jasin
Explorer
Both the PHB flavour text and the common wisdom call the D&D bard a jack
of all trades.
But the spell list says something like jack of social interaction and
buffing. It's very focused, very non-jack-of-all-trade-like, and behind
a weaker than a dedicated caster even in this specialty.
So, I've been thinking about a few ideas intended to make a bard much
more versatile, and also a little bit more powerful.
The first, simpler idea is to allow bards to choose their spells from
any spell list, including the current bardic list, for their spells
known. What's wrong with a 7th-level bard casting fireball? He's doing
it once per day. At the same time the sorcerer is doing it 5 times per
day; the wizard, 3 times per day, and casting a 4th-level spell or two
on top of that.
The staggered spell progression already covers the "master of none"
aspect of a jack of all trades, even without the restricted list, so
maybe the list shouldn't be restricted?
Less radical (and perhaps even more interesting) would be to allow the
bards to pick one spell at each level from any list, with the rest of
the spells coming from the normal bard list. There's less possibility
for abusive combos and it keeps the general morale
officer/diviner/enchanter flavour of the spell list; but it gives some
additional power and versatility, and better distinguishes individual
bards from each other.
The other, more complex idea is inspired by abilities the artificer base
class from Eberrong Campaign Setting, and also the way limited wish
makes a sorcerer who has it a jack of all trades, master of none, by
enabling him to do cast any spell (up to 5th-level) in the game... at
the cost of 300 XP and a 7th-level slot, which keeps him from outshining
all the other casters which have a lesser selection and/or prepare in
advance, but pay 5th-level slots for 5th-level spells.
Imagine if bards had a wish-like spell for each level. The 9th-level
wish can mimic any 8th-level Sor/Wiz spell and any 7th-level spell. The
7th-level limited wish can mimic any 6th-level Sor/Wiz spell and any
5th-level spell. So why not a 3rd-level wish for 2nd and 1st level
spells?
In exchange for not having to pay XP for these mini-miracles, the bard
loses the ability to cast any other spells, so he'll be always spending
slot for less than they're worth, for example 6th-level slots on 5th-
level spells.
Also, drawing inspiration from the artificer's spell storing item
infusion which allows you to create a temporary one-shot item of any
spell 4th-level or lower in the game with 1 minute of casting, an UMD
check, and a little XP, require perform checks for bard to perform his
mini-miracles, and extend normal casting times. The intended flavour is
the bard creating healing, or scrying, or shaping stone through the
power of his performance. Not normally something you'd do in combat, but
see below.
So, say you can spend a bardic spell slot to cast any spell from any
list of appropriate level, with a casting time of 1 minute (or higher,
if the normal casting time is higher); or any spell that's one level
lower, with it's normal casting time.
Both uses would require perform checks, DC 20 + 3 x spell level. A
failed check doesn't use up a slot, just means you have to try again.
That means that out of combat, it won't matter often (but it might:
there's a difference between needing 1 minute and 2 minutes to cast a
second heroism while the first is already running...) In combat: take a
10th-level bard, Skill Focus, Cha 20. Perform +21, which means he'll
need 8 on a d20 to cast fireball with his one 4th-level slot. At the
time the sorcerer's casting Empowered fireballs. I don't think it will
detract from the sorc's fun.
Where it might be broken is the incredible versatility of effectively
having access to *any* spell of any level of which you have unused
slots. Will the party cleric ever prepare remove curse or invisibility
purge, if the bard can produce them as needed? OTOH, the staggered spell
progression is still there, meaning that it takes a 7th-level bard to
sing a remove curse song, while your typical 5th-level cleric can remove
two curses per day...
Also, it takes 5th-level slots, at 13th-level, for this bard to outpace
what the artificer can do with spell storing item. The XP costs for SSI
are almost negligible and the artificer can mimic 4th-level spells at
8th level already (if he can make the DC 32 UMD check, which is a bit
unlikely, but possible), and the artificer can also do all sorts of
stuff besides.
There's all sorts of alternatives possible: instead of requiring higher
level slots for combat-usable (i.e. normal) casting time, increase
perform DCs, or impose and XP cost, or a cost in bardic music. Allow
spending bardic music uses for bonuses on the perform check, for those
really really important spells...
But that's fiddling that should really be left for later. What I'd like
to know is if anyone likes the general idea (making the bard the jack of
all trades the flavour text suggest he is by radically expanding his
magical options), and your opinions about this implementation: on the
right track, good idea but needs fixing, good idea but unworkable...?
of all trades.
But the spell list says something like jack of social interaction and
buffing. It's very focused, very non-jack-of-all-trade-like, and behind
a weaker than a dedicated caster even in this specialty.
So, I've been thinking about a few ideas intended to make a bard much
more versatile, and also a little bit more powerful.
The first, simpler idea is to allow bards to choose their spells from
any spell list, including the current bardic list, for their spells
known. What's wrong with a 7th-level bard casting fireball? He's doing
it once per day. At the same time the sorcerer is doing it 5 times per
day; the wizard, 3 times per day, and casting a 4th-level spell or two
on top of that.
The staggered spell progression already covers the "master of none"
aspect of a jack of all trades, even without the restricted list, so
maybe the list shouldn't be restricted?
Less radical (and perhaps even more interesting) would be to allow the
bards to pick one spell at each level from any list, with the rest of
the spells coming from the normal bard list. There's less possibility
for abusive combos and it keeps the general morale
officer/diviner/enchanter flavour of the spell list; but it gives some
additional power and versatility, and better distinguishes individual
bards from each other.
The other, more complex idea is inspired by abilities the artificer base
class from Eberrong Campaign Setting, and also the way limited wish
makes a sorcerer who has it a jack of all trades, master of none, by
enabling him to do cast any spell (up to 5th-level) in the game... at
the cost of 300 XP and a 7th-level slot, which keeps him from outshining
all the other casters which have a lesser selection and/or prepare in
advance, but pay 5th-level slots for 5th-level spells.
Imagine if bards had a wish-like spell for each level. The 9th-level
wish can mimic any 8th-level Sor/Wiz spell and any 7th-level spell. The
7th-level limited wish can mimic any 6th-level Sor/Wiz spell and any
5th-level spell. So why not a 3rd-level wish for 2nd and 1st level
spells?
In exchange for not having to pay XP for these mini-miracles, the bard
loses the ability to cast any other spells, so he'll be always spending
slot for less than they're worth, for example 6th-level slots on 5th-
level spells.
Also, drawing inspiration from the artificer's spell storing item
infusion which allows you to create a temporary one-shot item of any
spell 4th-level or lower in the game with 1 minute of casting, an UMD
check, and a little XP, require perform checks for bard to perform his
mini-miracles, and extend normal casting times. The intended flavour is
the bard creating healing, or scrying, or shaping stone through the
power of his performance. Not normally something you'd do in combat, but
see below.
So, say you can spend a bardic spell slot to cast any spell from any
list of appropriate level, with a casting time of 1 minute (or higher,
if the normal casting time is higher); or any spell that's one level
lower, with it's normal casting time.
Both uses would require perform checks, DC 20 + 3 x spell level. A
failed check doesn't use up a slot, just means you have to try again.
That means that out of combat, it won't matter often (but it might:
there's a difference between needing 1 minute and 2 minutes to cast a
second heroism while the first is already running...) In combat: take a
10th-level bard, Skill Focus, Cha 20. Perform +21, which means he'll
need 8 on a d20 to cast fireball with his one 4th-level slot. At the
time the sorcerer's casting Empowered fireballs. I don't think it will
detract from the sorc's fun.
Where it might be broken is the incredible versatility of effectively
having access to *any* spell of any level of which you have unused
slots. Will the party cleric ever prepare remove curse or invisibility
purge, if the bard can produce them as needed? OTOH, the staggered spell
progression is still there, meaning that it takes a 7th-level bard to
sing a remove curse song, while your typical 5th-level cleric can remove
two curses per day...
Also, it takes 5th-level slots, at 13th-level, for this bard to outpace
what the artificer can do with spell storing item. The XP costs for SSI
are almost negligible and the artificer can mimic 4th-level spells at
8th level already (if he can make the DC 32 UMD check, which is a bit
unlikely, but possible), and the artificer can also do all sorts of
stuff besides.
There's all sorts of alternatives possible: instead of requiring higher
level slots for combat-usable (i.e. normal) casting time, increase
perform DCs, or impose and XP cost, or a cost in bardic music. Allow
spending bardic music uses for bonuses on the perform check, for those
really really important spells...
But that's fiddling that should really be left for later. What I'd like
to know is if anyone likes the general idea (making the bard the jack of
all trades the flavour text suggest he is by radically expanding his
magical options), and your opinions about this implementation: on the
right track, good idea but needs fixing, good idea but unworkable...?
