So for an upcoming campaign my group will be doing, we've been told that it's going to be an island hopping campaign, so lot's of sailing. To the party, this immediately says: here's an opportunity to be pirates.
Since runesmith's video "Basically Gith" came out, I've also been wanting to play a gith. I've been working on a concept of a githyanki bard/rogue. He was marooned by his crew on the material plane, and become the thing that came most naturally: a pirate. His goal is to go from being ocean pirate, to getting an airship, and then eventually a ship that can planar travel. I'm thinking about making him swashbuckler/bard and either going college of valor or college of swords. His personality is going to be influenced by Peter Quill/Starlord from Guardians of the Galaxy, including the dope music.
I'm conflicted which college to take as they both have pros. What do y'all suggest, and what other advice do you have as far as building and roleplaying goes?
well you should pick collage of valor if you want him to be the glorious leader, if you want him to be the captain of an ship, pushing his crew to greater and greater feats, pick valor for the kind of person steering the ship and crew
if you instead want to lead by example and be really good at sword combat yourself, you should go for swords bard, and collage of swords fits the astetic of an swashbuckling lightly armored sword weilding pirate much better than valor bard, since collage of valor gives you shield and medium armor proficency you are expected to use, while swords gives you an fighting style feature (good for sword combat, again) and the abillity to do several manuver like things
in the end, both might work, depending on what specific astetic you are going for with your bard, they may both be combat melee bards, but they are polar opposites in the way they fight, valor is all about buffing your fellow party members and casting lost of spells with sword in hand, collage of swords is more focused on dealing damage with their blade and looking hecking stylish while doing so, buffing yourself and hindering your enemies, valor is the team player, swords is the 1v1 duelist
Like ArtificeMeal mention, it basically comes down to this: Sword bards are better at fighting alone, valor bards are better as part of a group that they can support. The rest is pretty much flavour.
Personally I tend to go for sword bard more than valor but if you feel differently, both of them works well for what you have in mind.
Space Pirate Bard is a thread title that proves how awesome D&D is.
Sword and Valor are both solid choices, especially for your swashbuckling Starlord. I'd also suggest taking a look at the new UA College of Eloquence. It offers some fun RP options if you want to be more of an inspiring, charismatic leader than an actual front line fighter. Especially if you want to roleplay trying to convince others not to even TRY to fight you!
Another similar, somewhat obscure oddball concept, inspired by ERftLW: a mark of storms half-elf glamour bard with the sailor background who's basically Captain Eo.
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So for an upcoming campaign my group will be doing, we've been told that it's going to be an island hopping campaign, so lot's of sailing. To the party, this immediately says: here's an opportunity to be pirates.
Since runesmith's video "Basically Gith" came out, I've also been wanting to play a gith. I've been working on a concept of a githyanki bard/rogue. He was marooned by his crew on the material plane, and become the thing that came most naturally: a pirate. His goal is to go from being ocean pirate, to getting an airship, and then eventually a ship that can planar travel. I'm thinking about making him swashbuckler/bard and either going college of valor or college of swords. His personality is going to be influenced by Peter Quill/Starlord from Guardians of the Galaxy, including the dope music.
I'm conflicted which college to take as they both have pros. What do y'all suggest, and what other advice do you have as far as building and roleplaying goes?
well you should pick collage of valor if you want him to be the glorious leader, if you want him to be the captain of an ship, pushing his crew to greater and greater feats, pick valor for the kind of person steering the ship and crew
if you instead want to lead by example and be really good at sword combat yourself, you should go for swords bard, and collage of swords fits the astetic of an swashbuckling lightly armored sword weilding pirate much better than valor bard, since collage of valor gives you shield and medium armor proficency you are expected to use, while swords gives you an fighting style feature (good for sword combat, again) and the abillity to do several manuver like things
in the end, both might work, depending on what specific astetic you are going for with your bard, they may both be combat melee bards, but they are polar opposites in the way they fight, valor is all about buffing your fellow party members and casting lost of spells with sword in hand, collage of swords is more focused on dealing damage with their blade and looking hecking stylish while doing so, buffing yourself and hindering your enemies, valor is the team player, swords is the 1v1 duelist
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Like ArtificeMeal mention, it basically comes down to this: Sword bards are better at fighting alone, valor bards are better as part of a group that they can support. The rest is pretty much flavour.
Personally I tend to go for sword bard more than valor but if you feel differently, both of them works well for what you have in mind.
Space Pirate Bard is a thread title that proves how awesome D&D is.
Sword and Valor are both solid choices, especially for your swashbuckling Starlord. I'd also suggest taking a look at the new UA College of Eloquence. It offers some fun RP options if you want to be more of an inspiring, charismatic leader than an actual front line fighter. Especially if you want to roleplay trying to convince others not to even TRY to fight you!
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
Another similar, somewhat obscure oddball concept, inspired by ERftLW: a mark of storms half-elf glamour bard with the sailor background who's basically Captain Eo.