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Bards - Why do so few people play them?
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<blockquote data-quote="Number47" data-source="post: 590654" data-attributes="member: 84"><p>Those of you who think that bards are weak have never really built one, have you? They are on-par with all the other classes and can be munchkin characters if that's what you're looking for.</p><p></p><p>One of the big things you are all missing is that bards are spontaneous casters. They only cast useful spells, because they don't have to memorize. They also get certain spells at a discounted spell level, notable the information-gathering spells, so they can cast them at about the same character level as a wizard. The Use Magic Device skill is what really brings the bard up to par with the other classes. If you aren't using this, you have a weak bard. The argument that a bard has a weak armor class doesn't fly, because they can use all the same AC boosts that a wizard can. Yes, they may be slightly weaker overall than a cleric, but so is everything else. Especially don't forget that scrolls are cheap, cheap, cheap and the bard can use all of them.</p><p></p><p>Small group: Use Magic Device gives you a person who can use magic items that might otherwise have gone to waste. Don't forget that the bard can even use evil items without penalty as soon as he has a high enough UMD.</p><p></p><p>Large group: Improves all combat with inspire courage. +1 to hit and damage for all allies is not small potatoes. Working with the wizard and/or cleric, the bard can UMD to cast scrolls for spell combos that are not possible for any other class. How about Divine Power/Tenser's Transformation combo? He also makes a good person to get "secondhand" items. When the fighter, wizard, cleric or rogue gets an improved magic item, the bard can almost always use the leftover magic item.</p><p></p><p>Bard is the only class with Speak Language as a class skill. You wouldn't believe how useful it is to speak all known languages.</p><p></p><p>If you know how to make it, you can have a superpowerful bard, if that's important to you.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Number47, post: 590654, member: 84"] Those of you who think that bards are weak have never really built one, have you? They are on-par with all the other classes and can be munchkin characters if that's what you're looking for. One of the big things you are all missing is that bards are spontaneous casters. They only cast useful spells, because they don't have to memorize. They also get certain spells at a discounted spell level, notable the information-gathering spells, so they can cast them at about the same character level as a wizard. The Use Magic Device skill is what really brings the bard up to par with the other classes. If you aren't using this, you have a weak bard. The argument that a bard has a weak armor class doesn't fly, because they can use all the same AC boosts that a wizard can. Yes, they may be slightly weaker overall than a cleric, but so is everything else. Especially don't forget that scrolls are cheap, cheap, cheap and the bard can use all of them. Small group: Use Magic Device gives you a person who can use magic items that might otherwise have gone to waste. Don't forget that the bard can even use evil items without penalty as soon as he has a high enough UMD. Large group: Improves all combat with inspire courage. +1 to hit and damage for all allies is not small potatoes. Working with the wizard and/or cleric, the bard can UMD to cast scrolls for spell combos that are not possible for any other class. How about Divine Power/Tenser's Transformation combo? He also makes a good person to get "secondhand" items. When the fighter, wizard, cleric or rogue gets an improved magic item, the bard can almost always use the leftover magic item. Bard is the only class with Speak Language as a class skill. You wouldn't believe how useful it is to speak all known languages. If you know how to make it, you can have a superpowerful bard, if that's important to you. [/QUOTE]
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