I have to agree with Pro that it's a little hard to RP my character
is messed up beyond belief from someone singing at me. I think a class
with a choice of the beneficial stuff from bards and the malediction
stuff would fit in. Sorcerer could have a choice between enchanter
path and warlock path. All sorcerers would have a few damage spells
comparable to bards, and each split would specialize one way or the
other having a few more spells in their path. Because enchanters
enhance the spirits of their allies and warlocks prey on fear,
charisma would still be their main stat as well as save vs mental
helping against them. They would pull their powers from the positive
and negative planes, as well as the elemental planes. Healing songs
could be replaced with rejuvenating wind and mist, disortion could be
replaced with distracting cinder, where the warlock throws burning
embers on you and you keep thinking your on fire distracting you from
combat. Stuff like that. Just an idea, didn't think it'd fit into
Christmas in July.

This would take a bard class away from the village, but you would be
able to spellbane them. Save vs mental would play a part in that too.
Make bards an edge that lets you hold instruments and music/yell like
bards can. Leave bard mobs and treat them as mystic musicians of old
times. Also, put in spiritual vice edge, which makes you regen mana
faster when drinking. Dwarven paladins rejoice.

>I have to agree with Pro that it's a little hard to RP my
>character
>is messed up beyond belief from someone singing at me.

In the real world musicians don't have that kind of power, but in the real world tough fighters also don't get stabbed 20 times, have arteries cut and bones broken and not only live but be completely fine a day later either.

A bard's power of entertainment and persuasion can be strong enough in Thera to extend into the realm of illusion and/or mental assault; that's just one of those things like seaweed that naturally lets you breathe water or telepathic communication with a person half a world away that you either can suspend disbelief or accept "This is different here" or you can't.

I just don't like that particular one. If a dagger spec lands a bunch of skills, you can explain to your group, "This guy sliced me all to pieces," if a necromancer has you down and out, you can tell them, "this guy cursed me with all sorts of foul magics," if a bard sings you up it's really awkward to try to rp with it. Everyone just says they fiended me, but there isn't a cool way to describe it. This guy sung this song and.. I don't know.. I got so scared, I started running away but I just kept getting more scared and then I died. To describe what happened feels like breaking character to me.

The bard songs have subliminal messages in them that affect your mind. I heard that if you play the bard songs backwards they say 'Loot all Noobee Breadz!'

Because you can certainly RP what a bard can do to you, at least, you can if you can RP what hamstring warrior or necro does to you.

It's just about finding the way, maybe take it as a challenge. It might be tougher than hamstring warrior or necro, but it's there.

When 'everyone says they fiended me' that is a cop-out. You can RP the fiend if you want.

Anyways, that's my two cents. You can RP the strength maladiction, the song where you can't see your HP, anything.

It's just that I feel ridiculous doing so. The thought of an battle hardened warrior or cold blooded assassin freaking out over a song just doesn't sit well with me. Is there anyone who doesn't look at this as just the way things are? I'm sure people like to play the class, but does anyone enjoy the RP of the destroy by songs angle? I have to admit, a bard that was acting all Metalocalypse would make me laugh, but it would be goofy.

This is the wrong game for you.

This isn't Die Hard. Music is a powerful thing even in the real world. It unites nations, such as anthems and classic rock, and simultaneously can destroy communities over time, such as rap, metal, goth-emo genres, etc.

In Thera that inspiration is just compressed to outright illusions of the drug-induced nightmare quality.

This means that even if you feel ridiculous admitting you pissed your pants from Grand Nocturne, that means your character feels ridiculous about being vulnerable to the bard *but was still scared witless* or what have you.

They can feel embarrassed afterward, and svs mental represents the mental preparedness and fortitude to resist that. Without that, you may as well be walking into a haunted house IRL on Halloween while blindfolded and not realizing it, for instance.

Contrary to the badasses in movies, truly wise fighters accept and regulate their emotions, they don't just fail to experience fear. That would mean that they would get killed for no reason, which already happens in the case of noob ragers.

This was more the post I was looking for, I.E. someone who liked the bard setup, instead of people who merely accept it. I had yet to hear anyone who liked the idea of what bards do, so I thought a change might be in order. I don't like it, but then again, I'm not 100% of the playerbase. This doesn't mean I don't get it, this doesn't mean I can't accept it, it was one aspect of the game I didn't like. Jumping to conclusions and making condescending statements are detrimental to discussion.