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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BSF" data-source="post: 1453386" data-attributes="member: 13098">Player:  I cast a fireball.  DM:  OK, what's the DC?  Roll damage.Player:  DC is 18.  *rolls dice*  10d6 = 42 points of damage.  Better than average!DM:  OK, the monster saves and takes half damage.C'mon Curtis, that's just as bland.  Or, it is just as exciting, depending on who is playing and if they are having fun.  Bards are not combat strong.  It is arguable that they are more versatile in a group, but that really depends on the build and what else is available.  Mechanically, Bards can be the weakest character in the party.  Still, I enjoy playing a bard.  Over the past couple of years, I have gone to great pains to explain my bard's "magic" and abilities to the rest of the group.  I have integrated this all with the DM's game world so it all meshes and explains why my magic functions differently than a sorceror's.  This is fairly easy to figure out once you realize that the DM long ago lifted whole portions of the Silmarillion.  With a creation story like that, it is very easy to play a bard.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  Anyway, Stephen is the diplomat, and the performer.  You know, the stereotype.  He also has several knowledge skills.  Being an organic character, he has some unusual and very sub-optimal choices.  He fits the game very well, but I suspect that a number of people would tear apart his choices for skills/feats as being "wasted."  Stephen also fills in a number of support roles for the group.  He just keeps the wheels oiled, in a manner of speaking.  Healing where necessary; a little front line support with the monk to give the Ranger (Archery based), the Druid and the Wizard time to hit something from a distance; non-combat resolution to an encounter; all sorts of little things.  We use a web forum between sessions and I have a blast writing up all sorts of elaborate stories about what he is doing in taverns, or wherever, with his music.  I have the Enchiridion of Mystic Music and have additional music abilities that are not in the PHB.  In short, I have a fun time playing him.  It's hard to squeeze nearly three years of characterization into a single post with any meaningful information.Anyway, to address one of your primary perceptions on the bard, it can seem silly to be singing in combat.  But, there are many songs that use a cadence.  This is useful, particularly in melee, because it helps keep the mind focused on swinging the sword/axe/maul/whatever.  The archer finds that he is shooting his arrows just as the monk draws out the opponent just a little too far.  With that cadence, fatigue doesn't set in as quickly.  Or, you can go another route and the song is so bloodthirsty that it rouses primal urges and incites your friends into a more passionate offense/defense.  With the Enchiridion of Mystic Music, you can also use Bardic Music to give your allies a Barbarian-style Rage.  Or, your bard is singing in combat and is so fearless that his courage (foolishness?) inspires his allies.  Perhaps your bard's faith in his/her companions is so strong that they feel it and are spurred on because of it. It all depends on how you want to play it.  Description is the key, just as it is in everything else.</blockquote>

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