Bard ideas

I don't think I've ever played a musical bard. I've always played them as orators, circus performers, storytellers, stage magicians, and/or writers.

I mean hell, the original "Bard of Avon" was Shakespeare.

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>>55040417
If you're interested in the magic more than the music, play the Bard that way. The music is a means to an end, and a far more accessible one than a wizard's studying or cleric's prayer. My bard pursues understanding of magic in part to assail the traditional gate keepers of magic, clergy and scholars. It also plays well at the table when you are mocking traditional dramatic caster gesticulations.

>>55040417
Your character could be part of a military band and then later deserted

>>55040417

Bard is under a curse.

The curse is that he can only talk quoting songlines.

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>>55040417
Harlequin bard - mix valorous bard with a monk. I played it once, its not THAT effective, but damn its fun.

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>>55041771
So thats what happened to him?

I plan to play hardcore gangsta rap bard in my next game

>>55040417
A player I DM:d for a while back played quite the nice standard musical bard.

He was the estranged son of a nobleman, as I remember it, and had lived a very shielded life, spending most of his time reading and listening to sagas of great fictional heroes, wherefrom he had gained his bardic knowledge and musical repertoire. His noble upbringing also explained his verbal skill, though the player willingly (in fact insistingly) ignored his charismatic bonuses in many situations where he found his character unfit to be proficient. The result was a scaredy-cat who pridefully set out on adventure but suffered great mental stress when faced with grim reality.

The player himself is a mighty fine man who made this character largely because he knew of my sadism as DM, as he himself wanted to see his character grovel in the pits of despair as his world view came crashing down. I fondly remember him striking out his recently applied bravery bonuses, of his own accord, upon coming onto a scene involving the seared corpses of a pair of children he had only recently interacted with.

tl;dr:
Have him come from a shielded, noble upbringing, and cherish the moment as he looses faith in humanity.