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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Peni Griffin" data-source="post: 3391436" data-attributes="member: 50322">If you want a bard in  your game, put some in.  Take care not to make a DMPC, so as not to annoy people; but since you like bards and your players don't see the possibilities, showing them the possibilities is the line of least resistance.  A bardic villain, for instance, has lots of possibilities.  Or how about a wandering bard who turns up periodically to help or hinder them as the situation warrants - somebody equally capable of single-handedly rescuing them from that random encounter that goes horribly wrong or of stealing the credit for great deeds out from under them?  Humanoid foes that appear in large numbers can have bards as support staff, who have bardic-specialized magic items that players crave but can't use to maximum potential.  And so on.It takes a creative person to play a bard effectively - which is appropriate.  At low levels, particularly, they have to be able to think of clever impromptu uses for cantrips, work their skills for all their worth (Mage hand + alchemy = precision alchemist's fire), and stand ready to talk their way out of tricky situations instead of fighting.  Show your players how much fun this sort of play is, and they'll not only be more ready to play bards, they'll start thinking of ways to use their combat monsters more cleverly.A knock-down, drag-out exchange of damage is as boring as tennis with no net.  It's easy, but easy isn't worth anything.</blockquote>

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