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Theodoxus
2018-11-20, 12:50 PM
I'm trying to devise an idea for bards who don't want to go to college, and so far, I have a name and a 3rd level ability. I'm hoping you can help me come up with the level 6 and 14 abilities.

What I have so far:

The Drop Out

The drop out either never goes to college or decides early on that college isn't for them. Either way, they learn from the School of Hard Knocks.

Dirty Fighting. Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack using a ranged or finesse weapon, you can use a bonus action to expend a Bardic Inspiration to deal sneak attack damage with the attack. Unlike rogues, no additional requirements need to be met to deal the additional damage. Your sneak attack dice are equal to 1/2 your Bard level, rounded up.

Might make that 1/3 level - though the sneak is limited to your BI dice, so I'm not sure it needs further nerfing...

I'd like to keep similar ideas for the 6th and 14th abilities - so not something like Magical Secrets, though perhaps a boost to spell damage or something...

Any thoughts?

lunaticfringe
2018-11-20, 01:03 PM
Rather than half rogue sneak attack dice just use Psychic Blades progression: 3d6 at 5th level; 5d6 at 10th level; and 8d6 at 15th level.

Grod_The_Giant
2018-11-20, 02:32 PM
Rather than half rogue sneak attack dice just use Psychic Blades progression: 3d6 at 5th level; 5d6 at 10th level; and 8d6 at 15th level.
Don't do this. It makes your progression weirdly spiky-- at 5th/10th/15th level you spike up to level-appropriate damage, then slowly trail off again over the next five levels.

As for a "school of hard knocks" option... you know that "college" isn't literal Bard College, right? It's just the random term they picked for Bard subclasses. It's 100% legitimate to say that your Lore Bard learned everything on the street (After all, more skills=more life experience, cutting words=talking your way out of fights, and magical secrets=unconventional magic picked up in weird places).

Vogie
2018-11-20, 03:40 PM
Here's an idea:

Insult To Injury
Starting at 6th level, when you cast a cantrip, you can make a weapon attack as a bonus action.
In addition, when you cast Vicious Mockery, you can pick one of the following:

Add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.
You may target a second creature in range with the same spell.





As for a "school of hard knocks" option... you know that "college" isn't literal Bard College, right? It's just the random term they picked for Bard subclasses. It's 100% legitimate to say that your Lore Bard learned everything on the street (After all, more skills=more life experience, cutting words=talking your way out of fights, and magical secrets=unconventional magic picked up in weird places).

You're not wrong but I really like the "College Drop Out" feel we got going here.

lunaticfringe
2018-11-20, 03:55 PM
Don't do this. It makes your progression weirdly spiky-- at 5th/10th/15th level you spike up to level-appropriate damage, then slowly trail off again over the next five levels.

Eh beats 1/2 Rogue. At level 20 that's what 4/5d6? I'd rather be spikey. Might as well MC Rogue Sorcerer imo.

Composer99
2018-11-20, 04:22 PM
I'm trying to devise an idea for bards who don't want to go to college, and so far, I have a name and a 3rd level ability. I'm hoping you can help me come up with the level 6 and 14 abilities.

What I have so far:

The Drop Out

The drop out either never goes to college or decides early on that college isn't for them. Either way, they learn from the School of Hard Knocks.

Dirty Fighting. Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack using a ranged or finesse weapon, you can use a bonus action to expend a Bardic Inspiration to deal sneak attack damage with the attack. Unlike rogues, no additional requirements need to be met to deal the additional damage. Your sneak attack dice are equal to 1/2 your Bard level, rounded up.

Might make that 1/3 level - though the sneak is limited to your BI dice, so I'm not sure it needs further nerfing...

I'd like to keep similar ideas for the 6th and 14th abilities - so not something like Magical Secrets, though perhaps a boost to spell damage or something...

Any thoughts?




At first glance, having the damage dice equal the rogue progression seems a little much. Using it 5 times in between rests once you get Font of Insipiration means a lot of "sneak attacks" without the restrictions that rogues face. If a typical combat is, say 3.5 rounds, and you're facing around, say, 9 combats per adventuring day (broken up evenly between rets), from 5th level on you're getting your "sneak attack" more or less half of every combat round you fight.

That said, considering the Whispers college gets Psychic Blades, plus a non-combat fear effect, and considering the opportunity cost of using your BI dice in this way, this feature is fine, especially if you don't get anything else at 3rd level.

I would say you only need to adjust the damage down if you also want to hand out a non-combat "ribbon" feature and/or some proficiencies at 3rd level.

GalacticAxekick
2018-11-20, 04:23 PM
Eh beats 1/2 Rogue. At level 20 that's what 4/5d6? I'd rather be spikey. Might as well MC Rogue Sorcerer imo.Nobody said 1/2 Rogue.

If I'm not mistaken, you get dice equal to 1/2 your bard level, rounded up. That 2d6 at 3rd and 4th level, 3d6 at 5th and 6th, up to 10d6 at 19th and 20th level. Identical to the Rogue.

Grod_The_Giant
2018-11-20, 04:32 PM
As an alternate idea: how 'bout following the example of the Swords Bard, and letting you spend Bardic Inspiration dice on select Battle Master maneuvers?