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Butterfingers · 12-21-2002, 02:25 AM

It's not just the Blade, but Bards period. Even Skalds have their place, along with Jesters, soley from a role playing prospective.

People have a great misunderstanding of Bards in general, thinking them to be weak fighters, or, poor mages, or, hobbled thieves. They are none of these things. They are Bards. They require a different mindset to be played effectively. Think of the TV show "The Pretender" The Bard should be played in a like fashion. "Who do I want to be today?" and then prepare accordingly. Folks talk about various characters attributes... The Mage and the Sorcerer can go nuclear. Fighters rule the front lines. Thieves are sneaky and handy for utility. Clerics heal the team. Druids do much of the same, along with providing meat shields and a little offense. Bards, well, Bards should be doing what they do best. Saving their own skin. They are the masters of survival. A well built and well played Bard can increase the whole parties chances of survival dramatically, not only in PnP games, but, also in CRPGs like Shadows of Amn.

Bards can be insanely powerful. I dare say Bards are the most powerful single class character you can choose. (Notice I said single. Multi or dual class characters change the dynamic considerably.) They level quickly, gain magic abilities quickly, and their potential to do the most damage done per round grows quickly. (Think of spells that take level into account like Skull Traps) They have more hit points then mages. Fewer spells, but, as we all know from playing sorcerers, this is not a bad thing at all. Somebody who knows magic well does not need many spell slots. You memorize exactly what you need to get the job done and forget the rest. Not having to worry about getting grand mastery means that nearly every weapon in your friend, meaning you will almost always have a weapon for every situation.

There is no situation that a Bard can not handle, nothing that they can not kill in some fashion. Where other characters might fall short, the Bard, being good at a little bit of everything, can step in to play the role and shine.

12-21-2002, 02:25 AM	#8
Butterfingers Drizzt Do'Urden Join Date: November 30, 2002 Location: Five Flagons Inn Posts: 633	It's not just the Blade, but Bards period. Even Skalds have their place, along with Jesters, soley from a role playing prospective. People have a great misunderstanding of Bards in general, thinking them to be weak fighters, or, poor mages, or, hobbled thieves. They are none of these things. They are Bards. They require a different mindset to be played effectively. Think of the TV show "The Pretender" The Bard should be played in a like fashion. "Who do I want to be today?" and then prepare accordingly. Folks talk about various characters attributes... The Mage and the Sorcerer can go nuclear. Fighters rule the front lines. Thieves are sneaky and handy for utility. Clerics heal the team. Druids do much of the same, along with providing meat shields and a little offense. Bards, well, Bards should be doing what they do best. Saving their own skin. They are the masters of survival. A well built and well played Bard can increase the whole parties chances of survival dramatically, not only in PnP games, but, also in CRPGs like Shadows of Amn. Bards can be insanely powerful. I dare say Bards are the most powerful single class character you can choose. (Notice I said single. Multi or dual class characters change the dynamic considerably.) They level quickly, gain magic abilities quickly, and their potential to do the most damage done per round grows quickly. (Think of spells that take level into account like Skull Traps) They have more hit points then mages. Fewer spells, but, as we all know from playing sorcerers, this is not a bad thing at all. Somebody who knows magic well does not need many spell slots. You memorize exactly what you need to get the job done and forget the rest. Not having to worry about getting grand mastery means that nearly every weapon in your friend, meaning you will almost always have a weapon for every situation. There is no situation that a Bard can not handle, nothing that they can not kill in some fashion. Where other characters might fall short, the Bard, being good at a little bit of everything, can step in to play the role and shine.