[StarVid]

Really destructive spells? You won't find these at the high levels. The power words are pretty much useless, and the druid gets better summons. Horrid wilting is nice, but can easily live without. Having a bard with skull trap will do pretty much the same thing. Same goes for acid storm, I like it, but I can live without it. Furthermore, you have to wait until you actually find a scroll for the spell (which can take quite a while). It all depends on how you like to play, but I think a bard gets plenty of spell casting ability.

If there were more scrolls in the game, and if you could get them sooner, then the mage would be a lot more practical. However, with the bard, I still get a decent amount of spellcasting power, as well as some useful songs, as well as never needing to cast an identify spell, as well as better combat values.