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I think Bards are fun RP. I've played a lot of games in which the bard will simply sing/play during battle and say "I inspire courage." Though that's nice and all, I've seen people really have fun with the RP aspect of Bards. A friend of mine and I were just discussing her character (she's a courtesan Diva) and she said her character would inspire courage by having epic t&##. LMAO.
I also once played a bard who was a dwarven opera singer. We were able to get through a through a tough encounter with a devil by having my character walk into the chamber where the demon was guarding a scroll. I introduced myself for his entertainment pleasure, then broke into an epic song (using fascinate.) Then the shadow dancer crept along the wall and grabbed the scroll. Once he was safely out of the room, I bowed and walked out.
I've also seen a bard who was a master of insults. He played the lute in combat and simply made fun of the enemies to their faces.
I think my favorite ones I've seen have actually been oratory-based - there's a bard in one of my PbP games that brings in snippets of poetry/plays for his performance, and it's neat. I also imagine some bards' oratory is more drill sergeant-style shouting. :)
I currently have an oratory bard in the campaign that I'm running who, if he has an audience, will set up a podium (likely a barrel to stand on since he's a halfling) and he John Madden style narrates the battles for anyone who may be listening.
There was a boatswain in one of our games with 'oratory', so to speak...
I've had a traditional bard who sang, usually something like Men of Harlech (sometimes with re-written lyrics for the situation) or The Mary Ellen Carter or even Rolling Down to Old Maui. One of my fond moments at the table was when I started Old Maui and the rest of the table joined in. I didn't know they even knew the words.
When I play a bard with perform(oratory), they'll recite things such as Shakespear's "Once more unto the breach" or "Win one for the Gipper" or Aragorn's "A day may come ..." speech at the Black Gate.
I've also had a bugler (perform(wind)) who mostly stuck to traditional bugle calls such as "To Arms" or the much more famous "Charge".
My current bard has perform(comedy), so he's basically an insult comic. Although when the rest of the group puts words in his mouth, it's more Monty Python than I imagine ("Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberrys"). In a recent fight, the enemy cleric cast enlarge person on herself, so I told her that spell makes her butt look fat.
We have just concluded our Jade Regent camapign where I've played a bard, and he always used Perform (comedy) to tell jokes to inspire the party.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Hmm..
Mayim - Dance mostly, but when she sings she prefers Taldan battle anthems and other ways to offend Kelishites.
Miroslav - Oratory. Motivational speeches and telling tales. Of course I use 'bad Russian accent' with him to add it to the humor at the table.
My core bard is a half orc, and I use Foghorn Leggorn's voice for him, so it's oratory again. "Boy! I say boy! Hit that there goblin harder! Put your back into it son!"
My bards say, "Fighter better!"
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Half Orc Bard with a Great Axe. He sang death metal style vocals while chopping people up and beating his chest. My GM allowed the Axe to also function as a guitar for when I did a non-combat performance. Of course it sounded like an electric guitar.
I had a bard who went battle herald. For the perform(oratory) as it was, I simply quoted all the ridiculous things school sports teachers had shouted during lessons. It was both carthatic and only encouraged by a bull-rushing character.
There was a boatswain in one of our games with 'oratory', so to speak...
Oh boats will give you a "oratory" alright... especially after you forgot to paint the foc'sle... again...
Heavy metal power ballads.
Giving practical tactical advice via Message whispers. (He prefers to never speak out loud where a whisper would suffice.)
Whistling in the dark obviously, though I don't know if it's singing or wind.
I have two bards on the go at the moment. One is a halfling who sings inspiring classical opera and the other is a PFS bard who orates heroic tales of lore.
I play something from Les Miserables. Or Kansas.
By having him yell about things like "The heavens may forgive your sins, but I shall not!" while using horrible lip syncing.
And then he starts the wire-fu combat.
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Well, for one crazy time-travelling/dimension hopping game we did, my bard broke all the classic action movie or training montage songs. One fight, he does "The Touch" the next is "Eye of Tiger" and so on...
I had a bard who did Gungnam Style; sometimes Lo Pan Style:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xiAbDkXDgg
He was a Paladin gestalt with that Tactician ability. His mount was a giant ape who also had perform dance.
My reciting Chrno's poem from Soul Eater...
It's not the most popular weapon, but I like to grab a Totem Spear and stab things with it to inspire others.
I have an issue with cracking bad puns all the time. Last AP the group begged me to play a Bard in the current one. After certain complications I eventually did. So my inspire courage is puns now and then during the game. It's assumed that my character is cracking puns as his performance, like the pebble that wanted to be a little bolder...;)
My current bard likes to sing songs from The Hobbit, the cartoon version from 1977. Sometimes I sing at the table, my staples are "Down, Down to Goblin Town" and "Where There's a Whip, There's a Way"
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Jack, "Just Jack," was expelled from the dragon Mengkare's program in Hermea for various conduct generally unbecoming. He usually inspires courage among his friends and dread among his foes by "cursing eloquently."
Slimjim Son House Shady is a paladin of Shelyn and a bard exploring the Emerald Spire with his roadie named Alek Baldwin. He inspires courage with some Sellen River delta blues or some Pitax hip-hop moves.
Casters? Wands with two legs.
Fighters? Meat on a stick.
Bards rock. Literally.
Perform Wind with a kazoo. "I'll stop when our foe(s) are dead." Can't think of much stronger motivation.
My only bard always sang this.
I've had in idea for a while of a Bard who worships the primal forces of Earth, Wind, and Fire. His bardic inspiration would involve getting his party to groove and boogie.
That is hilarious.
A Battle Herald who uses Drums and Oratory to play Thunderstruck by AC/DC.
As a pit percussionist who would undeniably be a Bard if converted into the Pathfinder system I've tried making Xylophones viable, but it just doesn't work unless you're a casting-focused bard who doesn't need to move.
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How does MY Bard Inspire Courage?
He doesn't - he inspires the ambient darkness to jump out and attack you.
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In PFS I had a friend whose bard use Perform(Oratory) His inspiration? "Constructive" criticism. He was an elf supremacist, so his 'inspiration' was like:
"Hey, you should do better. Nice hit, but he's still up, try to put him down next time. Oh, you shouldn't have missed, you should practice your aiming more. Try to be more elf-like."
We decided that it only worked because we wanted to get the combat over as quick as possible to shut him up.
Another friend was a Half-Orc Bard with an Int of 7. He was into pop music, and only sang things by LMFAO. He sang, but actually inspired by perform(dance)
"Everyday Krunk Shuffling!"
"Krunk Sexy and Krunk know it!"
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I had multiple bards that I performed original poetry to inspire courage, and one bard where I freestyle rapped all the time, another where I made up words that sounded good and sang them to the instrumental versions of popular songs(pretending I was speaking an ancient language nobody but I knew), a bard who just said in a monotone voice "Go get 'em or whatever," one that snapped, one that did tap dance, and one that screamed constantly.
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In PFS I had a friend whose bard use Perform(Oratory) His inspiration? "Constructive" criticism. He was an elf supremacist, so his 'inspiration' was like:
"Hey, you should do better. Nice hit, but he's still up, try to put him down next time. Oh, you shouldn't have missed, you should practice your aiming more. Try to be more elf-like."
We decided that it only worked because we wanted to get the combat over as quick as possible to shut him up.
Are you sure this is a bard? Are you sure it isn't a skald instead?
A skald whose words drive people into a rage?
Skald:
Dethklok - Murmaider
Dethklok - Awaken (MustaKrakish)
And for Song of Marching:
Ivan Rebroff - Cossack Patrol
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For her Dirge of Doom does she start acting like things are getting too serious with the enemies and make them think she wants them to settle down into an exclusive relationship?
She's only third level but--
U-G--LY spells ugly!
That's right your ugly!
Ugly in your face and ugly in your mind!
You're so ugly if you'd be so kind to die!
Pharasma would see you, and run away in fright!
Oh yes you're ugly! So ugly!
DIE UGLY!