D&D 5E Anyone else think the Bard concept is just silly?

[rgoodbb]

I sort of glossed over this but this is exactly my issue. They are too powerful in a sense as it relates to magic. They do not have to do much fighting or hiding and could nearly just stand back and cast! I would prefer more limitation in number of spells and or reduce the flashy whiz bang....

Sounds like you want something like a Bard-cane Trickster:

Bard spell list for Wizards, Charisma for casting stat instead of Int, and Inspiration/cutting words etc. for half sneak attack damage...or some sort of bundle like that.

Actually I would go for that. But also have no problem with the current Bard

 

[CydKnight]

I don't see them as entertainer's during combat but I do see how they could be inspiring through their natural charismatic leadership abilities. Reciting poems or singing an opera while fighting isn't practical so I don't take it there in my games. Whatever their entertainment gift is, it is something that they do separate from combat but does serve to enhance those things if but indirectly. Away from combat in role-play situations they can be phenomenal depending on the circumstances as their abilities/skills obviously serve to enhance most social settings.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Alan-a-Dale strums a sad little tune to this thread.

 

[CapnZapp]

Another notable bard is the Coma-Doof Warrior.

This isn't just "another" bard, this is THE bard

 

[Charles Rampant]

YES

Especially when the DM asks the bard "what do you say" in response to vicious mockery or bardic inspristion. 99/100 times the response makes the game less immersive instead of more.

I myself like the class, and I think that it offers a fun and interesting range of character types, and also slots into a useful place in a lot of settings; but I also totally agree with the above. Vicious Mockery is a nightmare of a spell, since it requires the player to come up with something funny and clever on the spot, over and over again. Illusions usually get cast with a bit of planning, so you get clever thinking with them, but a combat cantrip? Not so much.

I think that the best answer might just be to not ask the player for the pun.

 

[Ancalagon]

The *only* reason bards don't seem silly to me is that I've had, oh, 25 years now, of D&D indoctrination getting me used to the idea.

 

[schnee]

You think Bards are dumb?

This is a Bard.

Bards are AWESOME.

 

[Capn Charlie]

I love doof warrior, don't get me wrong, possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen that was bard related.

But did you notice how he didn't really DO much? Just sort of stood there doing his thing like a living hood ornament until the antagonist (from his perspective) got close, then he stopped existing.

I feel like the traditional lute picking bard would make a great follower or henchmen following the party and doing useful stuff, but trying to be out of combat. In fact, I think that would be an awesome class feature, to give you a herald or chronicler or sage, and let that NPC be the bard.

As is, bards to me feel like they step on the toes of sorcerers mechanically, and many of their inspiration and leadership abilities should be on a "heroic leader" or "commander" type chassis, not a "Guess I'm a wizard, hyuck, wanna hear smoke on the water?" chassis.

 

[Jubles]

Bards as a class are not silly, they're just often roleplayed that way. In my game the bard's music and/or speech taps the weave of magic the same way as a wizard's incantation or a deity's blessing or a druid's attunement with nature. A bard's song of rest does not make everyone feel warm and fuzzy, it is literal magical energy being infused into anyone that can spare the time to sit and relax.


I'm fond of vicious mockery and again I don't think it has to be a silly thing. My tome-pact warlock has vicious mockery and his iterations are never humorous. Usually it's as simple as calling the enemy a coward or weakling or something like that. It isn't the content of the mockery that hurts the enemy, it is the nature of the psychic energy delivered by way of cruelty (or humor). If someone likes using that cantrip very often (my use is very occasional) then I would imagine it like a constant focused mental assault of psychic energy. I picture a handsome half-elf with insane glowing eyes and a maniacal grin staring down the ogre as it clasps its head in pain and confusion, blindly swinging its club in fruitless effort.


Like everything else in this game I think bards and their flavor simply comes down to the player's approach. Silliness is a trope, not a necessity.

 

[TwoSix]

If your bard isn't spoony, it isn't really a bard at all.