Bard info page

This page owes a lot to legendary Callista's bard page (which was basically a copypaste from Melkpak's bard page).
So I decided to keep the tradition up and copypaste it here.
I've added some civilized guesses and gathered thoughts tho. (Yes, I whined for infos.)
Special thanks to Judas, Biron, Buppa, Aune, Linkless, Noose, Kart and Jumpman for their support.
-Brewgore

General info

• When planning a bard-reinc keep in mind that you only can join 3 of the subs.
• When leaving the castle a good order to sing your songs is:
  • guise angel
  • cha, int songs up (remember to tune up your instrument)
  • visu audience awareness, tonal control
  • drop int, cha and recast 'em one at the time.
  • at this point you could drop visus and recast 'em too (still one at the time)... might make a difference? ;)
  • cast the rest of the songs and hope the world is ready for your sizzling hot performances.
• A bard gets 100% effect from his own visu, but only 50% if another bard visues.
• You should try to keep tonal control visued, because it boosts the effects of songs, this of course depends on your reinc/other bards in party etc..
• If there's 2 bards in room and you cast same visu as the another, you need to leave room to get 100% effect. After you come back you both get 100% effect on your visu. (often the case with audience awareness and such)
• Cha affects most of bard skills.
• Cha and Int affect on boosts a lot.
• Stat songs can be inflated. You get 'em fast even with try very slow. A good way to save exp/cash in reinc.
• 100% skillmax isn't a must anymore.
• With 234% audience awareness you get an extra song with some instruments (violin, horn, lyre, bagpipes).
• You need 100% audience awareness to get all info from know your audience -spell.
• Every bard spell gives mastery, there might be others that give more/cast, but no exact proofs. Atleast some give mastery more sp-efficiently. Call flock can be casted with fewer pigeons...
• For fire breathing act to work you need to have oil flasks and a torch.
• If fire breathing act ignites the enemy it will be burnt every round for a while and you can cast other spells during the effect.
• Without igniting fire breathing act does about 500 damage to a monster.
• Pigeons count as minions. If you have other minions (familiar or a mule or something) you can have less than 9 pigeons. (9 minions max)
• 8 pigeons call flock does about 650 damage.
• For visualize act to be effective the target's skill/spell has to be atleast 50%. It boosts at lower % too, but there's so little effect.

Titles: There are 40 bard titles and they go like this:
(Congratulations to Judas for maxing bards first.)

• 40. virtuoso
• 39. master of verse
• 38. master of song
• 37. master of melody
• 36. master of notes
• 35. master of words
• 34. talespinner (with max skills and instrument you get 11th song after the final step.)
• 33. maestro
• 32. cantatore
• 31. cornetist
• 30. impresario
• 29. legendary meistersinger (Old final rank.)
• 28. master bard
• 27. master balladeer
• 26. meistersinger
• 25. balladeer
• 24. genus irritabile vatum
• 23. well travelled bard
• 22. sonneteer
• 21. accomplished bard
• 20. learned troubadour
• 19. master skald (With max skills and instrument you get an extra song (8 with violin, 9 with horn) after first ministep)
• 18. apprentice troubadour (First title on plaque)
• 17. well travelled gallant
• 16. gallant
• 15. learned skald (With max skills and instrument you get an extra song (7 with violin, 8 with horn) after first ministep)
• 14. apprentice skald
• 13. senior journeyman bard
• 12. journeyman bard
• 11. aspiring journeyman (With max skills and instrument you get 5 songs after first ministep, 6 with horn.)
• 10. laureate
• 9. poet laureate
• 8. romantic poet
• 7. apprentice poet
• 6. senior apprentice
• 5. master apprentice
• 4. skilled apprentice
• 3. learned apprentice
• 2. studious apprentice
• 1. unknown apprentice

Steps:

• about
• close
• somewhat near
• far
• nowhere near

Ministeps:

• extremely close
• very close
• close
• far
• very far
• hopelessly far

Steps and ministeps start acting funny at well travelled bard title.
For example genus irritabile vatum begins straight from somewhat near step.
A cornetist has to advance nowhere near 3 times before it changes and well travelled bard starts at "far"-step.

Instrument masteries

Instrument mastery (from best to worst):

• Instrument is a legendary instrument, fit for a legendary bard.
• Instrument is absolutely perfect in every curve, shape and sound. (This is the max for Violin and Lyre)
• Instrument would make even the most experience bard swoon with envy.
• Instrument is a masterpiece that fetch an exorbitant price.
• Instrument is just about perfect for a travelling bard.
• Instrument is surely the work of a great craftsman.
• Instrument isn't the best, but it'll do until you find better.
• Instrument is a poor substitute for your usual instruments.

Affinity (from best to worst):

• You have gathered an absolutely perfect understanding of Instrument
• You have near mastery in your craft with Instrument.
• You are able to produce undreamt of melody from Instrument.
• You are quite adept in the use of Instrument.
• You have begun to fundamentally understand Instrument.
• You have developed a small amount of affinity with Instrument.
• You have a basic understanding of Instrument.
• You are starting to develop a feel for Instrument.
• You hold very little affinity with Instrument.
• You are without any affinity for Instrument.

Itune (from best to worst):

• Instrument has been perfectly tuned like a legendary meistersinger would.
• Instrument has been masterfully tuned like a aged and wise troubadour would.
• Instrument has been triumpantly tuned like a learned and skilled bard would.
• Instrument has been proudly tuned like a much accomplished bard would.
• Instrument has been easily tuned like an able bodied journeyman would.
• Instrument has been quickly tuned like a hasty and impatient apprentice would
• Instrument has been shamefully tuned like a foolish novice would.
• Instrument has been ill-tuned like a grubby peasant would.
• Instrument has not yet been tuned up to snuff.