I like the idea that bards using music to influence and to invoke magical power. I ever played a game whether a good bard will decide win or lose while the cleric is mainly to take good care of the tank. The cleric is to heal while the bard is to buff. The cleric is a blood healer while the bard is a mana healer.

It all depends on how the combat system is designed. A cleric and a bard can be supplimentary roles.

I think the OP has a point. However a Bard is a story teller as well. To me, I would consider the Bard to be a support class if its used as a class. I would also consider the Bard to be a profession that a class can use.

Originally posted by Gaoxin

I was always wondering and maybe you guys will be able to explain me the idea of this class. I mean, who the F%?!(badword:D) came up with this idea?

Imagen you are in the middle of a horrific fight, where each decision and member of your team can decide over win or loss, death or life, beautiful elf princess or being raped by an ugly goblin. So basically if your world is about to fall apart, the really last thing you want to see is some weirdo in strange clothes, playing a what could have been a guitar, dancing and singing as if you are at some fancy party and not in the middle of a massacre!

 

sooo, any ideas?

 

I for one would totally murder the first bard who tries to join my team.

I think it comes from several things. However, in the real world musical instrumetns were used in battle. Really.

Besides fife and drum and trumpets you have Uillean pipes that the Scots used. The idea is to bring up morale.

Which of course goes straight to LOTRO and their use of the minstrel to raise morale which is what "health" is in LOTRO.

And believe it or not, the lyre was used in Ireland "during battle".

Sometimes the world is a lot cooler than people realize.

This is the real life base around the bard, now mmo have done whatever they have done about it. Personally i think the mmo that was the most fidele to that original idea was UO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus

Orpheus is also the origin of the medieval bard that is more of a story teller that have witnessed something grandiose.

It started with the original D&D! It's a more creative way of magic. They dont dance around like it's a party. They use music to cast their magic. It's like some guy rocking out to electric guitar and when he starts getting all intense, the ground cracks open and fire rises and stuff. THAT is a bard.

Originally posted by Gaoxin

I was always wondering and maybe you guys will be able to explain me the idea of this class. I mean, who the F%?!(badword:D) came up with this idea?

Imagen you are in the middle of a horrific fight, where each decision and member of your team can decide over win or loss, death or life, beautiful elf princess or being raped by an ugly goblin. So basically if your world is about to fall apart, the really last thing you want to see is some weirdo in strange clothes, playing a what could have been a guitar, dancing and singing as if you are at some fancy party and not in the middle of a massacre!

 

sooo, any ideas?

 

I for one would totally murder the first bard who tries to join my team.

When I say this I'm presuming you are talking about the bard soul from Rift: Planes of Telara.

Don't look simply at the outside of the class and say "Dude with guitar, sounds gay, not using". Look deeper, the bard is a soul that belongs to the Rogue archtype, and though I have no experience with other MMOs, I would guess that not many other games have a rogue that's capable of offhealing and buffing a whole party/raid. Those musical notes might not be very interesting, but they make a big difference to gameplay. It gives rogue-based gamers the opportunity to experience the game from another perspective, the perspective of an offhealer.

Originally posted by Gaoxin

wooot Anarchy Online?!:D It was my first MMORPG and I played/loved it for about 3 years, even though I hated Funcom for nerfing my sweet NT with the release of Shadow Lands. 

Now that you mention crats I guess you could somewhat compare em to bards. Bureaucrats, however, had weapons and cyborgs AND of course exceptional team management skills in form of XP buffs! Also, while teaming with crats you never had the feeling that there is that one psychopath, who is gonna do something scary sooner or later. You see - bards got this sadistic touch around them..they get off watching their allies die, get hurt or do the same to others. While most sane people will either run away or try to fight, those bards, those sick fothermuckers will watch and then start singing and dancing! And even if a few of you guys said "well somebody has to tell the tale later" I can't really agree. Imagen you hear such a tale from a bard in a tavern or while traveling through a dark forest. He or she will tell or sing you how there were some brave heroes who died horrible deaths, but luckily he or she was around to watch, sing and dance. Now, i bet there will be at least one person, who will ask this question: "And why the F didn't you help em?!" ..silence.. *bardgrins*

 

geez, I slowly realize why I never played DAOC or LOTR!

Like Will Ferrell ie; The Other Guys

But for a game to have support classes like bards, and dancers who aren't as good in combat, should influence grouping as much as possible. 

The second post, "everything is better wth a soundtrack", got me thinking.

It's an idea from a musically-inclined concept of mine, but what if Bards in your standard MMO could change the battle theme his party hears, at will, and can pound out commands to the beat (good timing boosts effects). Would be cool if the whole group could battle "to the beat", but that only really works in the original concept I ripped this from.

Err ... I dont get the OP.

The Bard class is a class that can buff your group and deal damage on their own. They usually can wear armor just fine and usually do wear them, too.

My complaint is more among the lines - EQ style Bards have the unfortunate tendency to depend too much on having a group, because unlike most other buffers they can only buff the group they are in. And once they have a group, they have the unfortunate tendency to be too overpowered, thus making them a requirement for any good group. For example, Vanguard maxlevel Bards in decent gear give over 60% flat increase to damage before anything else - additionally, they give extra damage, increased stats, increased mana regeneration etc.

Thats why I would prefer Bards to be more melee combattants and spell casters than anything else. Much like D&D does them.