Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Kareyev" data-source="post: 382290" data-attributes="member: 4823">Boosting the BardAbout a year ago I joined an existing campaign as a Bard.&nbsp; I started at 2nd level while the rest of the part was near the end of 4th level.&nbsp; I had heard about some of the problems with the bard and wanted to get a better appreciation for them before tinkering with the rules.&nbsp; Much to my suprise when I finally joined the group I found they had a fighter (damage machine), a cleric of Pelor (healing machine), a rouge/psion (sneaky machine), and a wizard specialized in the school of enchantment (charm machine).&nbsp; At the beginning I started to think that the Bard was the last thing this party needed.&nbsp; Over the past year I have found out that this was not the case.&nbsp; The fighter was thrilled to have someone else on the front lines with them.&nbsp; I may not hit as hard or as often, but another body has made the difference many times.&nbsp; The cleric had rolled almost minimum hit points every level so with another healer in the group meant she could take bigger risks.&nbsp; The rouge loved having someone to back her up on those scouting missions.&nbsp; The wizard and I do clash a bit, but his charms work great in combat while mine work great in social situation where obvious spellcasting would put us in danger.&nbsp; Ok.&nbsp; Just had to get that out of my system.&nbsp; I'm not intending to have this degrade into another &quot;why I don't like the bard&quot; list, but how to change it.&nbsp; Given my experience with the bard I have not found a need to change it much, but there are some minor rule tweaks I am planning with my next campaign.- The Preform skill is only accessible though the Bard and Expert classes.&nbsp; No one else can apply skill points as ranks in this skill; even as cross class.&nbsp;&nbsp; (This is to discourage the multiclass abuse)- Encourage the player to come up with a focus for the bard (I'm the best known healer, archer, singer, jester in the land).&nbsp; Keeping a focus helps the bard a lot.&nbsp; Pick feats and spells that enhance this concept.&nbsp; (My bard is more combat oriented, and the Mirror Image spell and combat feats has saved him more than once.)- As a DM use the bard to pass on tidbits of information via Bardic Lore.&nbsp; This is one way the DM has kept me engaged as a Bard.&nbsp; I seem to have a good inside knowledge of a lot of things that go on in the campaign.&nbsp; Due to the nature of my character I'm told most of it before the sessions so it can blur into the campaign without everyone else hearing how the DM phrased the information.&nbsp; (I've also misunderstood some things which has lead to much joy for the DM as well)- Extra feats and all are great as well.&nbsp; There seem to be several suggestion above so I'll leave it at that.That's my two cents.&nbsp; Best of luck to you and let the good times roll.&lt;edit as part of the post was missing&gt;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Kareyev, post: 382290, member: 4823"] [b]Boosting the Bard[/b] About a year ago I joined an existing campaign as a Bard. I started at 2nd level while the rest of the part was near the end of 4th level. I had heard about some of the problems with the bard and wanted to get a better appreciation for them before tinkering with the rules. Much to my suprise when I finally joined the group I found they had a fighter (damage machine), a cleric of Pelor (healing machine), a rouge/psion (sneaky machine), and a wizard specialized in the school of enchantment (charm machine). At the beginning I started to think that the Bard was the last thing this party needed. Over the past year I have found out that this was not the case. The fighter was thrilled to have someone else on the front lines with them. I may not hit as hard or as often, but another body has made the difference many times. The cleric had rolled almost minimum hit points every level so with another healer in the group meant she could take bigger risks. The rouge loved having someone to back her up on those scouting missions. The wizard and I do clash a bit, but his charms work great in combat while mine work great in social situation where obvious spellcasting would put us in danger. Ok. Just had to get that out of my system. I'm not intending to have this degrade into another "why I don't like the bard" list, but how to change it. Given my experience with the bard I have not found a need to change it much, but there are some minor rule tweaks I am planning with my next campaign. - The Preform skill is only accessible though the Bard and Expert classes. No one else can apply skill points as ranks in this skill; even as cross class. (This is to discourage the multiclass abuse) - Encourage the player to come up with a focus for the bard (I'm the best known healer, archer, singer, jester in the land). Keeping a focus helps the bard a lot. Pick feats and spells that enhance this concept. (My bard is more combat oriented, and the Mirror Image spell and combat feats has saved him more than once.) - As a DM use the bard to pass on tidbits of information via Bardic Lore. This is one way the DM has kept me engaged as a Bard. I seem to have a good inside knowledge of a lot of things that go on in the campaign. Due to the nature of my character I'm told most of it before the sessions so it can blur into the campaign without everyone else hearing how the DM phrased the information. (I've also misunderstood some things which has lead to much joy for the DM as well) - Extra feats and all are great as well. There seem to be several suggestion above so I'll leave it at that. That's my two cents. Best of luck to you and let the good times roll. <edit as part of the post was missing> [/QUOTE]

Verification