Gonna play a bard in the Forgotten Realms...

[blackshirt5]

Need advice just in general on how to play him(especially in the Realms). I was thinking of making him like Henry Rollins(the comedian and singer), big, built, tattooed, and self-deprecating. Being a singer and a joker are definitely in, and I was probably gonna focus him on hand to hand combat, with the ability to charm the hell outta people.

Any advice on playing a bard? I've run them as NPCs before, but not much, so I haven't had much experience with them.

 

[Henry]

If there is one class that you can have fun with in a Realms game, it is a Bard. A Dungeon Master would have to really try not to dig up histories, songs, and ancient stories for your character to delve into. A Bard in Faerun is a Walking Adventure Hook.

The important thing to decide is: Am I to be a pure bard, or am I to multiclass. To go the two-fisted combat route, you need levels in either fighter or barbarian, prefereably fighter. You also might con your DM into allowing you to either take some martial-arts type feats from other sources, or to take some levels in Monk, if your DM is willing to alter the requirements to do so.

Otherwise, the Bard in combat is mainly in a support role, but is fantastic to play in a roleplaying situation. In combat, a pure bard should focus on singing to aid others, charming tough combatants, and if necessary healing allies that are severly wounded.

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

I think you're off to a good start. Using Rollins as a base is a nifty way to go.

Just don't use Keith Richards as a role-model for your bard; undead are tough to play.