Quote:
Originally Posted by Shostak
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?
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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.