Where and How to Use a Provo Mage

Well, I will be the first to admit I have much less experience than you three so if you all say hiding is not the most useful skill for a bard, or mage, then I believe you.

That said, I do think RIN hit on something here as I do like that skill. Even in the OSI days, I used it a lot. However, I view the skillset of a character as dynamic and fluid and subject to change as a player grows, and I can see where I might decide yeah I would much rather be able to Disco or Peace than hide and may change down the line.

I have read a lot of template threads on here to get ideas and have tons of combinations I want to build and try, and there are definitely threads with folks recommending hiding for a Provo Mage, but that is not for a Bard. I think @Everlast was kinda pointing at that with his last post. A true bard would have all of the barding skills, but I don't really have a Bard, I have a Mage that has the provoke skill. If one mob is winning, I just nuke the other, then rehide and wait, heh. Perhaps not the most efficient template, but it is working for me as I learn more about how to use it. It may be that when I get to bigger game, that 5% bonus will mean much more to me than hiding and so bye bye it will go.

I really appreciate all of the feedback and discussion! And I have a big list of places to try with my provo mage for hunting.

BTW @RIN, do you mind sharing what skills your three bards have? I am working on a couple of Warrior/Dexer bard builds, too.

So I have 3 bards. Some have skills that aren't what I'm about to type as I've yet to finish them:

Paul - Mage Bard: GM Music/Provo/Peace/Mage/Med/Eval/Resist
Pavel - Warrior Bard: GM Music/Provo/LJ/Swords/Heal 90Anat 85Tac 25Mage
Van Clyde - Tamer Bard: GM Music/Provo/Tame/Lore/Mage/Med/ Eval or Resist

Some things to note:
On Paul, I'm actually a Macer Bard atm, but am going to switch.
On Pavel, I went with 25 Magery so I can recall using scrolls. Still not sure which skills will lose the 25 points for it. Right now I think it will be what I posted.
On Van Clyde, my goal is to be a single Mare rider using provoke to control spawn, so damage on my pet should be little to nothing. I'm doing this so that I can easily hop on the mare for mobility and not having to deal with slow pets following me. I should add that I got some flak for this build on IRC the other day as I was told I was "handicapping myself". But my goal isn't high end monsters, so I dunno.

Those are very similar to my builds in progress.

Paul is identical to my Provo mage but swapping Peace for Hiding. Do you find Peace very helpful?

I am building an almost identical Warrior Bard, but was doing GM Healing and 75 Tactics. Same thoughts on magery.

I am doing a tamer build that is probably also not the most ideal, but should be fun. I am doing a melee tamer and planning to do the same, ride a solo mare. GM Vet, Lore, Taming, Anatomy, Mace withe some combo of Tactics/Magery and maybe Med.

So many options. Are you hunting with all of them now or just mainly Paul?

I am hunting right now exclusively on Paul, in the Macer Bard format as I am macroing the others.

And I love Peace. So this is how I hunt: I find two targets, usually the same monster and provoke them. Once one dies I peace the survivor, loot the fallen, and then re-provoke onto a fresh spawn.

Keep in mind GM hiding does not defeat tracking, which most PK's have. Now I saw Chris / Telamon posted in IRC not too long ago that tracking is getting nerfed in the next patch such that it won't work across multiple dungeons, but still. PK's will still be able to find you even if your hidden. That drastically reduces its usefulness in my opinion.

I basically hunt like you j just hide and provoke when the next pops or nuke the survivor.

And yes I know the PKs can find me but twice they have run past before the realize I am there and I recall out when they figure it out heh.

can you let me know which stats do you have with your Provo/Mage?

Since I last posted here, I have transformed by Macer Bard into a Stealthing Mage Bard because of the HUGE tracking nerf. Basically Hiding and Stealth render tracking useless.

Mage/Med/Music/Provo/Peace/Hiding/Stealth
100 STR / 100INT / 25DEX

I might drop Peace for either Eval or Disco. Not sure yet.

I have three provokers myself, none of which have hiding, but Im seriously considering dropping lockpicking on my magebard for hiding.
Its just such an awesome skill.

My bards are like this:
Magebard: Magery / Eval / Med / Resist / Music / Provo / Lockpicking (might be hiding later but its nice to provo/pick)
90s / 35d / 100i
This is my GO-TO bard. It can do anything and having resist and being a mage makes it plenty durable and mobile.
He is a Lord, and has been for a VERY long time

WarriorBard: Macing / Tactics / Anatomy / Healing / Magery / Music / Provoke
80s / 80d / 65i
This one is much more of a glass cannon. It kills mobs MUCH faster and cheaper and in instances where Ive got one big mob and a little one
(ie Drake/Dragon or Titan/Cyclops) its fine as kind. I just whollop on the big monster and it dies just as fast as the little one.

TamerBard: 90Magery / 80Med / Resist / 60Taming / 80Lore / 90Vet / Music / Provo
90s / 35d / 100i
This one is funky but fun. I play it much like my warrior bard only instead of a warhammer I use a fully trained Scorpion with its DP.
Its actually a fun combination of the magebards mobility and durability with the warriorbards superior ability to kill stuff.

**EDIT** That stealth bard isnt anything to shake a stick at either.

OMG... A scorpion??? That sounds awesome. I might have to try that as I've seen their DP wreck other stronger monsters.

I guess I should've glad I kept my hiding skill now.

True Edward. Maybe you should try and put stealth in as well. Just go read the posts filled with PK tears Hiding + Stealth almost guarantees a tracking fail.

But in all seriousness, it was too much. Hopefully they tweak things and make it more balanced.