Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

What are the must-have spells for a str bard for each level? Which ones are 'meh' and which ones are 'skip'?

Level one:
- Inspirational Boost (+1 to Inspire Courage)
- Amplify (+10 to Listen)
- Joyful Noise (Immunity to Silence)
- Expeditious Retreat (You move faster)
- Grease (Slows or knocksdown opponents, extra round of Hymn damage)

Level two:
- Mirror Image (Reduces damage you take)
- Bull's Strength (+4 Strength)
- Ghostly Visage (Long duration 10% concealment) |or| Invisibility (Makes running quests for exp easy)
- Heartfire (Denies magical concealment) |or| Sonic Weapon (+1d4 sonic damage)
- Cat's Grace (+4 Strength) |or| Silence (Makes casters silent if cast on ground, needs quicken spell though)

Level three:
- Haste (+1 AB, and extra Attack)
- Displacement (50% Concealment)
- Clairaudience/Clairvoyance (+10 to Listen and Spot)
- See Invisibility (Works wonders against NPC casters)
- Remove Curse (You won't have to carry cursed items)

Level four:
- Dismissal (The DC is '[caster DC+caster level]'-'HD of the affected target' )
- Freedom of Movement (Cannot be slowed down, paralysed, etc.)
- Shadow Conjuration (Magic Missiles or Mage Armor)
- War Cry (+2 AB and Damage)
- Greater Invisibility (Another source of 50% concealment)

Level five:
- Heroism, Greater (+4 AB, etc.)
- Ethereal Visage (20/Adamantine DR and 25% Concealment)
- Sound Blast (21d8, fortitude for half?)
- Dispel Magic, Greater (Gets rid of UMD)
- Summon Creature V (If you want a pet...)

Level six:
- Energy Immunity (Immune to one type of energy per cast)
- Nixies Grace (+4 Dexterity, Wisdom, Charisma and 5/Cold Iron DR, you can swap Cat's Grace for something else)
- Superior Resistance (+6 to all saves)
- Ice Storm (Damage without a save) |or| Summon Creature VI (If you want more pets, and you can make them stronger with Legionnaire's march song.)


Now, my Strength bard kunfu is rusty, so if someone spots that this list is missing a better spell, then just point it out.

Thanks for all the advice!

I'm torn about skills- I have concentration, tumble, spellcraft, lores, UMD, perform, disable device, search, open locks, and heal. I really want to cram listen in there but don't know what to sacrifice- heal, maybe? Will I be able to rely on the regen inspiration and skill-less healing kits? It's cross class so wouldn't be that great anyway... The lores are too fluffy for RP to sacrifice, and everything else is essential I'd say.

Do you have Craft Wand feat by the way? (It can be taken when you have caster level of 5.) With it you can turn any scroll of Shield or Flame Weapon or Bless Weapon into a wand with 50 or so uses. It will cost gold, but it will make your character a lot more powerful.

Anyhow, +1 healing kits heal 21 hitpoints per kit if you have 10 in wisdom and no skill points in the skill. If you cross class Heal skill, those +1 healing kits will heal 37 hitpoints per kit. If you went for Rogue 3/Bard 27, your Inspire Competence will give you +8 to all skills. If you went Rogue 4/Bard 26, you get +6 to all skills.

So... if you leave heal skill as is, you can always turn on your Inspire Competence to get a minor skill boost. Not to mention that with all that concealment and mirror images, you are likely to not require that much healing. Moreover, when you get the Hymn of Reguiem the damage you deal will also heal you... So yeah, you can ignore Heal skill.

Heal skill investment is benefical, but in the long run you do not really need it as a bard.

If my character doesn't have the strength to carry healkits and doesn't have the Heal skill, I just use potions and/or wands. Having Vigor and some Cure Wounds on a wand is nice as you don't get Attack of Opportunity in battle, and typically you'd put enough skills in UMD to use wands anyway.

A Brutal Throw Bard: http://nwn2db.com/build/?277172