Please sell me on why I'd want to ever play a bard, when they seem so weak...

[Potato_Priest]

Valor bards are mistaken as being hybrid caster/fighters. Really they are full casters with shields, medium armor, and an incredibly strong grapple game. There are no agro mechanics in this game really, so giving a bard 19 AC in a tough campaign is a really big deal. Expertise in one of the most useful skills in the game isn't bad either. Valor bards can compete with barbarians in the grapple game. Great at-will single-target CC.

At actually grappling opponents they indeed compete very well with barbarians. At staying alive after restricting an enemy to close range (the “secret” requirement for any grappler), they fall decidedly behind barbarians (and even grappler rogues thanks to their uncanny dodge and evasion, or grappler wizards thanks to arcane ward+shield).

At mobility (a nice boost for grapplers but not strictly necessary) they again fall behind the barbarian and rogue thanks to increased movement speed and cunning actions, but are about on par with the wizard.

At the end of the day, if I want a grappler, there are at least three other classes I’d choose first now that the prodigy feat makes expertise available to all.