unionyes
03-04-2009, 10:10 AM
I spent as much time as I could online during the XP weekend leveling up a 28 point Warchanter on Thelanis. I like the server, and I like the Bard, which is a 28 pt version of a Human Warchanter posted on these forums.
My first serious Bard, probably because it's the first good Bard build I have tried. Made it to level 8 last night.
Now, my four year old son (youngest of five kids) likes to 'help' me when I play. He has swords, shields, and a bow, as well as his big sister's Harry Potter wand, so he likes to play a lot of different roles in the party. However, he just stands beside me and pretends, and from time to time he points out that his sword is cooler than mine or that he is tougher than me. I am sure he is from Khyber :)
Anyhow, we play a lot of different musical instruments at my house. In the living room is a drum set, three violins, five guitars, a mandolin, a flute, a clarinet, a keyboard, a digiridoo, a bass guitar, a banjo, and a box full of little kid type instruments, including a cheap ukelele. I have five kids, and they all play something, some of them more than one instrument. Both my wife and myself play multiple instruments too. Family jam sessions are pretty common, and fun.
So when I started running this bard, my son started to put down his swords and pick up the ukelele when I would play the songs for the party. It was so funny the rest of my family asked me to call for them when I was going to play a song in game.
However, he soon got bored with this, and started to substitute other instruments for the ukelele. He tried to grab my banjo (thwarted by his mother), he grabbed the digiridoo (nothing funnier than watching a four year old kid try and play a four foot long wind instrument), he pulled out an old, broken (on purpose by me but don't tell the kids) toy accordion. I asked him why and he said because you can't always play the same instrument its boring. I agree.
Which brings me to my suggestion.
Why is it that every Bard in the realm plays the lute? I would like to see some variety here, if possible.
It could either be a choice at Character Creation, or based on your highest stats or specialty (Warchanters could play bagpipes or something, Virtuoso could pull out a violin, etc etc.), or it could be based on Race.
Dwarves could play bagpipes, Halflings could play accordions, Drow could play a harp, etc etc.
Or it could be tied to enhancements you have taken regarding your songs. Extend Song II could equip one instrument, Extend Song III a different one, etc.
There are lots of ways it could be done. It could even be that the instrument would be an actual item, dropping as end rewards or loot, with enhancements on it, like +2 perform. You would get a 'starter' instrument like a triangle when you washed up on shore in Korthos, and have a Stradivarius when you were buffing a Shroud group.
I know its probably too much to ask for some sort of different song audio, but would make this idea, if implemented, very nice. It would be fun to make a Halfling Bard who played 'I'se the B'ye that builds the boat' when buffing the party, or a Human Warchanter with a cello or a fiddle that played 'Flight of the Bumblebees' at Level 4 and 'Flight of the Valkyries' at level 16.
I should put out there as well that I would prefer any changes to the instruments be strictly acoustic. I have no desire to see any electric guitars or synthesizer solos in Stormreach please.
Of course, if I had my druthers I would much prefer the fixing of the horrible lag issues to the implementation of this idea, but as it seems that the lag is here to stay at somewhat fluctuating levels, I figured I may as well put this forward as a suggestion.
Thoughts?
My first serious Bard, probably because it's the first good Bard build I have tried. Made it to level 8 last night.
Now, my four year old son (youngest of five kids) likes to 'help' me when I play. He has swords, shields, and a bow, as well as his big sister's Harry Potter wand, so he likes to play a lot of different roles in the party. However, he just stands beside me and pretends, and from time to time he points out that his sword is cooler than mine or that he is tougher than me. I am sure he is from Khyber :)
Anyhow, we play a lot of different musical instruments at my house. In the living room is a drum set, three violins, five guitars, a mandolin, a flute, a clarinet, a keyboard, a digiridoo, a bass guitar, a banjo, and a box full of little kid type instruments, including a cheap ukelele. I have five kids, and they all play something, some of them more than one instrument. Both my wife and myself play multiple instruments too. Family jam sessions are pretty common, and fun.
So when I started running this bard, my son started to put down his swords and pick up the ukelele when I would play the songs for the party. It was so funny the rest of my family asked me to call for them when I was going to play a song in game.
However, he soon got bored with this, and started to substitute other instruments for the ukelele. He tried to grab my banjo (thwarted by his mother), he grabbed the digiridoo (nothing funnier than watching a four year old kid try and play a four foot long wind instrument), he pulled out an old, broken (on purpose by me but don't tell the kids) toy accordion. I asked him why and he said because you can't always play the same instrument its boring. I agree.
Which brings me to my suggestion.
Why is it that every Bard in the realm plays the lute? I would like to see some variety here, if possible.
It could either be a choice at Character Creation, or based on your highest stats or specialty (Warchanters could play bagpipes or something, Virtuoso could pull out a violin, etc etc.), or it could be based on Race.
Dwarves could play bagpipes, Halflings could play accordions, Drow could play a harp, etc etc.
Or it could be tied to enhancements you have taken regarding your songs. Extend Song II could equip one instrument, Extend Song III a different one, etc.
There are lots of ways it could be done. It could even be that the instrument would be an actual item, dropping as end rewards or loot, with enhancements on it, like +2 perform. You would get a 'starter' instrument like a triangle when you washed up on shore in Korthos, and have a Stradivarius when you were buffing a Shroud group.
I know its probably too much to ask for some sort of different song audio, but would make this idea, if implemented, very nice. It would be fun to make a Halfling Bard who played 'I'se the B'ye that builds the boat' when buffing the party, or a Human Warchanter with a cello or a fiddle that played 'Flight of the Bumblebees' at Level 4 and 'Flight of the Valkyries' at level 16.
I should put out there as well that I would prefer any changes to the instruments be strictly acoustic. I have no desire to see any electric guitars or synthesizer solos in Stormreach please.
Of course, if I had my druthers I would much prefer the fixing of the horrible lag issues to the implementation of this idea, but as it seems that the lag is here to stay at somewhat fluctuating levels, I figured I may as well put this forward as a suggestion.
Thoughts?