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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 3198569" data-attributes="member: 13966">Re: The Bard.....1. Keep it named the Bard, it's probably more fitting and less silly/limited than other names, considering that you're just taking away the spells but keeping the general flavor of the class.2. I wouldn't increase Bardic Music uses too greatly.  Maybe 2/day per Bard level, or 1/day/level + 1/day/Cha bonus.3. You might consider requiring a few of the major auras from the Marshal be available as Bardic Music only through certain feats.  It may or may not be a useful balancing factor.4. As for the limit on number of Bardic Music effects known, perhaps assign each effect a Perform or Spellcraft value, and say that the Bard cannot know more effects in total, value-wise, than his or her number of ranks in the aforementioned skill.Say, for instance, that the Bardic Music effects normally available to 1st-level Bards in the core rules (and any equivalent BM effects you designate from amongst the Marshal's and such) would each have a Perform value (or Spellcraft value) of 1.  Then each greater tier of Bardic Music effects would have a value 1 point more than the previous tier.So a Bard with 6 ranks in the skill might learn two BM effects of value 1 each, and a single BM effect of value 2, with 2 points of value 'left over' for learning another effect later.  Once that Bard later has a total of 14 ranks in the skill, he or she might know, altogether, two BM effects of value 1 each, one of value 2, two of value 3, and one of value 4.5. Make absolutely certain that the Fast Healing song is very weak and cannot be used all day long.  It should probably be limited to a maximum duration of 1 round per level in the Bard class (or his or her Perform ranks, though basing it on Bard level would be best).  Maybe with the Bard's Charisma modifier or something like that factored in.  Or perhaps the duration would be equal to the Perform check to activate it, in rounds (i.e. a check of 11 would mean 11 rounds).  Probably best to base it on Bard level (so a low-level Bard can only heal a handful of HP to each party member with each Fast Healing song).  The Bard will still have several BM uses per day (and will still probably, unfortunately for the DM, be able to fully heal the party after every single battle).  A duration of 1 round per 2 Bard levels might be even more reasonable, but I dunno.6. The fighting styles.....  Firstly, the "throwing daggers" style should probably put Precise Shot first, Rapid Shot second, and Far Shot third (no Point-Blank Shot).  Quick Draw might be needed though before granting Rapid Shot (since daggers can't be drawn as free actions normally, unlike arrows), making RS third and removing FS or PBS from the style.  Secondly, the "finesse" style could probably be Weapon Finesse, Spring Attack, and Improved Disarm.  Since it requires using an inherantly-inferior weapon (and likely relying on good Dex/poor Str, meaning even worse damage output) it would be quite fair to let it grant SA and ID without need for the normal prerequisites.  They would just help compensate a little for the disadvantages of focusing on a light weapon, while being very swashbuckler-like.  Thirdly, the Sneak Attack style gives too many SA dice compared to what benefits the other styles would grant.  It should just be 1d6, then 2d6, then 3d6.  I dunno what other fighting styles might be particularly appropriate to the Bard, especially without knowing what supplements are expected to be in use.</blockquote>

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