Ok so if you've read my threads lately you may have noticed a trend, I am working on a new bard character and trying to gather as much for my knowledge bard check as possible.
So I want your best bard moments, if you played them or a friend...tell me about how a bard rocked....bad pun intended.
The party wanted to hire a bard in my one campaign to follow them, write their story, and sing their praises. I didn't really have anything prepared so the night before the next session (had a busy work week previously) while I was doing my prep I grabbed my advanced race guide and flipped to a random page in the hope something would inspire me.
The next session they had Kermii the Grippli bard show up at their door. The party spent many a combat inspired by his serenade about how life was difficult being green (and the occasional healing spell delivered through a tongue lick at range).
They came to love the little guy and he spread their fame far and wide.
my wife was going to play a bard once.... then she thought about it, and didn't.
I played in a game with a gnomish stripper bard. He didn't wear armor and put all his ranks into Perform (Dance) in order to inspire our group in battle. Or inspire us to finish combat faster so we didn't have to see the naked crazed midget. The player liked... pushing things. I remember the DM told us that he had to personally veto having that character take the Childlike feat. The character kind of got grating quickly though, and our rogue stabbed him to death mid-combat while the bard was grappled by the big monster of the dungeon. Then, after the monster ate said bard, our barbarian cut it into pieces and pushed it off a cliff.
The player didn't push as much after that.
As soon as I hear "I start up inspire courage" from a bard player, I'm happy. It's nothing strange, but I just love the inspire courage, that it makes everyone BETTER is just awesome. I've been working on a build that I would enjoy that can do this as well.
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Ok so if you've read my threads lately you may have noticed a trend, I am working on a new bard character and trying to gather as much for my knowledge bard check as possible.
So I want your best bard moments, if you played them or a friend...tell me about how a bard rocked....bad pun intended.
Since no one in our group has a particular fondness for Clerics, its rare when we don't have a Bard type - the most successful have been a Human Bard (Sea Singer) for a Skull n shackles campaign - see below - an Arcane Duelist for a Rise of the Runelords run and a Halfling Archeologist who was in our Jade Regent group.
While they all had their moments, the Sea Singer was far and away the most successful, as detailed in part here.
Out of battle her face skills, be it through seduction, manipulation or negotiation really aided the group and allowed her legend as the captain of the ship to grow. In combat her ability to buff the group (Inspire Courage, Good Hope, Haste) became a force multiplier for us, especially considering that we also had a Master Summoner in the crew. After the opening rounds she just free lanced, using a well-timed charm or illusion here, debuffing via Dazzling Display there, flanking for the Rogue, using a timely heal for the Barbarian or running interference for the Summoner... while each party member might technically be considered more 'powerful' individually, there was no one in the group more effective. She tied them together and gave them direction, she made all the difference in the game.
Bards are awesome, whatever kind you run. Just don't make the mistake of falling into the role of buff-bot, forgotten except when its time for someone to make a social roll... BE the group's heart and soul and take full advantage of your versatility both in and out of combat.
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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I once GM'd a PFS scenario in which the party needed to bust into a ruined castle being used as a base by the BBEG. There was one guard on top of each of the 4 walls.
The bard stealthed up toward one of the walls, hiding behind the nearest tree. She then came out from behind the tree, doing a Fascinate performance in the form of a sexy Varisian dance. The guard failed his save.
She approached the base of the wall, keeping up the dance. She slid a long rope out of her bag, then started twirling the grappling hook in time with the rhythm of her dance. She tossed it up onto the wall, then started dancing her way up the rope (if you think that's not feasible, think dirtier). After multiple successful Climb and Perform checks, she initiated combat, with a surprise round, against her fascinated target while her comrades rushed in to take out the rest of the guards.
A couple of minutes later, the party was victorious. Three guards down, that first guard tied up. He complained to the bard: "The beginning and end were great, but the middle was very different than I'd hoped!"
All time coolest bard moment was when I had a bard run up the back of a dragon in one of my games.
So much bard hate and people who abuse them...lol, but thanks to those of you that contributed good adventure tales!
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My friend is playing a bard/barbarian and tried to fascinate a group of dwarves, they all failed except for one who drew his weapon (it was a group of drug dealers who did not like being caught) the bard won initiative and flew into a rage shouting about how the dwarf could be so rude to not like his song. He bulrushed the dwarf onto a bonfire and roasted him before the others could react.
The bard that I'm playing now, Damdaman, in his original 2E incarnation, nearly seduced the Simbul (Forgotten Realms). By the rolls, he did. Only my GM's sense of "FR personalities are greater than PCs" kept her from being his little (powerful) puppet.