a different kind of bard..would you allow him in your campaign

[Sir ThornCrest]

I know there are a lot of Bard players out there...so this may get me flamed (I hope not)

I have a player that really likes role playing, full of banter witty repartee etc. So naturally it was a matter of time until he tried out a bard in 3e. Although his bard is a comedian type. Maybe jester’esk? He has all the same abilities and spell like abilities as a normal Bard he's just funny, an ok singer, ok musician but specializes in comedy. He has a jackass as a familiar! The jackass is trained so when he whistles it runs away, when he does interact with it during a "performance" it kicks him, bites him, bucks him off and drags him off into the distance...this is done on purpose and I got to say it has been one of the funniest campaign I have ever been in. He has magic mouth programmed to appear as if interacting during his stand up and eventually he ant the magic mouth break out into a Opera duet. This magic mouth of course is on the backside of his trousers.

He specializes in antagonizing the enemy, cracking jokes at enemies expense thus bolstering the morale of those on his side....this Bard is quick witted and never did lose any verbal confrontation...a Bards specialty. The rest of the players were part of a battle mages 50 man “non humorous” myrmidon band. (Component & ferocious soldiers)

The jackass familiar was just brilliant!

Question would you allow this guy, as is? Don’t take my campaign into consideration just the bard itself as a comedian....Have any of you done this? Would you alter his abilities?

Thorncrest

 

[DragonTurtle]

If everyone finds the antics to be amusing and not disruptive to play, then I say the player is an asset to the game.

In regards to his abilities, it should be allowed to do comedy, you may want to look into a taunt ability.

 

[reveal]

Actually, he sounds like he'd be a blast to have in the party. As long as he didn't try to hog the spotlight and take away from the other players times, I'd welcome him.

Tell your player to look in the latest Dragon Magazine (#330). They have a PrC in there called the Jester.

 

[IcyCool]

Actually, he sounds like he'd be a blast to have in the party. As long as he didn't try to hog the spotlight and take away from the other players times, I'd welcome him.

Tell your player to look in the latest Dragon Magazine (#330). They have a PrC in there called the Jester.

He should snag the Goad feat from Complete Adventurer.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I had a player run a bard like that, with Perform(comedy). He was gnomish and a hoot. When he got caught in bed by husbands, he would have some witty comment handy (along with his use magic device skill for a getaway).

 

[shilsen]

Question would you allow this guy, as is? Don’t take my campaign into consideration just the bard itself as a comedian....Have any of you done this? Would you alter his abilities?

I would definitely allow the character as is. I actually played a similar PC in a very short-lived online game on ENWorld and in the one combat before the game folded, I had him making up rude limericks about the enemy and bolstering the party's morale in that way.

 

[BSF]

My only question would be how the PC obtained a familiar. Stylistically everything else is cool.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Sounds like a Kender bard.

Aye - taunt is the analogous feat

That would be a touch over the top if it was never-ending, but otherwise the character concept looks fine to me.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Question would you allow this guy, as is? Don’t take my campaign into consideration just the bard itself as a comedian....Have any of you done this? Would you alter his abilities?

Allow it?! I'd design the PrC for him myself! Give him a literal "sharp tongue!" Seriously, the idea of a bard that insults his enemies into oblivion is an excellent plan, and a great archetype to boot. Most of the bard abilities look pretty fine as-is: breaking spells raising morale and distracting people by telling jokes is a pretty good use for them. I can imagine his Bardic Lore rolls right now...

Player: "Okay, I want to Bardic Lore on the patriarch's daughter, see what I already know about her."
DM: "Sure."
*player rolls, gets a good result*
DM: "You....uhm...remember a joke riffing off of her always wearing her mother's enchanted amulet around."
Player: "Okay, I say: 'Hey, has anyone heard the one about the patriarch's daughter and the pearl necklace?'"

The innuendos may just be out of control!

Of course, me being the DM that I am, I'd work with him on his past...have him come from an abusive home, where comedy was his defense against the world. His father was an alcoholic who beats his wife. As a kid, the bard was bullied on the playground for having an alcholic loser of a father, and being the kid of a whore like all their parents said. He made friends by twisting it into jokes: "Yeah, Timmy, me ma'am's a lady of the night, but word is yer paw is, too." I mean, the world's best comedians rarely come from happy little families, y'know?

This would give some pathos to the character, and let me work in some story about his history. Timmy grew up to be a dock worker whose now taking bribes from sahagin to drop off some cargo with them, skim a little off the top. It all goes fine until Timmy's wife gets pregnant, and since he's gonna be a family man, he wants to stop giving the sahagin something off the top. The sahagin don't take kindly to it. Lo, his wife goes into labor on the very night the sahagin decide to take this little grudge to the surface and get rid of the human who thinks he can stop giving them what they want...Timmy's been a jerk to the PC's before when they've gone to the dock, but now he shows up bloody and begging on the doorstep with his pregnant wife in his hands, tooth marks on his face, begging Bard-boy for help, since he's a big strong adventurer now...

Of course, don't let him hog the spotlight too much, and maybe I'm going overboard in a flurry of inspiration, but adding a little dark history to the reason he's such a golden-tongued master of fart jokes might go a long way to making the other characters tolerate him.

 

[Squire James]

While I dislike races designed solely for comic relief (half of the Dragonlance races, for example), individuals who decide to take on that role are fine! However, I would make sure he has no mechanical advantages just because he's funny. In other words, don't reward the player just for being strange. For example, if he wants the jackass familiar, make him take the Obtain Familiar feat (and Improved Familiar if he's any use in combat). Otherwise, make him buy his jackass like anyone else!