Ways to Make Pure Bards more Popular

[Egon the Monkey]

Yes, bards are an amazing class. From a mechanical perspective you can understand why they are played less these days.

Unfortunately a lot of their benefits are taken away by the abundance of healing charges and buffing charms in efu:a as opposed to efu.

They're still decent but they don't have any fall backs in the same way as a cleric has his progressive divine favor buff and divine power later. I wish I had something to suggest to give them an edge!

Holy crap. Even Naga is saying there are too many consumables. Something Must Be Done. As for what the Something is, allow me to throw out some suggestions for discussion (DISCLAIMER: I have no idea which of these may be unscriptable, so I'm anticipating incoming CruzelScorn).

• Lots More Bard Spellslot Gear. Specifically on the Level 2 and even Level 3 spells. I know that does sound rediculously powerful, but although bards get a good selection of spells per spell level, the number of spells per day they can cast is extremely limited. Adding that kind of thing would reward pure bards, who are rare, without making things easier for multiclasses who could use lower level spellslot gear to get a good number of L1 slots.
• Give all Bard PCs Weapon Proficiency:Rogue or Elf at L1 if it's scriptable. That would represent the Bard proficiency in DnD that allows them access to Longsword, Rapier, Shortsword, Shortbow and Whip.
• Hardcoded skill bonuses that progress like the ranger and druid wilderness ones and the Barb immunities, starting at Bard Level 4 or 5 to discourage 3 Bard Level Multiclasses over pure bards. For example, -20% Arcane Spellfailure at L4 (disabled in medium or heavy armor), and starting at Level 4, +2 Perform and Taunt per bard Level. Why? because by giving them essentially 2 free skills, it makes up for them only having 4 Skillpoints a level in NWN as opposed to 6 in DnD.
• Or, adjust a few of the spells they can cast. Maybe make Keen Edge 1 hour/level (similiar to how it was originally) and self target only? It's not used that commonly to buff others, nor is it vital if you want to buff someone to take on a werecreature like GMW is. It would however allow someone with 7 bard levels to walk around with a rather nasty buff up that isn't easy to get on a consumable.

Finally, a slightly off topic and contentious idea, but how about reducing drastically the amount of buff items available that will increase your AB and dmg, while keeping defensive buffs at the same level. Then someone who can cast say Bull's Strength and haste on himself, like a bard, is more powerful, but it's still possible to defend against that kind of thing. The idea came to me after playing LiS's current, very low magic campaign where I'm having to be much, much more careful with supplies.

[IxTheSpeedy]

My feelings here are that Bards should be rare.  They are jack-of-all trade types but they are really minstrels.  How many minstrels should there really be?  Their songs can be amazing in supporting a party, that's their main theme as far as being part of a group.  That plus spells and great skills, pretty great backup character.  

They shouldn't be great frontliners in my opinion.

[Equinox]

That plus spells and great skills, pretty great backup character.  

Their spells are weak, and in small number. A sorc would be a better spell support.

Great skills? Bards are actually supposed to get 6 skill points a level in DnD, really with perform a must. they get three skills. unless you can invest in intelligence, which any bard who is worth a damn in the front. cannot.

Even as a backup pc, they are weak. and much less useful than a wizard or a rogue.

Pure bard only ooc warnings on good bard gear. And readily available spellslot gear for lvl 1+2 spells would give them the boost they need.

[Egon the Monkey]

They should however have...something. Either more spells, more skills or more firepower. They don't have the "buff up and kill everything option" a Cleric has with their spells and HP, or the number of support spells of a mage. In fact, Bards have very few useful spells that can't just be used off consumables. You have to rely on a combination. You can build one for stealth, but they won't have the points available to take out traps and locks (4 SP a level, 2 of those to H/MS, 1 to Perform, likely 1 to tumble). You can build one for combat, but they run out of juice fast with their limited number of spells. I'd say that's the reason why it's so common as a multiclass. I prefer bard/rogues with bardic music feats for support chars as I get skill points, more class skills and sneaks. I lose out on a couple of high level spells a day, but get more use out of my AB and skills, and feel I can contribute more to a group.

I'm never going to stop regularly playing bard PCs, the RP value of the class alone's a good reason. I'd just like to see some enticement for other players to try them too, in the same way that many advantages have been given to rangers and barbs. Those were to compensate for their best abilities being outside EFU's level range. IMO Bards could use something to compensate for consumables bloat making "can cast a few minor spells" rather redundant. Bard song and especially Curse Song always going to be good, but the progression on it from L1-3 is better than for 4-7 really, and that's where most PCs fall.

[Ebok]

Bards dont need boosted in my opinion. They provide small bonus's, can still cast, and I have seen pure bards through through hordes on many an occasion. More spells known maybe, if anything. Since having such sweet spell lists are lol when you see how little you get from them.

[Porkolt]

Don't forget that bards get stealth. Combine that with a few good combat buffs, and you can do very well.

[ScruffyMcSmirkalot]

6+INT Skillpoints per level instead of 4+INT as improved in 3.5E. Currently Bards are traders of jack and nothing instead of jack-of-all-trades.
 
I don't really care about anything else that buffs or nerfs them.

[Ebok]

Bards could use more skills for sure, yeah. But the Dms decided that the only way they could do this, wouldn't be retroactive, and would only give the people that DL'ed the override the skills. That imbalance made it less attractive, and in the end, it was passed over. Bards can do allot of things, they are jack of all trades, sometimes you just have to multiclass with them to really get a big picture. I've seen some Bard/Rangers literally do a bit of everything, actually.

[sylvyrdragon]

Don't forget that bards get stealth. Combine that with a few good combat buffs, and you can do very well.

The point being that in order to be a 'stealth' build you have to give up something else, like say UMD wich is one of the Bards BEST skills IMO.  Or give up perform ranks, or any number of others.  

In DnD the Bard is a "jack of all trades" and hence gets 6 sp per level plut Int bonus.  Here in Nwn they get 4.  So what do you give up?  Lore? Perform? UMD? Hide? M/S?  you can't have them all.

Personally I love playing Bards, it gives me the chance to be creative.  With my current Bard I have been hired IG to write no less than 4 songs for very different groups.  OOC'ly this gave me the chance to learn more of these groups that I may not have taken the time to learn otherwise.

But, what I gain OOC'ly, I lose in a high danger server.  I find my self VERY reluctant to do certain quests, and often don't quest at all perferring to spend my time RP'ing.  This then means that a single death sets me back months of XP not just days or weeks.

Not, that any of this will stop me from playing Bards, but it does get highly discouraging after 6 months of play and seeing that you are back to 5th level.  heh

[Ebok]

The death does set-back power wise people that are not built to level and survive. Giving the class bonuses doesn't help however. It just shifts the weakest builds to a bit stronger, and the stronger to OMFG WTF just happened? Bards can destroy things. They can. Builds that arent designed for fighting dont fight well. But they also dont really require levels either.

You werent set back 6 months if you were learning, playing, and creating things with your character. You still did all those things, and the level was almost meaningless throughout all of that.

[Disco]

Bards are fine the way they are. THey dont need anything.

[Drakill Tannan]

Bards need more skillpoints. Maybe giving them passive bonus to skills, like the one they get for lore?

That way, they can chose not to max all skills, and still have them in a high rank, that way, they can divide the skillpoints.

For instance, free points int taunt, bluff & persuade.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

The death does set-back power wise people that are not built to level and survive. Giving the class bonuses doesn't help however. It just shifts the weakest builds to a bit stronger, and the stronger to OMFG WTF just happened? Bards can destroy things. They can. Builds that arent designed for fighting dont fight well. But they also dont really require levels either.

You werent set back 6 months if you were learning, playing, and creating things with your character. You still did all those things, and the level was almost meaningless throughout all of that.

I play combat and support bards often, and I can say they are amazing at both. Their bard song CAN effectively turn the tide.

I will give a big BUT, though. They can use MORE skills, and more bard loot will not hurt.

[Gippy]

Maybe just get rid of PERFORM as a skill. Only buff they need. Effectively gives them +1 skill point per level and is reasonably easy to script.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

Maybe just get rid of PERFORM as a skill. Only buff they need. Effectively gives them +1 skill point per level and is reasonably easy to script.

This.