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Message: <blockquote data-quote="IndyPendant" data-source="post: 2494178" data-attributes="member: 8738">Bards don't suck.  (And I am an irrepressable balancer and buffer who's reworked the Sorceror, buffed the Fighter slightly, changed Ranger and Paladin spell progression, etc etc.)  From what I have seen, this seems to be a common misconception spread by people who think that in order to be viable, a class must be 'the best' at something.  That's not what the bard's about.I can't really comment on your changes, other than that I don't like them.  Not because they're too powerful or anything (although they might be) but because the bard's spellcasting is stylish.  They aren't about crack-and-boom, or buffing themselves into combat powerhouses.  They're about enchantments, illusions, subtle party buffs, that sort of thing.  Bards shouldn't be able to Fireball, or Raise Dead, or Righteous Might, for example.I have made some minor changes to bards in my campaigns though: 1) they get Disable Device, Open Lock, Search, and Trapfinding (so they can fill the Rogue roll if need be); 2) their bardsong bonuses are Music bonuses, not Morale bonuses (so they can stack with spells, including some of the best bard buff spells); 3) they gain the Inspire Spellcasting ability at 5th level (+1 caster level to all allies) without having to buy the feat; 4) I've approved Song of the Heart, and created a feat that allows a bard to activate two different bardsongs with a single action; and 5) given them acces to *certain* other spells (not all of them!) that they don't (like mass stat buffs, CMW, etc) that follow their theme.All minor enhancements, all of which (except arguably the trapfinding) fall within the bard's theme.  And none of which I think would be absolutely necessary to balance the class.</blockquote>

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