APSC: 4e Divine Bard Additions

Note: Made slight tweaks to 'Harmonious Strike' that I neglected to add before. (5/22/09)

The divine bard (and the project in general) is an ongoing process, and I have some more to add to the divine bard today!

Power Adjustments
First of all, I can't believe I forgot to mention that the keyword 'arcane' needs to be changed to 'divine.'

Also, divine area powers tend to only affect enemies, while most of the bard's powers already do this, there are a few that need to be adjusted:

Players Handbook 2
Bard Attack 19 Irresistible Dance
Bard Attack 25 Vision Distortion

Arcane Power :
Bard Attack 9 Rain of Starlight
Bard Attack 9 Symphony of Misfortune
Bard Attack 19 Spring to Action


I decided that the divine bard needed a new at-will Power to make it stand out, I studied the divine classes' at wills to come up with something that fits both the divine PS and the bard. Then I realized that that is mostly fluff and I stole a power from the warlord and twisted it to my will... er... I made it fit the divine bard.

Bard Attack 1 Harmonious Strike
You Strike your foe, the sound of the weapon and your enemy's cry of anguish become the harmony of the battle, and you help your ally play the melody with radiant guidance.
At-Will: Divine, Weapon, Radiant
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
Hit: Deal radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier, and then choose one ally adjacent to either you or the target. This ally applies your Wisdom modifier as a power bonus to the attack roll and the damage roll on his or her next attack against the target and add radiant to the damage type. If the ally does not attack the target by the end of his or her next turn, the bonus is lost.


Another thing that will make the divine bard stand out a lot more is its own bardic virtue. I am a little torn as to what to call it, either "Virtue of Faith" or "Virtue of Honor". For now it will be Honor.

Virtue of Honor
Once per encounter when an ally fails a saving throw, they can reroll it and add your wisdom modifier.


One last thing, divine classes tend to have radiant damage in their attacks. I would address this issue, but I would like to first talk to some of the other RPG bloggers to see if they have any ideas how to determine which attacks should get radiant damage.


More Fluff
divine bards and deities-
Avandra- Many bards are known to be advocates of chance taking, divine bards are no different. Many bards worship the god of chance, especially those who enjoy their freedoms and adventuring.
Bahamut- There are some divine bards that worship the platinum dragon, holding his domains of justice and honor in high regard.
Corellon- Many, many, divine bards worship Corellon, since they hold music and art in such high regard.
Erathis- There are not a lot of divine bards of Erathis, since her portfolio involves laws. Those that do rejoice in the organization of great cities and enjoy large audiences.
Ioun- Divine bards that seek knowledge often worship Ioun, and some are known to become great prophets. Those who worship Ioun tell great stories in song and poem form.
Kord- Those bards who long for battle, seek to tell tales of great warriors, or just wish to inspire an army worship Kord. Many battles have been turned by the presence of a divine bard of Kord.
Melora- Bards of Melora are inspired by nature and preserve it at all costs. Not all of her bards are divine, as many are primal.
Moradin-The deity common of dwarf bards and those who hold loyal to their family/clan/leaders/people to be immensely important.
Pelor- The sun god's bards favor warm, happy tunes, and tend to play for people in town squares to raise money for Pelor's local church. Some say that it is Pelor's large number of divine bards that make him as widely worshiped as he is.
Raven Queen- Few bards follow the path of the death goddess' blessings, but those that do commonly play at funerals, and other similar ceramonies. Many dirges heard late at night are attributed to the divine bards of the Raven Queen.
Sehanine- Though it is not common for a bard to hide in the shadows, some of the more playful trickster bards follow Sehanine. Elven bards compete for her blessings, and those that receive it are honored among their people.

Evil deities-
Though some of the other evil gods are known to make pacts with mortal musicians, Lolth and Tiamat have the most divine bards at their disposal, spreading their agendas among the bard's listeners.


There you go! I will eventually add these to the divine bard's other posts, or just repost everything in one larger, complete post.


So, What do you think of the new additions? Do you like them? Hate them? Think they are too overpowered? Too underpowered? Leave a comment and give me some feedback!