Bard instruments/clickes in Velious

[brecon]

First time in Velious - what do we have to look forward to? Any Bard toys to get excited about?

Thinking more about Bard toys akin to melodious truncheon or orb of tishan that really add to bard utility, rather than more general melee stat gear

[Daldaen]

Drum of the Beasts is the #1 must have.

It's primary equipable, best percussion instrument in game. Can run super fast with a resist shield in secondary.

Come late Velious can offhand the epic and primary drum for maximum useful mods on raid fights. Can swap in Lyran's for dat HP Regen if necessary.

[falkun]

Lute of the Howler (http://wiki.project1999.com/Lute_of_the_Howler)
Mask of Tinkering (http://wiki.project1999.com/Mask_of_Tinkering)
Flayed Barbarian Hide Mask (http://wiki.project1999.com/Flayed_Barbarian_Hide_Mask) (once illusion added)
Dald has already mentioned the Drums of the Beast (http://wiki.project1999.com/Drums_of_the_Beast)
New haste proc daggers...Siren Song (http://wiki.project1999.com/Siren_Song,_Dagger_of_the_Sea) and Nature's Melody (http://wiki.project1999.com/Nature%27s_Melody)
Primal Velium weapons (http://wiki.project1999.com/Primal_Velium_Weapons) (although bards should be way down on the list for those)

IMO Chestplate of Vindication (http://wiki.project1999.com/Chestplate_of_Vindication)

[Daldaen]

Ah yes Lute of the Howler is also good cause primary slottable. The Clicky is 40% haste but that's useless for a bard with epic really.

But if you're a VP keyed bard, Lyran's is a better mod and stat lute that is primary slot usable.

Gnome illusion mask should die in a fire, gnomes are the worst.
Barbarian illusion mask is 10 months into Velious and getting AoW down is a feat to say the least.

[zanderklocke]

Lute of the Howler (http://wiki.project1999.com/Lute_of_the_Howler)
Mask of Tinkering (http://wiki.project1999.com/Mask_of_Tinkering)
Flayed Barbarian Hide Mask (http://wiki.project1999.com/Flayed_Barbarian_Hide_Mask) (once illusion added)
Dald has already mentioned the Drums of the Beast (http://wiki.project1999.com/Drums_of_the_Beast)
New haste proc daggers...Siren Song (http://wiki.project1999.com/Siren_Song,_Dagger_of_the_Sea) and Nature's Melody (http://wiki.project1999.com/Song_of_the_Deep_Seas)
Primal Velium weapons (http://wiki.project1999.com/Primal_Velium_Weapons) (although bards should be way down on the list for those)

IMO Chestplate of Vindication (http://wiki.project1999.com/Chestplate_of_Vindication)

I think I might like Breastplate of Eradication better: http://wiki.project1999.com/Breastplate_of_Eradication

Also, is Nature's Melody from Tunare actually a clickie rather than a proc? Seems like there is debate on the wiki about what version we will get; I think it was changed to a clickie later. When playing around on a god-mode server, it was a clickie that casted. (FYI you linked incorrectly to it. ;))

[Workshop35]

I think I might like Breastplate of Eradication better: http://wiki.project1999.com/Breastplate_of_Eradication

Also, is Nature's Melody from Tunare actually a clickie rather than a proc? Seems like there is debate on the wiki about what version we will get; I think it was changed to a clickie later. When playing around on a god-mode server, it was a clickie that casted. (FYI you linked incorrectly to it. ;))

When I had it on live it was clickie

[falkun]

I think I might like Breastplate of Eradication better: http://wiki.project1999.com/Breastplate_of_Eradication

Also, is Nature's Melody from Tunare actually a clickie rather than a proc? Seems like there is debate on the wiki about what version we will get; I think it was changed to a clickie later. When playing around on a god-mode server, it was a clickie that casted. (FYI you linked incorrectly to it. ;))

Vindi BP was a lot better when resists weren't capped at 255, but its still vastly easier to obtain than Statue BP (8hr or 12hr vs. 7day?). Remember also that Statue BP is arguably BIS for the tank classes, so tons of competition and bards will be way down on the list because of our lesser need for AC and raw hps.

Also, Nature's Melody on wiki is correct, its exact same proc as NTOV dagger until it gets upgraded later in the timeline (Jan/8/2002) to a clicky. See the Nature's Melody discussion page (http://wiki.project1999.com/Talk:Nature%27s_Melody) for details. There was never a "debate" on the wiki, Ravhin imported the original item from Allah's, and then I updated it and provided supporting documentation on the discussion(talk) page. If you can find information that's better than mine, I'm all ears.

[falkun]

The Clicky is 40% haste but that's useless for a bard with epic really..

I didn't even notice the haste, its looking like a badass werewolf that matters.

[Daldaen]

I didn't even notice the haste, its looking like a badass werewolf that matters.

Honestly... The real value of the lure, beyond being primary usable for non-VP keyed, is that the illusion + faction song make you non-KoS in Velketors given you never get faction hits from Velk or Lord Bob.

Can chain kill spiders and be dubious still. Very useful for a puller or corpse recovery.

[falkun]

Honestly... The real value of the lure, beyond being primary usable for non-VP keyed, is that the illusion + faction song make you non-KoS in Velketors given you never get faction hits from Velk or Lord Bob.

Can chain kill spiders and be dubious still. Very useful for a puller or corpse recovery.

How does that interact with corpse dragging (http://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142154)? Or does the aggro only apply when dragging near the 3 factions (which are not represented in Velks)?

[Crawdad]

Werewolf form will let you drag corpses with no problem and generally just goof off in Velks all day. Pretty fun to go skating around kobolds, hang out with Bob, etc. I'm fairly certain that with faction song you can participate in Bob kills and still be dubious afterwards..but maybe I just died at Bob a lot.

Another favorite trick is playing with your armor. You can:
1) Equip Robe
2) Click Howler Lute
3) Equip Plate BP
4) Click off Howler form

Anyone in-zone should see you still wearing your robe, though anyone rez'd/zoning in will see you with BP. Fun if you like to stay fashionable with Guardian or Azure Sky robe.

The biggest thing I can think of besides Drums of the Beast and Lute of the Howler is Tri-Plated Golden Hacklehammer (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=4760). If stacking works here like it should/did during Live, Bards can stack this with Talisman for an additional 250hp and some +svMagic/AC.

Other random stuff:
Vial of Velium Vapors (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=5329) Very easily crafted Gate potions. Can be done when KoS thanks to sneak. Can have two if you combine one and ask for another container.
Spinning Orb of Confusion (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=6467) For anybody, but still a decent neck and killer of time.
Bracer of Hammerfal (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=4260) Lousy range but summonable throwing hammers on the fly.
Preserved Chokidai Vocal Cords (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=8933) for when we get the post-Velious Chardok Update.
Dessicated Halfling Mask (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=6896) same as above. Hopefully come Chardok update AE groups are a thing of the past.
Verlekarnorm's Horn of Disaster (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=6878) for a Primary horn, though its clicky is pretty pointless.. also not sure if this is post revamp to NToV loot?
Neriad Shawl (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=4301) Another fun and rare illusion item. Never managed to get it on Live, though only camped it a handful of times.
Bioluminescent Orb (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=4413) though you'll have to fight monks for it.

Not a clicky but Guardian Robe (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=3912) for those of us with fashion sense but no hope of VP loot.

That's all the fun stuff I can remember hunting for during Velious-era for the bard. I'll log onto Live tonight and see what else I have wasting away from that era.

[Daldaen]

How does that interact with corpse dragging (http://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142154)? Or does the aggro only apply when dragging near the 3 factions (which are not represented in Velks)?

This is an interesting question. It depends on how it's coded on this server. I believe they blanket coded it to occur in all Velious zones. Cause it works like this in PoMischief. Don't try to drag a corpse to the central room in PoM otherwise you get aggro from the chest and spawn 8 Halflings.

I can't say I ever tested this on Al'Kabor where the classic dragging code was still active. Only used it in Kael and ToV. ToV proved to be a nice surprise buttsex one day when I was dragging my bard box's corpse from HoT entrance to the entrance of ToV thinking that since we were all ally, it wouldn't be an issue. NOP!

Insta-aggro and had to burn Succor :/.

[Crawdad]

This is an interesting question. It depends on how it's coded on this server. I believe they blanket coded it to occur in all Velious zones. Cause it works like this in PoMischief. Don't try to drag a corpse to the central room in PoM otherwise you get aggro from the chest and spawn 8 Halflings.

I can't say I ever tested this on Al'Kabor where the classic dragging code was still active. Only used it in Kael and ToV. ToV proved to be a nice surprise buttsex one day when I was dragging my bard box's corpse from HoT entrance to the entrance of ToV thinking that since we were all ally, it wouldn't be an issue. NOP!

Insta-aggro and had to burn Succor :/.

Can't add anything but anecdotal, but I used to do CRs for people all the time in Velks when I got my howler lute. Never had spiders or kobolds aggro. Never tried it around Bob though.