How do you justify the bard's abilities?

[DragoonLance]

Deliverance? I expected Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny!

 

[On Puget Sound]

2 answers:
1) [ The Challenges of Zona ] Just another WordPress weblog » Archive » Page 214

2)One way I describe the reliably fatal Vicious Mockery from our gnome (inspired by Terry Pratchett):

When the Gods spoke the World into being, their words became rock and river, beast and tree, star and sky and all the things we see. Everything that is real began as a word, and remains real only because the Gods remember those words.

But Gods are busy, and remembering every blade of grass, every grain of sand, is tiresome even to the infinite, so they put lesser servants in charge of remembering the words to keep everything in existence. And these servants can be distracted. A clever bard can sometimes persuade the powers that a particular being is insignificant, that forgetting about it would not harm the fabric of reality. And so the word is forgotten, and the being...

doesn't exactly die, or disappear. It just loses its importance to anything else. It can no longer be heard or seen, or affect anything, unless someone makes a particular effort to notice it. And of course, since it is unimportant, no one does.

So he kills things with VM by persuading the universe that they don't matter any more.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I think the bard song should just be one of many things bards do - and I also think bard song should be more then just for buffing. Why do I like and hate the level 20 cap on bards so much? Because it's so rich with what could be awesome, only to be dragged down by "lol bards have to perform."

I think it is intended to be. The rest of bardsong is, however, covered by their casting. Which is why bards can't cast silently. All bards having to perform means is that whatever bards do, they need to do with style. (Perform (Oratory) goes a long way). "We few, we happy few. We band of brothers."

Take away the performance part, and instead make it a curse. It's still fitting with bards! Instead of tra-la-laing their way to the enemy's death, they point an accusing finger at them and chant out ancient words of hate and bile, causing them to die as they stare. Look at truenaming - that's as bardic as it gets!

Absolutely. Which is why I'm disappointed there wasn't far more guidance on making bardic casting fluff differently from normal casting even if thematically it was almost the same.

And agreed on putting the damn lute away. Or at the very least saving it for taverns and charming your way into bedrooms. Chanting, war drums, calling down lightning with steampunk electric guitars, making the foe's ears bleed. No more damn lutes!

 

[Nebulous]

I sort of have to agree with the OP, the flavor of a bard has never, ever settled well with me. Anyone who has dedicated their life to singing and writing poetry should not be at the forefront of a battle. It just comes across as silly, far sillier than a monk in a medieval setting IMO.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I love the bard. Everything I could want to say has been said above by ohers so I'l just stick to: I love the bard. They are fun to play and great to have on the team. And I loves me some Celtic and Kalevalean* goodness.

*yeah I know, no such word.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Anyone who has dedicated their life to singing and writing poetry should not be at the forefront of a battle. It just comes across as silly, far sillier than a monk in a medieval setting IMO.

A bard of literature and philosophy: "...then pursued a military career, becoming Colonel of a Dragoon regiment, and fighting in the Seven Years' War."

Another writer: "...before leaving for the Italian front to become an ambulance driver during World War I; he was seriously wounded and returned home within the year. ...after World War II, during which he was present at D-Day and the liberation of Paris."

What kind of singing Bard would ever fight in battle, though, right?.

I mean, surely none of the Bards that inspired the creation of the fantasy genre ever did anything like that.

Maybe when I have free time, I can find some more examples. If those aren't enough, though, you're probably beyond convincing anyway.

 

[Wepwawet]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t72GyI2AG-I[/ame]

Watch especially from 2'25''

EDIT: What I want to say is that it's all just a question of imagination. "A Wizard Did It™" always works too.

 

[Garthanos]

And I loves me some Celtic and Kalevalean* goodness.

*yeah I know, no such word.

I love made up words... Suessianisms rock ;-p

 

[TarionzCousin]

Bards make great villains though, even when they're not actually villains.

Just put a bard NPC in a dungeon and have him sing and dance when the PC's show up. Even if keeping that one poncy lutist alive wins D&D forever they won't be able to stop themselves from killing him.

 

[Garthanos]

I think Monty Python must have too much influence.