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<blockquote data-quote="Andy_Collins" data-source="post: 940679" data-attributes="member: 1982">There are many spells on the bard list that I don't imagine many bards choosing to learn. However, that doesn't eliminate the utility of the spell appearing on the spell list, since it opens up scroll and wand use of those spells. (I've found in my campaign that the bard tends to become a repository for scrolls and wands that the primary spellcasters don't want, which simply adds to the character's amazing versatility.)Few bards may learn speak with animals, but a wand of speak with animals is a really handy item for wilderness-based parties. I don't imagine many bards will pick up glitterdust as one of their early spell choices, but a couple of scrolls of glitterdust are great against invisible opponents (particularly since see invisibility is Brd3 now).Between a larger spell list and more skill points for spending on UMD, the average bard should be able to use just about any magic item the party finds. That's a significant &quot;hidden&quot; feature of the class, IMO.As for spells deleted from the list, I aimed to eliminate spells that were about pure offense or defense, or that enhanced objects (rather than people). Bards also tend to be better at causing effects than they are at overcoming those effects (invisibility at 2nd, but see invis at 3rd, for instance). Bards in 3.5 are about making themselves and their allies better, and about really messing with their opponents' heads without necessarily delivering a pile of damage. With the right spells/feats/items, a bard can make an effective enchanter, illusionist, or even a transmuter (focusing on buffing and enhancing of allies rather than transmuting objects).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Andy_Collins, post: 940679, member: 1982"] There are many spells on the bard list that I don't imagine many bards choosing to learn. However, that doesn't eliminate the utility of the spell appearing on the spell list, since it opens up scroll and wand use of those spells. (I've found in my campaign that the bard tends to become a repository for scrolls and wands that the primary spellcasters don't want, which simply adds to the character's amazing versatility.) Few bards may learn speak with animals, but a wand of speak with animals is a really handy item for wilderness-based parties. I don't imagine many bards will pick up glitterdust as one of their early spell choices, but a couple of scrolls of glitterdust are great against invisible opponents (particularly since see invisibility is Brd3 now). Between a larger spell list and more skill points for spending on UMD, the average bard should be able to use just about any magic item the party finds. That's a significant "hidden" feature of the class, IMO. As for spells deleted from the list, I aimed to eliminate spells that were about pure offense or defense, or that enhanced objects (rather than people). Bards also tend to be better at causing effects than they are at overcoming those effects (invisibility at 2nd, but see invis at 3rd, for instance). Bards in 3.5 are about making themselves and their allies better, and about really messing with their opponents' heads without necessarily delivering a pile of damage. With the right spells/feats/items, a bard can make an effective enchanter, illusionist, or even a transmuter (focusing on buffing and enhancing of allies rather than transmuting objects). [/QUOTE]

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