D&D 5E Bard exists, now make YOUR Bard. (+)

[Aldarc]

Maybe not a 1-to-1 correspondence, but building a class around each spell school, with their own unique class powers and spell casting methods would be an interesting project.

I would probably just combine a few. For example, an Enchanter-Illusionist would work for a practitioner of "fey magic" or even a "psychic." A bard could be a subclass thereof. Divination-Abjuration would work pretty well for a white mage. Conjuration-Necromancy could just become a Summoner, with the subclass determining what flavor (e.g., Undead, Elementals, Angels, Demons, etc.).

 

[ezo]

What role do you see them covering? there's a big drop in power going from full caster to half, how are they making that up?

Again, they are playing next to the existing Bard, they can't be a large nerf. This is some ribbon changes, and a nerf. What is the primary thing they do, mechanically?

Bards should be nerfed, so my bard would be in terms of "raw power".

Anyway... They take the Jack of All Trades concept further, which IMO bards should.

By having more Magical Secrets, they have spell options 5E Bards don't have. And allowing for any choice of tools gives them a bit more utility than "all instrument" Bards of 5E.

Finally, allowing Inspiration as a reaction is a big power gain. No longer does the player have to try to anticipate when an inspiration bonus would be needed. This has been a house-rule in both my groups for years and it makes a big difference!

 

[Meech17]

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.​

I came up playing Everquest where bards' abilities came through songs. They were buffs or de-buffs that lasted while playing the song. You could only play one at a time, but the effects would linger a little once the song ended, 5-10 seconds or so. So good bards could do what they called twisting. Essentially ending one song and beginning another. Then ending the second one and restarting the first one right as the effect wore off, so that the two effects would overlap and you get the benefits of both songs. REALLY GOOD bards could twist more than two songs.. Three or sometimes even four.

I was trying to think of a way to translate this into TTRPG/D&D mechanics. I'd imagine maybe just from leveling up the bard could get the remix ability. At level 4/9/13/17 or something they can begin to perform more than one song at a time. Perhaps they can attempt to twist songs as an ability roll, and on a success both song bonuses are active until the start of their next turn where the first song and it's bonuses fade.

I'm not sure how much fun this would be to play however. Would the player get to perform any other actions during their turn or would it be

"Well I started playing Inspire Courage last turn, and it's still the best option for this turn, so I just keep playing my lute" because that sounds flavorful, but boring

 

[TwoSix]

I would probably just combine a few. For example, an Enchanter-Illusionist would work for a practitioner of "fey magic" or even a "psychic." A bard could be a subclass thereof. Divination-Abjuration would work pretty well for a white mage. Conjuration-Necromancy could just become a Summoner, with the subclass determining what flavor (e.g., Undead, Elementals, Angels, Demons, etc.).

Working out 4 combinations of 2 schools to make 4 classes is a pretty fun exercise in and of itself.

 

[steeldragons]

Bards are the chroniclers, lorekeeping historians, magic-working poets, and emissaries/arbiters that they traditionally and historically (in Celtic legend), were.

Their role is not super-magical casting guy akin to Wizards. Though there certainly is some of that. Full caster is definitely out.

Their role, despite the myriad stories of rake-ish lying/trickery (not to mention womanizing and adbuction) schemes, is not stealthy skill-monkey guy akin to Rogues. Though there certainly is some of that. Super-skills guy competent at anything is out.

Their role does seem to include competent warriors, in their own right, though not necessarily "leaders" or "great" warriors akin to Fighters/Knights/Warlords. So their armor and weapon selections seem fine, for the most part. A prohibition on shields, for free hands to either play instrument or cast spells, makes sense.

They recite poems of history and myth to Evoke (call out) emotions: to calm, to love, to sorrow, to fascinate, to incite. They sing songs of legend and power to INvoke (call upon/call down) magic from the world around them (in my world/game, that's capital-N "Nature"), from the winds and trees, waves and stones, animals and people. They are (what my world/game classify as) Mystics, akin to Clerics and, historically relevant, to Druids.

Bards:
Prime abilities: Wisdom (cuz Mystic class) & Charisma (cuz it's their inteactions bread n' butter) Personally, I'd also add Dex, for the instrument playing, roguey skill/sleight of hand bits, useful for AC/saves.

• Profs: Wis & Cha saves. Light or medium armors. No shields. Any Simple or Ranged, and single-handed Martial weapons. Lap Harp,, Lute, or Lyre are the only necessary instrument a Bard start with and need ever know. Though many study/pick up additional instruments, by choice, for more possible options to perform their magic and channel.
• Key Mechanic (as other Mystic classes): Channel. - In my game, I just have them "Channel Nature" (like Druids). But for a hypothetic 5e Bard, let's call it tapping into "the Cosmic Symphony" or "Songs of Creation" or some such. Channels require voice or instrument, if not both.
  • Channel powers: Inspire Competency/Courage/Greatness (combat/action buffs), Rally/Demoralize (initiative and save buffs/debuffs), Fascinate (ye olde original Bard trick of mesmerizing in-combat targets or non-combat crowds), Countercharm, Befriend/Command Nature (calm/control animals, plants, eventually magical beasts, elementals, and fae), Legend Lore (access cosmic knowledge about ancient/myths/legendary stuff) and Shapeshifting.
• Half-caster (like all Mystics in my game). Spell progression is half-caster. Get a few Cantrips out the gate. Let's say, "Choose 3 cantrips from any spell list at 1st level, add 1 at 4th and 10th." At will casting. No problem.
  • Bardic Magic: Spellcasting Ability: Charisma. Bardic Magic is enacted by "Spell songs." Voice or Instrument (1st and 2nd level spells), if not both (3rd level or higher) and a minimal 1 round of performance "casting" per every 2 spell levels are required before the spell takes effect, at end of the round. (One round to effect 1st or 2nd level spells. Two rounds for 3rd or 4th level spells. Three rounds for 5th and 6th level spells. Bards do not receive spells beyond 6th.). Spell list is primarily Enchantments and Nature-base "field control" spells, secondary Illusion and minor Healing/removing conditions, shapechanging and some conjuring at higher-levels. Leans into Utility and interactive. "Flashy" Visuals are fine (useful for a "show"), but not much on the "blasty" spells.
• Jack-of-all-trades applies to Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Deception, Gather Information. Options for picking up kits/tools through the levels. Some feature to descipher the gist of unknown languages, overheard or written.
• Loremaster: Nature and History Lores automatic. Gain additional Lores and Languages as level up. Something like "Magic Secrets" feature falls in here too. Just a few "any spell list" songs they've discerned and/or composed.

Sample Bardic Magic Spell List (off the top of my head):
1st tier Bard spells: Charm Person/Animal, Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Disguise Self, Dissonant Whispers, Entangle, Fog Cloud, Sleep, Healing Word, Speak with Animals, Thunderwave
2nd tier Bard spells: Alter Self, Calm Emotions, Crown of Madness, Gust of Wind, Hold Person, Lesser Restoration, Locate Animals/Plants/Object, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force, Shatter, Silence, Suggestion
3rd tier Bard Spells: Bestow/Remove Curse, Call Lightning, Counterspell, Hypnotic Pattern, Major Image, Nondetection, Phantom Steed, Speak with Dead, Speak with Plants, Stinking Cloud, Tongues, Wind Wall
4th tier Bard spells: Arcane Eye, Banishment, Confusion, Conjure Woodland Beings, Control Water, Faithful Hound, Free Movement, Halluncinatory Terrain, Mass Healing Word, Polmorph
5th tier Bard spells: Awaken, Commune with Nature, Conjure Elemental, Dominate Person, Insect Plague, Mass Cure Wounds, Modify Memory, Seeming
6th tier Bard spells: Conjure Fey, Find the Path, Heroes' Feast, Irrestible Dance, Mass Suggestion, True Seeing, Wall of Thorns, Wind Walk

I'd probably flesh out the Bard Spell List (or create channels or magic secrets) for some additional/Bard specific flavor, like: "Sonic Spray," "Harmonious Chorus," "Despairing Dirge," "Sharp Chords," etc...

 

[GreyLord]

I feel that traditionally, at least during the TSR years, the Bard was more of a Jack of All Trades. It could fill in for many different classes, but was never the premier class that was the master of most of those abilities.

They could fight decently well and fill in for a fighter (but could never be as good as a pure fighter after they became a Bard), or decently do a Rogue's job (but, as with the fighter, once they became a Bard, they didn't advance anymore in their Thieves Skills so were not going to be better than a Thief or Rogue). They could either cast Druidic spells or Wizard Spells (Depending on the edition) but not to the level of the Druid or Wizard itself. They were a good class to fill in for another or cover several classes if a party needed it.

The 3.X bard did this to a degree as well. I don't feel it was as strong or did as good a job of it as 1e or 2e, but the idea was still there.

They started to focus more on the music arena of the Bard (which, albeit from our stereotype ideas of what a Bard was, makes sense, but not from a HISTORICAL sense...Bards were not simply performers that used music and such).

5e seems to have tripled down on this and made it so that many Dramatic arts players want to play them.

Personally, I feel that D&D NEEDS more of a Jack of all-trades type class (Jack of all trades, master of none) which can be a basic stereotype in most fantasy or sci-fi type ideas.

 

[GreyLord]

Bards are the chroniclers, lorekeeping historians, magic-working poets, and emissaries/arbiters that they traditionally and historically (in Celtic legend), were.

Their role is not super-magical casting guy akin to Wizards. Though there certainly is some of that. Full caster is definitely out.

Their role, despite the myriad stories of rake-ish lying/trickery (not to mention womanizing and adbuction) schemes, is not stealthy skill-monkey guy akin to Rogues. Though there certainly is some of that. Super-skills guy competent at anything is out.

Their role does seem to include competent warriors, in their own right, though not necessarily "leaders" or "great" warriors akin to Fighters/Knights/Warlords. So their armor and weapon selections seem fine, for the most part. A prohibition on shields, for free hands to either play instrument or cast spells, makes sense.

They recite poems of history and myth to Evoke (call out) emotions: to calm, to love, to sorrow, to fascinate, to incite. They sing songs of legend and power to INvoke (call upon/call down) magic from the world around them (in my world/game, that's capital-N "Nature"), from the winds and trees, waves and stones, animals and people. They are (what my world/game classify as) Mystics, akin to Clerics and, historically relevant, to Druids.

That seems more of the true historical ideas of what Bards were, rather than what D&D has portrayed them as.

Some of them WERE rather great warriors, though some had the ability to do some interesting trickery to enemies and such.

Homer would probably be what some may consider a Bard and the way he portrayed Odysseus is probably much like what one may envision a Bard in many ways as well. D&D players probably wouldn't think that Odysseus is a Bard, but in some ways he is portrayed in much they way one may see a historical/mythological character as such.

 

[Vaalingrade]

So, a question:

For those of you who included 'half caster'... why?

Historically, I've found half casters to be a consistent disappointment; never getting enough other options to make the loss of the top three spell levels worth it, and the progression gets screwed up because the spells rarely have their levels adjusted so you get them at the level where they're useful. I remember my 3x bards always getting hold or dominate monster months after the wizard was able to get them.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

So, a question:

For those of you who included 'half caster'... why?

Historically, I've found half casters to be a consistent disappointment; never getting enough other options to make the loss of the top three spell levels worth it, and the progression gets screwed up because the spells rarely have their levels adjusted so you get them at the level where they're useful. I remember my 3x bards always getting hold or dominate monster months after the wizard was able to get them.

because i think trying to make a casting-focused half caster work as well as a full caster could be an interesting thought experiment, mostly.

 

[Quickleaf]

My bard is an elf, his name is Belf son of Snarf. @Snarf Zagyg