Bards and Hierophant Druids

[steeldragons]

Well, if we are following the rules, isn't there something about the druid's fighting their way up (I think from 9th on?) to Great Druid at 16th. Then you have to be a 16th level druid for something like a half million XP (no, that's not hyperbole) before you can "choose a successor" and become a Hierophant druid.

So...as a Bard, you get to 9th level, if you are trying to become a Hierophant Druid, you need to need to start fighting your way UP the proverbial chain of command...not just "get a Bard level, "I'm a 10th level druid now!" Get another level, "I'm 11th level in Druidic hierarchy!"

No. You're an 11th level Bard, not an 11th level Druid.

IOW, No Hierophant for you! <pulls away bowl of mistletoe and holly>

 

[mach1.9pants]

Alas, the chance of me playing that at all is remote these days.

I hear you!

 

[ccs]

Holy crap. It DOES say that, doesn't it? I was about to quote you chapter and verse saying you're wrong and that Bards are stupidly OP as it is without giving them full druid abilities on top of the spells... But it... Wow. That is just insane. Not that I ever saw anyone run a bard in 40 years, or if _I_ ever did "allow" them in my own campaigns nobody ever actually went for it. Mostly I just said, "Ain't happening twinkletoes," disallowing the class flat-out and all was right with the world. That's just sick though and I never noticed it until now.

Now I almost want to run a bard in some poor, unsuspecting DM's 1E game and just abuse the snot out of it all, since they're, like, TWICE as munchkin as I ever thought they were...

Well to be fair you probably never saw a bard get played because it required you to switch classes 3 or so times. And about the time you could actually switch to "Bard"? The campaign would end.
So no real worries about ever seeing a hierophant powered bard as that'd be like another million xp further down the road - that your not traveling on anyways.