D&D 5E Bards: How did these become a thing?
Eh. Kvothe used music as a PTSD coping mechanism, rather than a class feature
Kvothe definitely fits the bard structure tho. Adventurer, healer, musician, magician, thief all in one package. It's taking too long for the next book.
I would also consider Brom from Eragon to fit the bard archetype. He would be more of a valor bard who participates in swordplay and magic. What really drives the character home as a bard is he's a story teller providing training and guidance after inspiring a young hero with his stories. A bard training a hero for destiny is classic for bards. It's Merlinesque.
Warunsun
First Post
I played a first edition bard once. It was a pain back then with the original dual-classing rules.
Players nowadays may not remember this but The Bard's Tale also inspired people to play bards because those bard songs were damn useful!
I played the heck out of this series on my Commodore 64 then later again in my IBM PCs.
It was a pain back then with the original dual-classing rules.Players nowadays may not remember this but The Bard's Tale also inspired people to play bards because those bard songs were damn useful!
I played the heck out of this series on my Commodore 64 then later again in my IBM PCs.
The Grassy Gnoll
Explorer
Fighters are guitarists. Barbarians are drummers. Rangers are bassists. The collected variations of magic-users are the (pyro)techies. Thieves are the roadies. Warlocks are the weirdo fans. Sorcerers are the stoner/acid casualty fans. Paladins and Clerics are the guys outside in sandals and placards. Druids are the dealers. And... Bards are the lead singers.
Bards get laid.
Bards get laid.
Jester David
Hero
Thematically, I think people get too hung up on the "traveling performer" concept, when bards can be so much more than that. The historical origin's been mentioned already, but there's also a lot of examples of bards in mythology that fit a variety of unique concepts but are still pretty distinctly "bard" in my opinion:
Sirens of Greek mythology used songs to charm men (Lore Bards of the sea). Odysseus himself would have been a Valor Bard more than anything; he fights, he leads, he sneaks, he deceives, he charms, and he's basically the best storyteller in the world. The Pied Piper of Hamelin used music to catch rats (and then children when he didn't get paid); fits thematically with nature, plague/necrotic spells, or possibly religious fanaticism (the tale is said to symbolize the Children's Crusade). I'm not sure where it comes from, but the "demon fiddler" is a concept I've seen a lot in media, and Tiefling Bards fit it perfectly.
On another level, I feel that D&D is about making giving cool powers to any sort of mundane concept in any given society, and art is pretty central to any culture. Lots of historical wars have involved the use of war drums for morale/marching order, and D&D's bard magic enables that role to provide a more tangible benefit than "we believe in our cause slightly more". Court jesters had a lot of power through their ability to say anything with impunity; they could mock kings and be the comedian who says what everyone's thinking, and the bard class is perfect for that mixture of performance, acrobatics, and wit. I'm personally mulling over a slimy "Hollywood Agent" concept for a character who builds reputations for his clients (adventurers) to get them higher-paying gigs (quests), and then he takes his cut; I can think of no better class for this than Bard, telling far-fetched tales of his clients' exploits in taverns.
Sirens of Greek mythology used songs to charm men (Lore Bards of the sea). Odysseus himself would have been a Valor Bard more than anything; he fights, he leads, he sneaks, he deceives, he charms, and he's basically the best storyteller in the world. The Pied Piper of Hamelin used music to catch rats (and then children when he didn't get paid); fits thematically with nature, plague/necrotic spells, or possibly religious fanaticism (the tale is said to symbolize the Children's Crusade). I'm not sure where it comes from, but the "demon fiddler" is a concept I've seen a lot in media, and Tiefling Bards fit it perfectly.
On another level, I feel that D&D is about making giving cool powers to any sort of mundane concept in any given society, and art is pretty central to any culture. Lots of historical wars have involved the use of war drums for morale/marching order, and D&D's bard magic enables that role to provide a more tangible benefit than "we believe in our cause slightly more". Court jesters had a lot of power through their ability to say anything with impunity; they could mock kings and be the comedian who says what everyone's thinking, and the bard class is perfect for that mixture of performance, acrobatics, and wit. I'm personally mulling over a slimy "Hollywood Agent" concept for a character who builds reputations for his clients (adventurers) to get them higher-paying gigs (quests), and then he takes his cut; I can think of no better class for this than Bard, telling far-fetched tales of his clients' exploits in taverns.
The main thing that annoys me about Bards are that certain combat mechanics are tied to athletics/acrobatics.
And then you have expertise, which IMO is broken combined with Grapple/Shove on Bards, especially when monsters generally don't even get any proficiency bonus to those skills.
Also thematically jujitsu Bards "just cause they're jack of all trades" vexes me greatly.
Other than that, I think they're awesome and have really came into their own in 5e.
And then you have expertise, which IMO is broken combined with Grapple/Shove on Bards, especially when monsters generally don't even get any proficiency bonus to those skills.
Also thematically jujitsu Bards "just cause they're jack of all trades" vexes me greatly.
Other than that, I think they're awesome and have really came into their own in 5e.
To get a handle on what/how to make a "cool" bard character...and some insight for using the archetype in D&D, might I suggest giving this a read...
ExploderWizard
Hero
If you count Europe here on earth during the 16th century as a single civilization then yup. Rapiers were in use as were long swords and even great swords, a notable example being the flamberge of the Landschneckt. All were in use alongside the musket.
D&D takes place in a fantasy world but our own world is pretty cool too.
I believe this sums it up.
http://necrodancer.com/
[video=youtube;Al8TlAtLu2Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al8TlAtLu2Y[/video]
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