There seems to be an error concerning the armor proficiency of bards.
The class features on p. 14 states that bards is proficient with light armor and shields.
On p. 82 describing the Armor Proficiency Medium feat, it says that bard has this as a bonus feat.
Which of the imformation is correct?
A bard can cast bard spells while wearing light armor and using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a bard wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.
This information is contradictory. Since the normal rule is that only spells with somatic components cause arcane spell failure, it is unclear what the wording implies.
If the shield-wearing bard, does suffer arcane spell failure, then the first part of the text should be removed. If not, then the shield should not be included in the latter.Which is the right one?
Under "Arcane Spell Failure" (pg. 109) it only lists the bard's ability to wear light armor as the exception to spell failure. I would assume then that the odd one out (mention on shield in one passage as excluded from asf while two passages include it) means the first was a typo.
Is it possible to get an official clarification on these two questions?
The have also been posed in the errata-thread, but sadly remain unanswered...
Is it possible to get an official clarification on these two questions?
The have also been posed in the errata-thread, but sadly remain unanswered...
I'm just going with bard's get no penalty in light armor only, since 2 to 1 sentences rule out the shields. Medium armor does say it is a bard bonus feat, but it is only light armor that exclude arcane spell failure. So to me the bard can wear medium armor but incurs regular spell failure.