Genuine question.
Whenever new Class ideas are discussed people say “Bards are silly”.
But why?
Why is “magic through music” considered sillier than “magic through prayer” (Priests, Paladins) or “magic through math” (Mages)?
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I’ve seen several people get clapped by the music boss in streets so maybe bards aren’t such a bad idea.
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Because the mages show up and blast fire, the priests show up and heal wounds, and the bards show up and act like spotify.
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Because the concept that you can damage something by singing and dancing around the enemies is silly.
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And damaging something by doing math isn’t?
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I’m not to sure about that one. When people put on U2 it’s a very easy crowd control that makes people leave. Also sound (vibrations) can be pretty potent.
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Because people are weird.
I’d love to have a good Bard class in WoW.
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Because they sing and dance and tell jokes or mock people. Whats the confusion?
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None of my characters do math, they fling magic or shoot arrows or brandish a sword.
Unless you are referring to backend code, thats not silliness thats just the way games work. Need code to make the pixels do thy bidding.
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If you have a mage, your character does math.
Math causes fireball, fireball causes damage.
How is that any more serious than “song causes thunderwave, thunderwave causes damage”?
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My characters arent doing math, even if you want to rp that way they aren’t, on my end. On my end they are casting and damaging things. I am doing math. Its the way the game is representing things. The character doesnt even know they have mana or hp because in reality all of our characters would be piles of dead muck by now. Everything is open to interpretation unless you go strictly by the code variables and then its a numbers game.
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They been a class in D&D and playable in Balders gate 3
I think its the thought of it being a support role when aug has failed because qow wasnt designed with support in mind only the trifecta.
Dps or healing through music would work. We got the ETC can rock for dps mosh pit can be an aoe there are so many things they could do to make a fun and unique class.
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I came to this raid so happy
and I danced and sang so silly
A buff to you sir
A boon to you ma’am
and off we go to fight
in a grand epic tale of might!
Let us dance with glee as we slay with me
oh boy what a time we’ll have
as we slay the evil elf
and dance with me, oh dance with me, oh daaaance with meeeee!
The rogue is sneaking off to disarm
The druid casts their hots with such vigor
and warriors spin round and round
the fight against that which shall end all reality
and we dance and smile and sway with glee!
Let us dance with glee as we slay with me
oh boy what a time we’ll have
as we slay the evil elf
and dance with me, oh dance with me, oh daaaance with meeeee!
-Padgarre, Tower Ranger and song writer extraordinaire!
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I would totally add it as a Profession so every Class could bard! Just like Tinker is a Profession.
Since we ain’t getting Archeology back anytime soon why not mix the 2 history and myth through music, Im sure Blizz Sound team would have a blast with this! (Could be a great way to put the ingame music at the beck and call of the players whenever they want! RPG session would be a blast with a bard playing the ambient music in the background lol!)
Although I think in WoW it would be called something else I forgot what was the name for them.
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Dunno
Maybe something about the spirit of the game, at least how they see it.
I do think a Bard class could work in WoW, but it might be a bit difficult figuring out how dancing and singing is associated with the Light or Void or Fel or Elements, or what ever and then somehow becomes attacks or buffs or heals.
It’s one thing to say that a class sings/dances and things happen, but it’s another to establish how it happens and make it make sense and also be accepted by the community.
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My guess is alot of that comes from decades of Bards being memes in D&D.
For those who don’t know Bards are infamous for being horn dogs in the OG fantasy RPG game, Dungeons & Dragons. To the point of it being a meme class pick where you are just kinda expected to try and seduce the big bad dragon boss, or really any NPC the party comes across.
Which that stereotype itself is loosely based on real history. There are lots of historical stories of performers and musicians wooing women with their talents. Even in modern times rockstars are famous for having crazed fans who throw themselves at them.
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Would have to be a murmur expansion. Certain the Draenei are already familiar with what happened to Auchindoun. 
“In the beginning”… “So far away”… such phrases cannot begin to describe this elemental’s origin. Its existence heralds pure destruction. Worlds shatter and the pieces scatter at its whim. Only the truly mad would think to summon it. Perhaps there is yet time to banish Murmur before it fully enters Outland.
Long ago, in a dimension of the cosmos unfathomable to mortal minds, there was born - if such a term can be used for it - a being of such unbelievable power that its very entrance into existence shattered all reality around it.
Known only as Murmur, it was the essence of sound. And to hear it speak was to know death eternal!
Existing only for chaos, its slightest whisper meant the destruction of whole worlds!
Yet still, there were those that would try to worship this mindless being. There were even those more insane who dared to think to control it!
And lo, how the mighty fell trembling at its feet, fearful that it might direct its words upon them.
But still did these charlatans, these worshipping pretenders to a non-existent religion, rail against the inevitable in a vain attempt to control their ‘god’. Uncaring, and likely not even noticing them, Murmur yawned and they knew oblivion.
Yet one somehow managed to survive, and in his insanity found a way to bring Murmur into the world.
A mortal possessed of arcane and dark knowledge that none could surpass, he devised a method to enhance his summoning through the capture and use of souls untold.
Whole civilizations were brought to extinction through his soul devices to fuel the ritual through which he and his conspirators would bring Murmur into their world.
And summon forth Murmur they did.
Powerful magics of containment and silencing were employed, held together by the constant supply of souls being fed into them. Yet still they could not control the beast, could not bend it to their will.
These mortals began to devise different strategies, and one after the other they all failed. And in so doing, they weakened the rituals, accidentally giving Murmur the slightest modicum of freedom.
It was all that was needed.
Only this book survived the cataclysm that destroyed their world. Those proud and foolish men who thought to control a cosmic being of untold power.
Would you, the possessor of the codex, do the same?
Have you devised a foolproof method to summon forth Murmur, or any of the other entities cautiously whispered of in these unhallowed pages?
We shall see.
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Everyones comments just gave me an idea for a game though. No HP or Mana or cooldowns are displayed. The icons show when you are able to cast. You figure out by trial and error how much you can do and how you can avoid damage but without ever knowing exactly how long the fight is going to last. you just fight until the enemy eventually dies. This is truly how games should be because in the real, you wouldn’t know what it would take to bring something down other than by trial and error and experience.
there are tons of type of bards on mmorpgs
and some of them arent silly , they inspire and provide battle songs on top of using their weapons (usually sword/shield , dual daggers/swords or even the instruments as weapon)
on other is just buff / debuff and “afk”
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It’s more that every existing class is effectively a specific type of military troop, and bards, by design, are hard to fit into that designation. It’s also a tonal thing. In my opinion, a generic Alliance bard NPC wouldn’t fit into the role of fighting enemies or healing wounded soldiers as organically as, say, a paladin or priest would in the same situation.
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