THE BARD - JACK OF ALL TRADES, MASTER OF HEARTS

An Examination of the Class

The Conglomerate Class

It is true that the bard class is a conglomerate of other classes in many regards. They get most of the same class skills as the rogue, but not as many skill points and none of the rogue special abilities. They are not as bad at hand combat as sorcerers and they get some arcane spells, but they don't get as many spells and they must choose from a restricted spell list.

Bards can grow to be quite proficient with their combat, magic, and skills, however, and they are able to do alone what the other classes cannot. Any bard, for example, can acquire the Cure Wounds spells, granting them a level of healing that other classes often have to pay for or to rely on the cleric for. Any bard can also take skills useful to Dexterity characters, such as Tumble. They can also help to bolster the party in any number of ways because they have so many options. If extra spells are needed, the bard is there. If another sword is needed, they can step up - to an extent. In games between the DM and one player (sometimes referred to as "solo games"), the bard can be a good choice for the lone player character because of all of the things that the bard can do without having to rely on anyone else.

It is important to recognize that the bard is not meant to be the fighter, and that the bard should not be expected to act as a heavy combat class. The bard class was designed in a different way. The restricted armor list tells us that the bard is not meant to be a tank in plate mail. The d6 hit points tell us this, as well. If someone wants to play a front-line character that's able to go toe-to-toe with all of the bad guys, the bard is not going to be an optimal choice. Then again, neither is the sorcerer, or even the rogue. Each class has optimal roles. Blaming the bard class for not being what it was never intended to be is pointless.

What Makes a Bard Different & Why

There are a few class features that set the bard apart, and when we examine these abilities they help to point us in the direction of the bard's strongest points.

Bardic music is something of a misnomer, since it does not have to be a musical performance. The important part is that it is audio performance. Players could, if they wished, come up with some very amusing limericks, songs, haikus, or jokes to deliver instead of simply saying: "My bard starts playing his lute." In any case, bardic music is aimed at influencing others in some fashion: by hypnotizing them, making them feel better about themselves, and so on. The key ability of bardic music is the Perform skill, which is based on Charisma. Five other bard class skills are based on Charisma, as well. The bard's ability to cast spells is also based on the bard's Charisma score.

This amount of repetition is intentional. One of the things that the bard class is built for is the influence of others, be it through Bluff checks or the suggestion ability granted through bardic music. A high Charisma bolsters a bard in several important arenas and makes them more effective. What's more, though, a bard can talk the group in or out of trouble, or pick up on plot hooks that might otherwise be missed. Although it is not a combat-based ability, the bardic knowledge ability grants the party the equivalent of a walking Jeopardy contestant. Some of what the bard knows is not going to be of use, but every now and then the bard will come up with something that would be very difficult to uncover elsewhere.

One of the great things about the bard is that such a class has its own reputation that is not necessarily disreputable. In a world without television, who does not love a storyteller, an actor, a jester, or a poet? In a world with limited communications, who does not love a traveling messenger or minstrel who's arrived with the latest news? The bard has a lot of potential for good - but the bard also has potential for darker dealings. A bard can just as easily be a calculated liar, a con man one step ahead of the law at all times, or a person with previously lost, dark knowledge. It is difficult to predict just what sort of bard a bard is going to turn out to be, but it is also difficult to distrust a friendly face.

The bard presents a great opportunity to add a deeper dimension of roleplaying to a group. Yes, players can play other classes like bards and just give their characters high Charisma scores. Most other classes will not benefit from a high Charisma score in as many ways as the bard does, however. Other classes, like the paladin, might encounter complications when asked to talk to certain groups (or to lie for the party, for example). The bard is built to deal with people - so why not let the class have its function?

The Cold Shoulder

Part of the problem I have noticed is an unwillingness to allow the bard a place in Dungeons and Dragons - a stark denial that the bard has any such place because it is either too different or too much like other classes.

The bard class is designed for roleplaying, and the class opens the table to more encounters of a verbal nature rather than of a steel-on-steel sort - and some people really dislike that. Some gamers are resistant to roleplaying in one way or another, for one reason or another. They don't want more roleplaying in their games, and they are adverse to trying it on for size, thus they are adverse to the thought of the bard. Their concerns are valid as far as their own games go, certainly, but many times people will harp on the "weakness" of the bard instead of recognizing the true source of their dissent.

The truth is, it is difficult to place the bard in games that are centered entirely on combat and maximum combat effectiveness. The bard will never hit like a fighter, and will never have the casting versatility of the wizard. Again, this is not a flaw but an intentional design: the bard is meant for something other than slicing and dicing. Period. If we think of the core classes as different tools, then the situation becomes more clear; some tools are better for particular jobs than others. Using a bard like a hammer just isn't going to work well, but complaining that the bard isn't a hammer isn't going to get us anywhere either. We need to learn how to use the bard properly and effectively - and what effectiveness is for a bard, as opposed to what is considered effectiveness for other classes.

The Power of the Bard

The power of the bard is varied and often more subtle than the power of other classes. Through such modes as music, stories, and speaking bards are able to influence what others think and feel. If they utilize their bardic abilities, they can even magically influence groups of people. If a high Charisma is remembered and played well, it can lead to people being drawn to the bard like magnets, or moths to flame. A bard might not even realize that they are having so much of an affect on others. With all of the people that bards can attract, they can easily become the instigators of many adventures, and hubs of friends and acquaintances. They might even be able to smooth over inter-party strife.

In the end, bards are meant to engage or even to create social situations - thus, bards are robbed of their power when social situations are not allowed to occur. Most Dungeons and Dragons games include combat, during which the powers of other classes come to the fore. Not all D&D games include genuinely social encounters. An encounter in which the party goes into a tavern, hits on bar maids with no other sort of talk, drinks, gets into a brawl, and leaves is not a social encounter. Bards do best when NPCs are more fleshed out, more talkative, and more accessible. If an NPC enters the scene, delivers their line, and has nothing more to say they don't do the bard much good. Bards also do best when there are options at hand other than combat. Not all encounters have to end in peace and the breaking of bread, but some encounters should have that option provided the bard is able to talk things down. Engaging bards in performance contests, puzzles, or games can also work very well.

The best support that a bard can receive is from the Dungeon Master. If a player wishes to play a bard, a supportive DM will do their best to accommodate the character with some social interaction without, of course, forgetting about the needs of the rest of the group. The game does not have to revolve around the bard, nor do social occasions have to be forced into every day. If anything, social encounters should be woven into the fabric of the game as much as possible: perhaps NPCs can deliver juicy plot hooks to the bard, or after combat a captured NPC is willing to talk to the guy with the friendliest face, or the party has an opportunity to tell some stories around the campfire.

If a DM (or the group at large) is unwilling to allow for some more in-depth character interaction, then the DM might want to ask that players work with other classes. This will save everyone some frustration.