D&D (2024) Playtest 6: Bard

[Chaosmancer]

Cordoning them off to be a master of one of three trades goes against the spirit of them being a jack of them all. The bard to me is a character who ignores the boring lecture about the grand taxonomy of magical types and just picks up the smattering of spells that suits his needs.

Which is exactly what this bard does?

They aren't masters of divine magic. They don't get the smite spells, lay on hands, channel divinity or the ability to change their spells every long rest. They have just picked up a handful of divine spells that are useful to their needs. And many of these spells are cross-disciplinary anyways. Detect Magic is on all three lists, Purify Food and Drink is primal/divine. Thunderwave is arcane/primal.

They spend 10 levels dabbling in one of the pools, then figure out that all three pools are connected and become a true jack of all magic. And instead you want them to have a bard list that is the only list bard's can have, that is limited to bards, because that is somehow more transgressive and unique than starting with a completely different spell list than the bard sitting next to you, and eventually learning how to access all of magic? A bard spell list is a TERRIBLE way to represent what you want, and the only way this could be a better version was if they could access all the lists sooner, which I think would be a bit too much.

(Note: Huh. Enhance Ability is primal only now. Didn't notice that before)

Interesting take. A good historian should also be multidisciplinary.

And these bards are the ultimate in being multidisciplinary, just not from level 1.

 

[WanderingMystic]

Can someone explain why people think Agile Strikes is a good ability. This only works when you expend a bardic inspiration, not when you give someone a bardic inspiration die and since you can not give yourself bardic inspiration the only time you can ever use this ability is when you use inspiring movement

 

[renbot]

Can someone explain why people think Agile Strikes is a good ability. This only works when you expend a bardic inspiration, not when you give someone a bardic inspiration die and since you can not give yourself bardic inspiration the only time you can ever use this ability is when you use inspiring movement

Same. I kept thinking I was missing something. I mean, the dance bard is pretty great overall so that ability, already limited by number of BIs, doesn't have to be amazeballs. But I did expect there to be more than one circumstance where it is useable. Maybe they will change it to "when you grant or expend a BI..."?

Including this in the feedback for sure.

EDIT: wanted to say this before someone beat me to it: being able to use Agile Strikes for free when granting a BI as a BA might be a bit overtuned once Font of Inspiration kicks in. Especially given the stated concerns regarding the dance bard being a better monk than the monk!

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

This only works when you expend a bardic inspiration, not when you give someone a bardic inspiration die

I know it says 'this Inspiration die gets expended when it gets rolled', but that is not the reference point, thank you WotC's natural language. You expend bardic inspiration uses when you gift the die in the first place.

So any time you grant inspiration in combat, you can punch a dude.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Especially given the stated concerns regarding the dance bard being a better monk than the monk!

That part's hyperbole, but the sad state of Monk does mean that a full caster getting to do your thing in some measure (even if it is just max 5 times per short rest) just feels super-bad.

Rangers versus Valor Bard with Primal access is a lot better case of the full caster just doing everything better.

 

[Marandahir]

That part's hyperbole, but the sad state of Monk does mean that a full caster getting to do your thing in some measure (even if it is just max 5 times per short rest) just feels super-bad.

Rangers versus Valor Bard with Primal access is a lot better case of the full caster just doing everything better.

Primal Valour Bard lacks fighting styles, weapon mastery, Hunter's Mark, favoured terrain, Zeldaesque stamina exploration features, Conjure Barrage and Conjure Volley, Blindsight, BA Invisibility Mod/Rest, not to mention subclass features that Ranger gets but the Bard is foregoing because it's semi-Martial capacity is only provided to it by its subclass.

The classes are fundamentally different, and that's okay. You might seem a little like a Ranger, but you lack a lot of the Exploration Tier functionality that lies at the core of what make the Ranger a Ranger.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

You might seem a little like a Ranger, but you lack a lot of the Exploration Tier functionality that lies at the core of what make the Ranger a Ranger.

You are a full caster with access to the same Primal spells. Who also happens to have expertise in 2-4 skills vs Ranger's 1 expertise pick.

It's not the Ranger who has exploration functionality here.

(If you feel like you're missing out on weapon mastery + fighting style, take 1 level in Fighter. Or just cast Conjure Animals.)

 

[Weiley31]

I still wouldn't mind if Bards got a Holy/Primal Order choice like the Cleric/Druid, but Songs instead.

Heck, I'm a bit sad the Healing songs and what not aren't there. Songs could've been similar to Cleric's Domain Spells, Warlock's Patron Spells, etc etc.

 

[Weiley31]

College of Dance Bard is the Bladesinger. Minus the Bladesong.

Also, if you've played Final Fantasy XVI, then you know EXACTLY how the Dance Bard's unarmed attacks work visually in a way.

 

[Parmandur]

I still wouldn't mind if Bards got a Holy/Primal Order choice like the Cleric/Druid, but Songs instead.

Heck, I'm a bit sad the Healing songs and what not aren't there. Songs could've been similar to Cleric's Domain Spells, Warlock's Patron Spells, etc etc.

They do, they get to choose their Spell list. That makes a huge difference in terms of what they can do.