stuff, indeed. No skill check for the ritual.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 10</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Aria of Revelation</span> (PHB2): Bonuses to allies' checks for trained knowledge skills, based on your Arcana check. Comes in handy.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Chorus of Truth</span> (PHB2): Interrogation is a common skill challenge, and the subjects love to mislead you. So the Bluff penalty from this, based on your Arcana check, is often useful.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Song of Restfulness</span> (PHB2): If you've still got your no-cost ritual casting for the day from Bardic Training, this check-free ritual to shorten your extended rest is an excellent one to use it for.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p> </p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><u>It's all Instrumental: Items</u></span></p><p></p><p>Just remember that your top priority in every 5-level interval is keeping your armor, weapon and/or implement and neck item up to date. Plan it right and you'll still have plenty of room for other nice things.</p><p></p><p><strong>Armor</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 2</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Screaming</span> (AV): Comes in hide and scale, and gives a bonus to Intimidate as a property, along with a per-encounter attack debuff from range. Nice.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Veteran's</span> (AV): Property gives you +1 to attack and all defenses on action point use. This one used to be a lot more powerful, but even now it's still pretty solid.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 3</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Eladrin</span> (PHB): Chain only. If you're a Cunning Bard, this is a good reason to spend the feat on ring mail proficiency. Increases the range of your teleports (doesn't seem to be limited to self-teleportation, either). <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Wayfarers</strong></span>, in particular, will want to look at this one.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Nightmare Ward</span> (AV2): Psychic resistance and bonus to saves against charm, fear and psychic effects. Nice. Comes in leather and hide.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 4</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Battle Harness </span>(DA 09): Fulltime power bonus to initiative equal to enhancement is pretty big, considering it can stack with other initiative-granting items. Comes in all light armors, including hide.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Time Link</span> (AV2): An item bonus to initiative for the chain wearers out there. That alone is worth a mention.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 5</u></p><p></p><p>Agile (AV): A <span style="color: #ff0000">trap</span> ... until you close in on Lv. 30, then it becomes <span style="color: #00ccff">awesome</span> if you have any sort of DEX modifier. At that point there are no other masterwork armors a level or two above to grab your immediate attention.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Healer's</span> (AV2): Extra enhancemont-bonus' worth of healing on all your healing powers. Solid. Comes in hide and chain.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Tactician's Armor</span> (AV): Probably the best reason for a Cunning Bard to spend the feat for proficiency in ring mail. An extra modifier's worth of INT on Virtue of Cunning and INT-rider powers is incredible, and in ring mail form, you get to keep your full AC benefits from INT.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 12</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Feytouched</span> (MOTP): Item bonus to initiative equal to enhancement, AND it's in the cheap 2/7 pricing bracket? AND comes in hide? Deals don't get much better than that.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 24</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Soulwarding</span> (AV): Resist two common enemy damage types (necrotic and psychic) and protection against attacks that make you lose healing surges. Nice. Comes in all heavy armors.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Weapons (melee)</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u><strong>Lv. 1</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Bard's Songblade</span> (D 390)</strong>: The basic Songblade. If nothing else, it sure is nice to have a cheap option for such.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 2</u></p><p><u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Farbond Spellblade</span> (AV2): A heavy blade or light blade that can be thrown and used for ranged weapon powers. Good stuff. Take Swordmage multiclassing and you'll have a triple-purpose weapon. Great for Prescients who still plan on spending time in melee, or any Bard who wants to pluck a couple of ranged weapon spells.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Harmonic Songblade</span> (AV2): Songblade. Not really a worthwhile step above the basic Bard's Songblade.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 3</u></p><p><u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Frost</span> (PHB): This weapon really earns its stripes in Paragon Tier, when you can use Wintertouched and Lasting Frost together to set up combat advantage whenever you hit with it.</p><p></p><p>Harsh Songblade (PHB2): Decent crits (d8 per plus) with this Songblade, and an AoE dazing daily that works with Bard thunder powers (Arcane Admixture if necessary).</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Inescapable</span> (AV): Stacks bonuses to hit with every miss until you hit the enemy. Solid.</p><p></p><p>Rhythm Blade (AV2): Extra AC and Reflex with this light blade if you dual-wield.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Venomous Songblade</span> (D 390)</strong>: Save-ends weakening daily power on this Songblade. Meh.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 4</u></p><p><u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Echoing Songblade</span> (AV2): This Songblade's main selling point relies far too much on luck to be reliable.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Tuning Songblade</span> (D 390)</strong>: A property relying on ongoing thunder damage is just a little too situational for a Songblade this expensive.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Sunblade </span>(AV): A heavy blade with an at-will Radiant keyword and damage option. It can also shed a lot of light to negate concealment in dark places. Your first lightsaber, and a solid option. A Divine character who sets up radiant vulnerability will encourage you to take this, for sure.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 5</u></p><p><u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Flaming</span> (PHB): Generally a trap, and even for <strong>Tieflings</strong> who want to use Stirring Song of Baator it's not nearly as appealing as it used to be, thanks to its pointless nerf that only allows it to transform powers whose damage is untyped.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Lightning</span> (PHB): A flavorful, and finally viable option, thanks to nice things like Oncoming Storm and (if you're in Eberron) Mark of Storm.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 8</u></p><p><u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Cunning</span> (AV): With all the save-ends effects your daily powers inflict, this one can be quite valuable. Even after the errata that only makes it work on the first save, buying a greater chance of another round of misery is still great. Multiclass Swordmage to put down the penalty with your implement powers, too.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 9</u></p><p><u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Githyanki Silver</span> (MOTP): Heavy blade only, and boy is this one nasty. Take the Psychic Lock feat and have fun.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Incisive Dagger</span> (AV2)</strong>: Wayfarer Bards will look at this one for the enhancement bonus' worth of extra distance on teleports.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 12</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Jagged</span> (AV): Crit deals heavy save-ends ongoing damage instead of extra damage die, and it crits on 19-20. Comes in heavy blade. Nice.</p><p></p><p>Desiccating (AV): Cumulative weakening of Fortitude (save-ends) with every hit. Not bad against Brutes.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Piercing Songblade</span> (PHB2): Good crits for this Songblade (d10 per plus) and the daily is a no-save encounter-long debuff to AC. Solid.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Withering</span> (AV): Cumulative debuff of AC (save-ends) with every hit. This one is more all-purpose than Desiccating.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 15</u></p><p><u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Blade of the Eldritch Knight </span>(AV2): Attack 5 squares away with melee attacks. Nice.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Radiant</span> (AV): At-will Radiant keyword switch, just like the Sunblade. When the switch is on, it also deals an extra item bonus to damage, which by itself makes it superior to its far more flavorful counterpart. However, if you're wearing the Iron Armbands of Power, you can stick with the Sunblade, as item bonuses don't stack.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 20</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Lilting Songblade</span> (PHB2): One of the better Songblades. Good crit damage (d10 per plus) and a very nice encounter-long daily that escalates an already solid item bonus to damage for the whole party.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 25</u></p><p><u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Brilliant Energy</span> (AV): Like the Sunblade, a far more interesting and flavorful lightsaber than the technically superior Radiant Weapon. If you're wearing Iron Armbands of Power then the disparity disappears, and you get solid crit damage of d10s per plus and a very nice encounter power that lets you attack Reflex with an attack that would normally target AC.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Weapons (ranged)</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u><strong>Lv. 1</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Bard's Songbow</span> (D 390)</strong>: The basic Songbow. If nothing else, it's nice to have a cheap one of those available.</p><p></p><p><u><u>Lv. 2</u></u></p><p></p><p><strong>Howling Songbow (D 390)</strong>: Songbow with some collateral damage as a property. Decent.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Wailing Songbow</span> (D 390)</strong>: Stealth penalties galore and some per-encounter ignoring of concealment. Considering it's one of the cheaper options for Songbows, this is pretty good.</p><p></p><p>Whistling Songbow (AV2): This Songbow's daily is a party buff to attack rolls for a round. It's there if you need it.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 3</u></p><p></p><p>Songbow of Vanishment (AV2): Songbow with a daily Eyebite effect for a round.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Venomous Songbow </span>(D 390)</strong>: Ongoing poison damage daily. Meh.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 9</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Songbow of Lullabies</span> (AV2): If you can follow up with some save-debuffs (often true at higher levels), the daily sleep power on this Songbow can be quite nice.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 13</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Shrieking Songbow</span> (AV2): If you activate this Songbow's daily power when the enemy is surrounded by your melee allies, the enemy won't be able to avoid the opportunity attacks that result, so you essentially get another beatdown power. Nice.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 15</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Songbow of Summoning</span> (AV2): The daily on this Songbow is perfect for easily getting melee allies in position against the enemy.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Wands</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 3</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Wand of Psychic Ravaging</span> (AV): With all the Psychic powers your class has, including some very good at-wills, you'll be getting the damage bonus from this one a lot. You also get a per-encounter use of the Warlock's excellent Eyebite.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 4</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Master's Wand of Misdirected Mark</span> (AV2): It does improve Misdirected Mark, but not by enough to consider taking it when you otherwise wouldn't. Better to use a wand for powers you're more likely to pick in the first place, right?</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Master's Wand of Vicious Mockery</span> (AV2): Like this one. An update made this one less obscene than its original form, but make no mistake; it's still a winner. Debuffing a second enemy's attacks by -2 with your Vicious Mockery is quite good any way you slice it.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Wand of Allure</span> (AV2): Extra range and ignore cover and concealment when using any arcane charm power. This means Vicious Mockery and a ton of encounter and daily powers in your arsenal. Nice.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 10</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Wand of Aptitude</span> (AV2): Buffs the Bard's already solid Inspire Competence utility. Very useful in skill challenges; may be even <span style="color: #00ccff">more valuable</span> in a low-combat campaign.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 14</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Cursing Wand</span> (AV2): Unluck is a great power and all, but come on, this relies way too much on luck to be reliable. Trap.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Wand of Thunderous Anguish</span> (AV2): Makes one of your allies inflict significant extra thunder damage on all his hits whenever you please. Works wonders with Staggering Note, especially. Arcane Admixture for the Thunder keyword on other at-wills works, too.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Orbs (Sun Elf Eladrin or via MC feat)</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u><strong>Lv. 3+</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Orb of Inevitable Continuance</span> (PHB)</strong>: The daily lets you extend the effects of an attack power cast through the orb for another turn. Great one to bust out on one of your implement-based encounter powers ... or on Song of Discord.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Orb of Nimble Thoughts</span> (PHB3)</strong>: Enhancement's worth of item bonus to initiative is still really good.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 4+</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Orb of Fickle Fate</span> (AV)</strong>: Amazing that the daily power that strongly debuffs an enemy's saves is alive and well. It also boosts an ally's saves, making this great for your Leader/Controller MO, especially at Paragon and Epic Tiers.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 6+</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Orb of Impenetrable Escape</span> (AV)</strong>: The daily forces a reroll of a save against one of your powers. Quite nice in Heroic.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Orb of Mental Domination</span> (AV)</strong>: Considering how many Bard daily powers attack Will, this is probably better than the Orb of Impenetrable Escape in Heroic Tier for you, as the item's forced-save reroll daily works on all saves against your attack's effects. In Paragon and Epic, though, you'll still probably want to move on toward the Orb of Fickle Fate.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 8+</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Orb of Inescapable Consequences</span> (AV)</strong>: Essentially, turn a miss with your orb into what are often the most important results of a hit once a day. That's a grand one to use on one of your dailies. </p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 13+</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Orb of Temporal Dissonance</span> (D 365)</strong>: For one fight a day you can give you and your whole party some silly initiatives.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Staffs (Sun Elf Eladrin or via MC feat)</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u><strong>Lv. 2+</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Aversion Staff</span> (PHB3)</strong>: If you're taking mostly powers that inflict effects on enemies, this one is very nice to have with its +2 untyped bonuses to all NADs against those enemies you afflicted.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Defensive Staff</span> (AV)</strong>: Good one early on with its +1 item bonus to all NADs.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 3+</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff9900">Staff of Sleep and Charm</span> (AV2)</strong>: If you're taking so much as a preponderance of Charm powers, accept no substitute. That is all. </p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 4+</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Staff of Forceful Rebuking</span> (PHB3)</strong>: Add an extra square to your attack powers' pushes and pulls, of which your class has quite a few. </p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Musical Instruments (used as focus for rituals, implements for Bard and Bard PP powers)</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 2</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Vistani Tambourine</span> (D 380): This +1 implement has an encounter power, and a pretty good one, too. It helps you and an ally ignore difficult terrain for a round..</p><p></p><p><u><u>Lv. 3</u></u></p><p><u><u></u></u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Fochlucan Bandore</span> (PHB2): With your Song of Rest once per day, grant an ally a +2 power bonus to damage for the next encounter. Good one early on. Can be used as a +1 bard implement.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 5</u></p><p></p><p>Mac-Fuirmidh Cittern (PHB2): A +1 implement also, the daily Song of Rest benefit grants an extra 4 points to an ally or you when spending a healing surge for the next encounter. Get if you need a higher-value ritual focus, but if you don't, the Fochlucan Bandore is still the preferred instrument here.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 7</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Doss Lute</span> (PHB2): +2 implement, and the daily Song of Rest power grants an ally or you a +2 to saves. Pretty underwhelming, now.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Sitar of Restfulness</span> (D 383): +2 implement, and with the Song of Rest you grant the whole party 9 temporary hit points' worth of cushion for the next battle. This instrument will cover for all your rituals, too, since it's past the 1,000 gp threshold. No more expensive than the Doss Lute, exact same enhancement bonus, and the benefit is much better for this stage of your career.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 9</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Mesmerizing Harp</span> (D 390)</strong>: +2 implement, with an excellent daily power that stays valuable far after it ceases to be a functional implement. It debuffs the Will defense of all enemies within 5 squares of the harp by -2, and you can sustain its effect even if you put the harp down.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 12</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Cli Lyre</span> (PHB2): +3 implement, and the daily Song of Rest benefit is a good one to use before you anticipate a conversational skill challenge.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Rhythmic War Drum</span> (D 383): Like the Cli Lyre, a +3 implement. This one is a lot more suitable for combat, though, and is amazing for that. With Song of Rest, the whole party gets a +2 power bonus to speed and can also increase or decrease forced movement by a square for the next encounter. For Cunning Bards in particular, this even helps all the various methods with which you can slide your allies.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 17</u></p><p></p><p>Canaith Mandolin (PHB2): The daily Song of Rest benefit, an upgraded form of the Mac-Fuirmidh one, is worth a look. +4 implement.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 18</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Fey Flute</span> (D 383): Counts as a +4 implement. The daily grants bonuses to defenses and saves against Charm, Fear and Psychic attacks, which comes in handy against certain enemies. Still fairly situational, though, and the Canaith Mandolin is cheaper and more generally useful.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 23</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Anstruth Harp</span> (PHB2): The daily Song of Rest benefit is amazing: fully heal one ally and give him a healing surge back to boot. It's also a +5 implement, too, if that matters to you.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 29</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Lyre of Supplication</span> (D 390)</strong>: +6 implement with a free per-day domination power attached. If you're still playing musical instruments at this point, it's enough to make it worth your while.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Ollamh Harp</span> (PHB2): The daily power grants 5 extra lightning damage for the entire party on every single hit in the next encounter. Fair enough. +6 implement.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Neck</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 2</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Amulet of Mental Resolve</span> (AV)</strong>: +2 item bonus to saves against charm, illusion and sleep. Good early on.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Amulet of Physical Resolve</span> (AV)</strong>: +2 item bonus to saves against weakening, slowing and immobilizing. Also good early.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 4</u></p><p></p><p><strong>Cloak of Distortion (AV)</strong>: Not really worth it in Heroic Tier. Does get a lot <span style="color: #0000ff">better </span>after, though.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Healer's Brooch</span> (AV)</strong>: Extra hit points on all of your own healing powers. Perfect.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 8</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Periapt of Recovery</span> (AV)</strong>: +2 bonus to death saves. Nice.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 14</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Timeless Locket</span> (AV2)</strong>: Yet another source from which you get an item bonus to initiative equal to enhancement. The daily also gives you a standard action you can't use to attack (but you can use it to let others attack if you have such a power, like Increasing the Tempo). Very nice.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 15</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Brooch of Vitalty</span> (AV)</strong>: Increase your max HPs. Simple, and awesome.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 25</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Life Charm</span> (AV)</strong>: Also known as: You (almost) never die.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Arms (Bracers)</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 6</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Bracers of Archery</span> (AV)</strong>: Pretty much the default for Prescients, or anyone else using a bow or crossbow. Even works with implement-based ranged powers cast through a bow or crossbow.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Iron Armbands of Power</span> (AV)</strong>: An all-purpose item bonus to melee damage rolls. Pretty much the default if you're in melee.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 14</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Counterstrike Guards</span> (AV)</strong>: If you got your item bonus to damage from somewhere else (such as a Radiant Weapon), this is a great item to take in place of the Iron Armbands, with the immediate reaction MBA payback from an enemy's miss going very well with the basic attack-triggered powers.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Arms (Shields)</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 4</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Shield of Eyes</span> (AV)</strong>: Extra AC against opportunity attacks. Good.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Feet</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 2</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Acrobat Boots</span> (PHB)</strong>: Minor action to stand up from being prone. Good one early.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 3</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Catstep Boots</span> (AV)</strong>: Half-damage, land on your feet from a fall. Good for this tier.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 7</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Boots of the Fencing Master</span> (AV)</strong>: +1 item bonus to AC and Reflex whenever you shift, and you get to shift 2 squares every encounter. Good one.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 8</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Boots of Quickness</span> (AV)</strong>: Untyped bonus to your Reflex defense. There's a version of it at each tier. Awesome, especially to make Cunning Bards almost unhittable there.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 9</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Boots of Eagerness</span> (AV)</strong>: Extra move action per encounter. Nice.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 13</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Winged Boots</span> (PHB)</strong>: Your first item that prevents fall damage completely. Also comes with a daily flight power.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 14</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Oceanstrider Boots</span> (AV)</strong>: +1 item bonus to speed and you can walk and stand on water and other non-hazardous liquid surfaces. Very nice.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 16</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Eladrin Boots</span> (PHB)</strong>: One of the original teleport enhancers, and one Wayfarer Bards will want to look at. Adds 2 squares to all teleports you make (this language is vague enough so that it apparently can be applied to teleports you induce in allies as well).</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 18</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Dimensional Stride Boots</span> (AV)</strong>: +1 untyped bonus to Reflex, with a per-encounter teleportation power. Good.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 25</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Airstriders</span> (AV)</strong>: You get to fly. Along with taking no damage from falls. Great.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Sandals of Avandra</span> (AV)</strong>: +2 item bonus to speed, and shift half your speed at-will. Awesome.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 28</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Boots of Teleportation</span> (AV)</strong>: At-will teleportation. That should say it all.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Hands</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 10</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Strikebacks</span> (AV)</strong>: Per-encounter immediate reaction attack against an enemy who hit you, which makes for yet another golden opportunity to use your basic-attack triggered powers out of turn, should you be packing them.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 12</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Gloves of the Healer</span> (AV)</strong>: A bonus on all your healing spells, including Majestic Word. Awesome.</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 14</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Gloves of Dimensional Repulsion</span> (AV)</strong>: Wayfarer Bards will want this one for an extra 2 squares on all teleports they grant their allies.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Head</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u><u>Lv. 7</u></u></p><p><u><u></u></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Phrenic Crown</span> (AV)</strong>: A penalty to enemies' first saves against your anti-Will attacks' effects. This one used to be a lot more powerful, but even now helping ensure at least one more round of misery is still very good.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 8</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Circlet of Indomitability</span> (AV)</strong>: Untyped bonus to Will, and a version comes at each tier. Simple, and awesome.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Coif of Mindiron</span> (AV)</strong>: Per-encounter prevention of daze if Will is attacked. Gets even better in <strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">later tiers</span></strong>, when it also prevents stuns and eventually domination.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 9</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Helm of Battle</span> (PHB)</strong>: Item bonus to initiative for you and nearby allies. Nice.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 10</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Headband of Intellect</span> (AV): +1 to attack rolls with Psychic powers. Perfect for your vocation.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 23</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Eye of Awareness</span> (PHB)</strong>: +2 to Will and +5 to initiative as item bonuses. Great one here, assuming you don't already have an item bonus to initiative from something else.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Rings</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u><strong>Lv. 14</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Eladrin Ring of Passage</span> (KTW)</strong>: Teleport enhancer for Wayfarer Bards. Increases teleports by a square (2 if you're an Eladrin).</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 15</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Ring of Aquatic Ability</span> (AV)</strong>: A ring slot is where you're most likely to put swim speed/underwater breathing properties.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Ring of the Dragonborn Emperor</span> (AV)</strong>: Item bonus to damage on all close attacks. Including close bursts and blasts with your weapon. Note this is not redundant with Iron Armbands of Power since that item applies only to powers designated "melee."</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Lv. 17</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Ring of Retreat</span> (AV)</strong>: Another teleportation enhancer, so Wayfarer Bards should pay attention. This one increases the distance of teleports by a square.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 21</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Ring of Tenacious Will</span> (AV)</strong>: Uses Charisma to determine number of healing surges instead of Constitution. Non-Valorous Bards will want to look good and hard at this one.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 22</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Luminary Ring</span> (AV)</strong>: Increase the range of powers that heal or give bonuses. Perfect for your role. Apparently this includes attack powers that do those things as well, not just utilities, which makes this even more amazing.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 24</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Ring of Regeneration</span> (PHB)</strong>: Item bonus to healing surge value as a property, and the daily, after a milestone, gives you regeneration 10 and gives you back a healing surge. Good.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 25</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Gargoyle Ring</span> (AV)</strong>: Save against petrification, even when you are petrified. Nice.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 27</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Ring of the Phoenix</span> (AV)</strong>: Solid fire resistance property, and a very nice self-resurrection daily power.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Shadow Band</span> (AV)</strong>: Concealment all the time. Great fun.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 29</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Ring of Free Time</span> (AV2): Resist 5 all constantly is awesome enough. Then there's the one extra minor action per encounter from this ring ... which turns into an extra minor action every single round after the first milestone. Since Bards use a lot of minor actions, including several sustain powers, this is huge. Particularly for Bards with sustain-minor powers, this could even be <span style="color: #ff9900">essential</span>.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Waist</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u>Lv. 2</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Belt of Vigor</span> (PHB)</strong>: Item bonus to healing surge value. Solid start.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 7</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Belt of Sacrifice</span> (PHB)</strong>: Item bonus to nearby allies' healing surge value. Great property. Ignore the daily.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 8</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Belt of Vim</span> (AV)</strong>: Untyped Fortitude bonus. Comes in a version at each tier. Just a great all-purpose benefit.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 21</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Baldric of Valor</span> (AV)</strong>: Bonuses to attack, saves and defenses for action point usage. Nice.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 23</u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Belt of Vitality</span> (AV)</strong>: +2 untyped bonus to Fortitude, and once per day get back up when you make a death save. Very nice.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Wonderous Items</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u><strong>Lv. 9</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Backlash Tattoo</span> (AV2)</strong>: Immediate reaction MBA when you get bloodied the first time every fight can be a good thing considering Leaders tend to be high-priority targets. Plus it's yet another opportunity to use any basic attack-triggered powers you have out of turn.</p><p></p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Dragonshard Augments (Eberron)</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><u><strong>Lv. 2/12/22</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Eberron Shard of Lightning</span> (EPG)</strong>: The shard of choice for those who use Lightning Weapons.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Siberys Shard of Merciless Cold</span> (EPG)</strong>: Lasting Frost users go straight for this one.</p><p></p><p><u>Lv. 3/13/23</u></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Siberys Shard of Radiance</span> (EPG): Untyped bonus to Radiant damage rolls. The choice of the Radiant Weapon wielder.</p><p>[/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nibelung, post: 6705362, member: 74499"] [b]Originally posted by Litigation:[/b] [CENTER][SIZE=6][u]Songs for Peaceful Times: Bard Rituals[/u][/SIZE][/CENTER] [b]Bard Rituals[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 1[/u] [COLOR=#800080]Glib Limerick[/COLOR] (PHB2): The effect ends when you roll initiative, so apparently this is supposed to be used in the middle of a skill challenge, and not before? That makes its usefulness rather dubious. At least it requires no skill check. [COLOR=#0000ff]Traveler's Chant[/COLOR] (PHB2): Get where you need to go faster. Good one. Needs no skill check. [u]Lv. 3[/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Lullaby[/COLOR] (PHB2): This one is useful in all sorts of situations, many of which will end in your party getting the hell out of there ... or getting ready to ambush your audience. Uses an Arcana check. [u]Lv. 4[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Call of Friendship[/COLOR] (AP): Win a new friend for a while. Uses a Diplomacy check. [u]Lv. 6[/u] Fool's Speech (PHB2): Used mainly for keeping secrets and confusing people. No skill check. Can be fun and handy at times. [u]Lv. 8[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Anthem of Unity[/COLOR] (AP): A logical progression from Call of Friendship, working on a whole bunch of people this time. Except if your Diplomacy check for the ritual is high enough you can even get them to take mild risks. [COLOR=#ff9900]Song of Sustenance[/COLOR] (PHB2): Translation: You and your party don't have to eat. No skill check required, so no Bard has an excuse to be without this one. [u]Lv. 9[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Tune of Merriment[/COLOR] (PHB2): Roll twice on Diplomacy checks. Good stuff, indeed. No skill check for the ritual. [u]Lv. 10[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Aria of Revelation[/COLOR] (PHB2): Bonuses to allies' checks for trained knowledge skills, based on your Arcana check. Comes in handy. [COLOR=#0000ff]Chorus of Truth[/COLOR] (PHB2): Interrogation is a common skill challenge, and the subjects love to mislead you. So the Bluff penalty from this, based on your Arcana check, is often useful. [COLOR=#00ccff]Song of Restfulness[/COLOR] (PHB2): If you've still got your no-cost ritual casting for the day from Bardic Training, this check-free ritual to shorten your extended rest is an excellent one to use it for. [/sblock] [CENTER][SIZE=6][u]It's all Instrumental: Items[/u][/SIZE][/CENTER] Just remember that your top priority in every 5-level interval is keeping your armor, weapon and/or implement and neck item up to date. Plan it right and you'll still have plenty of room for other nice things. [b]Armor[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 2[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Screaming[/COLOR] (AV): Comes in hide and scale, and gives a bonus to Intimidate as a property, along with a per-encounter attack debuff from range. Nice. [COLOR=#0000ff]Veteran's[/COLOR] (AV): Property gives you +1 to attack and all defenses on action point use. This one used to be a lot more powerful, but even now it's still pretty solid. [u]Lv. 3[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Eladrin[/COLOR] (PHB): Chain only. If you're a Cunning Bard, this is a good reason to spend the feat on ring mail proficiency. Increases the range of your teleports (doesn't seem to be limited to self-teleportation, either). [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Wayfarers[/b][/COLOR], in particular, will want to look at this one. [COLOR=#0000ff]Nightmare Ward[/COLOR] (AV2): Psychic resistance and bonus to saves against charm, fear and psychic effects. Nice. Comes in leather and hide. [u]Lv. 4[/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Battle Harness [/COLOR](DA 09): Fulltime power bonus to initiative equal to enhancement is pretty big, considering it can stack with other initiative-granting items. Comes in all light armors, including hide. [COLOR=#0000ff]Time Link[/COLOR] (AV2): An item bonus to initiative for the chain wearers out there. That alone is worth a mention. [u]Lv. 5[/u] Agile (AV): A [COLOR=#ff0000]trap[/COLOR] ... until you close in on Lv. 30, then it becomes [COLOR=#00ccff]awesome[/COLOR] if you have any sort of DEX modifier. At that point there are no other masterwork armors a level or two above to grab your immediate attention. [COLOR=#0000ff]Healer's[/COLOR] (AV2): Extra enhancemont-bonus' worth of healing on all your healing powers. Solid. Comes in hide and chain. [COLOR=#00ccff]Tactician's Armor[/COLOR] (AV): Probably the best reason for a Cunning Bard to spend the feat for proficiency in ring mail. An extra modifier's worth of INT on Virtue of Cunning and INT-rider powers is incredible, and in ring mail form, you get to keep your full AC benefits from INT. [u]Lv. 12[/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Feytouched[/COLOR] (MOTP): Item bonus to initiative equal to enhancement, AND it's in the cheap 2/7 pricing bracket? AND comes in hide? Deals don't get much better than that. [u]Lv. 24[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Soulwarding[/COLOR] (AV): Resist two common enemy damage types (necrotic and psychic) and protection against attacks that make you lose healing surges. Nice. Comes in all heavy armors. [/sblock] [b]Weapons (melee)[/b] [sblock] [u][b]Lv. 1[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Bard's Songblade[/COLOR] (D 390)[/b]: The basic Songblade. If nothing else, it sure is nice to have a cheap option for such. [u]Lv. 2 [/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Farbond Spellblade[/COLOR] (AV2): A heavy blade or light blade that can be thrown and used for ranged weapon powers. Good stuff. Take Swordmage multiclassing and you'll have a triple-purpose weapon. Great for Prescients who still plan on spending time in melee, or any Bard who wants to pluck a couple of ranged weapon spells. [COLOR=#800080]Harmonic Songblade[/COLOR] (AV2): Songblade. Not really a worthwhile step above the basic Bard's Songblade. [u]Lv. 3 [/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Frost[/COLOR] (PHB): This weapon really earns its stripes in Paragon Tier, when you can use Wintertouched and Lasting Frost together to set up combat advantage whenever you hit with it. Harsh Songblade (PHB2): Decent crits (d8 per plus) with this Songblade, and an AoE dazing daily that works with Bard thunder powers (Arcane Admixture if necessary). [COLOR=#0000ff]Inescapable[/COLOR] (AV): Stacks bonuses to hit with every miss until you hit the enemy. Solid. Rhythm Blade (AV2): Extra AC and Reflex with this light blade if you dual-wield. [b][COLOR=#800080]Venomous Songblade[/COLOR] (D 390)[/b]: Save-ends weakening daily power on this Songblade. Meh. [u]Lv. 4 [/u] [COLOR=#ff0000]Echoing Songblade[/COLOR] (AV2): This Songblade's main selling point relies far too much on luck to be reliable. [b][COLOR=#800080]Tuning Songblade[/COLOR] (D 390)[/b]: A property relying on ongoing thunder damage is just a little too situational for a Songblade this expensive. [COLOR=#0000ff]Sunblade [/COLOR](AV): A heavy blade with an at-will Radiant keyword and damage option. It can also shed a lot of light to negate concealment in dark places. Your first lightsaber, and a solid option. A Divine character who sets up radiant vulnerability will encourage you to take this, for sure. [u]Lv. 5 [/u] [COLOR=#ff0000]Flaming[/COLOR] (PHB): Generally a trap, and even for [b]Tieflings[/b] who want to use Stirring Song of Baator it's not nearly as appealing as it used to be, thanks to its pointless nerf that only allows it to transform powers whose damage is untyped. [COLOR=#0000ff]Lightning[/COLOR] (PHB): A flavorful, and finally viable option, thanks to nice things like Oncoming Storm and (if you're in Eberron) Mark of Storm. [u]Lv. 8 [/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Cunning[/COLOR] (AV): With all the save-ends effects your daily powers inflict, this one can be quite valuable. Even after the errata that only makes it work on the first save, buying a greater chance of another round of misery is still great. Multiclass Swordmage to put down the penalty with your implement powers, too. [u]Lv. 9 [/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Githyanki Silver[/COLOR] (MOTP): Heavy blade only, and boy is this one nasty. Take the Psychic Lock feat and have fun. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Incisive Dagger[/COLOR] (AV2)[/b]: Wayfarer Bards will look at this one for the enhancement bonus' worth of extra distance on teleports. [u]Lv. 12[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Jagged[/COLOR] (AV): Crit deals heavy save-ends ongoing damage instead of extra damage die, and it crits on 19-20. Comes in heavy blade. Nice. Desiccating (AV): Cumulative weakening of Fortitude (save-ends) with every hit. Not bad against Brutes. [COLOR=#0000ff]Piercing Songblade[/COLOR] (PHB2): Good crits for this Songblade (d10 per plus) and the daily is a no-save encounter-long debuff to AC. Solid. [COLOR=#0000ff]Withering[/COLOR] (AV): Cumulative debuff of AC (save-ends) with every hit. This one is more all-purpose than Desiccating. [u]Lv. 15 [/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Blade of the Eldritch Knight [/COLOR](AV2): Attack 5 squares away with melee attacks. Nice. [COLOR=#00ccff]Radiant[/COLOR] (AV): At-will Radiant keyword switch, just like the Sunblade. When the switch is on, it also deals an extra item bonus to damage, which by itself makes it superior to its far more flavorful counterpart. However, if you're wearing the Iron Armbands of Power, you can stick with the Sunblade, as item bonuses don't stack. [u]Lv. 20[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Lilting Songblade[/COLOR] (PHB2): One of the better Songblades. Good crit damage (d10 per plus) and a very nice encounter-long daily that escalates an already solid item bonus to damage for the whole party. [u]Lv. 25 [/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Brilliant Energy[/COLOR] (AV): Like the Sunblade, a far more interesting and flavorful lightsaber than the technically superior Radiant Weapon. If you're wearing Iron Armbands of Power then the disparity disappears, and you get solid crit damage of d10s per plus and a very nice encounter power that lets you attack Reflex with an attack that would normally target AC. [/sblock] [b]Weapons (ranged)[/b] [sblock] [u][b]Lv. 1[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Bard's Songbow[/COLOR] (D 390)[/b]: The basic Songbow. If nothing else, it's nice to have a cheap one of those available. [u][u]Lv. 2[/u][/u] [b]Howling Songbow (D 390)[/b]: Songbow with some collateral damage as a property. Decent. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Wailing Songbow[/COLOR] (D 390)[/b]: Stealth penalties galore and some per-encounter ignoring of concealment. Considering it's one of the cheaper options for Songbows, this is pretty good. Whistling Songbow (AV2): This Songbow's daily is a party buff to attack rolls for a round. It's there if you need it. [u]Lv. 3[/u] Songbow of Vanishment (AV2): Songbow with a daily Eyebite effect for a round. [b][COLOR=#800080]Venomous Songbow [/COLOR](D 390)[/b]: Ongoing poison damage daily. Meh. [u]Lv. 9[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Songbow of Lullabies[/COLOR] (AV2): If you can follow up with some save-debuffs (often true at higher levels), the daily sleep power on this Songbow can be quite nice. [u]Lv. 13[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Shrieking Songbow[/COLOR] (AV2): If you activate this Songbow's daily power when the enemy is surrounded by your melee allies, the enemy won't be able to avoid the opportunity attacks that result, so you essentially get another beatdown power. Nice. [u]Lv. 15[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Songbow of Summoning[/COLOR] (AV2): The daily on this Songbow is perfect for easily getting melee allies in position against the enemy. [/sblock] [b]Wands[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 3[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Wand of Psychic Ravaging[/COLOR] (AV): With all the Psychic powers your class has, including some very good at-wills, you'll be getting the damage bonus from this one a lot. You also get a per-encounter use of the Warlock's excellent Eyebite. [u]Lv. 4[/u] [COLOR=#800080]Master's Wand of Misdirected Mark[/COLOR] (AV2): It does improve Misdirected Mark, but not by enough to consider taking it when you otherwise wouldn't. Better to use a wand for powers you're more likely to pick in the first place, right? [COLOR=#00ccff]Master's Wand of Vicious Mockery[/COLOR] (AV2): Like this one. An update made this one less obscene than its original form, but make no mistake; it's still a winner. Debuffing a second enemy's attacks by -2 with your Vicious Mockery is quite good any way you slice it. [COLOR=#0000ff]Wand of Allure[/COLOR] (AV2): Extra range and ignore cover and concealment when using any arcane charm power. This means Vicious Mockery and a ton of encounter and daily powers in your arsenal. Nice. [u]Lv. 10[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Wand of Aptitude[/COLOR] (AV2): Buffs the Bard's already solid Inspire Competence utility. Very useful in skill challenges; may be even [COLOR=#00ccff]more valuable[/COLOR] in a low-combat campaign. [u]Lv. 14[/u] [COLOR=#ff0000]Cursing Wand[/COLOR] (AV2): Unluck is a great power and all, but come on, this relies way too much on luck to be reliable. Trap. [COLOR=#00ccff]Wand of Thunderous Anguish[/COLOR] (AV2): Makes one of your allies inflict significant extra thunder damage on all his hits whenever you please. Works wonders with Staggering Note, especially. Arcane Admixture for the Thunder keyword on other at-wills works, too. [/sblock] [b]Orbs (Sun Elf Eladrin or via MC feat)[/b] [sblock] [u][b]Lv. 3+[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Orb of Inevitable Continuance[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: The daily lets you extend the effects of an attack power cast through the orb for another turn. Great one to bust out on one of your implement-based encounter powers ... or on Song of Discord. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Orb of Nimble Thoughts[/COLOR] (PHB3)[/b]: Enhancement's worth of item bonus to initiative is still really good. [u][b]Lv. 4+[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Orb of Fickle Fate[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Amazing that the daily power that strongly debuffs an enemy's saves is alive and well. It also boosts an ally's saves, making this great for your Leader/Controller MO, especially at Paragon and Epic Tiers. [u][b]Lv. 6+[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Orb of Impenetrable Escape[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: The daily forces a reroll of a save against one of your powers. Quite nice in Heroic. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Orb of Mental Domination[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Considering how many Bard daily powers attack Will, this is probably better than the Orb of Impenetrable Escape in Heroic Tier for you, as the item's forced-save reroll daily works on all saves against your attack's effects. In Paragon and Epic, though, you'll still probably want to move on toward the Orb of Fickle Fate. [u][b]Lv. 8+[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Orb of Inescapable Consequences[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Essentially, turn a miss with your orb into what are often the most important results of a hit once a day. That's a grand one to use on one of your dailies. [u][b]Lv. 13+[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Orb of Temporal Dissonance[/COLOR] (D 365)[/b]: For one fight a day you can give you and your whole party some silly initiatives. [/sblock] [b]Staffs (Sun Elf Eladrin or via MC feat)[/b] [sblock] [u][b]Lv. 2+[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Aversion Staff[/COLOR] (PHB3)[/b]: If you're taking mostly powers that inflict effects on enemies, this one is very nice to have with its +2 untyped bonuses to all NADs against those enemies you afflicted. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Defensive Staff[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Good one early on with its +1 item bonus to all NADs. [u][b]Lv. 3+[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#ff9900]Staff of Sleep and Charm[/COLOR] (AV2)[/b]: If you're taking so much as a preponderance of Charm powers, accept no substitute. That is all. [u][b]Lv. 4+[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Staff of Forceful Rebuking[/COLOR] (PHB3)[/b]: Add an extra square to your attack powers' pushes and pulls, of which your class has quite a few. [/sblock] [b]Musical Instruments (used as focus for rituals, implements for Bard and Bard PP powers)[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 2[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Vistani Tambourine[/COLOR] (D 380): This +1 implement has an encounter power, and a pretty good one, too. It helps you and an ally ignore difficult terrain for a round.. [u][u]Lv. 3 [/u][/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Fochlucan Bandore[/COLOR] (PHB2): With your Song of Rest once per day, grant an ally a +2 power bonus to damage for the next encounter. Good one early on. Can be used as a +1 bard implement. [u]Lv. 5[/u] Mac-Fuirmidh Cittern (PHB2): A +1 implement also, the daily Song of Rest benefit grants an extra 4 points to an ally or you when spending a healing surge for the next encounter. Get if you need a higher-value ritual focus, but if you don't, the Fochlucan Bandore is still the preferred instrument here. [u]Lv. 7[/u] [COLOR=#800080]Doss Lute[/COLOR] (PHB2): +2 implement, and the daily Song of Rest power grants an ally or you a +2 to saves. Pretty underwhelming, now. [COLOR=#00ccff]Sitar of Restfulness[/COLOR] (D 383): +2 implement, and with the Song of Rest you grant the whole party 9 temporary hit points' worth of cushion for the next battle. This instrument will cover for all your rituals, too, since it's past the 1,000 gp threshold. No more expensive than the Doss Lute, exact same enhancement bonus, and the benefit is much better for this stage of your career. [u][b]Lv. 9[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Mesmerizing Harp[/COLOR] (D 390)[/b]: +2 implement, with an excellent daily power that stays valuable far after it ceases to be a functional implement. It debuffs the Will defense of all enemies within 5 squares of the harp by -2, and you can sustain its effect even if you put the harp down. [u]Lv. 12[/u] [COLOR=#0000ff]Cli Lyre[/COLOR] (PHB2): +3 implement, and the daily Song of Rest benefit is a good one to use before you anticipate a conversational skill challenge. [COLOR=#00ccff]Rhythmic War Drum[/COLOR] (D 383): Like the Cli Lyre, a +3 implement. This one is a lot more suitable for combat, though, and is amazing for that. With Song of Rest, the whole party gets a +2 power bonus to speed and can also increase or decrease forced movement by a square for the next encounter. For Cunning Bards in particular, this even helps all the various methods with which you can slide your allies. [u]Lv. 17[/u] Canaith Mandolin (PHB2): The daily Song of Rest benefit, an upgraded form of the Mac-Fuirmidh one, is worth a look. +4 implement. [u]Lv. 18[/u] [COLOR=#800080]Fey Flute[/COLOR] (D 383): Counts as a +4 implement. The daily grants bonuses to defenses and saves against Charm, Fear and Psychic attacks, which comes in handy against certain enemies. Still fairly situational, though, and the Canaith Mandolin is cheaper and more generally useful. [u]Lv. 23[/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Anstruth Harp[/COLOR] (PHB2): The daily Song of Rest benefit is amazing: fully heal one ally and give him a healing surge back to boot. It's also a +5 implement, too, if that matters to you. [u]Lv. 29[/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Lyre of Supplication[/COLOR] (D 390)[/b]: +6 implement with a free per-day domination power attached. If you're still playing musical instruments at this point, it's enough to make it worth your while. [COLOR=#0000ff]Ollamh Harp[/COLOR] (PHB2): The daily power grants 5 extra lightning damage for the entire party on every single hit in the next encounter. Fair enough. +6 implement. [/sblock] [b]Neck[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 2[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Amulet of Mental Resolve[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: +2 item bonus to saves against charm, illusion and sleep. Good early on. [b][COLOR=Blue]Amulet of Physical Resolve[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: +2 item bonus to saves against weakening, slowing and immobilizing. Also good early. [u]Lv. 4[/u] [b]Cloak of Distortion (AV)[/b]: Not really worth it in Heroic Tier. Does get a lot [COLOR=#0000ff]better [/COLOR]after, though. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Healer's Brooch[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Extra hit points on all of your own healing powers. Perfect. [u]Lv. 8[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Periapt of Recovery[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: +2 bonus to death saves. Nice. [u][b]Lv. 14[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Timeless Locket[/COLOR] (AV2)[/b]: Yet another source from which you get an item bonus to initiative equal to enhancement. The daily also gives you a standard action you can't use to attack (but you can use it to let others attack if you have such a power, like Increasing the Tempo). Very nice. [u]Lv. 15[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Brooch of Vitalty[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Increase your max HPs. Simple, and awesome. [u]Lv. 25[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Life Charm[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Also known as: You (almost) never die. [/sblock] [b]Arms (Bracers)[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 6[/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Bracers of Archery[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Pretty much the default for Prescients, or anyone else using a bow or crossbow. Even works with implement-based ranged powers cast through a bow or crossbow. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Iron Armbands of Power[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: An all-purpose item bonus to melee damage rolls. Pretty much the default if you're in melee. [u][b]Lv. 14[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Counterstrike Guards[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: If you got your item bonus to damage from somewhere else (such as a Radiant Weapon), this is a great item to take in place of the Iron Armbands, with the immediate reaction MBA payback from an enemy's miss going very well with the basic attack-triggered powers. [/sblock] [b]Arms (Shields)[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 4[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Shield of Eyes[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Extra AC against opportunity attacks. Good. [/sblock] [b]Feet[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 2[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Acrobat Boots[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Minor action to stand up from being prone. Good one early. [u]Lv. 3[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Catstep Boots[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Half-damage, land on your feet from a fall. Good for this tier. [u]Lv. 7[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Boots of the Fencing Master[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: +1 item bonus to AC and Reflex whenever you shift, and you get to shift 2 squares every encounter. Good one. [u]Lv. 8[/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Boots of Quickness[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Untyped bonus to your Reflex defense. There's a version of it at each tier. Awesome, especially to make Cunning Bards almost unhittable there. [u]Lv. 9[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Boots of Eagerness[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Extra move action per encounter. Nice. [u]Lv. 13[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Winged Boots[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Your first item that prevents fall damage completely. Also comes with a daily flight power. [u]Lv. 14[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Oceanstrider Boots[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: +1 item bonus to speed and you can walk and stand on water and other non-hazardous liquid surfaces. Very nice. [u][b]Lv. 16[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Eladrin Boots[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: One of the original teleport enhancers, and one Wayfarer Bards will want to look at. Adds 2 squares to all teleports you make (this language is vague enough so that it apparently can be applied to teleports you induce in allies as well). [u]Lv. 18[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Dimensional Stride Boots[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: +1 untyped bonus to Reflex, with a per-encounter teleportation power. Good. [u]Lv. 25[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Airstriders[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: You get to fly. Along with taking no damage from falls. Great. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Sandals of Avandra[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: +2 item bonus to speed, and shift half your speed at-will. Awesome. [u]Lv. 28[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Boots of Teleportation[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: At-will teleportation. That should say it all. [/sblock] [b]Hands[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 10[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Strikebacks[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Per-encounter immediate reaction attack against an enemy who hit you, which makes for yet another golden opportunity to use your basic-attack triggered powers out of turn, should you be packing them. [u]Lv. 12[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Gloves of the Healer[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: A bonus on all your healing spells, including Majestic Word. Awesome. [u][b]Lv. 14[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Gloves of Dimensional Repulsion[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Wayfarer Bards will want this one for an extra 2 squares on all teleports they grant their allies. [/sblock] [b]Head[/b] [sblock] [u][u]Lv. 7 [/u][/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Phrenic Crown[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: A penalty to enemies' first saves against your anti-Will attacks' effects. This one used to be a lot more powerful, but even now helping ensure at least one more round of misery is still very good. [u]Lv. 8[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Circlet of Indomitability[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Untyped bonus to Will, and a version comes at each tier. Simple, and awesome. [b][COLOR=Blue]Coif of Mindiron[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Per-encounter prevention of daze if Will is attacked. Gets even better in [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]later tiers[/COLOR][/b], when it also prevents stuns and eventually domination. [u]Lv. 9[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Helm of Battle[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Item bonus to initiative for you and nearby allies. Nice. [u]Lv. 10[/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Headband of Intellect[/COLOR] (AV): +1 to attack rolls with Psychic powers. Perfect for your vocation. [u]Lv. 23[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Eye of Awareness[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: +2 to Will and +5 to initiative as item bonuses. Great one here, assuming you don't already have an item bonus to initiative from something else. [/sblock] [b]Rings[/b] [sblock] [u][b]Lv. 14[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Eladrin Ring of Passage[/COLOR] (KTW)[/b]: Teleport enhancer for Wayfarer Bards. Increases teleports by a square (2 if you're an Eladrin). [u]Lv. 15[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Ring of Aquatic Ability[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: A ring slot is where you're most likely to put swim speed/underwater breathing properties. [b][COLOR=Blue]Ring of the Dragonborn Emperor[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Item bonus to damage on all close attacks. Including close bursts and blasts with your weapon. Note this is not redundant with Iron Armbands of Power since that item applies only to powers designated "melee." [u][b]Lv. 17[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Ring of Retreat[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Another teleportation enhancer, so Wayfarer Bards should pay attention. This one increases the distance of teleports by a square. [u]Lv. 21[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Ring of Tenacious Will[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Uses Charisma to determine number of healing surges instead of Constitution. Non-Valorous Bards will want to look good and hard at this one. [u]Lv. 22[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Luminary Ring[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Increase the range of powers that heal or give bonuses. Perfect for your role. Apparently this includes attack powers that do those things as well, not just utilities, which makes this even more amazing. [u]Lv. 24[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Ring of Regeneration[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Item bonus to healing surge value as a property, and the daily, after a milestone, gives you regeneration 10 and gives you back a healing surge. Good. [u]Lv. 25[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Gargoyle Ring[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Save against petrification, even when you are petrified. Nice. [u]Lv. 27[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Ring of the Phoenix[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Solid fire resistance property, and a very nice self-resurrection daily power. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Shadow Band[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Concealment all the time. Great fun. [u]Lv. 29[/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Ring of Free Time[/COLOR] (AV2): Resist 5 all constantly is awesome enough. Then there's the one extra minor action per encounter from this ring ... which turns into an extra minor action every single round after the first milestone. Since Bards use a lot of minor actions, including several sustain powers, this is huge. Particularly for Bards with sustain-minor powers, this could even be [COLOR=#ff9900]essential[/COLOR]. [/sblock] [b]Waist[/b] [sblock] [u]Lv. 2[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Belt of Vigor[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Item bonus to healing surge value. Solid start. [u]Lv. 7[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Belt of Sacrifice[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Item bonus to nearby allies' healing surge value. Great property. Ignore the daily. [u]Lv. 8[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Belt of Vim[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Untyped Fortitude bonus. Comes in a version at each tier. Just a great all-purpose benefit. [u]Lv. 21[/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Baldric of Valor[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Bonuses to attack, saves and defenses for action point usage. Nice. [u]Lv. 23[/u] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Belt of Vitality[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: +2 untyped bonus to Fortitude, and once per day get back up when you make a death save. Very nice. [/sblock] [b]Wonderous Items[/b] [sblock] [u][b]Lv. 9[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Backlash Tattoo[/COLOR] (AV2)[/b]: Immediate reaction MBA when you get bloodied the first time every fight can be a good thing considering Leaders tend to be high-priority targets. Plus it's yet another opportunity to use any basic attack-triggered powers you have out of turn. [/sblock] [b]Dragonshard Augments (Eberron)[/b] [sblock] [u][b]Lv. 2/12/22[/b][/u] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Eberron Shard of Lightning[/COLOR] (EPG)[/b]: The shard of choice for those who use Lightning Weapons. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Siberys Shard of Merciless Cold[/COLOR] (EPG)[/b]: Lasting Frost users go straight for this one. [u]Lv. 3/13/23[/u] [COLOR=#00ccff]Siberys Shard of Radiance[/COLOR] (EPG): Untyped bonus to Radiant damage rolls. The choice of the Radiant Weapon wielder. [/sblock] [/QUOTE]
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Cruel Lullabies: The Bard Handbook (by Litigation)
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