Bards and Shield Arcane Spell Failure

[sir_blacksoutalot]

In all my years of playing NWN1+2, I've never once rolled with a bard. I know...for shame. Well I'm quite enjoying playing my level-7 bard now, kind of like a whole perspective on the game.

But I find myself wondering how people go about mitigating for arcane spell failure while using a shield. Heavy shields impose a 15% chance of failure, and light shields reduce that to 5%. I find few things more frustrating than failed spells, so I'd like to get that down to 0%.

I know there are light shields out there with -5% spell failure; but the ones that I've seen don't appear to come with any AC bonuses, so it's only a +1 to overall armor class (maybe a Magic Vestment scroll with UMD can help that). I haven't seen any heavy shields at all that help reduce arcane spell failure.

So do most of you shield-using bards stick to buffing spells and avoid casting damage spells in combat? Bards get a nice mix of buff/damage/utility spells so I'd prefer not to limit myself to buffing only. Does that mean I need to forego shields and aim more for a 2H-weapon? Or I guess try for that -5% ASF light shield for a whopping +1 AC.

Up to this point, I've just hotkeyed my shield so that I can unequip when I want to cast a spell in combat, fire off that spell, then re-equip to keep fighting. But it can be tricky to get the timing right, and it just plain feels clumsy.

I'm sure there are better ways to go about this. Anyone have any helpful tips to offer on how bards can make best use of shields while avoiding that annoying ASF?

[LISA100595]

Put a "Looking For" post in the forum under the auction thread for a Mithral Heavy Sheild. It has -15% ASF. They are rare but available.

[chad878262]

Wand of Shield can help...

My Fighter/Bard carries around a +4 Tower Shield, but then he never needs to worry about spell casting while in the midst of combat.

[TarnishedSoul]

I've mastered the art of equip/un-equip.

[Rudolph]

I've never played Bard either, but am wondering, given your question, whether the ASF reduction on light armor or medium armor (in case you have Battlecaster) does not count towards the shield. After all, the armor ASF score should already be reduced by the Bard class and/or Battlecaster feat, right? Whaddayasay singing veterans?

[TarnishedSoul]

Nope. Shield ASF is a completely separate thing. Nothing that pertains to armor ASF applies to shield ASF.

[mrm3ntalist]

Nope. Shield ASF is a completely separate thing. Nothing that pertains to armor ASF applies to shield ASF.

Not quite true.

If you have a light armor with -ASF, then that carries to the shield. If you have a medium armor with -asf and battlecaster, again that carries to the shield

[NeOmega]

Nope. Shield ASF is a completely separate thing. Nothing that pertains to armor ASF applies to shield ASF.

Not quite true.

If you have a light armor with -ASF, then that carries to the shield. If you have a medium armor with -asf and battlecaster, again that carries to the shield

sooo... spellchain is a must have for bards bearing heavy shields. Interesting.