Whistler

Why play a bard?


In rereading my most recent posts it occurs to me that I may have scared off some people that might have considered playing a bard. In spite of the difficulties, (poor combat ability and you must actually roleplay,) there are good reasons to consider this class.

For one, (eventually) they can do almost anything every other class can do. This means that if you want to play a particular class that is not allowed by a given race, (such as a Halfling mage, or a giant cleric,) you can effectively play one as a bard. This may be the reason that so few bards are human—the races that gain the greatest benefit from this class are those that are otherwise class restricted, unlike humans.

Another big reason to play a bard is that they’re fun. I’ve had characters of all classes, and most class combinations, but of all of them, I’ve enjoyed the bard the most.

Whereas other classes leave you hanging about what to do, the bard has things (s)he must do in order to level. For the bard, there’s more to life than just combat.

I see players who regularly put together characters that pop up to 30/30/30 within a few weeks—characters that are really just clones of their other 30/30/30 characters. I don’t understand the point in that. If you want to try something that’s really a challenge, and a fun challenge, try roleplaying, try playing a bard.