NWN: Character - Bard

BARD
The bard is often thought of as the jack-of-all-trades type, but with that is usually added master-of-none. That blanket statement is unfair to the bard as while it does have many options available to him or her, they are masters of the musical performance. Where a bard’s true hidden potency is found is that while they are the champions of the performance, they also use their jack-of-all-trades title to their advantage.

In game terms, the Bard are modestly capable in combat (having the same BAB chart as Rogues and Clerics), a little on the low end of middle for hit points (just like Rogue), but of all the hybrid spellcasters, they are the strongest in the field of the spellcasting (far better than the paladin or ranger). They do not get a wide variety of weapons to choose from, though, but they get most armors and shields (except for heavy armor) from the get go. Note, however, they suffer the same penalties to Arcane Spell Failure that Mages (Sorcerers and Wizards) do, so they must put some careful thought into what they decide to wear. On the bright side, at level 2 the Bard will have the opportunity to gain access to Mage Armor (if they wish) to give a nice boost to armorless AC if they wish to avoid spell failure altogether.

Alignment Restrictions: Any non-lawful
Hit Die per Level: d6 (1-6)
Armor Proficiencies: Light or Medium plus Shields
Weapon Proficiencies: All Simple Weapons
Saving Throws: Reflex & Will (primary), Fortitude (secondary)
Skill Points Per Level: 4+Int Modifier (x4 at 1st character level)
Class Skills: Concentration, Diplomacy: Persuade, Discipline, Heal, Hide, Listen, Lore, Move Silently, Parry, Perform, Pick Pocket, Spellcraft, Taunt, Use Magic Device
Class Features: Bardic Knowledge, Bard Song, Arcane Spellcasting
Class Kits: Default, Blade, Gallant, Jester, Loremaster

The Bard gets a wide variety of class skills to develop, so that will be one area of strength. Note, too, that they have two (of the three) saving throw categories that they are strong in.

Kits: The kits offer some interesting role-playing for those who don’t want to pursue their own developmental path. Blade is a combat oriented Bard. Jester will be one who excels in areas less combative. Gallant will be somewhere between Blade and Jester. Loremaster will be a Bard of knowledge and insight. The default Bard kit will be the jack-of-all-trades type.

Skills: There are many to choose from, and since most Bards will at least have a solid Intelligence, five or six will be available to max, or perhaps a couple maxed out with another six to eight being developed so some useful degree. Perform is the most important of all skills as it is directly tied into the use of the Bard’s Songs. Spellcraft is needed to at least a modest amount for spellcasting. For the combat casting bard, Concentration will be important (but probably not nearly as essential as the true mages). Diplomacy should be a good RP skill. Discipline appears to be a very important skill to develop and probably should be one of the base skills taken unless the Bard intends to truly be a non-combatant at all times. Heal looks to be very effective in NWN. Hide and Move Silently should probably be taken (if not maxed) by all Bards as they will provide both offensive and defensive (escaping) advantage. Parry might very well be a skill the Bard will want to take heavily as they will often want to avoid direct combat until help comes in many situations. Listen is useful in detecting the hidden attacker. Use Magic Device can overcome some obstacles in using magic items not normally allowed the character. Pick Pocket and Taunt are two skills that some will find to their liking. All in all, I would expect Perform, Parry, Discipline, Hide, and Move Silently to be the skills most commonly taken, with Spellcraft, Diplomacy, Heal, and Listen being dabbled in some. All of the skills, though, except perhaps Pick Pocket, should be useful in most campaigns.

Feats: Feat Selection for the Bard is pretty wide open. With Toughness being +1 HPs/level, that will be a tempting one to take to boost the weak HPs. The more combat-minded Bard might consider taking Martial Weapon Proficiency and then feats oriented to improving some chosen weapon’s effectiveness. Skill Focus (Perform) might give an edge in using the all-important Bard Song special ability. Beyond that, like the class, the feat selection of the Bard is varied because the way the class can be developed is so wide open.

Special Features: Arcane Spellcasting is a strong feature (more on that later) to the class (as it is cast on the fly like the Sorcerer) and Bardic Knowledge should offer a chance to pick up RP tidbits in a well run campaign, but the Bard Song is where the class is at. The Bard Songs will be usable even while fighting and their effects will extend to a 30’ radius around the Bard to give boosts to allies. Taking a look at the following chart of how the Bard Songs improve show how significant this ability will be:
(Minimum Perform/Minimum Bard Level: Granted ability)
Perform 3/Level 1: +1 to Attack and Damage rolls.
Perform 6/Level 2: +1 to Will Saves.
Perform 9/Level 3: +1 to Damage rolls and +1 to Fortitude Saves.
Perform 12/Level 6: +1 to Reflex saves, +1 to Skill rolls.
Perform 15/Level 8: +1 to Attack rolls, +8 temporary Hit Points.
Perform 18/Level 11: +2 to Dodge Armor Class, +1 to Skill rolls.
Perform 21/Level 14: +1 to Damage rolls, +8 temporary Hit Points and +1 Dodge Bonus to AC.
Perform 24/Level 15: +1 Will Saves, +1 Reflex Saves, +1 Fortitude Saves, +1 Dodge Bonus to AC.
Perform 25/Level 16: +1 Will Saves, +4 temporary Hit Points. +1 Dodge Bonus to AC.
Additional +5 Perform/Additional +1 Level: +2 temporary Hit Points per additional.

Attributes: It’s nearly impossible to list the possibilities in designing a Bard because the class is so flexible and open to different views. Certainly, though, Charisma and Intelligence should be high on most Bard’s needs for their affect on Perform, Spellcasting, and Skills. Beyond that, Constitution would be nice for HPs, Dexterity for many skills and Armor Class, and even Strength (especially for the Combat Bard) and Wisdom have some attractiveness to seeing them with some points to them. Here’s some 30 point buy designs:
Str: 12, Dex: 14, Con: 14, Int: 14, Wis: 10, Cha: 14 (balanced)
Str: 10, Dex: 14, Con: 12, Int: 14, Wis: 10, Cha: 16 (performer)
Str: 10, Dex: 15, Con: 14, Int: 14, Wis: 10, Cha: 14 (dexterous swordsman)
Str: 14, Dex: 14, Con: 14, Int: 12, Wis: 10, Cha: 14 (strong combatant)
Str: 10, Dex: 14, Con: 10, Int: 16, Wis: 10, Cha: 15 (skill master)
Str: 10, Dex: 12, Con: 10, Int: 16, Wis: 10, Cha: 16 (court bard)

I would be foolish to claim that these are anywhere near the only possible ways to develop a Bard, but they might be a starting place for those who are new or unsure.

Race: Except for the Half-Orc (who’s –2 to Intelligence and –2 to Charisma is a double whammy) and Dwarf (who’s –2 Charisma is a negative), there are many races with something to offer the Bard player. Humans get an extra feat and a little more skill points to spread out, both attractive additions. Elves have racial traits that fit in very nicely with Bard so should be a popular choice. Halflings work well with the Bard who wants to strengthen his or her stealth skills. Half-Elves are diverse with easy multi-classing ability. Even a Gnomish Bard might offer some RP fun as well as a boost to the Bard’s weak HPs as they get +2 to Constitution.

Multi-class: The way Bards work in NWN, I think they won’t make nearly as good as they do in PnP play. The Bard will be so much stronger for taking more levels in Bard. Rogue might offer a little more to the stealth Bard if taken for a few levels. A level or two of Fighter would boost the Combat Bard. Ranger levels are also a possibility as that class also benefits from sticking to light armors (a human or half-elf Bard with a level in Ranger has a lot to offer).

Conclusion: Bards look to be quite well suited for multiplayer play in NWN and I expect that they will find many willing companions out there. However, to me, the very best benefit to playing the class is that they offer a great challenge and opportunity to role-play. High Charisma, interesting spells, entertaining performances, musical boosts to the party, etc., make for a character that calls to the player who wants to be a charmer at heart.

A Closer Look at Some Specifics:
Spell Progression/Spells Known by Level:
Per Day 0/1st/2nd/3rd/4th/5th/6th
1st Level 2
2nd Level 3/0
3rd Level 3/1
4th Level 3/2/0
5th Level 3/3/1
6th Level 3/3/2
7th Level 3/3/2/0
8th Level 3/3/3/1
9th Level 3/3/3/2
10th Level 3/3/3/2/0
11th Level 3/3/3/3/1
12th Level 3/3/3/3/2
13th Level 3/3/3/3/2/0
14th Level 4/3/3/3/3/1
15th Level 4/4/3/3/3/2
16th Level 4/4/4/3/3/2/0
17th Level 4/4/4/4/3/3/1
18th Level 4/4/4/4/4/3/2
19th Level 4/4/4/4/4/4/3
20th Level 4/4/4/4/4/4/4

Known 0/1st/2nd/3rd/4th/5th/6th
1st Level 4
2nd Level 4/2
3rd Level 4/3
4th Level 4/3/2
5th Level 4/4/3
6th Level 4/4/3
7th Level 4/4/4/2
8th Level 4/4/4/3
9th Level 4/4/4/3
10th Level 4/4/4/4/2
11th Level 4/4/4/4/3
12th Level 4/4/4/4/3
13th Level 4/4/4/4/4/2
14th Level 4/4/4/4/4/3
15th Level 4/4/4/4/4/3
16th Level 4/5/4/4/4/4/2
17th Level 4/5/5/4/4/4/3
18th Level 4/5/5/5/4/4/3
19th Level 4/5/5/5/5/4/4
20th Level 4/5/5/5/5/5/4

Spells: The Bard benefits from the same ability to decide on what they want to cast from what they know on the fly like the Sorcerer. No spellbooks to lug around (and worry about losing). No having to plan out carefully what spells to memorize each rest period. Just wake up and go. It should be noted that spell levels that are given 0 per day at a Bard level are spell levels that are only castable if the Bard has adequate Charisma to get a bonus spell at that level. The Bard’s list of available spells is as follows (along with some thoughts about them):

0-level spells: Cure Light Wounds, Resistance, Light, Daze
Comments: Cure Light Wounds will be a nice quick life-saver. Daze is a nice little spell early on against creatures affected by mind influencing spells. Light is always useful in dark settings (subterranean or at night) for races without darkvision. Resistance is useful in limited situations.

1st-level spells: Charm Person, Cure Light Wounds, Grease, Identify, Lesser Dispel, Mage Armor, Scare, Sleep, Summon Creature I, Protection from Alignment
Comments: Sleep and Charm Person will be effective spells early on. Mage Armor is a nice boost to AC so a Bard who eschews armor will find this spell very useful. Summon Creature I offers a long lasting (24 hours) companion that a Bard could use to protect and aid. Cure Light Wounds can save lives and extend the duration a group can adventure. Identify becomes more appealing as magic items become more commonly found. The rest offer some specific uses for various situations.

2nd-level spells: Blindness and Deafness, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Clarity, Cure Moderate Wounds, Darkness, Hold Person, Invisibility, Ghostly Visage, See Invisibility, Silence, Sound Burst, Summon Creature II, Eagle Splendor, Owls Wisdom, Foxs Cunning, Ultravision
Comments: This level has a lot of enhancement spells for the Bard who wants to augment themselves or others. For pure utility, Invisibility is one of the best and recommended. Summon Creature II offers a long lasting Dire Boar for a summoned companion also making it an attractive spell, especially if Summon Creature I wasn’t selected. Cure Moderate Wounds is a better version of the previously available healing spells. Ghostly Visage grants damage reduction but has a limited duration so use this spell only during the most critical of battles. Sound Burst is an attack spell that causes damage and can stun (plus seems a natural for the class) so is recommended. Blindness & Deafness and Hold Person are direct attack spells, but have some limitations. Other spells offer definite uses in various circumstances.

3rd-level spells: Bestow Curse, Charm Monster, Clairaudience and Clairvoyance, Confusion, Cure Serious Wounds, Dispel Magic, Fear, Haste, Invisibility Sphere, Remove Curse, Remove Disease, Slow, Summon Creature III, Magic Circle against Alignment, Find Traps
Comments: Haste, with its multitude of uses, is probably the first one to tempt the Bard here. Dispel Magic can be a critical spell when magic enchantments are plaguing the Bard (or group). The Removal spells might be important to a group or Bard who lacks a Cleric to rely on. Again, Summon Creature III offers even a bigger companion to have by one’s side for 24 hours and could be very useful if the Bard has not taken any of the other Summons. Charm Monster, Confusion, Fear, Slow, and Bestow Curse are combat spells to help turn the tide of a battle if the Bard wants to have a more offensive slant (but each has their weaknesses). The utility spells of this level all can be useful depending on the nature of the group and/or Bard involved.

4th-level spells: Cure Critical Wounds, Dismissal, Dominate Person, Hold Monster, Improved Invisibility, Neutralize Poison, Summon Creature IV, War Cry, Legend Lore
Comments: Some interesting spells here, but going to reserve comments on higher level spells upon testing them.

5th-level spells: Greater Dispelling, Healing Circle, Mind Fog, Ethereal Visage, Summon Creature V
Comments: Going to reserve comments on higher level spells upon testing them.

6th-level spells: Mass Haste, Summon Creature VI, Ice Storm, Energy Buffer
Comments: Limited spells at 6th, but they look like good ones. Comments to come upon testing later.