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Bard Masteries

Bard Masteries (Publish 66) let skilled bards gain passive bonuses and “spellsongs” they can sustain with mana. A bard needs 90.0 Musicianship and 90.0 in one complementary barding skill (Discordance, Peacemaking, or Provocation) to begin.

How to Unlock

  • Visit any Conservatory and complete one of:
  • Wielding the Sonic Blade (Discordance mastery)
  • The Beacon of Harmony (Peacemaking mastery)
  • Indoctrination of a Battle Rouser (Provocation mastery)
  • You receive a Book of Bard Masteries containing songs for that mastery.
  • Use the book’s context menu to select your active mastery.

What You Get

Buffed Skill Use

  • Success bonus: +10% to the skill of your active mastery, +5% to the other bard skills.
  • Cooldown: Bard skill cooldown is 8s; with any mastery active it’s 7s, and 6s for the active mastery’s skill.

Intoning Songs (Spellsongs)

  • You can maintain up to two songs at once (cast via macro or the draggable icon).
  • Casting: Faster Casting helps the initial cast (cap 4), not upkeep.
  • Upkeep: Consumes mana every 2s. Costs scale with nearby mobiles (players, pets, mounted pets): +1 mana per 5 mobiles.
  • Reduce upkeep by 1 mana/2s for each complementary bard skill above 100.0 (real).
  • Duration:
  • Peacemaking & Provocation: run while you have mana.
  • Discordance: also limited to a fixed number of pulses (rounds).
  • Range: Allies/enemies must remain within range to gain/receive effects (LoS not required).
  • Stacking: Same-song buffs/debuffs do not stack; first bard to apply “claims” the effect.
  • Flags & Checks:
  • Peace/Provocation songs are beneficial and will flag you if you buff a grey ally.
  • Discord songs are aggressive/criminal when applicable.
  • Interrupts: Recasting ends a song instantly; incoming damage can also disrupt.
  • Discord effects expire 2s after last pulse; others 4s after last pulse.
  • Spellcasting: You can cast spells while maintaining songs (won’t interrupt).

Training Note

Bard Mastery songs can raise Musicianship and the barding skills (Discordance, Peacemaking, Provocation).

Scaling With Bard Skills

Songs scale from extra “points” granted by high bard skills:

  • Musicianship and your active mastery skill: +1 point per 10.0 skill above 90.0 (up to 8 points total across the two).
  • The other two bard skills: +1 point per 10.0 skill above 100.0 (up to 6 points total).
  • Each song weights these points differently (sometimes multiplicatively). Example for Inspire:
  • Weight 2 per point from (Musicianship + Provocation) and 1 per point from the other bard skills → a 4× Legendary bard can reach ~22% HCI/SDI from Inspire.

Discordance Mastery (Desponder)

Tribulation — In Jux Hur Rel

  • Min Skill: 90
  • Intone Cost: 24 mana
  • Upkeep Cost: 8 mana/2s
  • Effect: Debuffs target Hit Chance and Spell Damage (≈ 5–22% base, up to ~32% at 4× Legendary). For 5–11 rounds (up to ~14), any damage the target takes has 15–60% (up to ~84%) chance to trigger a direct-damage burst equal to ~8–32% (up to ~50%) of that damage.
  • Scales with Musicianship (proc chance) and Discordance (burst size).
  • Slayer instruments multiply the burst by 1.5×.
  • Reduced by target Magic Resist.

Despair — Kal Des Mani Tym

  • Min Skill: 90
  • Intone Cost: 26 mana
  • Upkeep Cost: 10 mana/2s
  • Effect: Lowers STR (≈ 4–16, up to ~22) and deals periodic damage every 2s for 5–11 rounds (up to ~14). Damage ≈ 9–36 (up to ~48 vs NPCs; ~14 vs a player at 70 resists).
  • Scales with Discordance and Musicianship.
  • PvM multipliers: 1.5× vs NPCs; 3× with Slayer instruments.
  • Damage type is selectable on the Mastery Book (cannot change while active).
  • Reduced by target Magic Resist.

Peacemaking Mastery (Galvanizer)

Resilience — Kal Mani Tym

  • Min Skill: 90
  • Intone Cost: 16 mana
  • Upkeep Cost: 4 mana/2s
  • Effect (party): +HP Regen, +Stam Regen, +Mana Regen ≈ +2–16, plus +2 per 10 points over GM in each barding skill (up to ~22 at 4× Legendary). Also reduces durations of Curses, Bleed, Mortal Wound by ~10–40% (up to ~60%). Increases poison resistance.

Perseverance — Uus Jux Sanct

  • Min Skill: 90
  • Intone Cost: 18 mana
  • Upkeep Cost: 5 mana/2s
  • Effect (party): Defense Chance Increase and damage taken reduction ≈ ~2–24% (up to ~30%), plus Casting Focus +1–4% (up to ~6%).

Provocation Mastery (Exhilarator)

Inspire — Uus Por

  • Min Skill: 90
  • Intone Cost: 16 mana
  • Upkeep Cost: 4 mana/2s
  • Effect (party):
  • HCI and SDI: +4–16% base, plus +1% per 10 points over GM in inactive bard skills → ~22% at 4× Legendary (subject to PvP SDI cap).
  • Damage Increase: +20–40% base, plus +3% per 10 points over GM in complementary skills → ~58% at 4× Legendary.
  • Bonus Damage Modifier: ~1–15% (applies to all damage types; behaves like a slayer-type modifier, above weapon 300% item/tactics/STR/Anatomy cap and above PvP SDI cap).

Invigorate — An Zu

  • Min Skill: 90
  • Intone Cost: 22 mana
  • Upkeep Cost: 5 mana/2s
  • Effect (party):
  • +STR/INT/DEX: +8 base, +2 for each complementary skill at 120.0 → ~14 at 4× Legendary.
  • +Hit Points: up to +20 base, +2 per complementary 120.0 → ~26 at 4× Legendary (not capped by item HPI 25).
    • Max example: 150 STR + 25 HPI + 26 Invigorate = 176 HP.
  • Heal pulse: every 4s, ~4–16 (up to ~22) HP.

Mana & Upkeep Quick Facts

  • Base upkeep is per song; add +1 mana/2s per 5 nearby mobiles affected.
  • Subtract 1 mana/2s for each complementary bard skill >100.0 (real).
  • You can sustain two songs if your mana regen and reductions cover the total.

Misc Notes & Tips

  • Slayer instruments supercharge Discord damage (see above).
  • First bard wins: if another bard already runs the same song on targets, yours won’t overwrite it.
  • Range matters: allies/enemies must stay within your aura to keep effects.
  • Training: cycling songs is an efficient way to raise barding skills.