D&D 5E Bards Should Be Half-Casters in 5.5e/6e

[Henadic Theologian]

No

 

[Campbell]

What design problem are you solving for? What would you give Bards to make up for a lack of full casting that would not destabilize the game's combat model? You already have subclasses that gain a second attack and I have never seen anyone indicating that College of Valor or College of Swords are particularly strong.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

What design problem are you solving for? What would you give Bards to make up for a lack of full casting that would not destabilize the game's combat model? You already have subclasses that gain a second attack and I have never seen anyone indicating that College of Valor or College of Swords are particularly strong.

I already answered this in various posts earlier in the thread. I'm don't feel like repeating myself from a months-old thread, so I'm sure if you read through the first handful of pages you'll find this question answered.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

What would you give Bards to make up for a lack of full casting that would not destabilize the game's combat model?

More feats. It seems the game is moving in the direction of feats as core rules, with short feat chains for certain themes.

What design problem are you solving for?

Mechanics don't fit the theme. Bards in myth and fiction (Alan a Dale, Jaskier etc) are not known for their awesome spellcasting.

 

[cbwjm]

I do actually think that bards would work better as a half-caster, I have a tentative idea of making them a subclass of my fighter/mage class. It would mean that they gain extra attack at 5th level and some other damage increase at 11th to make up for their loss of spell ability but then I think that works well and gets back to the original image of the bard as a fighter-thief-spellcaster (1e druid, 2e wizard, 3e and beyond sort of its own thing) hybrid.

 

[Joshy]

Does anyone know any good bard reworks or alternates homebrew classes?
I'm trying to find something with auras or spell songs. Maybe a concentration ability, that applies to all within range.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Mechanics don't fit the theme. Bards in myth and fiction (Alan a Dale, Jaskier etc) are not known for their awesome spellcasting.

Taliesin/Merlin on the other hand is. Do either Alan a Dale or Jaskier have any magic at all? I think I'd class them both as rogues over even half-casters.

 

[James Gasik]

I think the Bard having magic spells was just a shortcut around giving them a list of magic songs. Recently, however, I ran into a little known Goddess of the Seldarine, Melira Taralen, the God of Music and Patron of Bards (from Dragon #236). Her specialty priests are described in the attached files, and sure enough, they have a few magic songs they can sing.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Taliesin/Merlin on the other hand is. Do either Alan a Dale or Jaskier have any magic at all? I think I'd class them both as rogues over even half-casters.

Merlin is a druid or wizard. At this point in D&D history the bard is the minstrel archetype, not a Celtic archetype. they haven't had druid spells since 1st edition.

I would be quite happy if bard was folded into rogue and had no spells at all. Celtic bard could become a druid subclass.

 

[le Redoutable]

perhaps Enchantment/Charm should belong to the Bard ?