Also, on a side, they should have musical instruments listed as an implement. How cool would it be to go into battle with a +2 lute?
Songblades and some magic musical instruments (see Chapter 3) can be used as implements for bard powers and bard paragon path powers. Bards treasure these magic musical instruments not only for the power they offer, but for the wondrous melodies they produce in the hands of a skilled musician.
This shows that there ARE instruments that function as implements. Just that the main/default implement is wands. Also they make reference to songlbades so it would seem there's swords/daggers that can be implements as well. This gives the bard flexibility: Wand = caster, instrument = musician, songblade = warrior.
As for the usefulness of virtue of valor it may have a default higher range than cunning but it's also fixed. Also since temp hp don't stack it'll impact the usefulness. Sure you may have a lot of enemies but if the ranger isn't getting hit he's not going to see much benefit out of it from killing 2 enemies, and what about the wizard who nukes 4 minions at once? A party who does stupid tactics to try to milk VoV deserve the punishment they'll get for keeping things alive that shouldn't be.
I'm also one who doesn't really like Con over Dex for a bard, since it certainly doesn't go with how bards have been in past. It's certainly appropriate for a warrior-bard, but that's something that I feel should be regulated to Arcane Power as a newer bard option, while the Dex option should go into PHB2.
Arcane leader is the perfect choice for the bard IMO. They have always been a support class at their core. And controller as their "secondary role" is even better. I do hope WotC has paragon paths that can let them cross over more fully into the controller role, for those that want to play them that way.
I'm very surprised by the choice of Con for a primary ability and not Dex. My only guess is that they wanted to spread them out over the Defense categories so they had something covering Fort and didn't double up on Reflex. Still IMO Dex has always been a primary ability for Bards for both mechanical and flavor reasons, and should still be. Perhaps they'll make a Virtue of Agility alternate feature down the road which will help avoid OAs or something (+Dex to AC against one OA per round to an ally within 10, maybe?). That said, from what WotC has shown us the only stat that really matters anyway is Charisma since their Virtue feature is the only thing they've shown us that benefits from the secondary stats. That's poor class design IMO.
I like their armor proficiencies. Chain IIRC was their cap back in 2e, and in 3.5e when they got armor back, the chain shirt was their armor of choice. I do NOT however like that they have Light Shield Proficiency. IIRC they have never started with this proficiency and for good reason, a character who typically carries an instrument or perhaps a rapier, bow, or similar light, noble weapon doesn't have a hand for a shield and wouldn't want to be weighed down by one. Plus how does it make sense that Clerics don't get shields, but Bards do? Now as with everyone else in 4e, a Bard could always opt to take the shield feat(s), but I do not think they should start with it. Mechanically, it seems that armor and shield feats are directly related to power source, range, and having Dex or Int primary. All other arcane classes have had the worst armor proficiencies of their role. Warlocks and Swordmages only get leather. As far as we can tell, Bards have the best range of the leader classes, having roughly equivalent to Warlock's range. And Int is one of the primary stats, at least for the Cunning build. Those things together tell me they should have worse armor/shield proficiencies from the Warlord certainly and probably from the Cleric as well to maintain balance.
Weapon proficiencies are good. I would have preferred rapier been in for flavor, but as a superior weapon I don't blame WotC for leaving it out of the standard package.
Wands make sense for their implement, but I think that making instruments a whole new implement category exclusive to Bards would be a good idea. As is, it sounds like instruments will be rare specific items like pact blades or holy avengers, where choosing it will be instead of other attractive enhancements.
Defense bonuses are perfect, as are HP and surges.
The skills look pretty good. Arcana plus 4 more is a good number especially when you add in their Skill Versatility power (which as written stacks with Jack of All Trades!). And their selection is just about perfect. I totally agree with the absence of Endurance as it definitely doesn't fit. On the other hand, I think that Stealth and Thievery make much more sense than Religion and Nature. Bards have always been kind of minor thieves, but I would think their Religious & outdoors/survival/animal knowledge would be covered by their dabbling.
Right off the bat it's clear they obviously have more class features than any other class we've seen. I hope this isn't a sign of power creep. I think maybe some of the features should be made into feats instead.
Without seeing what exactly 'bardic rituals' entail, it's hard to evaluate Bardic Training. Hopefully it will be 4e Bardic Knowledge.
Virtue of Cunning seems to pale in comparison to Virtue of Valor at first glance. I think making the former have a static range of 10 and making the amount you slide the ally equal to the half Bard's Int mod, would even things out. Virtue of Valor also strikes me as something much more for a Warlord than a Bard.
Majestic Word is great. I like that it trades the first d6 of bonus for their Cha mod, which is a perfect method of bridging the gap between the Cleric's level of healing and the Warlord's. I also like the way it distinguishes itself from Healing Word and Inspiring Word, by offering the ability to slide the target 1 square. That said, as is, it is more potent than Healing/Inspiring Word, and that imbalance should be offset somewhere.
Words of Friendship is a great power, but I think a bit much for a free feature. I think this should be a Level 2 Utility option instead to bring the Bard a bit more in line with other classes.
Skill Versatility is a great feature. It lets a Bard be a jack of all trades (and with the unnamed bonus doesn't step on the toes of the feat by the same name), without being overpowered. I definitely prefer this to giving the bard more skills. It's a nice distinction from the rogue who can 'specialize' in more skills, whereas the bard is more of a dabbler.
Multiclass Versatility is another cleverly designed feature. As written it lets a Bard easily expand his skill list and pick up minor class features galore, while still limiting them to 3 power swaps and 1 Paragon Multiclass thanks to the precise wording of their rules. Realisticly most PCs won't take advantage too much of this feature since while feats are certainly more prevalent in 4e, most PCs won't want to spend more than a couple feats on Multiclassing. But for that oddball PC who really wants to make his Bard a swiss army knife, the option is there.
Misdirected Mark is an incredibly creative power! The flavor and mechanics are great. That said, with the option of Vicious Mockery, it seems to only be a viable option if you have a Fighter in the party. Without a Fighter, the Misdirected Mark effectively just imposes a -2 penalty to attack that can be avoided by attacking the ally you designate, and also has the disadvantage of not stacking with any other marks. Vicious Mockery on the other hand, likewise imposes a -2 to attack, but with no option to avoid and fully stacks with marks and any other attack penalties. Now granted Misdirected Mark does more damage, but it also targets a typically tougher defense, so those two things are a wash. Vicious Mockery has the Charm and Psychic keywords, which can be liabilities as they can be vulnerable to resistances and immunities, but they also offer potential bonuses from feats, magic items, or monster vulnerabilities, so again I think those two things are a wash. In conclusion I think that Misdirected Mark needs a little more to tip the scales back in its direction, such as targetting Will, psychic damage, or language stating that it can activate a Defender's class mark (Divine Challenge, Aegis of Assault, etc.).
The level 1 encounter powers both seem to have unnecessarily short range. The general trend has been to have Encounter powers offer increased range over the At Will alternatives. Other than that, Blunder seems great! Fast Friends, however, seems very weak. Restricting a single monster from attacking a single ally is fine, but if any of your allies go before the monster they have to delay their turn or attack another target (not an option in a solo fight) or completely undo your entire action, since Fast Friends deals no damage on it's own. I think the end condition needs to be changed to be "or until that character attacks the target." That makes sense as the target is made to be friendly towards only the 1 character, so only that 1 character should be able to invalidate that 'friendship.' Alternatively you could change it to make the target unable to attack you or any of your allies, and keep the end condition as is, but then I believe the power would need to be a higher level.
Echoes of the Guardian seems rather weak as well. First off it is a very odd power compared to the rest as it is the only weapon-based power, whereas the rest are implement-based. I would hope that WotC has a bunch more weapon based powers that simply weren't included in this release if they plan to make weapon-based bards viable. Personally I would be content with an implement-only Bard, but I know that many would disagree. But I hope that they don't do what they did to Protecting Paladins and force you to maintain both a Weapon and an Implement of their level. I think those kinds of builds should be an option, but never the only option as it really stretches you thin. As for the power's specifics 2W and a recurring Misdirected Mark effect is rather unimpressive regardless. Now if it gave you a Defender-like power for your mark, it would be great. Something akin to Divine Challenge like 3+Cha psychic damage to the target when it ignores your mark would be great.
Now Stirring Shout is a fantastic power. The damage is low, but for a Leader power, it's fine, especially when you consider the effect. Free non-surge based healing every time you hit the target is an awesome effect. It's perfect for Solo fights.
Hunter's Tune is a great power. A daily (potentially) encounter long buff is great.
Inspire Competence, however, I hope is a typo. A minor action, encounter long buff (with no sustain needed!) that is usable every encounter is WAY too good. Add the fact that it boosts the whole party, and it's laughably broken. The power might as well said "If you take this power your party gets +2 to a skill that you can change at your leisure, always." It needs to either be a daily like Hunter's Tune or only effect the next check (like Beguiling Tongue). As is, it's an 'I win' button for Skill Challenges that's effectively always on. Making it on for 1 challenge per day or for one check per challenge is much more reasonable--especially when you consider that it also has combat applications (Perception checks, anyone?).
Dissonant Strain is good, other than again a range shorter than the At Wills, and the status effects of the Bard powers are starting to sound like a broken record (-2 to attacks). Again I just hope that when the full suite of powers are revealed, we see more variety.
Impelling Force isn't bad. Compared to the Swordmage At Will, Lighting Lure, I don't know if it's quite potent enough. Range is 10 vs. 3, it's a slide 5vs. a pull 3, it does 1d10 vs. 1d6, it moves adjacent to you vs. an ally. It's probably fine as is, but if the damage were a little higher, say 2d6 I'd be more convinced it's worth the extra 2 levels and using it only once per encounter.
Song of Discord finally brings us a true mind controlling power. If I remember the dominated condition correctly (I am away from my books, and the Compendium doesn't have info on conditions), that dominated is basically liked stunned plus, meaning the target grants combat advantage and can't take any actions (other than those you compel). If that's basically accurate that is a fabulous ability for a Level 5 Daily.
Tune of Ice and Wind is kind of mediocre, especially when compared to Song of Discord. At 5th level, for a daily, I think it should do more damage and/or affect a larger area. 2d6 is extremely low damage for a level 5 Daily even if it is an area power; 3d6 would be more appropriate IMO.
Allegro is a great power, but I can't help feeling that the effect would be better suited to a Tactical Warlord. Allegro I think should instead offer a speed boost and perhaps a buff to shifting. Granting a +2 to speed and to the distance you can shift would be great. Or perhaps +2 to speed and the ability to shift up to half your new speed.
Trickster's healing is a very fun-looking power, but I fear in practice it might not live up to expectations. It provides healing so you would only use it when the ally or allies are injured, and would be more inclined to use it the more hurt they are. Likewise since it works against area of effect powers, you are going to want to hold out for 1 whenever possible to get the best bang for your buck. But you can't wait too long since it requires an attack to miss, and you don't want the other side of the coin to be the ally is KOed by the attack. I wouldn't necessarily recommend WotC to change this one, but it should come with a disclaimer to PCs who select this power that you are gambling with your allies lives.
Deflect Attention from the flavor text sounds great, but the mechanics are very different. As written it is almost identical to the Warlock 7 power, Mire the Mind, except Mire the Mind only does 1d10 damage, but makes you and all your allies invisible to the target. I find that very odd, as the Striker power does less damage and benefits allies more. So rather than duplicate a warlock power, I think Deflect Attention should be more reactionary (since it is a leader power after all) and work more like the flavor text implies. So change it to an immediate interrupt and drop off the damage component (otherwise I think it'd be too good for level 7).
Unluck was a favorite of mine in 3.5e, and 4e carries on its good name. The double whammy of having the option of forcing a monster to reroll where you know exactly what the replacement would be, and likewise granting an ally a reroll is awesome. I'm not sure why it's vs. Reflex, but a description of hurling a ball of cursed energy would fix that. Also this power is good enough that the range of 5 doesn't bother me.
Forceful Conduit is another fantastic and creative power. The damage is low, but more than made up for with the effect. I think the concept of a fighter swinging his sword through the conduit at enemies adjacent to the target is rather odd, but they doesn't ruin it for me.
Horrible Laughter is another of my favorites from 3rd edition. Here I'm not as convinced by 4e's translation. The power is potent enough mechanically, but I'm not sure if the mechanics and the flavor match up to me. Still there are worse gripes. - After looking at it again, I don't know why they didn't just make the target dazed. Daze is a much better fit for the flavor to me. Uncontrollable laughter to me would make you struggle to protect yourself (grant combat advantage), lose the ability to make quick reactions (no OAs), and have to concentrate to do anything but laugh (one action per turn). Upping the effect to dazed from 'no OAs and -2 Attacks' would probably require you to remove the aftereffect or lower the damage to keep the power balanced, but then again with Knockout at the same level that may not be necessary.
Illlusury Erasure is another great power! It is 100 times better than Greater Invisibilty, let alone Invisiblity. But they're known for being vastly underpowered in 4e (please errata WotC). I would say it is on par with Blur, which to me says it's perfectly balanced. And it's got great flavor that just says 'bard' to me.
Veil is great as well, perhaps one of the best non-combat powers I've seen. I like that they give it a nice long duration without requiring you to sustain it. Unfortunately in a typical 4e game it will be overlooked since it has little to no combat value, but RP heavy groups will love it, and creative PCs I think could get good use out of it even in combat. I do have to say though that it cracks me up where they spell out that the illusion applies to auditory, tactile, and visual senses--meaning don't let anyone lick or sniff you! :P
Last but not least, we have Word of Life, which i think is an utterly fabulous power ...for a Cleric. I understand that Bards are Leaders and thus healing is a main part of their job and repertoire, but reviving a fallen ally and admonishing his would be slayer as a reaction is something that screams Cleric to me, not Bard. WotC, please release this in a Dragon article or put it in the Divine Power book for Clerics.
In conclusion I see a lot of good ideas, that I hope are not in their final incarnation as I think they need balancing and polishing. I see a problem with Bards being to SAD, since Con and Int currently affect just one feature--we need to see powers with bonuses tied to secondary stats. I also see a potential problem with almost all of their powers targetting will. It's one thing for Rangers and Fighters to almost always attack AC since it's typically the highest defense, but Will is typically the lowest--that's a big advantage. Right now all the powers seem to have low damage, which might be enough of a trade-off but it's hard to tell. I see a problem with striking a balance with implement and weapon based powers, and I think that instruments should be a whole new category of implements. Still I have to say: bravo for making the Bard what looks like it will be a fun and flavorful class in 4e!
Arcane leader is the perfect choice for the bard IMO. They have always been a support class at their core. And controller as their "secondary role" is even better. I do hope they have paragon paths that can let them cross over more fully into the controller role, for those that want to play them that way.
I'm very surprised by the choice of Con for a primary ability and not Dex. My only guess is that they wanted to spread them out over the Defense categories so they had something covering Fort and didn't double up on Reflex. Still IMO Dex has always been a primary ability for Bards for both mechanical and flavor reasons, and should still be. Perhaps they'll make a Virtue of Agility alternate feature down the road which will help avoid OAs or something (+Dex to AC against one OA per round to an ally within 10, maybe?)
I like their armor proficiencies. Chain IIRC was their cap back in 2e, and in 3.5e when they got armor back Chain shirt was their armor of choice.
I do NOT however like that they have Light Shield Proficiency. IIRC they have never started with this proficiency and for good reason, a character who typically carries an instrument or perhaps a rapier, bow, or similar light, noble weapon doesn't have a hand for a shield and wouldn't want to be weighed down by one. Plus how does it make sense that Clerics don't get shields, but Bards do? Now as with everyone else in 4e, a Bard could always opt to take the shield feat(s), but I do not think they should start with it.
Weapon proficiencies are ok. I would have preferred rapier been in for flavor, but as a superior weapon and given that
Wands make sense for their implement, but I think that making instruments a whole new implement category exclusive to Bards would be a good idea. As is it sounds like instruments will be rare specific items like pact blades or holy avengers, where choosing it will be instead of other attractive enhancements.
Defense bonuses are perfect, as are HP and surges.
Skills look great! Arcane +4 is a good number especially when you add in their Skill Versatility power. And their selection is just about perfect. I totally agree with the absence of Endurance as it definitely doesn't fit. On the other hand, I think that Stealth and Thievery make much more sense than Religion and Nature. Bards have always been kind of minor thieves, but I would think their Religious & outdoors/survival/animal knowledge would be covered by their dabbling.
I do disagree with you on some points that changes my reaction much from yours. In short is what a Bard was and what a Bard has become.
1st Edition Bard clearly much different then 3rd Edition Bard.
Some of the tech points you make however do have some merit, some things provided should not be automatic.
Overall, a useful analysis, Malkonnen, but you're misreading Inspire Competence. It only applies to one skill, and it only applies to one skill check by each ally using that skill. It's still pretty good for an encounter power (it'd be my first choice), but it's not as powerful as you're thinking. Excellent for skill challenges, though.
You do have a point that giving a target a -2 against all is mechanically superior to giving him a -2 against all but the marker, but the effects are different. A -2 against all but the marker directs him in a certain direction. As a DM, I have the markee attacking the marker 90% of the time. Now, obviously this is more powerful with a fighter than a paladin or a swordmage, whose marks aren't all that powerful without their special features. But what about those who can't normally mark a target. Say a warlock, who's invisible to the target, or who hurts the enemy who attacks them? I think there's some potential there.
I do disagree with you on some points that changes my reaction much from yours. In short is what a Bard was and what a Bard has become.
1st Edition Bard clearly much different then 3rd Edition Bard.
Some of the tech points you make however do have some merit, some things provided should not be automatic.
I see your point. The bard has probably changed the most in mechanics and by necessity, flavor, of all of the core D&D classes. I edited my post to include more mechanical reasons why I object to some of the design decisions.
DSCrankshaw wrote:
Overall, a useful analysis, Malkonnen, but you're misreading Inspire Competence. It only applies to one skill, and it only applies to one skill check by each ally using that skill. It's still pretty good for an encounter power (it'd be my first choice), but it's not as powerful as you're thinking. Excellent for skill challenges, though.
You do have a point that giving a target a -2 against all is mechanically superior to giving him a -2 against all but the marker, but the effects are different. A -2 against all but the marker directs him in a certain direction. As a DM, I have the markee attacking the marker 90% of the time. Now, obviously this is more powerful with a fighter than a paladin or a swordmage, whose marks aren't all that powerful without their special features. But what about those who can't normally mark a target. Say a warlock, who's invisible to the target, or who hurts the enemy who attacks them? I think there's some potential there.
Thanks. I had overlooked that about Inspire Competence, I'll have to edit that section of my post. Although I still think that an Encounter long per Encounter buff is a big no-no.
You make a good point about Misdirected Mark, but I've found that the largest part of the motivation for monsters to to attack their marker is the class feature backing it up. -2 to attack is significant, but if you're options are the wall-of-steel paladin or leather clad rogue (let alone the wizard in robes), then you may still be more likely to hit the rogue, or at least just as likely. And if the odds of hitting are the same, then of course you're going to go for the low-HP-high-damage-output rogue over the sack of HPs. Now this is partially an issue related to how intelligent he should play monsters, but I don't want to digress. My point is that a penalty to hit alone might motivate a monster to attack the marker, but it's very situational on the monster's intelligence, DM-style, and make up of your party.
Vicious Mockery on the other hand is universally effective, reducing the chance the monsters chance to hit regardless of his target.
Basically, I agree that Misdirected Mark has its uses, but its situational usefulness warrants a slight power boost. Even just making it psychic would probably be enough as being able to add and extra -2 from Psychic Lock is huge!
The Bard should have Endurance in the class skills. Any class that has Constitution as a Primary or Auxiliary ability should access Endurance. It should be optional, and perhaps most players wont choose it, but in principle it should be on the list.
All knowledge skills should be on the list. Especially Religion, since many traditional songs refer to or allude to the cultures sacred traditions.
I strongly dislike traits or powers that nullify the contribution of entire classes: Immunity to mental effects should not exist in D&D 4e! A bonus to a defense vs a specific keyword is fine. Please errata all blanket Immunities out of the game. Mental immunity makes the game suck.
The Bard should have Endurance in the class skills. Any class that has Constitution as a Primary or Auxiliary ability should access Endurance. It should be optional, and perhaps most players wont choose it, but in principle it should be on the list.
The bard already has 14 out of 17 skills on its class list. They probably felt they had to draw the line somewhere, and so endurance, stealth, and thievery got cut. I'm not fully in agreement with the idea of class skill lists to begin with, so I wouldn't have cared if bards had them all on their list, but I can understand why they didn't want one class to be so encompassing.
So, obviously this is just one of the builds (Cunning). I'm assuming most of the weapon based attacks, and the ones that get Con boosts, are in the Valor build.
Tune of Ice and Wind is kind of mediocre, especially when compared to Song of Discord. At 5th level, for a daily, I think it should do more damage and/or affect a larger area. 2d6 is extremely low damage for a level 5 Daily even if it is an area power; 3d6 would be more appropriate IMO.
I actually think this is better than you give it credit. The damage is low, but the extras aren't bad: a save ends slow and sliding your allies 3 squares. Even if you miss, you slow your enemies a round and slide your allies (potentially enough to move your allies out of range of melee). Compared to that, I'm not sure Song of Discord is superior. On a miss, the enemy makes a free action basic attack (which may or may not hit) against someone you target. Even on a hit, it's still only one enemy, affected for one round. Granted, if he's got a powerful at-will you can make use of, it may be worth it.
