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Sorry. Couldn't resist.
But the bard is one of my least favorite concepts and I would also like to see if they are good at anything which wouldn't be retarded in RL.
Seriously singing in the heat of battle. As if THAT's gonna be heard...
Or the famous songs of compentence, such as:
"Sneak, sneak, sneak! Sneak past the lazy guard!"
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Bardic performance isn't limited to singing. Possible uses of the skill include:
Act (comedy, drama, pantomime)
Comedy (buffoonery, limericks, joke-telling)
Dance (ballet, waltz, jig)
Keyboard instruments (harpsichord, piano, pipe organ)
Oratory (epic, ode, storytelling)
Percussion instruments (bells, chimes, drums, gong)
String instruments (fiddle, harp, lute, mandolin)
Wind instruments (flute, pan pipes, recorder, trumpet)
Sing (ballad, chant, melody)
Also, anybody who considers singing at battlefield "retarded" clearly never marched with a Scottish bagpiper or charged on the horseback to the sound of a trumpet.
Did you?
But you are right DANCING in battle too boost moral and combat efficiency is EVEN BETTER!
Thank you for that reminder!
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Where Elan is fun to read about, he's extremely annoying to sit at a table with likely. Especially when there are plenty of interesting and more heroic types of models out there for bards.
Look at people like Alan-a-Dale, Will Scarlet, Amergin or even Homer.
I may be quoting those suggestions from somewhere.... ;)
I think the bard is simply terribly implemented mechanical-wise.
I am NOT against inspiring abilities, but they should work different as they do now.
Also, the bard is a complete fuzzy concept, with both special performances which can duplicate magical effects AND actuall spell casting "based on the power of *sound*"
I believe that bard should focus more on:
a) social interaction (where the rogue should be the stealthy one, the bard should be the "center of stage")
b) He should be the "educated commoner", knowing a lot of useful information (Bardic Knowledge is okay, but could be better/interesting),
which CAN be used to improve the party's performance (not some actual performance he is doing)
c) Dabbler of all. Should be able to learn a diminished version of spellcasting as a wizard(!), or maybe even able to tap into other classes' abilities "to fill the spot on-the-fly"
d) Be the master of story (and not sound). I always compare this to me and "my ability" to predict the next story-twist in almost ANY tv-series I am seeing. That in mind, I envision the bard as someone "who can see behind the curtain, and take a glimps at the screenplay".
OF COURSE not in a gamebreaking/cheating kind of way. It could be easily implemented by giving a bard a pool of "plot points" which can be used similar to ki/cunning/grit. Especially to reroll certain checks.
A hapless fool who just happens to be good luck for some reason.
Can melodic screaming in fear count as singing?
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I think the bard is simply terribly implemented mechanical-wise.
I am NOT against inspiring abilities, but they should work different as they do now.
Also, the bard is a complete fuzzy concept, with both special performances which can duplicate magical effects AND actuall spell casting "based on the power of *sound*"
I believe that bard should focus more on:
... well, yes, that's the bard already for you.
More skills and skill points you may ever wish for, an awesome spell list, a natural-born buffer, face of the party able to Diplomacy/Intimidate/Bluff anything.
It's easy to find concepts where you are not "singing or dancing" in combat. And even then, singing tales of war/intimidating anthems while smashing cranums ; or dancing with a spadassin's footwork is pretty badass.
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I believe that bard should focus more on:
a) social interaction (where the rogue should be the stealthy one, the bard should be the "center of stage")
Check. The bard is going to have the best social skills of the party effortlessly, especially with Versatile Performance.
b) He should be the "educated commoner", knowing a lot of useful information (Bardic Knowledge is okay, but could be better/interesting), which CAN be used to improve the party's performance (not some actual performance he is doing)
Bardic Knowledge is fantastic, and so is Loremaster. Once a bard is level 5, he can achieve a 30 in the knowledge check of his choice once per day, and take 10 in battle for results in the 20s to identify monsters. So bards already know a lot of useful information.
c) Dabbler of all. Should be able to learn a diminished version of spellcasting as a wizard(!), or maybe even able to tap into other classes' abilities "to fill the spot on-the-fly"
I don't believe you've looked at the bard spell list, but it basically fulfills this prerequisite easily. It has the wizard/sorcerer spell list, but with most of the offensive options taken out and several cleric spells thrown in. Also, see the Use Magic Device skill.
d) Be the master of story (and not sound). I always compare this to me and "my ability" to predict the next story-twist in almost ANY tv-series I am seeing. That in mind, I envision the bard as someone "who can see behind the curtain, and take a glimps at the screenplay".
Well any player can metagame. That's not really an option if you want a universe that doesn't involve metagaming. What a bard can do, however, is get legend lore, and combined with his already kick-ass knowledge checks, know a ton of stuff about what the bad guys want.
OF COURSE not in a gamebreaking/cheating kind of way. It could be easily implemented by giving a bard a pool of "plot points" which can be used similar to ki/cunning/grit. Especially to reroll certain checks.
So like timely inspiration? Bards have that.
Sorry to go line by line, but you are really really wrong about bards.
My favorite so far has been my extremely obese, loudly dressed Elven Bard. He travelled in style in a yellow and red wagon that converted into a stage in moments. He had the widest brimmed hat with the biggest feathers EVER.
He sang, he told stories, he sold snake oil. He slept with farmer's daughters (he was persuasive and entertaining even though he was hugely fat).
In combat he didn't sing, he told rousing tales of similar feats OR he iterated how the current combat would be told for years to come.
"Your next blows will be immortalized fellows! Swing well and swing true!"
"This is an ELVEN told tale, Cleric. your deeds will be remembered forever!"
Sometimes useless in dungeons.. never used a rope once because, well.. he wasn't sure it would hold or that his puny strength could hold him up. But always entertaining...
hehe. I'm playing a bard for my next charactor. Some quick concepts:
The dashing pirate leader! - Gives rousing speeches yelling lines that would sound cliched coming from anyone else (think Will Scarlet or Jack Sparrow in a fight - verbally mocking enemies while shouting orders in a fight.) - substitute squad for pirate
The sword Dervish who's combat stance is so graceful that most compare it to a dance.
A group mascot who stays in the back, cheering the group on and helps out of combat (maybe uses a bow and spells in combat, but clearly not a combat player.
Spider man! Kicks but while cracking wise!
Remember, you don't have to turn every combat into a musical to have an iconic bard character.
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I like making bards with Perform (Oratory) who are basically motivational speakers.
I used to have a halfling that I RPed like Tony Robbins.
Bards[/b hugh, good God ya'll. What are they good for? [b]Absolutely nuthin'.
Sorry, first thing that came to mind.
I once had a dancing bard who used her body as an instrument. She had 'strings' built into her costume and she would 'strum' the strings while she danced. Very provocative. She got bonuses to many things to include diplomacy.
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I still have the image of my heavy metal (=adamantine) dwarf, he has a two handed flaming and electric axe-guitarre, and knows some dirty songs to sing before passing out in a bar.
Arcane duelist for the awesome!
But it's truly hard to find a non-laughable bard idea. It's a bit the same as cackling every round for a witch. Altough there a sinister chuckle seems cooler.
Anyhow, bards are still fun, altough alchemists took part of their splendor (and like 99% of the rogues splendor too).
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A friend of mine had a male androgynous Elf bard that wore some very revealing bd/sm type get up. During combat, he would jab a long spear (the weapon, not what you were maybe thinking)into the ground and proceed to "inspire courage" by pole dancing about it.
We figured that we had better to hit/damage rolls because our characters would want that display to stop ASAP.
A wise man would NOT ask about the things the character did to "fascinate" some of the more monster-y races....Goblins and their fascination with fire, for instance.
I still shudder when I think about it.
You could also sportscast combat as a performance.
"The Fighter is dashing for the phylactery, he's at 20 yards...10...will he make it?? And the Lich has decided to go for a Finger of Death, that has got to hurt. He's still standing though, does he have what it takes to destroy it?"
"Help me you a!*@*$+!"
"*casts* And there's the Heroism, giving him just the push he needed!"
This again? Bards are a support class. Also as Petty mentioned, Heroism.
Besides that, the Dawnflower Dervish and Dervish Dancer are pretty good in combat as well, what with their buffing themselves and all that.
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Bards, thematically, can be everything from a charming nobleman who uses Perform (Oratory) to deliver rousing speeches, to a daring swashbuckler who insults his enemies, Spider-Man style, with Perform (Comedy), to a Skald who sings rousing battle songs with Perform (Singing) to a desert dervish who uses Perform (Dance) with their ancestral blade, to a hard-bitten mercenary sergeant with a thousand stories of batles past that he uses to rally the troops with Perform (Oratory). And that's leaving aside entirely all the Archetypes that give up some of the Performances (and particularly Versatile Performance).
Mechanically, they are the single best skill characters in the game, and the best party-buffers as well, they are also good support casters and backup warriors. They are useful in almost any situation, and bordering on brokenly effective when utilized properly.
My bard/arcane archer can buff the hell out of the party and dish out some massive damage with his shortbow. You have to remember the buffs help yourself too, not just everyone else! Inspire courage + Good hope or Heroism + Haste + Archery Feats = You're a pretty damn good archer now, and oh yeah, the rest of the party just got a lot better too!
Not to mention you still got your 6 + Int skill points, you've got lots of knowledge (if you didn't archetype out of it), you've got other great spells to choose from, AND you can be the party face all at once!
Edit: Also, Arcane Strike almost acts like weapon spec. for the bard archer.
A bard named Stephen Titan who is the lead singer for Air of Smiths. When he sings walk this way, people walk that way.