I am a harbinger, basically just starting out though I started a while back now, its just that I went dormant soon after.

I am trans shadowbeat, with highjump in acrobatics and herb bane in Ecology (60% fabled)
For those unsure, yes - that also means I have bat bane, my charm is as good as it will get and while I don't have familiar armour - it is the next ability fo me and only 20% away.
I have a smattering of general skills, but not much, really.

I am wondering how important the rest of ecology is. Most bards I've spoken to don't seem to know much about ecology at all, and while I did ask a similar question on the forum ages ago, I looked over that thread and it seems like almost no one that answered knew much about ecology either - lots of "I think" and "but I'm a glamour bard so I'm probably wrong" heh.

Questions:

1. Familiar berserk (6p, familiar afflicts with 5 venom quickly)
2. Berserk fetish (1p, dual afflict with fetish)
3. Forestsmudge (this is the fire one)

Are any of those three "must haves" for an ecology harbinger? I am fae so I have a slight balance advantage with the fetish. In my original thread, a few people said not to bother with venom as a harbinger, but one person did say that with the right songs/banes going, the berserk moves can do a useful burst of afflictions.

At this point, I'm just looking for advice on where to spend the remainder of my lessons.

I've been an ecologist for a while now, but I'm a druid. It's sad, be we ecologists are a rare breed. I'll help where I can.

I've never used familiarsting. The power costs is too steep for passive venoms. Just use your fetish if venoms is your thing. It's fast and you'll get 2 venoms for one power...and i'll say it one more time, it's fast.

Bards aren't really all that reliant on their tertiary for offense, so berserkfetish isn't really a requirement. I'm not sure you'll actually ever use it, but it wouldn't hurt. I use it as a druid for sap locks, but you have better things to use.

Forestsmudge is nice. Blackout+stun+damage to 3 enemies. It's not universally great as it takes time to prepare and use, but it has it's place.


Venoms are just something you'll have to play with. Ecologists lost ibululu so you can't use deathsong/familiarsting (that's right. Druids got nerfed because of bards. It's pretty stupid.) I'd say that you generally won't use venoms, but the speed of berserkfetish gives it some flexibility. Play around and see.

The person to talk to is Viynain/Xiel. He was ecology for a long time, and he did pretty decently with it.

Thanks.

One more question. I was pretty much writing transmigration off as a gimmick I could do without, but I have reconsidered, because being faeling I lack a bit of health. This is why I spend more on food than I ought to at this point, and of course I invoke yellow. Another +1 con from transmigration would definitely be welcome.

Question: since my guild is empty right now and I can't ask there, do the effects from transmigrate persist until my next death, or do they fade when I log out?

Deepbond lasts for as long as your familiar is alive.

Also, unlike many other MUDs, food does absolutely nothing for health or health regeneration. Use a mercy enchantment or health potion.

Thanks, good to know about deepbond.

For food, I was referring to the +1 con platters.