Because the swordbard is the best representation of a bladesinger (significantly better than the wizard subclass).
If you don't mind me asking, in what ways are Sword bards a better choice for that? (I'm not familiar with bladesinger lore, and I've personally never even considered one, because I'm not a fan of the wizard class in general.)
Let's say I give the Bard class a chance on my heart but, then I realised this class uses the music and/or the voice as their spellcasting skill. Uhmmm, not bad if the character is a performancer / inspirer or, at least wants the group to remain in a ""good flow "" mode. And then it comes the chaotical side of this class if you still didn't see it yet.
* To performance a song in the middle of a sneak job one must tell the bard to NOT play any song, even if we need an extra Inspiration, ahemmmm...... * NO, we don't want the bard to seduce all the bartenders, even if it's funny or not..... because later KARMA gonna come after us ( just to remind the ammount of babies he did ) * Bard, don't you know the pianoes also can be used as another kind of Impovised weapons ????
I don't think I gonna play bards for a while until someone shows me Bards are worthed it.
Let's say I give the Bard class a chance on my heart but, then I realised this class uses the music and/or the voice as their spellcasting skill. Uhmmm, not bad if the character is a performancer / inspirer or, at least wants the group to remain in a ""good flow "" mode. And then it comes the chaotical side of this class if you still didn't see it yet.
* To performance a song in the middle of a sneak job one must tell the bard to NOT play any song, even if we need an extra Inspiration, ahemmmm...... * NO, we don't want the bard to seduce all the bartenders, even if it's funny or not..... because later KARMA gonna come after us ( just to remind the ammount of babies he did ) * Bard, don't you know the pianoes also can be used as another kind of Impovised weapons ????
I don't think I gonna play bards for a while until someone shows me Bards are worthed it.
You know that with reflavoring, you can pretty much play any class you want in any way you want?
I swear, people who hate bards because "they're all horny" are as bad as the players who insist they can't be played as anything but.
Let's say I give the Bard class a chance on my heart but, then I realised this class uses the music and/or the voice as their spellcasting skill. Uhmmm, not bad if the character is a performancer / inspirer or, at least wants the group to remain in a ""good flow "" mode. And then it comes the chaotical side of this class if you still didn't see it yet.
* To performance a song in the middle of a sneak job one must tell the bard to NOT play any song, even if we need an extra Inspiration, ahemmmm...... * NO, we don't want the bard to seduce all the bartenders, even if it's funny or not..... because later KARMA gonna come after us ( just to remind the ammount of babies he did ) * Bard, don't you know the pianoes also can be used as another kind of Impovised weapons ????
I don't think I gonna play bards for a while until someone shows me Bards are worthed it.
My Bard does absolutely NONE of these. And it's awful how my friends are constantly telling me I'm playing him wrong!
Oh no wait, they never do that, because I can play my Bard however I want. LOL
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Behind every successful Warlock, there's an angry mob.
I don't think I gonna play bards for a while until someone shows me Bards are worthed it.
Well, yes, Bards do have several spells requiring vocal components. But then, so does EVERY spellcasting class, so that's not really fair.
True, the emphasis is usually on music, but that doesn't have to be the case. Even with their spellcasting, bards can use component pouches, or a weapon if you go for a Swords Bard. In fact, with a Ruby of the War Mage, you can use your weapon as a spellcasting focus even if you're some other subclass of Bard.
And there are other bardic themes besides music. There is an oratory subclass (College of Eloquence,) two martial subclasses (Valor and Swords,) and you can take most of the subclasses and flavor them however you like. Heck, I built a subclass (shameless plug: https://www.dndbeyond.com/subclasses/448769-college-of-art) where the emphasis was actually on the visualarts. Fashion, painting, sculpture--that sort of thing. You could do the same with dance. Or cuisine. Or anything else fitting your view of a bard.
As to bards having to be lecherous? Nope. I don't care if it's a trope or not, none of my bards are that way, just because I think it's a ridiculous trope. High Charisma does NOT inevitably have to mean "lady's man" (or "gentleman's lady?") It can just mean talkative. Or witty. Or exotic. Or aggressive. Or incredibly strong-willed. Or diplomatic. Or just "magically powerful." Anything that makes sense.
Realistically, Bard is probably the most friendly class to build almost any character concept you can think of that isn't pure martial or barbarian, especially with magical secrets. I've played a handful of them and they've all been wildly different in terms of spell selection, the way they use their mechanics, their motivations, and their goals.
I feel that bards can have one of (if not THE) highest ceilings of creativity of all the classes, and there's some people that just don't play it that way or think it should be played that way.
As to bards having to be lecherous? Nope. I don't care if it's a trope or not, none of my bards are that way, just because I think it's a ridiculous trope. High Charisma does NOT inevitably have to mean "lady's man" (or "gentleman's lady?") It can just mean talkative. Or witty. Or exotic. Or aggressive. Or incredibly strong-willed. Or diplomatic. Or just "magically powerful." Anything that makes sense.
I've always equated Charisma to "force of personality" for this exact reason. Take Lex Luthor for example - one of the most charismatic characters in fiction but very rarely does he come off as seductive.
My fighter is far more lecherous than any of my bards have ever been :)
I wanted the best class for someone who's backstory was that they explore dangerous lost ruins and tombs for a living. Though thieves have an edge in the skillmonkey department, a human variant lore bard with the prodigy and expert feats is good enough, and the spellcasting choices are superb, especially with extra magical secrets for the lore bard. I was able to take just the right combination of game useful spells alongside character driven ones.
Ahead of me joining my current party, our veteran player helped me through choosing a class to fill their need for a healer without making it my sole focus. We ended up on a lore bard, and I honestly couldn't imagine playing anything else with my main party now.
If you trace it all the way back, because Elf was a separate class in the Basic Set. Tolkien Elves that combined martials and spellcasters, I was hooked.
One of my biggest complaints about 2e was that bards were restricted to humans and half elves. Half-Elven Bard or Elven Fighter-Mage, neither one gave me the satisfaction of playing the Basic DnD Elf.
Then we got 3e and I fell in love again. Elven bards, who now had a smattering of healing? Sure, they lost the big damage spells, but that was never really the point. Once again my elves were beautiful, otherworldly, Fey creatures. Noble warriors and bearers of lost knowledge.
Skip ahead to 5e, the perfect form of the 3e Bard. A jack of all trades that can be focused with subclasses to help fill any role your party needs. A fun concept with great mechanics. And, most importantly, a great way to play a useful party member if you'd rather focus on character over optimization.
I was playing a warlock in one game and having a really good time being a fairly effective face, despite playing a burnt out, fallen rock star. Then I started DMing another game and a bard NPC was a tag-along with the party for Death House and a couple sessions after. Kind of got me turned on to them. Then when my warlock was teleported out of the game (short version: play stupid games...), I asked if I could use my NPC bard as my new PC. The DM agreed on the condition that I rolled new stats (while an NPC, I set the stats at 60 or so to never outshine the party). I fell in love and now it is my favorite class.
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DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form| Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock | He/Him/They/Them
In real life I am a musician, so it fits, and it gives me the ability to practice playing flute while in session. My principal instrument is Contra-Bass and Electric Bass, but I know flute too.
I never really get to play though as I DM and people really like my campaigns. Also, my Bard is a Fairy and people don't like to play with Fairies with the Glamour subclass because it is the best. I know everyone will disagree but being able to charm an entire battlefield is just awesome. Like I said people really hate Fairies though.
Like I used to play in Adventurer's League but I got banned because I kept charming the party in order to get them to sign a contract binding me to their services as a party member so long as they gave me candy with the quest items being collateral held in my possession until the candy debt was paid. No official adventure rewards candy and the DMs didn't really think of adding candy to the adventurer so I kept being forced to fly off with the quest items and join another table. And like ugh, they DMs at AL were all like, "We cannot complete these adventurers now.", and "You're being disruptive.", and blah blah. I just wanted some candy though! There so intense!
Then I tried Westmarch and it was the same but worse because an entire town got angry when I charmed all the children in the village to fight for me in the arena against prisoners. I wouldn't survive the arena though and the children just wanted to impress their dads. But you know how moms are. Ugh! Then we went to some graveyard after I woed the judge into releasing me. The towns folk called for a mistrial but it isn't my fault she thought I was cute! So, we went to a graveyard and you know what the party did? NO CANDY! It was like no. So I flew off with the quest item again and the Westmarch DMs got mad. Lamoids!
I love this character. People hate it, but I love it. I really only get to play one shots in and I can still play in AL and the Westmarch game just not as my Fairy. Because they're racist. Like my variant human is okay, but the fairy?! Noooooooo.
Bard seemed a class that would be easiest to role-play because my instinctive reactions to situations was almost always out-of-character for a bard. Plus I loved the reaction of the DMs I sat across when I'd drop a bard ability before initiative started that would completely ruin the planned order of battle... when I first started D&D, 4th Edition was shiny and new, and I'd drop a bard song in plain view of what was obviously going to be a tough fight... target the most dangerous looking opponent, and then hold the song while the rogue and ranger sneak into range, on opposite quarters, so that the rogue starts things with a sneak attack + flanking, and the ranger can finish him off. With the initial offensive action (the dual attacks) initiative started, and the DM wouldn't have the encounter boss, simply the minions, to fight with.
Bard seemed a class that would be easiest to role-play because my instinctive reactions to situations was almost always out-of-character for a bard. Plus I loved the reaction of the DMs I sat across when I'd drop a bard ability before initiative started that would completely ruin the planned order of battle... when I first started D&D, 4th Edition was shiny and new, and I'd drop a bard song in plain view of what was obviously going to be a tough fight... target the most dangerous looking opponent, and then hold the song while the rogue and ranger sneak into range, on opposite quarters, so that the rogue starts things with a sneak attack + flanking, and the ranger can finish him off. With the initial offensive action (the dual attacks) initiative started, and the DM wouldn't have the encounter boss, simply the minions, to fight with.
As I said in my reason I am a bard because I IRL but bass. Is there a way you address not being able to carry a piano? In game I play flute and I can play flute but if I could lug around a contra bass I would!
Fully understanding that I would never be much of an adventurer lugging a piano around, despite having a half-orc familiar (not really, just a Min/Max Barbarian who was a IRL buddy) to carry it for me, I chose instead, to pull the harmonica I carried for karaoke renditions of Piano Man out whenever I wanted to use Bard Song. Always drew plenty of stares from the "normals" in the gaming store, and was even more troublesome at serious multi-table RPGA (precursor to Adventurer's League) conventions. I'm also pretty sure that the DMs in my region warned each other about the mod-breaking bard played by the harmonica guy, because they started coming to the table more... prepared... for my unique approach to gaming. FWIW, though, when my unit deployed, the Regional Coordinator asked me to help with a special project that ended up being two modules in a trilogy in which the Drow infiltrated the surface world... pretty much gave me free rein (which was useful since I was 10 time zones away with weekly or monthly internet access.) THAT was a lot of fun... never got to see it played because I got married and decided wife aggro was worse than accidentally pulling dragon aggro away from a tank, so stopped playing until very recently...
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If you don't mind me asking, in what ways are Sword bards a better choice for that? (I'm not familiar with bladesinger lore, and I've personally never even considered one, because I'm not a fan of the wizard class in general.)
Whistler
Titus - V. Human Battle Master Fighter 3 - [Pic] - [Pic2] - [Traits] - in Shadowglass
Locke - V. Human Shadow Monk 3 / Undead Warlock 2 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in FOW - DMless West Marches
Flèche - V. Human Swords Bard 10 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in The Scarlet Mist
Sterling - V. Human Bard 1 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
Let's say I give the Bard class a chance on my heart but, then I realised this class uses the music and/or the voice as their spellcasting skill. Uhmmm, not bad if the character is a performancer / inspirer or, at least wants the group to remain in a ""good flow "" mode. And then it comes the chaotical side of this class if you still didn't see it yet.
* To performance a song in the middle of a sneak job one must tell the bard to NOT play any song, even if we need an extra Inspiration, ahemmmm......
* NO, we don't want the bard to seduce all the bartenders, even if it's funny or not..... because later KARMA gonna come after us ( just to remind the ammount of babies he did )
* Bard, don't you know the pianoes also can be used as another kind of Impovised weapons ????
I don't think I gonna play bards for a while until someone shows me Bards are worthed it.
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
You know that with reflavoring, you can pretty much play any class you want in any way you want?
I swear, people who hate bards because "they're all horny" are as bad as the players who insist they can't be played as anything but.
My Bard does absolutely NONE of these. And it's awful how my friends are constantly telling me I'm playing him wrong!
Oh no wait, they never do that, because I can play my Bard however I want. LOL
Behind every successful Warlock, there's an angry mob.
Well, yes, Bards do have several spells requiring vocal components. But then, so does EVERY spellcasting class, so that's not really fair.
True, the emphasis is usually on music, but that doesn't have to be the case. Even with their spellcasting, bards can use component pouches, or a weapon if you go for a Swords Bard. In fact, with a Ruby of the War Mage, you can use your weapon as a spellcasting focus even if you're some other subclass of Bard.
And there are other bardic themes besides music. There is an oratory subclass (College of Eloquence,) two martial subclasses (Valor and Swords,) and you can take most of the subclasses and flavor them however you like. Heck, I built a subclass (shameless plug: https://www.dndbeyond.com/subclasses/448769-college-of-art) where the emphasis was actually on the visual arts. Fashion, painting, sculpture--that sort of thing. You could do the same with dance. Or cuisine. Or anything else fitting your view of a bard.
As to bards having to be lecherous? Nope. I don't care if it's a trope or not, none of my bards are that way, just because I think it's a ridiculous trope. High Charisma does NOT inevitably have to mean "lady's man" (or "gentleman's lady?") It can just mean talkative. Or witty. Or exotic. Or aggressive. Or incredibly strong-willed. Or diplomatic. Or just "magically powerful." Anything that makes sense.
Whistler
Titus - V. Human Battle Master Fighter 3 - [Pic] - [Pic2] - [Traits] - in Shadowglass
Locke - V. Human Shadow Monk 3 / Undead Warlock 2 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in FOW - DMless West Marches
Flèche - V. Human Swords Bard 10 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in The Scarlet Mist
Sterling - V. Human Bard 1 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
Realistically, Bard is probably the most friendly class to build almost any character concept you can think of that isn't pure martial or barbarian, especially with magical secrets. I've played a handful of them and they've all been wildly different in terms of spell selection, the way they use their mechanics, their motivations, and their goals.
I feel that bards can have one of (if not THE) highest ceilings of creativity of all the classes, and there's some people that just don't play it that way or think it should be played that way.
I've always equated Charisma to "force of personality" for this exact reason. Take Lex Luthor for example - one of the most charismatic characters in fiction but very rarely does he come off as seductive.
My fighter is far more lecherous than any of my bards have ever been :)
I wanted the best class for someone who's backstory was that they explore dangerous lost ruins and tombs for a living. Though thieves have an edge in the skillmonkey department, a human variant lore bard with the prodigy and expert feats is good enough, and the spellcasting choices are superb, especially with extra magical secrets for the lore bard. I was able to take just the right combination of game useful spells alongside character driven ones.
Ahead of me joining my current party, our veteran player helped me through choosing a class to fill their need for a healer without making it my sole focus. We ended up on a lore bard, and I honestly couldn't imagine playing anything else with my main party now.
If you trace it all the way back, because Elf was a separate class in the Basic Set. Tolkien Elves that combined martials and spellcasters, I was hooked.
One of my biggest complaints about 2e was that bards were restricted to humans and half elves. Half-Elven Bard or Elven Fighter-Mage, neither one gave me the satisfaction of playing the Basic DnD Elf.
Then we got 3e and I fell in love again. Elven bards, who now had a smattering of healing? Sure, they lost the big damage spells, but that was never really the point. Once again my elves were beautiful, otherworldly, Fey creatures. Noble warriors and bearers of lost knowledge.
Skip ahead to 5e, the perfect form of the 3e Bard. A jack of all trades that can be focused with subclasses to help fill any role your party needs. A fun concept with great mechanics. And, most importantly, a great way to play a useful party member if you'd rather focus on character over optimization.
I was playing a warlock in one game and having a really good time being a fairly effective face, despite playing a burnt out, fallen rock star. Then I started DMing another game and a bard NPC was a tag-along with the party for Death House and a couple sessions after. Kind of got me turned on to them. Then when my warlock was teleported out of the game (short version: play stupid games...), I asked if I could use my NPC bard as my new PC. The DM agreed on the condition that I rolled new stats (while an NPC, I set the stats at 60 or so to never outshine the party). I fell in love and now it is my favorite class.
DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form | Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock | He/Him/They/Them
You can try DDB for free using the Basic Rules, free adventures, MCV1:SC, and homebrew. Answers about physical books, purchases, and subbing.
What is it like to be on the forums.
Easy. I liked magic and play piano and violin irl, so ofc I had to choose bard!
Lore can get Warding Bond and Counterspell at 6th level through Additional Magical Secrets.
History:
(っ'-')╮ =͟͟ 🔥「sword, servant, hound, memory, mind, horse, lord, bolt, smoke, sight」
In real life I am a musician, so it fits, and it gives me the ability to practice playing flute while in session. My principal instrument is Contra-Bass and Electric Bass, but I know flute too.
I never really get to play though as I DM and people really like my campaigns. Also, my Bard is a Fairy and people don't like to play with Fairies with the Glamour subclass because it is the best. I know everyone will disagree but being able to charm an entire battlefield is just awesome. Like I said people really hate Fairies though.
Like I used to play in Adventurer's League but I got banned because I kept charming the party in order to get them to sign a contract binding me to their services as a party member so long as they gave me candy with the quest items being collateral held in my possession until the candy debt was paid. No official adventure rewards candy and the DMs didn't really think of adding candy to the adventurer so I kept being forced to fly off with the quest items and join another table. And like ugh, they DMs at AL were all like, "We cannot complete these adventurers now.", and "You're being disruptive.", and blah blah. I just wanted some candy though! There so intense!
Then I tried Westmarch and it was the same but worse because an entire town got angry when I charmed all the children in the village to fight for me in the arena against prisoners. I wouldn't survive the arena though and the children just wanted to impress their dads. But you know how moms are. Ugh! Then we went to some graveyard after I woed the judge into releasing me. The towns folk called for a mistrial but it isn't my fault she thought I was cute! So, we went to a graveyard and you know what the party did? NO CANDY! It was like no. So I flew off with the quest item again and the Westmarch DMs got mad. Lamoids!
I love this character. People hate it, but I love it. I really only get to play one shots in and I can still play in AL and the Westmarch game just not as my Fairy. Because they're racist. Like my variant human is okay, but the fairy?! Noooooooo.
"Life is Cast by Random Dice"
Burn my candle twice.
I have done my life justice
Against random dice.
Simply put, I am a nerd and a piano player IRL...
Bard seemed a class that would be easiest to role-play because my instinctive reactions to situations was almost always out-of-character for a bard. Plus I loved the reaction of the DMs I sat across when I'd drop a bard ability before initiative started that would completely ruin the planned order of battle... when I first started D&D, 4th Edition was shiny and new, and I'd drop a bard song in plain view of what was obviously going to be a tough fight... target the most dangerous looking opponent, and then hold the song while the rogue and ranger sneak into range, on opposite quarters, so that the rogue starts things with a sneak attack + flanking, and the ranger can finish him off. With the initial offensive action (the dual attacks) initiative started, and the DM wouldn't have the encounter boss, simply the minions, to fight with.
As I said in my reason I am a bard because I IRL but bass. Is there a way you address not being able to carry a piano? In game I play flute and I can play flute but if I could lug around a contra bass I would!
"Life is Cast by Random Dice"
Burn my candle twice.
I have done my life justice
Against random dice.
Fully understanding that I would never be much of an adventurer lugging a piano around, despite having a half-orc familiar (not really, just a Min/Max Barbarian who was a IRL buddy) to carry it for me, I chose instead, to pull the harmonica I carried for karaoke renditions of Piano Man out whenever I wanted to use Bard Song. Always drew plenty of stares from the "normals" in the gaming store, and was even more troublesome at serious multi-table RPGA (precursor to Adventurer's League) conventions. I'm also pretty sure that the DMs in my region warned each other about the mod-breaking bard played by the harmonica guy, because they started coming to the table more... prepared... for my unique approach to gaming. FWIW, though, when my unit deployed, the Regional Coordinator asked me to help with a special project that ended up being two modules in a trilogy in which the Drow infiltrated the surface world... pretty much gave me free rein (which was useful since I was 10 time zones away with weekly or monthly internet access.) THAT was a lot of fun... never got to see it played because I got married and decided wife aggro was worse than accidentally pulling dragon aggro away from a tank, so stopped playing until very recently...