Bard Skill Question

[Bubzors]

So I got my hands on a copy of the players handbook and had a question about the bard. As a bard you get proficiency in three instruments and three skills of your choice. The proficiency of the instruments allow you to play them and add the bonus to any ability check made with playing them. The performance skill allows you to add the bonus when performing. The proficiency bonuses do not stack.

My question is why you would waste a skill in performance as a bard, seeing as you can just make the performance check while playing an instrument and still get the proficiency bonus? Just seems kind of redundant. The only option I see it could work is if you wanted to be a stand up comedian or jester type of performer.

Am I missing something, or does it seem almost wasteful for bard to have the performance skill?

[Yorrin]

Perhaps you want to perform a dance or a song? There are means of performance other than instruments. That being said, yeah, you're probably better off picking some other skill.

[IAmTehDave]

So I got my hands on a copy of the players handbook and had a question about the bard. As a bard you get proficiency in three instruments and three skills of your choice. The proficiency of the instruments allow you to play them and add the bonus to any ability check made with playing them. The performance skill allows you to add the bonus when performing. The proficiency bonuses do not stack.

My question is why you would waste a skill in performance as a bard, seeing as you can just make the performance check while playing an instrument and still get the proficiency bonus? Just seems kind of redundant. The only option I see it could work is if you wanted to be a stand up comedian or jester type of performer.

Am I missing something, or does it seem almost wasteful for bard to have the performance skill?

If you are going to be a bard that only plays instruments, then yes the performance skill proficiency can be skipped (Though you'll still be half proficient thanks to Jack of All Trades.

If, however, you want to play a bard that can Sing or Dance or Act or Storytell like a master, then you want ranks in Performance. What I personally like is that it's not split into X dozen different subskills.

[Townopolis]

Taking proficiency in performance would be valuable if

Performance checks matter
Performance checks matter enough that you don't want your ability to make them with proficiency tied to having one of three probably fragile and possibly heavy instruments on hand and undamaged enough (you're an adventurer, ya know) to be usable.


Pennywhistles are a lovely instrument, all told, but even they can get pretty handily destroyed in a scuffle.