Tell me about your bards

[CarlZog]

Ahh, the much maligned bard...

I've never played a bard for any extended period of time, nor have bards ever played a significant role in any campaign I ever ran. But lately I started thinking there must be something I'm missing...

If you like bards, have played a lot of bards, or have bards in your campaign, tell me about 'em.

What's their story?
Why do you like them? How do you play them?
What do they contribute to the party? ...to the campaign?
Have you fit them well into combat-oriented adventures? ..strategies? ...tactics?

CZ

 

[Crothian]

What's their story?
Why do you like them? How do you play them?
What do they contribute to the party? ...to the campaign?
Have you fit them well into combat-oriented adventures? ..strategies? ...tactics?

Tag TRister was a farmer by right of birth. He was the oldest of five kids, but slavey over the earth for other people was not what interested him. He ran away and earned a living playing a lute and singing songs all the while learning the tales of legends and the myths of the ages. Story telling came naturally to him and he soon leanred how to influence people by telling certain tales. He knew the stories to rile up the people, and to seduce the ladies. He learned to manipulate and control people's reactions.

Tag was very charimatic person and very sure of himself. He was always in control of a situation, or at least thought it. There was nothing he could not talk hios way out of. WEll, there proved to be many things, but he never believed that he had failed.

I contributed to the party by helping the others be better at what they do. In the campaign I was the information hog, I knew more on what was going on with the plots of the campaign as well as the goings on of the NPCs and the countries.

Combat wise he was noty that great, but I still had fun. Combat was not his forte. He knew it, everyone knew it. So, I helped everyone to fight better and helped out with a flank or distraction of an enemy. He did what he could and it was helpful.

 

[WayneLigon]

My first character in 3.0 was a bard. I'd always wanted to play one, but the amazing requirements were just too much to handle

I liked him quite a lot. He was The Kid in the party; the youngest member, the least experienced, the most naive. He grew up a lot over the five years or so of game play.

He pretty much was the Voice of the party. He had the best charisma and people skills, so he was the person that went and dealt with people hiring us or looking for our aid. He made the deals and negotiations. He learned a lot of languages so that he could parley with almost anything, and used spells to talk to the rest.

He was a second-line combatant, using spring attack to stay back from the more damaging creatures and still deal some damage. He'd be the Bow Guy most of the time.

He picked up a level of Sorcerer due to a plotline involving dragonblood, and was able to contribute a little magical firepower at times. He learned magic Missle, Spider Climb and Feather Fall, and picked up a cat familiar.

But most of his spells were healing and sound/speach/movement based. Dimension Door saved us a couple times. Tounges was most usefull. He also picked up communication/info spells like Legend Lore and Dream,

 

[Steverooo]

Once upon a time, in the land of Ratik, I was briefly a Bard in a party that already had a full complement of the more common classes... He died at first level...

Having little cash, I recall he maxed out perform, spent most of his money on a Masterwork Harp, and was horrified to learn that his only "magic" was a couple of Cantrips!

I forget his race, but if an Elf, he didn't have the money for sword and bow... He had leather armor, a large wooden shield, a club, staff, sling (all free), and a whip.

His "magic" was useless, I don't recall him ever getting a hit in combat, and the first time HE got hit, he was overbourne off the top of a cliff!

Naturally, he did not survive the fall, at first level! His body was washed into the sea, and never recovered.

His only accomplishment, in life, was to earn a free night's room and board at the Inn, by making a good Perform check. This was a good thing, because he had no food, and couldn't have afforded to eat or spend the night, otherwise!

So, I guess the moral of the story is: Wait until AT LEAST 2nd level to buy that Masterwork musical instrument, eh?

 

[Tonguez]

I had a goblin Bard. He was a snitch - an information broker and spy who used his charm to get out of scrapes, and his Bard songs to help his freinds and hinder his foes while he skulked around the back ready to make another deal.

I had a NPC Fighter/Bard with Perform:Oratory, he was head of Military Intelligence - great at speechmaking and able to inspire those who followed him with his words alone. He had the ability to give commands to distant troops (whispering wind) and on the back of a Roc had wide view of the battlefeild below...

Ironically when I do entertainer types they tend to be acrobats, jugglers and knife-throwing rogues

 

[Emiricol]

I play bards all the time. They rarely show up as PCs in the games I DM, sadly.

I think every party with more than 4 pcs ought to have a bard. 3.5 only made them better! I mean, *no matter what* the party is doing, the bard can play an active role. Can't beat that!

 

[Agback]

G'day

I played a bard in a high-level campaign in which we were members for the staff of a drow embassy to a morally-dubious human kingdom. My character was a spy, with lots of emphasis on sneaky burglarious skills, social skills, and Gather Information. His most important asset was a Hat of Disguise, which allowed him to maintain a number of false identities (one as a grey elf escaped slave of the drow, one as a rather seedy human bard). His most important weakness was that his Perform checks kept coming out over 30 and attracting the most unwelcome interest of various evil extraplanars.

In combat I made great use of the combination of elvish proficiency with a longbow, archery feats, Greater Magic Weapon cast on a huge stack of arrows, and Improved Invisibility.

Regards,


Agback

 

[Shadowdancer]

I play a bard/sorcerer in our campaign. She was the party's only arcane spell caster for eight character levels -- now another sorcerer has joined the party.

Her backstory: She is half-elf, and her father -- an elf -- was a traveling bard who once visited the small community where her mother lived. She was born as the result of a one-night fling. After her mother died of a sudden illness, Arianna (my character) wanted to find her father. She had a natural talent for music, and magic, and so used it to make a living as she traveled around, searching for her father.

Arianna is the spokesperson for the group, and uses her high charisma -- and charm spells -- to get the party good deals on lodging and equipment. She also has a growing reputation in Greyhawk city as an entertainer. She's very flirtatous, and has a string of boyfriends all over town, and in every community the party visits.

With her sorcerer spells, she's not too bad in combat. She also supplements her combat abilities with some wands.

And when we get back to Greyhawk from our current adventure, she's going to become a Shadowdancer PrC.

 

[Celtavian]

Ahh, the much maligned bard...
What's their story?

The current bard in our party is a dwarf from Mithril Hall. He dresses like a courtier from the Renaissance period. He wields a shortsword and has a rather tough bodyguard he drew from a Deck of Many Things.

Why do you like them? How do you play them?

There are few support classes as good as a Bard. The current Bard in our group plays a primary support role and rarely enters combat.

What do they contribute to the party? ...to the campaign?

Bardic music helps immensely. Inspire Courage and Inspire Heroics grant a total to hit bonus of +5 attack and +3 damage in 3.5 at 15th level. Bards are great for getting you past guards with their fascinate ability.

Their spells are great as well. They can heal, hold monsters, and haste the the party leaving the wizard to concentrate on offensive magic.

Have you fit them well into combat-oriented adventures? ..strategies? ...tactics?

The bard in our group fits well in our party. His music seriously imrproves our combat prowess. His extra spells are extremely helpful and take some of the weight off the cleric and wizard when it comes to buffing up.

The bard is best at playing a supporting role. In combat heavy campaigns, I don't think they would be as much fun to play unless they enjoy making other combatants more powerful. That is their greatest asset, to make others better at what they do.

 

[MarauderX]

I realized a post to this thread would have to be long, so instead I have just posted his journal here. He lived from 3rd to 4th level before missing a Fort save vs. disintegration, so I am playing a new PC in the same campaign.

I can post his PC sheet if you would like, but he was just a ranged support guy, and was a backup to a party of melee types.