Baldur’s Gate 3 Party of Performers 4 Bard’s Guide

Should your teammates also have perform, and one of you is a bard. Have the bard start a song, after a successful performance check, have the others play the same song on different instruments.

They all play in sync and you get more gold and some “special events in certain areas” with an increased attraction meter. I played with 3 of them and literally robbed the city square blind since EVERYONE went to watch, and the guards didn’t reports thefts because they were ALL distracted)

So this brings up another query, not wasting a feat slot on perform, so hence the 4 bard party aka a Battle Band

First the instruments and their musical role
I’m Only Going to Cover the CORE instruments according to musical theory IRL. SO 4 instruments only. You can Swap out a Flute OR the Violin for non core instruments

• Violin Violins can be used for a vocal and guitar position, in modern terms an electric guitar.
• Flute Flutes usually play the vocals section, like violins they can carry a long note at a steady rate.
• Lute A lute is a medieval acoustic guitar and brings the melody.
• Drums Drums bring the beat and solo is a terrible instrument, but when played with the group brings it all together with the toe tapping beat

Styles of Bards in Combat

• Battle Bard Melee Duelist or Two-weapon front liner that casts short weapon actions, battle spells with short durations (ENTHRALL[baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com], 2nd level Spell) and short term enemy aggression charm that gives them literal tunnel vision. Needs medium armor proficiency (From Sub classes or Race).
  The role needs EITHER 16 DEX for Moderate Master feat and Halfplate armor, OR You tank DEX to 10 and go STR and wear heavy armor via feats. highest con and Strength out of the bards

  Do not worry about carrying capacity, there is a long rest 2nd level spell to boost an attribute buff, and the Strength buff gives x2 carrying capacity, making an 8 STR bard carry 240 weight. Make your DPS Bard the mule!

• Support Bard A Medium Armor with a Shield, Cleric style Bard via the College of Valor subclass, heals and casts restore lesser/greater, moves to where they are needed, central position on party, highest INT for knowledge checks.
• DPS Bard The long range caster with cross bow, offensive spells and crowd control/debuff spells, back position highest CHA for spell DC. Aiming for 20 Charisma. Also the face of your party for interactions.
• Trap Monkey/Stealth Bard Sleight of hand and Perception specialist. Any weapon style you can fit, i prefer Dual Weapon and crossbow as needed. Has 16+ DEX and 14+WIS Any stealth specialist spells are handled by them as well

  Quartet party planned, the “Deep Gnome Slaughter” is born, because you can’t spell “Slaughter without Laughter”
  

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the second level bard spell ENHANCE ABILITY[baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com]. Each bard should take it

• Support Bard. Get College of Valor for it’s combat inspiration buff (basicaly guidance) and Medium armor + Shield. Essentially making it a bard cleric. Choose healing Spells and Curative Spells. Skill Priority should be
  Performance > History = Arcana =Religion = Nature> Investigation
• Trap Monkey/Stealth Bard Should be College of Lore Bards with a skill focus in Perform > Stealth > Perception. The sleight of hand will get a lot of passive bonuses from the buffs and Gloves of Thievery in chapter 1 trivializes most checks, so you don’t need to worry about it. Choose spells like see invisibility and invisibility, the 2nd level spell Enhance Ability should be used on your self for what ever benefit you need
• DPS Bard Should be a College of Lore Bard, with the highest charisma you can make it your face time bard as well for dialogue checks.1st level spell FAERIE FIRE[baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com] is KEY spell, it gives advantage to your team mates for 10 rounds against the targets with a large AoE cast, broken as hell. Focus on DPS spells, you’re a gimped sorcerer. Second level spell Misty Step is great for getting to the high ground and raining down acoustic wrath
  Performance > Deception = Intimidation = Persuasion
• Battle Bard AKA “The Front Man“ AKA The Skald should of course subclass in the College of Swords. Duelist or Two-Weapon fighting Spec, They gain medium armor prof and scimitar prof, allowing you to pick Moderate Mastery to improve medium armor functionality.
  There’s a feat for fighting two-weapons with non-finesse weapons DUAL WIELDER[baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com], I suggest this for the STR Battle Bard.

  The DEX Battle Bard Can be eitherTwo-Weapon or Duelist, but I prefer Duelist and the associated feat DEFENSIVE DUELIST[baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com]
  As for the skills. Performance > Athletics / Acrobatics depending on STR vs DEX build. You are the Skald!!!

  This here is the basics for a 4 person bard party, I respecced every teammate into a bard.

  Galel and Shadowheart make great Healer Bards with knowledge arcana/religion history /religion per their background.

  

  

  Astarion and Wyll makes a GREAT Trap Monkey Bards.

  

  The Dark Urge for the PLAYER (unless you make custom) makes a great DPS Caster with choices to take Medicine/Intimidate as the background choice add Deception and Persuasion with a priority on Performance.

  

  Lae’Zel makes a fantastic Battle Bard, and her racial comes with medium armor from the get go. Since she has the best style of medium armor from the onset, the Half Plate, I make her a duelist with a scimitar.

  
  Of course Karlach makes the OTHER great Battle Bard and she really fits the metal Front Woman motif of a rock band. Making her a STR based dual wielder with Battle Axes, Hand Axes, War maces etc..

  There you go a canon character 4 man bard group!

  THIS SECTION NEEDS THE MOST WORK AS I NEED SCREENS AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS. I run Gale, Astarion, Lae’Zel and my character, The Dark Urge

  Rock on and sing of blood and frenzy, passion and betrayal, blaze it down the rebel path!

  The Deep Gnome Slaughter – You can’t spell Slaughter without Laughter