Quote Originally Posted by Eldan View Post
I mean, Bilbo spent half the journey with a DMPC high level wizard (later retconned to be a Celestial when he died) in a party of mostly dwarf bards and they lost pretty much every encounter where they tried combat.
And also those where they used diplomacy, IIRC, with the exception of the feast on the lake:

"Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror King under the Mountain!" said the dwarf in a loud voice, and he looked it, in spite of his torn clothes and draggled hood. The gold gleamed on his neck and waist: his eyes were dark and deep. "I have come back. I wish to see the Master of your town!" Then there was tremendous excitement. Some of the more foolish ran out of the hut as if they expected the Mountain to go golden in the night and all the waters of the lake to turn yellow right away. The captain of the guard came forward.
That's very bard-like. But they really failed with the Elves, for example, or later when they were inside the mountain and Men came to discuss.