Shattered Kingdoms

Don't need STR as a bard. Art is optional, and if you're the sort to train mana for the regen, you're probably not the sort that's going to be affected much in PvP by not having 6 art for scrolls. (or the supposed added factor in bard songs)

Mana for PvP Isnt usually the concern, its for when practicing songs or training thats such a pain.

yeah that third attack/ed is just so they can look pretty

QFT.

They do need strength, proof is above.

What's Edoras mean "supposed"? Art helps with songs of dancing, sleep, and silence, right? Or have I basically wasted my art trains?

fairly certain that it helps

(i wouldn't ever play a bard without maxed art, in any case)

I say "supposed" because every thread I've seen (or created) asking about whether bard songs are affected by art, it always seems that the answer is "certain parts of certain songs are affected by art."

Although, I would never train art if I could train HP instead, and I'd leave my strength as close to the bottom of the barrel as possible (and put my WIS a good 4-5 points off as well) and just level up through STR mods: In a group, be it PvP or PvE, your added damage is much less useful than your songs (and there's always strength mods even then), and dead bards aren't of much use at all.

If disarm wasn't useless from second row, bards would be a lot better as second-rank meleers. Of course, third attack plus ED, with a good STR, is nice added damage in a group. And singing doesn't prevent attacking, or even hinder it at all.

EDIT: Bard stat points are far better spent on art than HP, especially considering how few HP trains a bard gets. A bard in front row is a dead bard; dancing doesn't provide enough defensive bonus to deflect bashes/trips, and once that happens, you're screwed, since you lose dancing and a good chunk of any song's effectiveness with it. Without shield block or E-parry, they don't have enough defensive skills to have any significant survivability in front row. Chords are too easy to save against even with max art to be consistently reliable, and the lag is a serious danger, and that too cuts down on survivability. A half-way competent bard should be able to get enough buffs and enchants to minimize spell damage, so HP trains are mostly wasted on a bard.

That's actually untrue, given that meditation fires even when not resting. The skill that wouldn't give them a tactical advantage is trance, since it only works when resting, and also fits the "calming before a performance" rationale much more closely.

Whatever you say, OA, but I'd still train HP on a bard: Just because they get few HP trains doesn't make the ones they get any less powerful. The fact is that in group PvP, a skilled leader will put all of his resources towards neutralizing a bard (or deafening his entire group) which means spell damage, ranged combat, reach weapons, circle stabs, etc. Those HP trains might let you survive one or two more rounds in group PvP or one more gas blast from an inner guardian, which can make a world of difference.