Practitioner abilities | Character classes in The Bard's Tale 4 The Bard's Tale 4 Guide and Walkthrough
Last update: 08 October 2018
In this chapter you will find a comprehensive description of all Practitioner skills in Bard's Tale IV. They have been sorted into different categories with various functions and their abilities. Each ability is additionally described in detail with its properties and practical use.
Spells
In this category you will find abilities related to spells. All abilities presented here use spell points or somehow influence their amount.
Name | Type of skill | Level | Function | Usage |
Conjuror: Novice | Active | 1 | Unlocks Mastery In: Dragon Breath (Deals 1 physical damage to the enemies caught in the blaze and turns them on fire, enemies directly ahead of the caster are hit 3 times. Cost: 2 spell points). | This ability is great for attacking a group of units in the first row. |
Soul Leech | Passive | 1 | Passive: Attacks with spells have a 20% critical chance to restore 1 spell point to the caster. | This is an ability that is always useful. You can use the retrieved spell point to make an additional attack during the turn. |
Conjuror: Journeyman | Passive | 1 | +2 strength points. | Useful when practitioner leads out attacks with a non-magical weapon. |
Magician: Novice | Active | 1 | Unlocks the ability: Feathered Charm, which allows you to transfer any team member to any free field. | It is perfect for life threatening situations. It allows you to transfer your character using spell points, not action points. |
Grand Conjuror | Passive | 2 | Each used spell "marks" the enemy on which it was cast. This will increase the damage dealt on the next attack. This only works through a turn. | Applied at the beginning of the turn, it will increase the damage inflicted by other team members. |
Sorcerer: Novice | Active | 2 | Unlocks the ability: Mangar's Mind Jab, which deals mental damage to the target. | Useful in disrupting hostile capabilities that operate with turn-based delay. |
Psychic Backlash | Passive | 2 | Reflects a portion of opponent's psychological damage. | It is perfect for fighting enemy practitioners. |
Sorcerer: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | +2 to Intelligence. | Useful only to unlock Sorcerer: Master |
Wizard: Novice | Active | 2 | Unlocks ability: Gate, which creates a shadowy wraith that will fight at your side. | When the fight is balanced, this ability can turn the scales of victory on your side. |
Magician: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | +1 to Spell points. | This way you will be able to accumulate more spell points, which will increase your ability to attack. |
Wizard: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | Constitution +3. | Increases the number of health points owned by the character. |
Magician: Master | Active | 2 | Unlocks ability: Dancing Lights, which creates a random light point that overlays the status of "stunning" on enemies within range. | Ideal for the beginning of a battle in which an enemy unit has more than three people |
Conjuror: Master | Active | 2 | Unlocks ability: Warstrike, deals physical damage to the closest enemy, and strikes an enemy next to the attacked one with a current. | This ability is suitable for almost every fight. However, due to the amount of spell points required to cast this spell, it's impossible to use it frequently. |
Sorcerer: Master | Active | 3 | Unlocks Oscon's Halt Foe, which frightens all enemies for the duration of a turn. | Extremely useful in the case of a large group of enemies. Imposing this status on them will prevent them from attacking during their turn. |
Archmage | Passive/Active | 3 | Passive: Strength +4 and bonus physical damage point for an enemy attacked with a spell Active: Unlocks the ability: Spectre Touch, which deals 12 true damage to a single target. | Extremely useful ability, increasing the amount of damage inflicted to enemies. |
Wizard: Master | Active | 3 | Unlocks the ability: Prime Summoning, which summons two skeletons to fight for you | It's great for fighting where the opponent has a numerical advantage. |
Grand Sorcerer | Passive | 3 | +3 to intelligence and adds a spell point each time an opponent is awarded a spell point. | When fighting mages, this is an extremely effective way to earn extra spell points, which you can use to cast more powerful spells. |
Grand Summoner | Passive | 3 | Constitution +6 and all summoned beings will receive +4 points to armor class. | This ability is only useful when you are using summoning abilities. |
Grand Magician | Passive/Active | 3 | Passive: +2 to max spell points Active: Unlocks the ability: Vorpal Plating - enchant an ally's weapons to deal additional damage and have additional effects this turn. | This attack is great for enemies who deal a lot of damage. |
Defense
In this category we've described only locked passive abilities. Most of them unlock access to new types of armor that your character will be able to use.
Name | Type of skills | Level | Function | Usage |
Light Armor: Novice | Passive | 1 | Allows you to wear: Leather Armor | |
Mana Robes: Journeyman | Passive | 1 | Allows you to wear: Priestly Vestments | |
Constitution 1 | Passive | 1 | Constitution +2 | Increases the number of life points of the character |
Power Robes: Novice | Passive | 2 | It increases the strength of a form having this ability. | Increased strength translates into increased physical damage inflicted by the character |
Light Armor: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | Allows you to wear: Reinforced Leather Armor | |
Mana Robes: Master | Passive | 2 | Allows you to wear: Sorcerer's Robes | |
Light Armor: Master | Passive | 2 | Allows you to wear: Elven Armor | |
Power Robes: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | Allows you to wear: Cultist Robes | |
Constitution 2 | Passive | 2 | Constitution +3 | Increases the number of life points of the character |
Constitution 3 | Passive | 2 | Constitution +4 | Increases the number of life points of the character |
Power Robes: Master | Passive | 3 | Allows you to wear: Archmage Robes | |
Constitution 4 | Passive | 3 | Constitution +5 | Increases the number of life points of the character |
Meditation
This category contains all the abilities that affect the amount of spell points accumulated.
Name | Type of skills | Level | Function | Usage |
Battle Mage | Passive | 1 | You get an extra spell point at the beginning of the fight | This ability will allow you to gain your first spell point already in the first round. |
Spell Points 1 | Passive | 1 | +1 to spell points | This way you will be able to accumulate more spell points, which will increase your ability to attack. |
Meditate | Passive/Active | 1 | Passive: +1 to spell points Active: Unlocks the ability: Meditation, which allows you to get an extra spell point in the turn. | In the case of more difficult battles, this ability allows you to obtain a large amount of spell points faster, required to use the appropriate spells. |
Harmonic Shielding | Passive | 1 | Launching the meditation ability automatically adds armor points | Allows you to increase your character's resistance to physical damage during meditation. |
Intelligence 1 | Passive | 1 | +1 to intelligence | Intelligence increases the amount of psychological damage you can take before the spell is interrupted, so it is useful when you base the adept's fight on these abilities. |
Spell Points 2 | Passive | 2 | +1 to spell points | Increases the number of spell points that your character can have. |
Mindful | Passive | 2 | Increases the amount of spell points awarded during meditation | Allows you to accumulate spell points faster. |
Quick Thinking | Passive | 2 | Reduces cooldown time by 1 turn while reducing capability uptime | Makes you more likely to use the ability to meditate, but shortens the time it takes to act. |
Readied Mind | Passive | 2 | You get an extra spell point at the beginning of the fight. | This allows you to use more complex spells in the first round. |
Intelligence 2 | Passive | 2 | +2 to intelligence | Intelligence increases the amount of psychological damage you can take before the spell is interrupted, so it is useful when you base the practitioner's fight on these abilities. |
Intelligence 3 | Passive | 2 | +3 to intelligence | Intelligence increases the amount of psychological damage you can take before the spell is interrupted, so it is useful when you base the practitioner's fight on these abilities. |
Spell Points 3 | Passive | 3 | +1 to spell points | Increases the number of spell points that your character can have. |
Power Overflowing | Passive | 3 | You get an extra spell point at the end of the turn | Increases the amount of spell points received at the end of the turn. |
Inner Peace | Passive | 3 | Meditation gives you double the amount of spell points that the character has at the time of use. | It makes the amount of spell points awarded through the use of meditation ability dependent on the number of life points owned by the practitioner. |
Intelligence 4 | Passive | 3 | +3 to intelligence | Intelligence increases the amount of psychological damage you can take before the spell is interrupted, so it is useful when you base the practitioner's fight on these abilities. |
Bladecasting
In this category you will find all abilities related to non-magic attack abilities.
Name | Type of skills | Level | Function | Usage |
Strength 1 | Passive | 1 | +1 strength point | It increases the attack power of a conventional weapon. |
Dagger: Novice | Active | 1 | Unlocks ability: Slinking Assault, which allows you to attack from the first line and go backwards. | Basic non-magic attack. Allows you to lead the attack using a dagger and escape to the second line at the same time. |
Blood Pact | Passive | 2 | An opponent gains bonus damage points for each spell point the attacker has. | Works only when an attack is launched with conventional weapons. Increases the amount of physical damage dealt |
Strength 2 | Passive | 2 | +1 strength point | It increases the amount of damage dealt with conventional weapons. |
Strength 3 | Passive | 2 | +2 strength points | It increases the attack power of a conventional weapon. |
Blade Caster | Passive | 2 | You can equip your character with a one-handed weapon, held in the other hand. | This allows you to hold two daggers at the same time. |
Dagger: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | +1 strength point | It increases the amount of damage dealt with conventional weapons. |
Strength 4 | Passive | 3 | +2 strength points | It increases the attack power of a conventional weapon. |
Strength 5 | Passive | 3 | +3 strength points | It increases the attack power of a conventional weapon. |
Dagger: Master | Active | 3 | Unlocks ability: Blood for Blood, which deals physical damage to the nearest enemy and moves the attacker to the nearest free field. | Useful ability, mainly due to the fact that it allows you to move your character while attacking an opponent at the same time. |
Crafting
Name | Type of skills | Level | Function | Usage |
Science | Active | 1 | Allows you to brew potions such as: Draught of Power, Elixir of Focus, and Tonic of Armor. | These potions will help your team temporarily improve their basic parameters. |
Alchemic Enthusiast | Passive | 2 | Used potions have double power. | This ability is useful only if you are using potions. |
Master Pyrosmith | Active | 2 | Unlocks recipes: Dragon's Bile Bomb, which creates areas that impose a status "on fire" on an opponent who will enter them. | Capability useful not only in terms of combat capabilities, but also in terms of their ability to remove environmental obstacles. |
Master Craftsman | Active | 2 | Unlocks recipes: Caltrops that thrown at an enemy deal physical damage to them. They also stay as a trap in empty fields to deal bonus physical damage to an enemy that they will not enter. Deployable Barricade, which forms a barricade with a certain number of strength points. | Ability extremely useful in combat. Caltrops are a great source of bonus damage for enemies moving on the first line. The barricade, on the other hand, will alleviate the attack strength of the opponent. |
Master Chemist | Active | 2 | Allows you to brew mixtures such as: Greater Healing Potion, Greater Draught of Power , Greater Elixir of Focus, Greater Tonic of Armor. | These mixtures are improved versions of their previous versions, which increases the basic character parameters to a greater extent. |