Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[Arilyn]

Annoying players are going to annoy. Ban the bard class, and they'll shift their irritating traits to a different class. Fortunately, I don't have to deal with these kinds of players. Our gnomes and bards are just fine.

 

[prabe]

Oh I'm sure there are outliers, folks can usually point to one bard that wasn't designed purely to be "funny," or disruptive, or annoying. Those are the exceptions that prove the rule, though.

Because here's the thing. If there was ever an annoying character in your game, if a disgruntled player ever rolled up a character as a not-funny joke, or out of spite and weaponized it to annoy someone, if you've ever seen a character with a name like Fanny Fartbottom or Seymore Buttz...

...that character is almost always a bard.

The most disruptive PCs I've been at the table with weren't bards. None of the bards I've worked up were set up to be annoying, and neither of the two bards I've DMed for in 5e were. So ... I don't think it's a rule, really.

 

[Meech17]

While I reject the implied hostility toward ham & pineapple pizza, I have to agree that bards are predominantly a joke character class almost exclusively selected by those who intend to be disruptive and annoying. Gnomes, moreso.

I was worried that when I started my current campaign someone would make a horny bard. Instead I got a elderly, horny, halfling wizard, which was somehow better.. He's dead now though... So...

I've had an idea for a bard in my head for a while now. Not a musician, but rather a journalist. I was originally thinking human, but now I'm leaning more towards gnome.

 

[CleverNickName]

Annoying players are going to annoy. Ban the bard class, and they'll shift their irritating traits to a different class.

This is a good point. Maybe the bard is actually performing a valuable service.

 

[Cadence]

The only time I was ever tempted to make a character using a concept I knew the DM didn't like... was when a DM didn't like gnomes.

I've played at least two different bards, but the DMs didn't have a problem with bards.

 

[prabe]

I was worried that when I started my current campaign someone would make a horny bard. Instead I got a elderly, horny, halfling wizard, which was somehow better.. He's dead now though... So...

I've had an idea for a bard in my head for a while now. Not a musician, but rather a journalist. I was originally thinking human, but now I'm leaning more towards gnome.

The first bard I worked up for 5e didn't have proficiency in Performance or any instruments.

 

[CleverNickName]

(In case my point isn't clear: my trouble with the bard class has more to do with the player that selected it.)

 

[Meech17]

The most disruptive PCs I've been at the table with weren't bards. None of the bards I've worked up were set up to be annoying, and neither of the two bards I've DMed for in 5e were. So ... I don't think it's a rule, really.

In my experience the most diruptive players I've had the joy of playing along side were:

1. A necromancy obsessed wizard, who wanted to kill everyone so he could raise them from the dead.
2. A dragon obsessed pyromaniac sorcerer, who wanted to kill everyone by setting them on fire.
3. A gold obsessed rogue, who wanted to kill everyone so he could loot their corpses.

Now that I type that out... I'm noticing trends.

 

[TwoSix]

In my experience the most diruptive players I've had the joy of playing along side were:

1. A necromancy obsessed wizard, who wanted to kill everyone so he could raise them from the dead.
2. A dragon obsessed pyromaniac sorcerer, who wanted to kill everyone by setting them on fire.
3. A gold obsessed rogue, who wanted to kill everyone so he could loot their corpses.

Now that I type that out... I'm noticing trends.

They were all D&D characters.

 

[CleverNickName]

"Heheh...know what would be funny?"
"Rolling up another bard, Bob?"
"How--how did you know?"
"Call it a hunch, Bob."