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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Apok" data-source="post: 587718" data-attributes="member: 1969">There is a flaw in this logic.  Unless you consider "roleplaying" to mean rolling social skill checks, then the Bard is no better or worse at roleplaying than any other class.  All of the classes are equal when it comes to roleplaying since that is a function of the person playing the character, not the class.  True, D&D isn't just about combat (despite the fact that, according to the rules, combat is the only surefire way to gain xp), but it's the only real standard we have to balance the core classes by.  When you talk about "class balance" you are referring mostly to how well such a class can stand up in combat.  Yes, obviously non-combat skills will come into play here and the Bard does have the advantage in his selection (if not his points) but overall, I'd say that the Bard falls short of being a class that can contribute equally to a battle.  Their Bardic Music abilities are cool (and yes, the Enchiridion of Mystic Music goes a long way towards boosting this aspect) but compared to a Cleric, Bards don't measure up too well in the party-booster scene.  One area where Bards do well is the multiclassing department.  A couple of levels in Bard are great when mixed with Ranger, Fighter, Barbarian, or even Rogue.  Crothian mentioned:"They can fight as well if not better then a rogue or cleric."This statement is just flat untrue unless you are referring to a multiclassed Bard.  Rogues have Sneak Attack which is an awesome advantage in combat (I don't think I need to point out the various "Rogues better than Fighters?!" threads that pop up in Rules from time to time) and Clerics can self-buff themselves to a point where they are at least the equal of, if not better than, a straight-class Fighter.  The Bards music ability helps out at lower levels, but is quickly outmatched by the Clerics boosting spells.  They do get some nice buff-spells of their own, but Bards suffer the problem of arcane spell failure if they wear armor (which blows, and why they gave Bards arcane spellcasting ability AND armor proficiency without somehow reconciling the two, I have no idea).  Clerics don't have this problem.  Basically, you play a Bard because you want to, not because you are going to become the party power-house.  It's a pity that they are so underpowered compared to the other classes combat-wise, but there are several cool spells and PrC's available from 3rd party sources to help boost the Bard.  Look into them.</blockquote>

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