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Old 03-12-2021, 05:38 PM   #31
hcobb
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Why the Bard Talent?

Now I wanna make a Merman quartet that surfaces at random times to sing jolly songs mocking the errors of the PCs.
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Old 03-12-2021, 09:26 PM   #32
Anomylous
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Default Re: Why the Bard Talent?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
If one took Mundane Talent [Singing] and Mundane Talent [Musical Instrument], you would possess the two core skills that Bard gives for the same point cost of 2 points. But you don't get the reaction bonus. Why not?
From a purely mechanical perspective, Mundane Talents are IQ8, Bard is IQ9, so you'd expect a 2-point IQ9 talent to be a bit more powerful than two 1-point IQ8 talents.

Also, just the fact that you know how to sing and/or play an instrument doesn't automatically mean that you're a good entertainer, as your example of the obnoxiously snorting classical guitarist illustrates. You could say that guy had Mundane Talent [Classical Guitar] to a ridiculous level, but not Bard.

I see your argument that Bard is basically Charisma + mundane-talent instrument skill, but a) Bard essentially gives you a discount on the package deal, which is nice, and b) having both Bard and Charisma available allows you to stack the charisma bonuses higher, and honestly I enjoy rules that reward (but also punish!) min-maxing.
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Old 03-15-2021, 01:41 PM   #33
larsdangly
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Why the Bard Talent?

I find these sorts of issues hard to parse because the in-game benefits of many non-combat talents are only loosely defined and subject to interpretation. You might really want to have Bard talent at one table (say, because the GM uses it as a gateway talent for joining some group of bards that are important to the campaign) and not give it a second thought at another (where it is just a fussy version of Charisma).
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