Bard Boosting?

[ranix65]

Anybody have any ideas for boosting up the capabilities of the Bard? I was thinking maybe give it a few more skill points(like 6+Int per level) and maybe a few more skills, something like that; the most drastic suggestion given to me was from a player that he suggested that maybe Bards should have their spells considered divine, not arcane(so they can wear armor, not sure yet on this suggestion); another given was change the HD to a d8. The reason is that 1 of my players is gonna play a bard, he's used to EQ where the bard can play backup to just about everybody, so we're trying to think of ways to help out the poor bard, since he seems kinda weak.

Actually, is Book of Eldritch Might 2 in print yet? I think that has an alternate bard in it, if it's out, I'll try to find one and check it out.

 

[BV210]

Check out S.T.Cooley Publishings 'Enchiridion of Mystic Music' for some pointers on giving the bard a boost. The best part is the additional bardic music abilities listed. Also, DM Haven's free 'Bard's Companion' offers a few new ideas as well.

 

[Douane]

Concerning the BoEM 2, it is in print.

Also it indeed contains a new variant Sorceror and Bard.

Short overview of the classes:
Alternate Bards and Sorcerers

Short overview of the new Bard's spellsongs:
Eldritch Extras


Hope this helps!

Folkert

 

[jmucchiello]

{Another cheap plug} Joe's Book of Enchantment contains a prestige class for different kind of bard. It also has a couple new bardic music songs for high level bards. Not exactly what you are looking for, I realize but you never know. {/Another cheap plug}

Joe Mucchiello
Throwing Dice Games
http://www.throwingdice.com

 

[The Sigil]

Anybody have any ideas for boosting up the capabilities of the Bard? I was thinking maybe give it a few more skill points(like 6+Int per level) and maybe a few more skills, something like that; the most drastic suggestion given to me was from a player that he suggested that maybe Bards should have their spells considered divine, not arcane(so they can wear armor, not sure yet on this suggestion); another given was change the HD to a d8. The reason is that 1 of my players is gonna play a bard, he's used to EQ where the bard can play backup to just about everybody, so we're trying to think of ways to help out the poor bard, since he seems kinda weak.

Actually, is Book of Eldritch Might 2 in print yet? I think that has an alternate bard in it, if it's out, I'll try to find one and check it out.

*Shameless Plug*

Try the Enchiridion of Mystic Music (as was suggested earlier). Its focal point is expanding the musical abilities of a bard - there are four abilities a bard can gain for each Rank of Perform between 3 and 23 - that's 84 in all, or 8 for the first-level bard with an additional 4 every level thereafter. Gives the bard a much wider range of capabilities without making radical changes.

It's 5 bucks at http://www.RPGNow.com - you can also take a gander a the Table of Contents on the S.T. Cooley Publishing site at http://www.cooleys.org/publishing/index.asp?view=stc001 and as mentioned, getting your mitts on the Bard's Companion (free) at http://www.dmshaven.freeservers.com/dnd.html isn't bad either. I just wish I had found it before I did the EoMM... I could have included a little more.

--The Sigil

 

[the Jester]

Feats that allow for more types of bardic music. I have several imc; if you're interested I'll post them. Better yet, gimme a sec to look for one of the threads they're already in...

Here we go: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22994&perpage=40&pagenumber=2

Pretty long post, not all of them are bardic but there are quite a few.

 

[rounser]

An idea which is probably broken, but would definitely make the bard more attractive:

Scrap the druid class. Give the bard spell advancement as per the druid spell table and access to all druid spells as well as bard spells. Instant 1E-esque bard, packing a 10 kilotonne punch.

My reasoning:

Both classes got a bit of a raw deal character concept scope-wise if not power-wise compared to the "big 4" classes, and are complementary, covering much of the same territory (look at the 1E druid and celtic myth for backup). The 3E designers saw fit to typecast their abilities more strongly than earlier editions as well, so this adds utility to at least one of the classes....and solid utility, not jack-of-all-trades style utility, for that matter.

By putting one of them out of it's misery and cannibalising the other's abilities, maybe they can compete with the "big 4" classes in terms of attractiveness and scope of character concept.

 

[Nightfall]

I don't really think druid got a "raw deal" Mainly BECAUSE there's the wild shaping aspect AND the posion immunity. Plus the use of animal companions ALSO adds to a druid's value. Also just wait until a druid cast "Wrath of Thulkas" then you'll rethink about a druid's power.

 

[rounser]

You missed my point Nightfall. I love druids, but if you don't envision your druid as a wannabe lycanthrope with much of their power stored in a pet who wanders around after you, you're a bit stuck. I'm talking scope of character concept here. Add druid spells to a bard, and the bard class's scope of character concept widens right up....plus they get from it a lot more of something they need from players which not even 20 charisma will do, and which the bard of all classes needs so desperately to match it's source material: respect.

Bards as written in the PHB have raw power if their character concept is conceived and played in a very specific way. Others have commented on how narrow this play style is, though, and how limiting that is to the appeal of the class.

 

[Nightfall]

Uhm I guess I don't see it that way since I've already had many Scarred Land Druids run around do some VERY nasty things, with just a few spells...They don't ALL rely on their animal companions nor their shapechanging. Some of them DO use spells that might be a little useful. Censure of Mesos for example... Plus stuff like Fleshhammer. I guess I just see Scarred Land Druids falling much further away from Celtic influences and more into a "natural" order deal.