Troubadour of Stars

[Kesnit]

I managed to kill the Cleric in our last game. Although the player had the option to bring the PC back, so decided to switch characters. Her new PC is a Bard 10, going into Troubadour of Stars (BoED) next level. I am OK with her playing the class, but had a question about one of the class features.


Once she reaches 2nd level, a troubadour of stars can cast spells as if she were an eladrin. Specifically, the troubadour can learn and cast any spell (in the spell chapter of BoED) that has a celestial or eladrin component, as long as she can otherwise cast the spell (it appears on her spell list, it is of a level of spells that she can cast, and she has a sufficient ability score to cast spells of that level).

This makes no sense. She is a Bard, so can pick any Bard spell as a spell known. There is no need to give her a class feature that says "You can cast Bard spells," since she can already cast Bard spells. On the other hand, it doesn't increase her spells known or say she can cast the Celestial spells without having them count against her spells known.

What am I missing here? What does this class feature actually do?

[ExLibrisMortis]

Some spells can only be cast if you actually are a celestial. That class feature allows you to cast those spells. See page 89 of the Book of Exalted Deeds, right before the spell descriptions start.

[torrasque666]

I don't believe there are any spells actually printed with a celestial component though. I may be wrong.

[DarkSoul]

There are several spells with a Celestial component in BoED and several more with an Archon component, but strangely there are none with an Eladrin component.

[ExLibrisMortis]

I don't believe there are any spells actually printed with a celestial component though. I may be wrong.
Almost right.

Celestial spells
Call faithful servants (not a bard spell)
Last judgement (not a bard spell)
Quickshift (not a bard spell)
Sacred guardian (not a bard spell)
This list is complete.

Eladrin spells
This list is complete.

It does appear this class feature is only useful to Sublime Chords, and then only marginally. I would suggest allowing Troubadours to cast sanctified spells, which are normally unavailable to spontaneous casters. That's a good power bump.

[Troacctid]

Celestial spells are not very useful to a bard, but they are quite good on a sorcerer. Remember, Troubadour of Stars is available to any arcane spellcaster.

Eladrin spells, though, that's just nonsense, much like "bestow courage" and "DR/unholy". Troubadour of Stars is not a well-edited class.


I would suggest allowing Troubadours to cast sanctified spells, which are normally unavailable to spontaneous casters. That's a good power bump.
They already get that at 6th level.