I didn't care about spwll use that much. We had one giving the party +8 to hit and damage. Could have been +16 missed some things.
Spell DC would use 5E. That's what I meant I think the 3.5 was a good bard wrong edition.
The 2E bards the most powerful bard due to way xp worked in that edition.
The 3E Bard was kinda the closest you got the 4E Lazylord. You were singing to make everyone else more powerful, but our yown attacks weren't that impressive. Only drawback was that it didn't boost pure spellcasters much (except they were powerful enough to not need it). Maybe the missed opportunity for Essentials was actually making a non-AEDU Bard? Replace either encounter or daily powers with Barding Songs that keep the Bard occupied with buffing the group. Maybe something with stances, or at least similar to them. Keep some spells (either as encounter or daily, plus potentially ritual caster as class ability).
Barding Songs
You can perform bardic songs, that magically affect friends and foes. To maintain a bardic song, you must be able to sing or play an instrument. To start a bardic song, you must spend a minor action, and you can end it as a free action. You can maintain only one bardic song at a time.
While you are performing a bardic song, you and your allies gain a +2 bonus to defense and saving throws against charm and fear attacks.
Inspire Courage: At the start of their turn, bloodied allies gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier. In addtion, all allies gain a +2 powerbonus to attack rolls while not bloodied.
Dirge of War: When attacking bloodied enemies, your allies inflict extra damage equal to your Charisma modifier. When attacking unbloodied enemies, they gain a +2 power bonus to attack rolls.
Ballad of Heroes: During your turn, as a standard action you can pick one ally to perform a basic attack as a free action or spend a move action to let them move their speed. If that ally deals damage during your turn, they may add your Charisma modifier to the damage. If they don't, they gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier.
Song of Sirens: Enemies that do not end their turn adjacent to you take psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier. Your allies gain a +2 power bonus to attack rolls against enemies adjacent to yo.
Cacaphony of Horrors: When an enemy ends their turn adjacent to you, they take psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier. Your allies gain a +2 power bonus to attack rolls against enemies not adjacent to you.