Hey bards.....taru bards in particular...watch it!

[Krakster]

Im not sure quite what my run of bad luck is with recent taru bards, but i've now killed 4 of them since I got trick attack at level 30.

Bards! Please please watch out for your thief. If you want to be up and meleing, do yourself a favor and stand to the side of the mob at all times.When trick/sneak attacking my view of the mob is already partially blocked, so if there is a midget taru running around at its feet, I can't see you! You don't really want that mob thinking you just did 500 damage to it do you?

[Vilurum]

If a bard is being tricked on due to the bard's positioning when just meleeing, then yes, it's the bard's fault.

If a bard is being tricked on because the bard's doing an early-battle buff (or even a later-battle buff if the tank can't control the monster's position and keep it still :mad: ) and the party positions the monster and themselves in such a way that the bard is being tricked on, it's not the bard's fault. If a bard moves while singing, the song is interrupted, and that really sucks for 8-second cast times.

So, in the first case, yes, blame the bard. In the second case, know that a singing bard's position is fixed, so the party should make sure that the monster and the rest of the PT members are not positioned in such a way that the bard will be tricked onto.

[Gbz]

Well its both sides really, I mean you know if you are gonna trick attack it onto the Bard. You can just tell him to move :p

The bard will learn I am sure. I don't think he will want to do something silly like get in the way of a trick attack position again after dieing because of it.

[Seeker_Onos]

In a standard PT, I try to tell my PTs to take fixed positions around the monster -

Crowd control is key since I'll tend to move between two points when singing.



Pre-Fight: Singing Minuet

(Mages)..........(PLD/DRK).....(THF/Melee).....(BRD)....(Puller)....(mob)


I'll sing my minuet/madrigal as soon as the the puller announces that he has provoked the mob and is on his run back to camp (or give a slight delay, such as when pulling Signifiers in QSD Caves)

Ideally, the first song will hit the puller at the end range of the song, and the second one will hit within a few seconds of the mob being voked by the other melee or otherwise engaged by all of the melees:

In-Fight: Singing Madrigal

(Mages)..............(PLD/DRK)..(THF)..(Mob)..(Melee/Puller)..(BRD)


This takes care of the melee songs; as long as the attacking melees (THF/SAM/WAR/MNK/DRG/BST/RNG) are on my side of the mob, coating them with the songs will do fine. DRKs will have to weigh whether they will focus more on the melee-ing or on the magic aspects of their job and maneuver for best effect for the songs.


Early to Mid-Fight: Singing Ballad, March or Minne

(Mages).......(BRD)........(PLD/DRK)..(THF)..(Mob)..(Melee/Puller)

Depending upon the monster we are fighting and the availability of a RDM, as well as the availability of the tank (PLD vs. NIN) ... I will then equip a harp and Ballad+March (for PLD/DRK, especially Galkas) or Minne+March (for NIN blink tanks - double weapon hit+blink+haste+March=faster chains) - Minne will provide a buffer until the NIN can reset his blink.

Usually, I've found it more common to Ballad+March for the PLD tank, and if the distances are right, the Mages will get Ballad, freeing me up to refresh Etude on them.

Late-Fight: Singing Ballad, March or Minne

(BRD)(Mages)...............(PLD/DRK)..(THF)..(Mob)..(Melee/Puller)

I then pull back to Ballad+Etude for the Mages, and I'm well out of harms way for the THF's SA/TA and I can threnody for the Viper Bite or Dancing Edge, or for the MB if we have a BLM.

At this point, I'll debuff (assuming we have a RDM, and I haven't already been throwing Finale on crabs... only to have the shelled little freak do it's Bubble Curtain or Scissors Guard DEF boost w/in 3sec of me dispelling it) with Requiem and Elegy OR focus on spot heals or Curegas (since I can take a few more hits from the mob should it aggro me after a curega than the WHM might, and to help him conserve mana)...


At the end of the fight, I'll reballad the mages and PLD/DRK, and re-Prelude the RNG if we have one that's Sharpshotting every other pull or something nice like that


Of course, that's not fixed in stone for every fight as circumstances and mob movements will mix things up (especially in Kuftal when playing avoid-aggro-hockey with crabby adds, or similarly in QSD Caves with competing PT pulls of Ants...)

Bottom line (as a few of the top posters said) - BRD should take care to stay out of the way of SA/TA - and make a note of the pattern that the THF is hopefully using with it.

Conversely, the BRD should have a set pattern of what songs he sings such that the THF can plan his SA/TA around it.

[Xccoortri]

Haha yeah,m sometimes I pre-empetively sing the song, and it just so happens htat I end up beside the pld befor eths ong is done...our thf is good enough that he usually doesn't hit me, but it's funny when he does and I get to tank a little bit, we all get a good laugh.

[Bamce Sylph]

perhaps u shold take this grief up with the bard in particular, instead of everyone? its takes some communication wether verbal or visual until u get in a set rhthm (pun in tended)

tonight i noticed it when the war in my group was tanking with a ninja there, then realized ooo yeah fui, i should move my ass, nothing said, the theif saw me, i saw her, and realized i should move. if the bard in group doesn't move, do it on purpose i find that mortalitity has a great way of teaching peole what they should and shouldn't be doing.

as a whm i don't heal my pullers until i'm ready, (particualy in qufim/kazham area's) the puller won't wanna pull if he could die otw back.

[AurorABLaZe]

Well, usually it isn't the BRD fault, because BRD should be singing their song....and if they are in the path of the THF then they have to move the mob so they can S/T on the proper guy. Very hard for BRD to move like that when they are in the middle of a song......


I hate that everyone always blame the BRD. >.< It's not our fault!

[Shamaru]

I have learnt this issue long time since early 30, after couple deads by those youngbie trick attackers (yes I'm taru BRD )

My sing position is always like this;


...........(THF)..(Melee)...(Mob)...(Tank)............................(Mages)

(BRD)



If I want to do melee I would be like this (may need to move abit further to prevent songs overlap) ;


.............(THF)..(Melee)...(Mob)...(Tank)............................(Mages)

......................................(BRD)



There is no reason for BRD to be aligned on fighting path, just step by side and you can do anything without worry of trick accident.