FormerlyHemlock
Hero
By the rules as written, a bard is able to do an absurd number of things with his mouth all at once. He can cast a spell with verbal components and his flute as a magical focus WHILE ALSO composing and reciting an inspiring ditto to bolster his comrades' performance (Bardic Inspiration) WHILE ALSO wittily insulting his opponent's pants in order to distract him (Cutting Words) from Counterspelling the wizard.
This is ridiculous, and it happens because WotC basically pays zero attention to what is physically happening in-game during a combat round, as long as it meets their action economy standards.
But the thought occurs: why not just add the restrictions back in? Bardic Inspiration can go from "as a bonus action" to "as a bonus action and when your mouth is not otherwise occupied in spellcasting or speaking"; Cutting Words can likewise can go from "as a reaction" to "as a reaction to a situation you see developing, if you did not cast a spell with verbal components this round". It weakens bards slightly from a purely mechanistic perspective, but that's a small price to pay for not having an utterly stupid combination of class abilities wrecking everyone's suspension of disbelief and the DM's ability to describe what is actually happening.
This is ridiculous, and it happens because WotC basically pays zero attention to what is physically happening in-game during a combat round, as long as it meets their action economy standards.
But the thought occurs: why not just add the restrictions back in? Bardic Inspiration can go from "as a bonus action" to "as a bonus action and when your mouth is not otherwise occupied in spellcasting or speaking"; Cutting Words can likewise can go from "as a reaction" to "as a reaction to a situation you see developing, if you did not cast a spell with verbal components this round". It weakens bards slightly from a purely mechanistic perspective, but that's a small price to pay for not having an utterly stupid combination of class abilities wrecking everyone's suspension of disbelief and the DM's ability to describe what is actually happening.
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