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Topic: Bard Spell list, beginning Beta p. 170
Considering the Bard is supposed to be an 'enabler' so to speak, and has many spells that let other PCs be heroes, I suggest some of the gaps in the Bard spell list be closed. The Bard should be able to cast all the enabler spells, especially on the party's meleers when the Wiz and Cleric are focusing on their own damage output.
Movement:
Bards have: Blink, Dimension Door, Feather Fall, Freedom of Movement, Gaseous Form, Haste, Phantom Steed, Shadow Walk, Slow
Bards need: Fly, Jump, Overland Flight, Spider Climb, Water Breathing, Water Walk, Wind Walk
Buffs:
Bards have: Cat's Grace, Eagle's Splendor, Fox's Cunning (Mass versions of same)
Bards need: Bear's Endurance, Bull's Strength, Enlarge Person, Owl's Wisdom (Mass versions of same); Keen Edge, Magic Weapon (& Greater)
Other:
Bards need: Remove Blindness/Deafness, Stabilize
(Bards can cure, can blind/deafen, but can't 'cure' victims of Blindness/Deafness)
Yes, granted, the Bard can access all of these via UMD. I argue that the Bard's base role is enabler, and a Bard should only need UMD when he tries to stretch beyond that role.
Bards are, to quote a Birthright term, "lesser mages". They use enchantment and illusion magic, have some sonic spells and, in 3.X, they also picked up healing magic. Why do they need anything else?
Wizards (and to a lesser extent divine casters) are the reality-changers, the blatant defiers of physics and so forth. Why do bards need to blur the line any further?
I think that buffs and cures (though not necessarily the big ones) would indeed fit the theme.
So, we're throwing out theme in the name of balance? The bard is a secondary caster - his spells don't need to be as versatile as those of the Big Four.
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So, we're throwing out theme in the name of balance? The bard is a secondary caster - his spells don't need to be as versatile as those of the Big Four.
Actually, I just want all sonic spells, since that does fit the theme. I'd much rather theme than 'balance'. Anymore, when I see the word 'balance' I turn away to avoid the ensuing argument. I MUCH prefer ROLEplaying, over playing a group of stats.
Actually even from advanced D7D the bard has not been a "secondary" he has been a primary caster. If you remember originally the cleric only had seven levels worth of spells, making them "secondary" casters too. Bards have also always had access to the weaker healing spells and generally have been decent buffers and inhibiters (de-buffing).
Votes to up the bards spell list some. Lets get them back to where they were.
So, we're throwing out theme in the name of balance? The bard is a secondary caster - his spells don't need to be as versatile as those of the Big Four.
Actually, both theme and balance call for this: Balance says that the bard can use a bit more power and that this wouldn't be too much, and theme says that those kinds of spells are right up the bard's alley! Match made in Heaven.
By the same coin, there are spells that other classes have that infringe on the Bard's role, making the Bard less important. Removing these spells from non-Bard spell lists would strengthen the Bard's role.
I'm looking at YOU, Heroism!
-Matt