Would a "Songbook" Break the Bard?

[Grey Watcher]

EDIT: I gotta agree with the consensus below: this is a silly idea unless it's part of a major overhaul of the entire Bard class, so just feel free to let this thread slide on into oblivion. Original OP below for posterity.

So, just on the level of "half-baked musing," I wondered how well/poorly it would work if Bards worked more like Wizards than Sorcerers: that is, they can (theoretically) learn all Bard spells that they can discover, steal, purchase, or borrow (which are kept in a book so particularly mean DM's can mess with them, natch)?

Three effects seem obvious to me:

Magical Secrets (and the College of Lore's Additional Magical Secrets) are cemented as "poach another caster's spell list," since you can just pour downtime or instigate sidequests to find That One Bard spell you simply must have.
Wizards feel sad because they're no longer the only non-divine* casters who can learn their entire spell list.
Possible shenanigans involving Peerless Skill and non-Bard spells. (Technically, this is already a thing, but accessing said shenanigans has a slightly steeper opportunity cost as is.)


Thoughts?

*Actually, for that matter, why shouldn't priests have prayerbooks?

[Cybren]

It wouldn't break the bard, but it would be a bit much, wouldn't it? They're already extremely flexible and versatile with a very large skill list, expertise, full casting with a good spell list AND the ability to crib any spell, from any other class, and subclass options that either give them better combat or more skills & spells.... This is the kind of thing that I could see making other people at the table feel bad,even if it isn't actually "too powerful"

[Isaire]

I can't help but feel it'll disrupt the balance somewhat. Bards are already the skillmonkey class, making it possible for them to learn every spell needed in any situation as well seems a little unnecessary honestly. Wizards have spellbooks but don't get anything like as many class features to compensate for that, they use spells if they really need to do something - bards don't have that limitation.

Not to mention, you'll really make the sorcerer look terrible by comparison..

Also, do bards really use magical secrets to learn bard spells currently? That seems like a waste..

[Sir cryosin]

It would be needing the lore bard. Why is it needing the Lord bard? Because it means the lore bard will have one less spell prepared. The lore bard might get one or two more spells I'm AFB. But I do know the lore bard now's more spells then clerics bruids and wizards can prepare.

[SharkForce]

bards are one of the strongest classes out there already. making them stronger is really not something i'd play around with unless i was giving something cool to the classes that aren't already at the top of the power charts first.

i mean, there isn't a *huge* power gap between strongest and weakest, so it probably isn't going to ruin everything, but it's really quite uncalled for.

[zazq]

it would be much more reasonable to pair a songbook up with their ritual casting that they already get. Songbook can contain rituals that they can use without using up a precious Known Spell choice. This seems to do almost what you want, and limits its use to out-of-combat situations, thus protecting the game balance a bit more.

[Findulidas]

bards are one of the strongest classes out there already. making them stronger is really not something i'd play around with unless i was giving something cool to the classes that aren't already at the top of the power charts first.

i mean, there isn't a *huge* power gap between strongest and weakest, so it probably isn't going to ruin everything, but it's really quite uncalled for.

I have to agree here. I think they went a bit overboard with all the skills and features that bard has while still having full magic. It leads to stupid likely scenarios like a lvl 10 bard having higher arcana than the wizard, whos class is literally solely built upon heavy study of it. Despite the bard having low int and the wizard having maxed. Also being able to pick any two spells from any class, which might be the strongest feature there is. Another problem is having the same skillset as a rogue, which has no or very little magic. Who has to rely heavily on its skills to pull its weight in a group.

[MrStabby]

A songbook might be fine at an appropriate cost. Making it a magic item and counting it against the loot a player might find would be ok. Say normal bard spellcasting plus being able to select a handful of spells each day.

For free? With no downside? Well you are stepping on other classes turf and making less special the things that make them special AND doing it on a very powerful core class. Not by itself broken but probably more likely to diminish the fun at your table than increase it aggregated across all players.

[Slipperychicken]

I'd consider making sheet music, just one attunement magic item locked into one spell, and during a long rest a bard can practice music to swap out one of his spells known for the spell in the sheet music.

That means the GM has more control, and attunement keeps it from stacking too much.