Bardic Colleges

Zone Writer:

Master's Level - Tam , 2010

Reset Time:

45 minutes (empty)

Description:

A bard-only zone that has remained one of Jedi's most challenging, the colleges were written specifically to train bards in the use of their skills. Bards seeking information about the zone would be advised to read the room description of their guild.

Poster in the transport foyer:

------------------------------------
Folchlucan.- Kazoo....- Levels 1-4
Doss.......- Recorder.- Levels 5-10
Canaith....- Flute....- Levels 11-14
Cli........- Lyre.....- Levels 15-19
Anstruth...- Harp.....- Levels 20-24
Ollamh.....- Guitar...- Levels 25-30
------------------------------------

To get to each of the levels type 'transport <college>' for example to
get to Doss, you would type: 'transport doss'. If someone is
already in the area, you will not be able to get in until they are
done. To return to your hometown, go down.

Mobs of Note:

Any teacher (bardic ring), Big Daddy Will 'O the Wisp (portable hole), Master of the Martial Arts (adamantite gauntlets), Dean of Anstruth (essence, musical force field), Master of Brass (armlets, greaves ), Master of Strings (Bardic Signets, mithril pendants), Master of Percussion (nike aris, puff-hide girth), Master of Woodwinds (glowing opal holdable, glowing opal light), Marco del Vespucci (guitar), Sunniva (Crown of Stars), Zephyr (Master's Cloak), Vendethiel (midnight blue leggings, torn journal pages), Terrell (intricate silver bracers, battered book), Energizer Bunny (battery), New Energizer Bunny (new battery)

A note on the bunnies:

The Energizer Bunny has a 30% chance of loading every zone reset and the New Energizer Bunny a 20% load chance. They load in a special room not-accessible to players, with exits to each of the colleges. Since the bunnies move around randomly, they will end up in random colleges per reset, sometimes in the same college.

General Zone Strategy:

Depending upon his or her level, a Bard is expected to enter the proper college for training until achieving the next 5-level tier set. The foyer, or atrium, to the college features directions for using the colleges.

Entrance to the Bardic Colleges
   As the shimmering light recedes from your vision, you find
yourself in a circular room with a transporter in the northern portion of
the room.  A faint odor of rot and decay wafts in from the north-east.
To the south-west you see a sign over the door, 'Bardic College Supply
Shop'.  Over the door to the north-west you see, 'Prep Room'. 
There is an informative poster here on one wall, you may wish to read it.
On another wall here is a memorial plaque.  May you enjoy your
visit here to the Bardic Colleges and may you be up to the challenges
ahead of you.  There are also a pair of stairs leading down to your hometown.
Obvious exits: D, NE, SW, NW

The Vending Machine

There is a handy vending machine that delivers a cleric-only Bardic Tee-Shirt designed to help B/C duos in the Colleges. Because each College can be entered and exited via the foyer, the assisting cleric camps in the foyer to provide restores, heals and buffs for the bardic applicant as he or she runs the various gauntlets. The Tee-Shirt provides a hefty mana regen boost, but debilitating movement penalties.

The Colleges:

To gain access to each College, stand in the foyer, and type:

> transport [college name]

Folchlucan (1-4):

The first college will train your newly remorted bard through level 5. The college is laid out in a simple series of looping hallways, with library, cafeteria and locker area subzones. Bardic Rings (+1 dam) load on the teachers scattered around this level in classrooms. Try to load them before you level out of this college.

The first floor offers four classrooms, a DT in the Bathroom (avoid that), and the Library Maze. Ply the teachers for your instrument and +1 Bardic Rings. When satisfied, pass the Gateway to the Pits of Hell (no, it's not a DT) and ascend to the second floor.

The second floor is a simple rectangle, offering access to the Principal's Office, and a series of keys (globe key, locker key and cafeteria key) stored within the globe, a filing cabinet, and the Principal's desk, respectively. You'll need these keys to continue your early college progress. To insure that the keys respawn on zone reset, junk the globe, filing cabinet, and desk before you leave.

Just to the right, after leaving the Office, is a locked door (cafeteria key) that leads east to the rest of the zone. Navigate the cafeteria maze (directions below), and emerge south into the hallway leading to the Locker Maze. Continue south, then north to avoid the Hall Monitors and enter the locker area. Ignore the paths to the Hall of Failure (where your corpse is transported should you be defeated while inside the Bardic Colleges) and back into the Locker Maze.

Navigate the locker maze (directions below), and emerge through the south door into the college hallways. Continue south and then west to the Track Maze.

Solve the Track Maze by crossing the finish line, (directions below), the figurative end of your first college journey. Use exits to assist you in choosing the right path.

Emerge into a final looping hallway (n;n;n;w) leading to Your Class!. Your initial instrument, the Bardic Kazoo (mL 0), is on the ground in the room entitled, Your Class! It appears like a mob, "Your instructor stands here, looking awfully mad!" but it is your Bardic Kazoo! Get kazoo and done. Congratulations.

Library (College Ent): 2wnw <w;w;n;w>
Library Exit (Library Ent): 3ne <n;n;n;e>
Cafeteria Exit (Ent): <s;e;n;e;s;e;n;e>
Lockers Exit (Ent): <e;e;e;n;e;e;s>
Track Exit (Ent): <w;w;n;n>

Folchlucan Runner Gear

If you're running batteries, make sure you have a molle strap bracelet or some other -100xp item to offset your xp gains or you'll level out of your college. Here's a quick equipment kit for your Folchlucan runner:

Folchlucan Runner Equipment Kit

Doss (5-10):

Pick up the glittering circlet and your next instrument, the Bardic Recorder (mL 5) on one of your many trips through Doss by defeating the animated recorder. Great +str headwear and part of the Singing Sword. Check the sixth bad note for an ice cream treat containing the mystical black diamond ring. Make sure you junk the Blizzard container for another chance at a ring load

Doss is a simple series of hallways with doors to rooms featuring a set of identical keys. Pick up a pair of any of the keys along the way () to unlock one of the doors in the Doors! Doors! Doors! room (as indicated in the table below. All doors lead to the same room in the Upper Hallway, the final corridor before you access the Sheet of Music.)

Door Direction	Key	Key Location
SE	guitar pick	Practice Room
E	tuning fork	Kitchen
W	metronome	Office
S	coiled cello string	Supply Closet
U	reed	Woods Room
D	bow resin	Strings Room
NW	musical note	Decorated Hallway
SW	pitch pipe	Choir Room
NE	sheet music	Janitor's Closet
N	pewter mug	Dining Room

This hallway leads to the Hover Board (on ground, ne corner), and eventually, as you move clockwise around the hallway maze, to a trapdoor in the ceiling at the end of the corridor. (The other doors along the hallway lead to the same room which is occupied by a random amount of aggressive vampire bats.)

Once you arrive at Sheet of Music Maze Level, navigate the path below to the Animated Recorder, (circlet +str) and your new instrument, the Bardic Recorder.

Music Sheet: Animated Recorder (Ent): e;e;e;s;u

A Hover Board (airship) loads on the ground on the <Doors Doors Doors> level once per each zone reset. To collect them, use this path (I use the metronome as an example):

Hallway (Doss Ent): <s;e;e;e;get metronome;w;s;w;u;unlock w; open door w; w;w;e;s;w;w;n;n;e;e;e>

Doss Runner Gear

If you're running batteries, make sure you have a molle strap bracelet or some other -100xp item to offset your xp gains or you'll level out of your college. Here's a quick equipment kit for your Doss runner:

Doss Runner Equipment Kit

Canaith (11-14):

Collect your new musical instrument, the Bardic Flute (mL 10) from Ilwar. The Bard's (better) variant of the cracked black urn, the portable hole, loads on Big Daddy. Ilwar's guard loads the crimson cloak. The wisp crystal, another part of the Singing Sword loads on Will O' the Wisp. If you'd like to map your own path in Canaith, use the > exits command to stay on the Forest Path and avoid the Wisp Maze. You'll notice that the path is uni-directional, leading you ever closer to the Big Daddy and the Well Maze. The Wisps glow, so use your newly-practiced illusion song to help you along.

You'll find all of these items along the path below:      w;n;e;n;w;w;s;s;w;n;w;w

Once you defeat Big Daddy, get his well token and enter the Well Maze (east).

Proceed along this path from the well entrance:      d;w;u;n;d;n;e;e;s;w;n;n;u;w;d;s;e

The harpies are not aggressive. Do not deviate from the path or you'll end up in an !exit trap room. If you proceed carefully, you'll reach the Edge of the Well, where you'll find some loose stones:

> open stone;e;e;n;e

Continue along the underground tunnel to Ilwar's Bodyguard (Crimson Cloak, disk key). Defeat the bodyguard and purchase your next instrument, the Bardic Flute, from Ilwar's Shop. Unfortunately your new song, INFLUENCE, won't help you reduce the cost since Ilwar stands in an !magic room.

Canaith Runner Gear

If you're running batteries, make sure you have a molle strap bracelet or some other -100xp item to offset your xp gains or you'll level out of your college. Here's a quick equipment kit for your Canaith runner:

Canaith Runner Equipment Kit

Cli (15-19):

Cli is a gauntlet challenge pitting the bard against several aggro! glowing opponents. Make good use of your Cleric partner and be glowing and buffed with aid, bless, stone and armor. Have your partner hold the zone from reset by sitting in the College Transport Lobby to perform summons/ heals while you work your way through the gauntlet.

Use mirrors and illusion to fight your way to the final Trophy Room. Each Weapon Master holds a key to the next Weapon Master.

After you defeat the series of Weapon Masters, collect your new musical instrument, the Bardic Lyre (mL 15), from INSIDE the trophy on the ground in the Trophy Room. The Trophy Key opens the Trophy. Find the Lyre inside.

The weapons are arranged in this order (all north from entrance):

Schmuck (pocket protector)
Master of the dagger (worn dagger)
Master of the staff (worn staff)
Master of the short sword (worn short sword)
Master of the long sword (lworn long sword)
Master of the mace (worn mace)
Master of the bastard sword (worn bastard sword)
Master of the two-handed sword (worn two-handed sword)
Master of martial arts (adamantite gauntlets, essence of music)
Trophy room - trophy (inside trophy: Bardic Lyre)

Cli Runner Gear

If you're running batteries, make sure you have a molle strap bracelet or some other -100xp item to offset your xp gains or you'll level out of your college. Here's a quick equipment kit for your Cli runner:

Cli Runner Equipment Kit

Anstruth (20-24):

Beware! There is a DT down from the entrance of this level. You'll have to work for it, however, (as I did), by opening the trap door down, and then proceeding through.

Have your Cleric partner sit in the transport lobby to hold the zone from reset and summon/ buff you (armor, stone, aid, bless, glow) before you assail each of the Masters. Make sure you buff yourself with blur and inspire. Be mirrored in order to sing a slow debuff at the Master before melee begins.

Use your Illusion to gain maximum damage per round as you progress through the Masters. Collect the Master keys as you go to gain access to the Dean of Anstruth College.

Master of Woodwinds: n;n;n;e;u;s;s;w;n Glowing Opal (hold) / Glowing Opal (light)
Master of Brass: e;e;e;u;s;w;w;n;e (Bardic Armlets, Bardic Greaves)
Master of Strings: w;w;w;n;n;e;e;u;w (Bardic Signet Rings, Mithril Pendant)
Master of Percussion: s;s;s;w;w;u;n;e;s (Nike Airs, Puff-hide Girth)
Dean of Anstruth: u (Musical Force-Field, Essence of Music, Bardic Harp)

Collect your next instrument, the Bardic Harp (mL 20) from the Dean.

Anstruth Runner Gear

If you're running batteries, make sure you have a molle strap bracelet or some other -100xp item to offset your xp gains or you'll level out of your college. Here's a quick equipment kit for your Anstruth runner:

Anstruth Runner Equipment Kit

Ollamh (25-30):

This is the final college, presided over by Marco del Vespucci, the President of the Bardic Colleges. It consists of a single office. Marco will give you your final instrument, the Bardic Guitar (mL 25).

Dean: (Bardic Guitar, Harper's Pin, Bardic Bracers, Diploma)

n (exit)

e (Masters level) Ollamh Runner Gear

Here's are two equipment kit choices for your Ollamh runner. One is identical to an Anstruth (damage) runner, the other, a petrify mana configured runner :

Anstruth Damage Runner Equipment Kit

Ollamh Petrify Runner Equipment Kit

Masters (30):

This is a new level (added in 2011) that provides a few new bardic items to the game. You're advised to enter this level with a bardic group. You can solo the Masters with a relatively powerful damage Bard, bardic debuffs, a pre-melee resonate, and an illusion to start.

You'll need to defeat Marco for the key to the door east, then enter the shimmering pillar of light:

> enter pillar

The level is laid out in a cross, with the following bardic masters occupying their respective rooms:

N - Zephyr, Glacier (Master's Cloak)

E - Vendethiel, Clearing (Midnight Blue Leggings, Torn Page)

W - Terrell, Edge of Eternity (Intricate Silver Bracer, Battered Book)

S - Sunniva, Crystal Sanctuary (Crown of Stars)

U - Shrine of the Unworthy (where your corpse should end up if you are defeated on this level -- but it doesn't end up here. Instead, find your corpse in the usual Bardic College morgue: on the first floor, NE off the lobby.)

All the Masters have memory, but are not aggro!. Terrell is a straigtht-forward boss and will require several summons/heals from your attendant cleric. Vendetheil will quick heal but can be dropped with high CHA petrifies.

The masters parts of the Bardic assembly instrument, Forgotten Glories of Ages Past. You can find clues to the assembly item either on the torn journal page (Vendethiel) or a battered book (Terrell).

Once in the ancient past, the greatest of bards had the amazing gift of 
being able to create any form of music they wished without the need for 
instruments. Over time the art was forgotten and their power dwindled, 
but now it has once more come forth from distant lands. 

An aura of shifting light encompasses your hands and flows across your 
entire body, filling you with a flood of memories and songs from bards 
across time. Your voice subtly shifts, becoming more melodious and 
fluid, until even nature itself is held spellbound by your every gesture.

The assembly instrument is comprised of the following items:

Battered Book (clue)
Torn Journal Page (clue)
Bardic Kazoo
Bardic Recorder
Bardic Flute
Bardic Lyre
Bardic Harp
Bardic Guitar

To make the Glory of Music Instrument, issue the following assembly command:

> make instrument

If you're building an alias to automate the transport/pillar entry through your client, make sure you insert a #WAIT 3000 (3 seconds), or a commensurate delay, between transport command and the east (into the pillar room) directional command.

Equipment:

ITEM	TYPE	SUB AREA	MOB	LOAD %	DISPLAY
card, library	hold	1 Folchlucan	librarian	90.0%	mL 0 !rests 2 wis
walkman, sony	hold	1 Folchlucan	runner	90.0%	mL 0 !rests 1 con
very obvious clue	other	1 Folchlucan	student	90.0%	mL 0 !rests 2 int
bardic kazoo	instrument	1 Folchlucan	on ground, final classroom		mL 0 b!
bardic ring	ring	1 Folchlucan	any teacher	10.0%	mL 0 b! 2 ac 1 hit 1 dam
Mark IV Phaser Rifle (plastic)	weapon	1 Folchlucan	vending machine		mL 0 !rests
bardic recorder	instrument	2 Doss	animated recorder		mL 5 b!
glittering circlet	head	2 Doss	animated recorder		mL 5 b! 10 ac 1 hit 1 str
ring, black diamond	ring	2 Doss	bad note	1.0%	mL 0 !rests
hover board	foot	2 Doss	on ground	35.0%	mL 0 !rests 2 con
mug, pewter	other	2 Doss	on ground		mL 0 !rests
pick, guitar	other	2 Doss	on ground		mL 0 !rests
pitch pipe	other	2 Doss	on ground		mL 0 !rests
resin, bow	other	2 Doss	on ground		mL 0 !rests
tuning fork	other	2 Doss	on ground		mL 0 !rests
hole, portable	container	3 Canaith	Big Daddy Will-o'-the-Wisp	35.0%	mL 0 !rests
wisp crystal	hold	3 Canaith	Big Daddy Will-o'-the-Wisp	85.0%	mL 0 !rests 1 wis 1 con
bardic flute	instrument	3 Canaith	Ilwar		mL 10 b!
crimson cloak	about	3 Canaith	Ilwar's bodyguard	60.0%	mL 11 b! 5 ac 1 dam 10 mana
protector, pocket	body	4 Cli	anal retentive office worker	50.0%	mL 0 !rests -3 int -3 wis
adamantite gauntlets	hand	4 Cli	Master of Martial Arts	50.0%	mL 15 b! 4 ac 2 dam
bastard sword, worn	weapon	4 Cli	Master of the Bastard Sword		mL 15 !mctn 2D5 6.0 avg 2 hit 1 dam
dagger, worn	weapon	4 Cli	Master of the Dagger		mL 15 !c 1D6 3.5 avg 2 hit 1 dam
worn long sword	weapon	4 Cli	Master of the Long Sword		mL 15 !mc 1D9 5.0 avg 2 hit 1 dam
mace, worn	weapon	4 Cli	Master of the Mace		mL 15 !rests 3D3 6.0 avg 2 hit 1 dam
short sword, worn	weapon	4 Cli	Master of the Short Sword		mL 15 !mc 2D4 5.0 avg 2 hit 1 dam
staff, worn	weapon	4 Cli	Master of the Staff		mL 15 !rests 1D10 5.5 avg 2 hit 1 dam
trophy	container	4 Cli	on ground		mL 0 !rests
bardic lyre	instrument	4 Cli	trophy		mL 15 b!
bardic harp	instrument	5 Anstruth	Dean of Anstruth		mL 20 b!
shield force-field, musical	shield	5 Anstruth	Dean of Anstruth	14.0%	mL 15 b! 8 ac 1 dam 15 hp
the essence of music	light	5 Anstruth	Dean of Anstruth	20.0%	mL 15 b! 10% hpR 10% mnR
bardic armlets	arm	5 Anstruth	Master of Brass	15.0%	mL 15 b! 7 ac 2 str 15 mana
bardic greaves	leg	5 Anstruth	Master of Brass	14.0%	mL 15 b! 14 ac 3 dex 15 hp
nike airs	foot	5 Anstruth	Master of Percussion	10.0%	mL 15 b! 6 ac 1 dam 25 mov
puff-hide girth	waist	5 Anstruth	Master of Percussion	25.0%	mL 15 b! 6 ac 2 dam -1 str
bardic signet ring	ring	5 Anstruth	Master of Strings	6.0%	mL 20 b! 2 dam 10 hp
pendant, mithril	neck	5 Anstruth	Master of Strings	6.0%	mL 15 b! !g 10 hp 10 mana
glowing opal	light	5 Anstruth	Rabies - Master of Woodwinds	4.0%	mL 20 b! 2 dam 1 str
glowing opal*	hold	5 Anstruth	Rabies - Master of Woodwinds	10.0%	mL 20 b! 2 dam 1 str
bardic bracer	wrist	6 Ollamh	Marco del Vespucci	10.0%	mL 25 b! 3 ac 2 hit 2 dam
bardic guitar	instrument	6 Ollamh	Marco del Vespucci		mL 25 b!
harper's pin	body	6 Ollamh	Marco del Vespucci	20.0%	mL 25 b! 30 ac 1 hit 1 dam
Crown of Stars	head	6 Ollamh	Sunniva (S)		mL 15 b! !e 6 ac 1 dam 15 hp
battered book	assembly	6 Ollamh	Terrell (W)		mL 0 !rests (Forgotten Glories of Ages Past)
silver bracers, intricate	wrist	6 Ollamh	Terrell (W)		mL 20 b! 2 ac 1 cha 10 mana
leggings, midnight blue	leg	6 Ollamh	Vendethiel (E)		mL 15 b! 16 ac 15 mana 8% mnR
torn journal pages	assembly	6 Ollamh	Vendethiel (E)		mL 0 !rests (Forgotten Glories of Ages Past)
Master's Cloak	about	6 Ollamh	Zephyr (N)		mL 20 b! 14 ac 1 dam 1 str
tee-shirt, bardic	body	Main	dispenser		mL 16 c! -99 mov 5% mnR
new battery	hold	Various	Energizer Bunny (20%)	2.0%	mL 10 !rests 15hp 10% hpR
battery	hold	Various	Energizer Bunny (30%)	6.0%	mL 10 !rests 15mov 10% mvR
Singing Sword	weapon		assembly		mL 20 b! 7D4 17.5 avg 3 hit 3 dam
Forgotten Glories of Ages Past	instrument		assembly		mL 25 b! +1 cha +1 cha

Maps:

Here are a couple of hand drawn maps with annotation provided by Dank. If you look closely, you can find zone and mob information, most of which has been transcribed above.

The Bardic Colleges - Cli. Map by Dank in Google Drawings, c. 2020
The Bardic Colleges - Anstruth. Map by Dank using Google Drawings, c. 2020