Bardless inspiration

[pangoo209]

My new online game is still in the drafts of making their characters, but nobody really wants to play a class that helps buff their teammates. What are your thoughts on making houserules allowing for bardic inspiration in place of a bard when something big happens?

For instance, let's say there is a party of 4 including a rogue, ranger, barbarian, and cleric. If something specifically astounding happens, like a very good and cool hit on an important enemy, would it be viable as a DM to add in a house rule that allows for inspiration dice to be given?

How would you try to implement something like this without using NPC followers?

[hymer]

Well, you already have Inspiration, and players can give their Inspiration to each other. But seeing as nobody wants to buff, I doubt they will use that option.

[pangoo209]

Well, you already have Inspiration, and players can give their Inspiration to each other. But seeing as nobody wants to buff, I doubt they will use that option.

I've never been a big fan of the default inspiration system, I meant to make something like this as an alternative to that, sorry I didn't make that clear, I haven't gotten a lot of sleep :smalltongue:

[Ninja_Prawn]

Inspiration is an option, as hymer says, though it isn't a very well designed system. (lol @ ninja)

But I'm not sure that I understand what the OP is worried about... if the party doesn't include a bard, they don't get to benefit from a bard's abilities. That's how classes work! At the end of the day, none of the classes are indispensable and all of the party roles can be fulfilled in different ways by different classes, so they should learn to get by with what they've chosen.

[rlc]

I guess if they do something spectacular, sure, but I probably wouldn't go around using it anywhere near as much as an actual bard does, because that's basically the same as having a dmpc.

[MrStabby]

So is the issue that none of the players wishes to play a bard or that none of them wish to help other players?

Doing something like giving a d6 inspiration die to hand out on a 20 roll might be fun - of course you would need to raise the difficulty to compensate.

[JAL_1138]

Bards are debuffers/controllers, (backup) healers, and skillmonkeys, with a smattering of decent buffs like Inspiration (which is also a potent debuff for Lore bards). Valor Bards are also great archers (in the mid-game) with Dex builds, and grapplers with Strength builds; Lore Bards can pick up extra spells and sooner, and are even better skillmonkeys than Valors.

To get most of the good buff spells outside of (Greater) Invisibility and (True) Polymorph, bards have to spend Magical Secrets. Circle of Power, Bless, Fly, Magic/Elemental Weapon, Haste, etc. aren't on their spell lists.

[JumboWheat01]

I read the subject as "Beardless Inspriation" and thought 'how the heck can you inspire without a glorious beard?' I need more sugar...

Nothing prevents others from giving a rousing speech and the DM giving circumstance bonuses. Love gives +2 to skill checks and all that.

[MBControl]

I don't think you should need to add anything. You may not have a bard, but Clerics do have the ability to party buff, and as mentioned, there is an inspiration system in place. Though the it won't be as extensive as a bard, you can use it more frequently where you see fit.

Having "voids" in apart is choice your players have when putting the party together, providing they are aware of what the others are planning. If not I would mention it to them, and if they choose not to, that's on them. As the game progresses they may see the need to adapt their PC's by either multi-classing, adapting their spell lists, or simply building a new character that helps more when the first one dies.

I find that there is too much emphasis on creating perfect characters and parties. These are people with flaws, often brought together my chance or force in some cases. Let the players adapt, and control their own destinies. You'll be surprised how many interesting situations and solves they will come up with.