Haggle Bard - Mississippi Queen

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

also shoud is +3 to stat, not plus 9 .
iot's a plus 9 total modifer to skilz.

Incorrect. Or at least poorly worded.

To clarify a bit:

The max stat weapon is a +9 total to your CHA STAT. +6 CHA at Tier 1 (will not stack). The +3 CHA from Tiers 2 & 3 does stack.

Another way to build the stat weapon is to pick a Tier 1 benefit that you like, then for Tiers 2&3, add +3 exceptional CHA (which will stack with your +6 CHA item you are wearing).

The skills item is a +6 total (ALL OF IT STACKABLE) to your skills.

[Uberbaby]

LeslieWest_GuitarGod, I am enjoying your post and the detail you have provided! I wish more would follow your example when posting builds.

I am also thinking about trying out the build but I only have 28 pt build option, Question, could this build be done with 28 pt or should I wait till I can build with 32 pt? And if so what would you change?

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

LeslieWest_GuitarGod, I am enjoying your post and the detail you have provided! I wish more would follow your example when posting builds.

I am also thinking about trying out the build but I only have 28 pt build option, Question, could this build be done with 28 pt or should I wait till I can build with 32 pt? And if so what would you change?

Here is the 28 pt build version of Mississippee.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.00
DDO Character Planner Home Page

                  Starting          
                 Base Stats          
Abilities        (Level 1)             
Strength             14                
Dexterity             8                
Constitution         14                   
Intelligence          8               
Wisdom                8           
Charisma             18                  

This would be my recommended path. As you can see, you lose none of the CHA, and thats all that matters. The CON stays the same. You lose 2 STR (chomp on a +2 STR tome if you want to make up the difference..) Follow the recipe the same. Everything is the same.

As an alternate route, if you want to give up melee all together, go 10 STR and 14 WIS. This gives you a +2 Will Save over the 32pt Mississippee build.

Good luck and feel free to ask if you have any further questions or comments...

[Uberbaby]

Thanks that was easy enought

[Studpack]

Hey I wanted to give your thread a bump and ask if you got Mississippi up to 20 yet since mod 9 is released and how it is working out for you.

I am a new player, like many, since mod 9 is released and your build is how I wanted to play a bard and I am now level 7 and loving it so far. I still have a lot to learn as figuring out how, when, and what you can CC is a bit of a learning curve. For example, I feel useless except as a healbot in undead areas and I still don't know which color of named mobs I can make dance. I think its red that I cannot.

Either way I am starting to get more comfortable but I had a question regarding what spells to take at level 7. I grabbed heal critical wounds and good hope but I also took rage for my level 2 spell. Do you use rage at all in end game and does it buff the whole party or only a couple people?

Thx.

-Atheri on Khyber

[Rydin_Dirtay]

Either way I am starting to get more comfortable but I had a question regarding what spells to take at level 7. I grabbed heal critical wounds and good hope

A level 7 Bard can also get the Haste spell, which is super-desired by groups in DDO. But Good Hope is great too.. Lots of good spells at that level for Bards (Displacement too). You'd be amazed at how much healing Displacement can save.

On my spellsinger hagglebard I took Haste and Good Hope at 7, reason being, I already had Cure Moderate, which with a Devotion item, was healing groups plenty good. You can always get Cure Critical later, least that's my reasoning.

Also with my spellsinger haggler I primarily wand-heal (and at that level that's Cure Moderate wands) but of course when needed in battles, the spells do sometimes get used...but you gotta be careful with the mana pool doing that. Sometimes hasting the group, and displacing your tank and maybe the off-tank are the best ways to prevent blowing through your mana on healing as a bard.

[lostkoss]

Hi !

Love this thread, lots of great info tucked away in here.

Could you post the level 20 final build please?

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

Hey I wanted to give your thread a bump and ask if you got Mississippi up to 20 yet since mod 9 is released and how it is working out for you.

I am a new player, like many, since mod 9 is released and your build is how I wanted to play a bard and I am now level 7 and loving it so far. I still have a lot to learn as figuring out how, when, and what you can CC is a bit of a learning curve. For example, I feel useless except as a healbot in undead areas and I still don't know which color of named mobs I can make dance. I think its red that I cannot.

Either way I am starting to get more comfortable but I had a question regarding what spells to take at level 7. I grabbed heal critical wounds and good hope but I also took rage for my level 2 spell. Do you use rage at all in end game and does it buff the whole party or only a couple people?

Thx.

-Atheri on Khyber

Hey Atheri, glad you are enjoying the build! Let me try to answer your questions.

First of all, you can CC up to and including orange named monsters. Red names you really are limited. However, after switching a few things around and adding things to this build, you are now a potent debuffer. Crushing Dispair for example works on red names.

I really didn't rush to get Rage. Rage will get your entire party in one hit. Rage really comes into it's own at appx Level 10 content... right around the time Soundburst takes a dive. I recommend swapping these two...

One important thing to realize, when you take spells are purely up to you. All depends on the spells you enjoy the most and are most effective based on the content you are running.

Yeah undead areas are not the strong point for cc bards. Since will based attack is your specialty, you need to change tactics. I will often go on the attack with my disrupters, and/or focus on healing/curing. Undead quests can really get messy for melees. They get cursed, diseased, mummy rot, etc. Curing is right up your ally. You are not helpless/useless against undead... you just need to learn how to switch gears.

Your Cajun Lady can do a lot of things very, very well. You can DPS, UMD, heal, buff, debuff, and cure.

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

On my spellsinger hagglebard I took Haste and Good Hope at 7.

Good Hope is the poor man's GH. Use it until your mana pool can afford to hit all with GH. Good Hope is extremely helpful and efficient. And its the only way to cure crushing despair. Work with your clerics. They'll be very happy when you can help them buff.

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

Hi !

Love this thread, lots of great info tucked away in here.

Could you post the level 20 final build please?

Done!

In the coming days, I'll post an explanation of why I finished Mississippee this way. I'll also offer a few strategies on how to best play her in a MOD 9 world.

Rest assured, this build loses nothing from MOD 8. She can heal, buff, debuff, CC, cure better then ever!

Oh yeah, and she can do all this without a single tome.

[Sallust]

I'm using this template and wondering what your reasoning is for not using the feats for medium armor or that allows you to use Charisma as a will save bonus?

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

I'm using this template and wondering what your reasoning is for not using the feats for medium armor or that allows you to use Charisma as a will save bonus?

I play Mississippee very elusively. Whether I'm healing or using CC, I'm in and out fast. The need for medium armor or a bonus to will save is just not there. My idea is, if they are dancing, there is no need for heavier armor or higher will save. Grant it, if I had the feats to spare, sure, I'd take Force of Personality. However, considering I fail a will save so rarely, FOP would be a wasted feat for me.

When I'm healing I will often go invisible. If your party is good you will stay under the radar. My CC is quest altering. If something gets too close to me and I think it can hurt me, its going to be dancing. Whatever the quest calls for I do. My primary job, especially in the high levels is to make the clerics job easy. My 2nd job is to strengthen the melees and casters/healers via buffs. Job #3 is to have FUN, and to me, with this build, fun = crowd control! When I choose to melee, I don the same buffs all melees want .

[78mackson]

I don the same buffs all melees want with the exception of rage (rage is bad since you cant heal).

Rage spell doesn´t prevent you from healing. Madstone and Barb rage does.

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

Rage spell doesn´t prevent you from healing. Madstone and Barb rage does.

Ughh, I must (but apparently will never) stop posting at 3 o'clock in the morning ! Yes, its madstone rage that effectively stops bard casting... Fixing that now as to avoid confusion. Thanks!

[Thaichi23]

Wow, I read through about 8 pages of this and am so thankful you started this up. I thought it was just a thread to get high haggle but it really has all the info for a a bard period.

So my drow bard basically hits nothing and doesn't have a high con =T
Starting Stats:
Str :8
Dex :16
Con: 11
Int : 11(ate +1 tome putting it to 12)
wis : 8
Cha: 20

I rolled this character way back when I didn't know it was all about con so I really am hurting there. I also did not have to go high dex which I really regret also. My enhancements are what I'm curious about asking. I've got:
Bard Extra song 4
Bard Inspired attack 3
Bard Inspierd Damage 3
Bard Lingering Song 3
Bard Music of the Dead
Bard Spellsinger 1
Bard Charisma 1

Is it really that much of a waste to get Bard Inspired attack and Extra song? I see u didn't get any of the extra songs and only Bard Inspired attack 1. Right now at lvl 14 I have 18 songs that last 6min 23 secs each. Is this overkill? It probably is as I haven't played her as much but I don't understand not maxing out your to hit and dmg enhancements. My inspire courage gives +6 to attack/dmg and my inspire greatness gives another +2 to hit bringing the total to-hit to +8 is that not necessary?

Do you think I should drop the extra songs, some of the inspired attack, and music of the dead for more spell pen and charisma instead? Does your party ever not have bard songs on them without all the extra songs?

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

My inspire courage gives +6 to attack/dmg and my inspire greatness gives another +2 to hit bringing the total to-hit to +8 is that not necessary?

Do you think I should drop the extra songs, some of the inspired attack, and music of the dead for more spell pen and charisma instead? Does your party ever not have bard songs on them without all the extra songs?

Thank you very much for the props on this thread. I too have been surprised by the interest this thread has received (it's now got more views and replies than any other bard thread as of this date). The starting stats alone would not have done this build any service. Because a bard can do so much well, and can be so personalized to a players playstyle, there is a whole lot of information needed to make the build... work. Therefore, I really wanted this thread to be a complete walk-thru on playing a bard. And many posters have helped make it so. So a shout out to all you bards that have help this thread grow, thank you!

Ok question #1. Inspire courage. Nothing stopping you going Inspire Attack III. However, I've gone the entire way with Inspire Attack I, which I took relatively early (its the early levels when some melees have trouble hitting). However, after level 10, if melees need a bard's help to HIT, they are in far more need than a simple bard boost . Pretty soon, the melees will be hitting on a 2, so going any higher than IA I is just not necessary in my eyes.

UPDATE: In the current DDO world, it makes sense to max Inspire Attack line, due to far more complicated dungeons, the higher levels, epics, and non-efficiently geared/specced toons.

Inspire Damage is a whole 'notha deal. The ability of a bard to increase your entire party's DPS output is unique and quintessential. Max all the way. Done & done.

#2 Extra songs. After I hit my Inspire Courage and Greatness, most parties are crying for haste and go. I will make sure to hit the big bats (the big melee guys or AC builds) with inspire heroics. However, most melees have no clue what that is (stackable +5 AC boost GREAT for AC builds... best usable on a tank who is tanking a raid boss). Realistically though, you are often just hitting your inspire songs and hasting. Therefore, I already have far more songs than I normally use. Never, do I wish I had more songs, even when Im hitting my songs often. (I will push the envelope in many parties with my buffs. As a UMD Bard, the buffs you can hit are practically endless. How much you buff depends on the quest you are running and the party makeup. I will use the Spell Song trance often as well.)

#3 Spell Penetration. I had the luck of playing a CC specialist (Frobozz, my wizard) for 3+ years before I built Mississippee. Spell pen is ALL or nothing. If you want to specialize in CC, you will need every spell pen feat and enhancement and item (greater spell pen weapon and a Napkin from the Reaver, or at least a DC+1 enchantment-will save item). Also, to accompany any CC specialist is maxing your mana stat, which in this case, is CHA. Also, extra CHA aids you in extra healing and UMD. CHA all the way.

Music of the Dead. Thats a tossup. How often do you run quests with high end undead in them? I could care less about the Abbot, especially on my bard, so that truly allows me to cross out the need for MotD. However, I can see the benefit of squeezing it in if you choose to do a lot of these quests. I just couldnt fit it in my build.

The most important bit of advice I can give you is this, make sure you max out the roles you will be performing the MOST. And make SURE that it fits your playstyle.

Well, I hope that helps, Thaichi!

[Thaichi23]

Thanks for the reply, I believe I will definitely take out music of the dead, extra songs, and extra attack. CC/buff/debuff is what I wanted to focus on so I have to go spell pen and charisma. I also realized I dont have any wand and scroll mastery! Doh! What was I thinking?!

[techguru]

WOW.. just read every page and WOW
-
I started the day knowing nothing about a bard and no I may have a little clue.. "little"
I was orginally looking for a repeater bard.. now you have made me unsure.
aRG, but thank for alll the useful information.. you build has some of the important things I wanted from paying a bard. Good CC, Buffing, and ability to heal and of course the high Haggle ;-)

Wish I could find a repeater build this well done..

I am close to building this build tonight.. instead of a repeater build..

ps.. I am back to DDO after being gone for a long while.

[Maegin]

got that lvl 20 breakdown? i'm a very curious panda...

[Rydin_Dirtay]

You know she was a dancaauh

She moved betta than wine

<narna...narna... nurrrr>

Mississippi Queen, if ya know what I meayaann