I am struggling to rationalize why bards may cast arcane spells with only a Somatic component while wearing light armor and still get away with no arcane spell failure risk. I thought of it when reading the Ki Arrow description, but the phenomenon applies to more spells.
In my mind, the rationale behind the armor rule would be that the bard spellcasting methods greatly emphasize the verbal component and rely far less on the precision of the arm movements and gestures of the somatic components than wizard/sorcerer castings of the same spell, but moreso than the cleric's crude ritual handwavings.
I would houserule that any bard spells cast silently would risk ASF as normal. On The other hand, as they are spontaneous casters I’d give them Eschew Materials as a bonus feat.
Options?
Bards can cast spells in armor because they're usually closer to the action than wizards. That's pretty much it.
P.S. The Silent Spell feat cannot be used with bard spells, though I've never been on a table that enforced that.
Bards can cast spells in armor because they're usually closer to the action than wizards.
I'll have to say I'm not at all satisfied with that explanation as an in-game rationale. Design-wise I don't really care about whatever game balancing reasons there might be.
The Silent Spell feat cannot be used with bard spells, though I've never been on a table that enforced that.
Heh. I didn't know that. Thanks. But there is still the matter of the spells that do not require any verbal component.
If they don't require verbal components, they don't require verbal components. Seems pretty clear-cut to me.
If they don't require verbal components, they don't require verbal components. Seems pretty clear-cut to me.
Yes. I am being unclear. My apologies.
My problem is only pertaining to the fluff rationale I personally have come up with for explaining the bards getting away with armored spellcasting when wizards and sorcerers don't:
When bards sing or otherwise perform their verbal spell components, this makes up for a reduced importance of the rigid somatic hand gestures which wizards and sorcerers must employ, so the arm wavings of the bards do not have to be as precise as the measured movements required of the other spellcasters who do suffer from ASF risk. (I have come up with a similar rationale for the other armored casters.)
Thus, whenever bards do not sing to cast a spell, the somatic (and material) component must complete the spell without the aid of the superior bardic verbal component. So a bard casting a spell employing no sound to build the casting around becomes all the more dependent on the somatic (and material) component. Seeing that she gains no audio enhancement, no shortcut to simplify her manual movements, I'd think that as far as these (very few) spells are concerned, she should be on equal ground with any other wizard/sorcerer caster. IMO.
I'd make this a house rule, not to nerf the bard at all, but to make more sense of the ASF rule, which has been kind of problematic at least since OD&D.
If they don't require verbal components, they don't require verbal components. Seems pretty clear-cut to me.
All bard spells have a verbal component, even if they don't for other classes
Aha!
That's a pretty important distinction, because I wouldn't have thought this necessarily followed from the phrasing of the RAW:
Every bard spell has a verbal component (song, recitation, or music).
No problem then. All is well. Thanks for the clarification.
If they don't require verbal components, they don't require verbal components. Seems pretty clear-cut to me.All bard spells have a verbal component, even if they don't for other classes
Can you provide a link or where it says that in the rules?
Can you provide a link or where it says that in the rules?
Larris provided it in the post directly before yours...
What I don't get is how bards can make a bardic performance while they're also fighting. It's not a big deal if their perform skill is something like singing or poetry, and I can even imagine a bard performing a dance or possibly percussion music while weaving in the flow of battle, clanging weapons and armor. But when the perform skill is something that requires one or both hands to do, like strumming a lute or blowing a horn, it just doesn't make sense that they should also be able to wield a sword and board, or pelt their enemies with a volley of arrows at the same time.
That's a big part of why my bard took up whistling; for when he can't really play his ukelele.
You could affix a bayonet to the head of your lute, and a maul head to the bottom of it. Voila! No need to take your hands off your instrument.
I prefer Perform (Comedy), where you become the instrument. Besides, Comedy that buffs the party? That's like a field day for a bad comedian like me!
I prefer Perform (Comedy), where you become the instrument. Besides, Comedy that buffs the party? That's like a field day for a bad comedian like me!
So, would you basically just be Jackie Channing it up? Doing fantastic melee attacks while still making it look like you are blundering the whole time?
Well, when you aren't doing puns at least.
What I don't get is how bards can make a bardic performance while they're also fighting. It's not a big deal if their perform skill is something like singing or poetry, and I can even imagine a bard performing a dance or possibly percussion music while weaving in the flow of battle, clanging weapons and armor. But when the perform skill is something that requires one or both hands to do, like strumming a lute or blowing a horn, it just doesn't make sense that they should also be able to wield a sword and board, or pelt their enemies with a volley of arrows at the same time.
That's a big part of why my bard took up whistling; for when he can't really play his ukelele.
From my understand/interpretation of it it's that the bard will hum a melody(sing), strum a lyre(strings), recite words of inspiration(oratory), and then they use their magic to let it continue(as long as they spend the free action to do so) so they are not constantly using whatever preform skill you're flavoring it as.