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

[Stalker0]

Bardic Inspiration is improved if it still recharges on a short rest after 5th level, which my bet is that it doesn't now.

Time to pay up!

From the WOTC article, it notes the new spell slot = BID is an accompaniment to the old feature, not an overwrite.

Font of Inspiration — Level 5

Font of Inspiration has always turned up the volume on Bardic Inspiration by restoring expended uses after completing a Short Rest in addition to a Long Rest. The 2024 Bard accompanies that with another additional way for Bards to recover expended Bardic Dice. Once you reach level 5, you can expend a spell slot to regain a use of Bardic Inspiration. This does not cost an action, so you can choose to use it when you want to expend the Bardic Dice.

 

[Parmandur]

Time to pay up!

From the WOTC article, it notes the new spell slot = BID is an accompaniment to the old feature, not an overwrite.

Font of Inspiration — Level 5

Font of Inspiration has always turned up the volume on Bardic Inspiration by restoring expended uses after completing a Short Rest in addition to a Long Rest. The 2024 Bard accompanies that with another additional way for Bards to recover expended Bardic Dice. Once you reach level 5, you can expend a spell slot to regain a use of Bardic Inspiration. This does not cost an action, so you can choose to use it when you want to expend the Bardic Dice.

Yeah, everything in the game has a Spell Slot and HP equivalent.

 

[Nikosandros]

Bardic Inspiration is improved if it still recharges on a short rest after 5th level, which my bet is that it doesn't now.

The bard article on D&D Beyond explicitly states that it still does.

Font of Inspiration has always turned up the volume on Bardic Inspiration by restoring expended uses after completing a Short Rest in addition to a Long Rest. The 2024 Bard accompanies that with another additional way for Bards to recover expended Bardic Dice. Once you reach level 5, you can expend a spell slot to regain a use of Bardic Inspiration. This does not cost an action, so you can choose to use it when you want to expend the Bardic Dice.

 

[Ashrym]

A Paladin with Find Greater Steed is ho hum .... a Bard with it, now that is cool and really was the whole intent of the ability as I see it.

That's where the concern comes up. If we look at that steed as iconic to paladins then we're harming that iconic image by giving it to not paladins earlier. Moving the cool factor from one class to another might look good on one end but not necessarily on the other.

It is basically a railroad taking options off the table.

Yes, it is taking those options off the table. That begs the question of why taking those options off the table might be a consideration. Those options might be good for the bard but they can also negatively impact the enjoyment of another class so a line gets drawn at some point.

I play mostly bards and have for every edition. I can see why this might affect someone else's enjoyment of playing paladins when bards are in the party taking iconic paladin abilities like the steed. If you were the paladin player instead of the bard player can we agree you might see this too?

See for me, I am interested in expressing my take on the Bard, not the stereotype that WOTC thinks it is. It is the same reason I am so against Hunter's Mark as a class ability for Ranger and my guess is they are going to make Hex similar for Warlock, something that is built in.

I'm all for expressing our own takes. I don't believe we can accommodate that within the rules for every possible take, neither do I believe we should try when I don't think we'll ever please everyone.

Bardic Inspiration is improved if it still recharges on a short rest after 5th level, which my bet is that it doesn't now.

Others have already pointed this out, but font of inspiration is still a short rest recharge on bardic inspiration. Changing it to an hour duration to use, changing it to give up to 2 instead of 1 and a couple levels earlier, and allowing for spending spell slots for inspiration are improvements.

 

[ECMO3]

That's where the concern comes up. If we look at that steed as iconic to paladins then we're harming that iconic image by giving it to not paladins earlier. Moving the cool factor from one class to another might look good on one end but not necessarily on the other.

This kind of things is what makes 5E great IMO, that you can take a class and mimic the supposed "niche" of another class and do it in a viable manner.

I play mostly bards and have for every edition. I can see why this might affect someone else's enjoyment of playing paladins when bards are in the party taking iconic paladin abilities like the steed. If you were the paladin player instead of the bard player can we agree you might see this too?

No, I have played Paladins often and never felt like I owned any concept as the Paladin, and if I wanted to get the steed earlier I would play a Bard, or multiclass into Bard. Same reason when I play a Fighter I don't get angry because the Wizard is better at melee than me.

On reflection as I think about it more, I am also really not happy with the changes to Enthralling Performance on Glamour Bard either. Glamour Bard is my favorite Bard. Enthralling performance on the current Glamour Bard is not usable at all in combat, and is highly situational out of combat. But it is a great role play ability out of combat with situations that come up often. It is so awesome in a variety of situations, yes situational, but really awesome in those situations.

The more I look at the changes in 2024, most of them seem to be making the game more combat focused and I don't think that is a good thing overall.

 

[mellored]

It just occurred to me that the dance bard can use their unarmed attack to grapples.

Str bard, forcing enemies to dance with them.

 

[Marandahir]

This kind of things is what makes 5E great IMO, that you can take a class and mimic the supposed "niche" of another class and do it in a viable manner.



No, I have played Paladins often and never felt like I owned any concept as the Paladin, and if I wanted to get the steed earlier I would play a Bard, or multiclass into Bard. Same reason when I play a Fighter I don't get angry because the Wizard is better at melee than me.

On reflection as I think about it more, I am also really not happy with the changes to Enthralling Performance on Glamour Bard either. Glamour Bard is my favorite Bard. Enthralling performance on the current Glamour Bard is not usable at all in combat, and is highly situational out of combat. But it is a great role play ability out of combat with situations that come up often. It is so awesome in a variety of situations, yes situational, but really awesome in those situations.

The more I look at the changes in 2024, most of them seem to be making the game more combat focused and I don't think that is a good thing overall.

More combat focused = more people needing to use a tabletop grid (with minis, buy yours today!) or a virtual tabletop (what luck! D&D Beyond subscribers get integration of the digital books they buy with the tabletop!).