Bard Boosting?

[rounser]

I agree that druids are often underrated, as are bards. However, I think that part of their lack of appeal is that the character concepts and styles of play they support are somewhat more narrow than the competition. On the surface of it, porkbarreling the bard with druid spells and druid spell progression doesn't seem likely to break the class, especially with arcane spell failure for armour still in effect, and has the added bonuses of catering to 1E nostalgia and reinforcing celtic themes and the idea of the bard as having the wisdom of the land.

As far as druids go, I'd have preferred more Moonshae, less Everquest, but I can see why the designers chose to go that far down the animal companion/wild shape route in order to bump up the druid's combat power. I would have preferred less of that and more of an equal-to-the-cleric primary healer role rather than secondary healer role to take some strain off the cleric and make the druid's niche and value to the party more solid in that capacity...and the weakening of the cleric's archetype be damned. That the system is straining to bump up the cleric's appeal so that parties get enough healing shows in the way they've pumped up that class to a point of near bribery.

It just doesn't make sense that the clerics of some faiths can heal better than druids, who are supposed to be all about nature and growth and life (along with death, renewal and balance)...

 

[Nightfall]

Perhaps you'll find the way the Scarred Lands do their druids more to your liking. I know that the Handbook for Clerics/Druids by S&SS will probably prove inciting to some that want to see what kind of power a druid can have.

 

[reapersaurus]

I've collected expanded Bard Rules on my site.
Follow the sig link, go to House Rules --> Born to be Bard

 

[Poltergeist]

Bard buffing

I think the bard can do ok as is, provided a campaign is very social with only light combat. In a more adventure/combat oriented campaign, the slow spell progression, hindrance of casting in armor when you don't get that many spells per day to start with, low AC, and low hit points make playing the bard as an archer the only attractive option.

I think raising skill points to 6 + int modifier per level is a good idea, as the impressive skill list of the bard really doesn't amount to much as the 4 points per level they currently receive don't really allow enough points for them to be somewhat effective at a variety of things. Instead, they have to "pick a path" which costs them the "jack of all trades" aspect which is one of their most appealing.

I would not make them divine casters. Instead, I would give them the spellsing ability from Kingdoms of Kalamar (which, obviously enough, the spellsinger class has). The spellsing ability makes all spells require a verbal component but no material or somatic components are needed (with the exception of expensive material components or exp costs). Only arcane spells with somatic components are affected by armor check penalty, so this would eliminate the armor check penalty while keeping in flavor with the bard.

Spell selection is also a very, very important part of the bard's abilities. I found the most value out of a combination of enchantment spells and buffing spells when I ran a bard (through about 8th level).

Another option would be to simply remake the bard into the spellsinger...add the bardic lore and bardic music abilities to the spellsinger class, get rid of the familiar, increase the skill points to 6, and use the spellsinger spells per known and spells per day progression but from the bard spell list. This would create a bard that was more magic oriented and less physical combat oriented (they would go down to d4 hit point, have only one good save, and receive no armor proficiency or martial weapon proficiency) but really retain a "bard" flavor. I don't think it would be unbalancing as the spellsinger's spell progression and spell's per day kind of give them "the worst of all worlds"---spells known are slightly better than a sorcerer but spells per day are the same as a wizard.

 

[Voadam]

In addition to the above suggestions you could get the everquest RPG players handbook and have them a play a bard out of there to make him feel at home with the class. I haven't checked it out myself yet so I can't really comment on its particular merits.

 

[mooby]

They really should have 6 SP/level. If you think this is too much, do what I did: Allow only 3 max to be put into any one skill/level (Jack of all trades, Master of none).

It works!

 

[ranix65]

"I don't believe in Voodoo." (Walks out of room. Reenters with a HUGE pistol.) "But I do believe in this."

Your existence got a whole lotta people blown away Mooby. They deserved it though. Especially that executive.

 

[mooby]

...and nobody knows what he really did.

Anyway, I'm glad to see the reference recognized, but what's it got to do with Bards?

 

[rounser]

I would not make them divine casters.

Druidic magic is very easy to envision as not being from the gods, but rather the land, or natural forces. In fact, I prefer it that way. Druids don't need a soap operatic god's personality behind their powers - the forces of nature are explanation enough.

In the case of the above suggestion of a modified bard, he or she is well versed in the secrets of the land, the ancient lore and the old ways. One could handwave away an entangle by envisioning the bard speaking a quick rhyme to the plants, or summoning up a creeping doom by uttering the true names of several insects. (This is also a passable explanation of how regular bardic spells are cast without a wizards' study nor a sorcerors' blood, but with "music and poetry". I'd add lore to that list.)

 

[Breakdaddy]

Silent Bob is my hero.