Bards

[Calvin Toros]

I was just curious if there was anyway of improving bards, like maybe allowing them to buff allies with their songs or something, for example in fire emblem 7 there are rings for nils and ninian to use that can raise allies eva and one to raise crit one for def+res and one for atk/mag.

So i was thinking maybe they could have some sort of buffing feature, i know this is roleplay style so it wouldnt have a HUGE signifigance but im jstu throwing out suggestions so their not TOTALLY useless, opinions? o.o

[Aaron Winsett]

Well, while not particularly realistic, we have had a bard who aided allies. Name was Adete, and he helped people in the 2nd Battle of Salvation Point, in Sacae.

As to the buffs, they probably would be moral affecting more than attack or defense buffs. Rallying forces, perhaps even giving commands to armies, and such. Like the drummers in the Amereican Revolutionary War (though I'm no expert on that).

As to the effect, it's more up to the player how they want to react to it. I don't see bards causing people to be able to shatter rocks, but a small bonus of some sort has been effectively RP'd before.

[Calvin Toros]

yea it of course wouldnt be earthshattering powerful but anything to make them more than just bait would be good you know? Maybe they could play to effect enemies? Like put them to sleep or poison or something, i dunno how it would work but you know its magic so w/e xD jtu something to make them not entirely useless

[Gabriel]

Bards and dancers were, from the get go, added to be useless as fighting units. But this is a roleplay forum, not a war forum. Not everything has to be centered on fighting. Either way, RPers have found ways to make themselves useful, either by distracting attackers, making traps or serving as bait.

Realize that if their dances or songs had any real power in them, the effects would be monstrous. Picture a song that gives a character just a little more strength. It doesn't have to be much. Now realize that, if played during a battle, hundreds of soldiers on your side can hear it at once, thus making the "little effects" be applied hundreds of times.

[Calvin Toros]

ooo... i never really thought of it that way o.o, i look forward to play as my bard none the less , now that i think about it, it seems nice to have an option to play as a non-fighting character.

[Iorran (Tirion)]

Bards aren't totally useless, as Gabriel stated. If you can think outside the box then they're quite useful. Being a bard means you spread tales and songs and likely know other bards, possibly through a guild. This means that bards could easily be the most knowledgeable class as far as the goings on in the world are considered. Plus, no one said you couldn't also be a spy of some sort. Sure, you can't really hold your own in a fight, but you can still use trickery and subterfuge to enter the ranks of an opposing force and get info to bring back to your buddies.

Just use your brain and I'm sure you'll be fine.

[Michelle]

I apologize for necroing this dead thread, but I was thinking that it would be possible to implement a promotion class for bards, like in FE4/5 where dancers can use swords. Maybe make it such that bards have a promotion that can use a weapon type of their choice. Another possible choice is to let them use staves on a promotion so that they can actually fulfill a greater support role, but that might make them entirely like priests/clerics, just with a delay before they can use staves.

And I liked the bard being a spy thing. If anything, I think that bards would make really good spies due to their knowledge, and even more if they are able to use keys/picks (like thieves). Then it would make them have a greater utility role. Maybe sell some instruments that might have slightly different effects when played. Not gamebreaking, but more passive effects, or using the sounds as a warning/alert/order to charge.

I understand how this might cause some problems in terms of the mechanics, but it would make bards more playable and actually have a use for their gold at all, as normally they wouldn't need to spend any of their gold at all.

EDIT: Just checked around and realized that bards are unable to exchange their gems for anything they can use, except for gold which they still have no use for.

[Wyatt]

Bards are largly an RP class. We really had no desire to implement them, but the player base (YOU GUYS) continued to insist that you wanted them, so they were added.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[Hal]

Nothing prevents them from being a team player and buying weapons for team members and such. As Wyatt said, they were only added because people wanted it. Nothing stopped anybody from making a characters, let's say a Mercenary, and have them play the role of a Bard. You don't HAVE to fight because you made a melee class.

[Calvin Toros]

I like Michelle's ideas but at the same time I understand Wyatt and Hal. I usually prefer picking one side but when i made this topic i had only just joined and didnt know that bards were wanted by the player base, not the admins. If you think of it that way being a bard is really solely for character purpose. As Hal says you could always make a mercenary and say he knows how to play an instrument in his bio, fighters dont have to fight. So really... it's just for the purpose of the character, besides there are 3 character slots so there's 2 other opportunities to make fighting characters, don't get me wrong I love Calvin and I love having a bard, and of course having the ability to do something else with them would be nice but at the same time theres really no need to change them.

Did that make sense? I think it does... I don't know i posted this at like 1 am.... I think...

[Xavier]

I can understand you guys' difficulties too. Oh well... At least bards can be the richest people on Way, lol! They can just shake their money pouch in front of other people and jingle them ;D.

Be jealous, bards are RICH!

[Wyatt]

Also, I might remind you that the (Potentially) most dangerous PC in this universe got to where he was with less then a dozen combat posts.

Stealth and Guile will win you a lot more then brute force will.

[Vashnar]

so, a Bard is more powerful then a Berserker? I accept and like that knowledge!

[Yaen]

Also, I might remind you that the (Potentially) most dangerous PC in this universe got to where he was with less then a dozen combat posts.

Who, me?