D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook reveal: "New Bard"

[Mirrorrorrim]

If they added swift quiver to the Druid spell list, then you might have it. Alternatively, yeah, this might create space for a bow-bard subclass in the future a la 4E's College of Prescience.

Still sad about Song of Rest as I liked the healing built on short rests, and would have liked it to be Restful Performance or something and not rely on magical music for the dancers and other artists. Does anyone know if Bardic Inspiration gets to be used to perform healing still as it did in the UA? I liked having some forms of healing without spending spells known on healing spells.

Maybe bards get Prayer of Healing or something similar that lets a short rest occur in 10 minutes?

 

[DarkCrisis]

Tracks with the power boost given to other classes. I’m sure they will gloriously increase combat effectiveness much to the joy of the players and of course the DM as well

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I’ll be curious to see some side by side comparisons between 2024 monk and college of dance.

 

[Yaarel]

Many dancers use implements (instruments, maracas, and castanets). And don't focuses replace the need for non-costly material components? They may also sing or hum while they dance if they don't have other accompaniment. Some spread glitter or other materials with a flourish.

But Mimes use objects of invisible force. Like Forcecage.

I dislike forcing Bard into musical instruments − it is wrong for the Celtic bard (musical bardic families notwithstanding, the job is oracular poetry), wrong for the Norse mages, and for concepts like orators, commanders, ... and dancers. Plus any of these mucking about with Material components is nonsense in most situations.

The solution is treat Verbal or Somatic as a spellcasting focus.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Dance bard article on Beyond:

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1751-college-of-the-dance-bard-unleash-killer

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Tracks with the power boost given to other classes. I’m sure they will gloriously increase combat effectiveness much to the joy of the players and of course the DM as well

Please elaborate why you think it is a power boost.
It rather sounds like a versality boost, not a lot more.

Counter charm gets very useful now.
But having fought against a high level demon that charmed and frightened us constantly, I wished the bard had that feature and not the old one.
Being robbed of any effective actions in a battle feels terrible. As a player but also the DM.

 

[Belen]

College of Swords is better than Dance or Valor.

Overall, I am not a fan of the new bard.

 

[michaeljpastor]

For College of Dance, I want to know how spell components work. I prefer all components are Somatic only.

I know that I'll be asking for a homebrew/skinning ruling for that. Dancing feet, blades and jazz hands all the way!

 

[michaeljpastor]

College of Swords is better than Dance or Valor.

Overall, I am not a fan of the new bard.

Dance vs. Swords (esp. if paired with Swashbuckler) is my big question.

 

[michaeljpastor]

No idea whether it's changed for the final version, but here's the bard's Spellcasting feature from UA6:
View attachment 372258

The verbiage used is "prepare" (which I think is being standardized across all spellcasters), but they function very much like traditional "spells known" casters.

Can my ballet or tap shoes be my spellcasting focus?