D&D 5E (2014) Low Charisma Lore Bard?

[CTurbo]

It is a random rolled character. We do this from time to time, and have found it to be really fun. This character was just a little less lucky than the others.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

Random is fun sometimes. Good to mix it up. We had a campaign where we numbered 50 different minis 1 to 50 and you rolled randomly to see what your new character was, creating it based off what mini you rolled. That was fun and led to some silly stuff.

 

[Tony Vargas]

There are a lot of spells that don't require a high save DC or attack roll to be effective - even spells that do grant a save can be effective in spite of a low DC, if they have an effect even on success or if you target the right enemies with even poorer saves than your DC (remember, DC will go up with level).

The Bard has so much going for it that being a little gimped in your spell choice may not ruin the character. Valor Bard might be worth considering, though - if your STR or DEX is good enough, you can depend on weapons for part of your offense.

 

[CTurbo]

This character has 18 Dex and Con. When we random rolled, we did not take account for the 4 additional UA colleges so we're likely going to reroll. I agree Valor or Swords would be much better given the stat layout.

But such is the life of random characters. We'll have an 8 Con Paladin, a Minotaur Wizard with 17 Str, 18 Int, and 9 Dex, but for the most part, the rolls were really good, and every character but the Bard got at least a 16 in their most important stat.

 

[transtemporal]

Sounds like a fun character.

If he doesn't mind not being effective and having the group roll their eyes every time he casts a spell, sure it sounds like a fantastic character.

 

[transtemporal]

Are you guys really advocating low score casters? Great advice guys.

This is the bit where you tell me you run these characters "all the time" and how your group ''really really" supports your low score caster roleplaying choice because its soooooo unique and special.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

There's plenty of spells one can take that don't worry about your casting stat. For an offensive caster, I agree a low casting stat is not desirable. But a bard's strength doesn't have to lie in offensive casting.

 

[CydKnight]

I don't see a 12 Charisma as being low. It is above average (10) in the system. It just isn't optimized as high as those that like optimizing would like. I don't think it makes the character useless at all especially being a Bard. Bards do a lot of things fairly well in comparison to other classes with their multiple Proficiencies and Jack-of-all-Trades. They just aren't amazing at all of those things. I see nothing wrong with a character that is pretty good at multiple things without being amazing at any.

 

[Bradley Hindman]

If he doesn't mind not being effective and having the group roll their eyes every time he casts a spell, sure it sounds like a fantastic character.

Well, if your only metric for fun is combat optimization, then I agree with you. However, as many aspects of play other than straight butt-kicking make the game fun for me, then yes, it sounds like a fun character.



(Edited to add the missing quote)

 

[Xeviat]

This reminds me how I've always wanted the Bard to be an Int caster and be a "half-wizard". Maybe it's because I was introduced to the class through Baldur's Gate and they cast wizard spells. But it fits the concept to me. Bards are knowledge seekers. They collect stories. They learn a little bit of everything. Wizard magic just requires study, so they pick it up. But it would make them really MAD, unless there was a firm separation from smart lore bards and inspiring valor bards.


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