WoW Bard Class Concept

[AKCephalopod]

Because we rarely see Lorewalker Cho walking around with an instrument and playing songs.
Thing is, those kind of Bards are profession-worthy at best and not a class material.



Rock N' Rollers aren't really Bards. They're a joke.



E.T.C is an in-game joke; Russel Brower is a tribute; metal bands, like E.T.C, are again a gag; i've never seen Lorewalker Cho do any music; who's that Bard in the Necrolords Covenant?

I'll reply to my part here. While Lorewalker Cho doesn't play an instrument, but other Lorewalkers do. Cho seems to prefer his storytelling as more of prose.

My point was that being a wandering storyteller always looking for the next new tale is very heavily the class fantasy of a bard. If we put together the fact that other Lorewalkers besides the most prominent one, Lorewalker Cho, do play instruments, that leads me to believe that Lorewalkers are essentially just bards by another name. As I've said other places, I'd advocate a bard-like concept in WoW would fit well as a 4th spec for monks as Lorewalkers.

Though I would love to see bards as their own class.

[username993720]

I'll reply to my part here. While Lorewalker Cho doesn't play an instrument, but other Lorewalkers do. Cho seems to prefer his storytelling as more of prose.

My point was that being a wandering storyteller always looking for the next new tale is very heavily the class fantasy of a bard. If we put together the fact that other Lorewalkers besides the most prominent one, Lorewalker Cho, do play instruments, that leads me to believe that Lorewalkers are essentially just bards by another name. As I've said other places, I'd advocate a bard-like concept in WoW would fit well as a 4th spec for monks as Lorewalkers.

Though I would love to see bards as their own class.

None of the Lorewalkers are listed on the Bard page:
https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Bard

A Bard would look something like that:


Since this guys is listed as a Rogue and is found in the Hall of Shadows, they are more likely to be a Rogue spec.

[AKCephalopod]

rogues are already bards...

Not really. Rogues have more of the fantasy of a thief or assassin type character. A rogue is going to be sneaky, picking pockets, breaking into places, and putting a knife through someone's chest. WoW rogues also bring in the fantasy of a pirate, with rogues also being people who fight dirty.

Bards on the other hand have the fantasy of being wanderers and performers. A bard is always seeking out the next story, whether that's a story they lived through, discovered, or made up. Those stories usually take the form of songs, though they can also be just that, stories, and be written or oral. They're also charlatans, cheating, lying, and manipulating their way to whatever they want. Bards use their music to inspire people, whether to fight harder or to bend them to their will.

While both classes in DnD and other such games fill the role of a skillful character, that doesn't mean they're identical classes or even have a particularly similar class fantasy.

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None of the Lorewalkers are listed on the Bard page:
https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Bard

A Bard would look something like that:

I think you're missing the point of my argument. Lorewalkers aren't exactly bards, but they have essentially the same fantasy. They're Lorewalkers, so why would they be listed as bards? My argument is that a Lorewalker is similar enough to a bard that they're functionally the same.

For example, the Lorewalkers you meet on the wandering isle are singing their stories. Here's one of them.

https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Lorewalker_Ruolin

[username993720]

I think you're missing the point of my argument. Lorewalkers aren't exactly bards, but they have essentially the same fantasy. They're Lorewalkers, so why would they be listed as bards? My argument is that a Lorewalker is similar enough to a bard that they're functionally the same.

For example, the Lorewalkers you meet on the wandering isle are singing their stories. Here's one of them.

https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Lorewalker_Ruolin

I would, personally, base the Bard on Murmur, the Elemental of sound.

[AKCephalopod]

I would, personally, base the Bard on Mimiron, the Elemental of sound.

You do realize that Mimiron is a titan keeper, not an elemental, right? The creature you're looking for is Murmur, who also isn't an elemental, but an extra-planar creature that controls sound.

[DatToffer]

A Bard would look something like that:

Boring.

Rock N' Rollers aren't really Bards. They're a joke.

Thanks that was the point. Do you always go around stating the obvious and missing it ?

[AKCephalopod]

Boring.



Thanks that was the point. Do you always go around stating the obvious and missing it ?

Maybe WoW should just lean in to the less serious aspects of their setting? Does every class have to be serious all the time? While I think it'd be better if bards were played straight, I wouldn't have a problem if one of their specs was all about rock and roll.

WoW is full of silliness already and killing enemies with the power of rock sounds like big dumb fun.

[DatToffer]

Maybe WoW should just lean in to the less serious aspects of their setting? Does every class have to be serious all the time? While I think it'd be better if bards were played straight, I wouldn't have a problem if one of their specs was all about rock and roll.

WoW is full of silliness already and killing enemies with the power of rock sounds like big dumb fun.

Yeah. On one hand I understand they wouldn't do it because it's too silly.

On the other hand, any classic bard archetype looks boring and dull next to that.

[Triceron]

E.T.C is an in-game joke; Russel Brower is a tribute; metal bands, like E.T.C, are again a gag; i've never seen Lorewalker Cho do any music; who's that Bard in the Necrolords Covenant?

Pandaren are an ingame joke too that turned into a playable race and class with a full expansion built for em. Lorewalkers also sing stories of old, which is what a Bard does, and instruments are not a requirement for song.

Silly? Sure is. So is Brewmaster as an entire spec, based around throwing kegs and dousing enemies with alcohol. And its a tribute to Drunken Fist style kung fu action movies.

Blizzard still made it playable. They built an entire expansion around it all.

[username993720]

You do realize that Mimiron is a titan keeper, not an elemental, right? The creature you're looking for is Murmur, who also isn't an elemental, but an extra-planar creature that controls sound.

Sorry, Murmur.

"Murmur is an otherworldly elemental creature from a distant corner of the universe".

Boring.

How do you think they would look?

Thanks that was the point. Do you always go around stating the obvious and missing it ?

Yes.

I wouldn't have a problem if one of their specs was all about rock and roll.

It wouldn't fit the theme of WoW.

Pandaren are an ingame joke too that turned into a playable race and class with a full expansion built for em. Lorewalkers also sing stories of old, which is what a Bard does, and instruments are not a requirement for song.

Silly? Sure is. So is Brewmaster as an entire spec, based around throwing kegs and dousing enemies with alcohol. And its a tribute to Drunken Fist style kung fu action movies.

Blizzard still made it playable. They built an entire expansion around it all.

Pandaren, on the other hand, fit the aesthetic of the game.

[Teriz]

Unfortunately there is no basis for this class.

Think about it; Death Knights had Arthas/Lich King and Northrend. Brewmasters/Monks had Chen Stormstout and Pandaria. Demon Hunters had Illidan and Outland or Broken Isles. Tinkers have Gazlowe and Undermine. Dragonsworn have Wrathion or Chromie and Dragon Isles.

Bards have nothing, and you sort of need something to be an expansion class. There isn’t even a Bard class in the old tabletop WoW RPG. That should tell you something.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Unfortunately there is no basis for this class.

Think about it; Death Knights had Arthas/Lich King and Northrend. Brewmasters/Monks had Chen Stormstout and Pandaria. Demon Hunters had Illidan and Outland or Broken Isles. Tinkers have Gazlowe and Undermine. Dragonsworn have Wrathion or Chromie and Dragon Isles.

Bards have nothing, and you sort of need something to be an expansion class. There isn’t even a Bard class in the old tabletop WoW RPG. That should tell you something.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

[ParanoiD84]

Lost Ark have a bard class that is pretty damn awesome even play tunes when doing spells, could be both a pro or a con depending if you can last listening to that all the time lol, class fits great though as a support.

Guess it would not work like that in wow but the concept is good.

[Teriz]

Sorry to burst your bubble.

Do you have any examples of ETC being an actual lore character and participating in actual WoW lore?

[Triceron]

.
Pandaren, on the other hand, fit the aesthetic of the game.

So would bards as a new playable class.

Blizzard would give them the aesthetics necessary to fit Warcraft as a setting.

Kodoriders were war drummer units in WC3. Effectively a Horde Bard that fits the aesthetic. As long as one spec grounds the class in the universe, they could go crazy with a heavy metal spec all they want. Just like how Monk has a crazy Brewmaster spec that is all about getting drunk to tank.

[Teriz]

So would bards as a new playable class.

Blizzard would give them the aesthetics necessary to fit Warcraft as a setting.

Kodoriders were war drummer units in WC3. Effectively a Horde Bard that fits the aesthetic. As long as one spec grounds the class in the universe, they could go crazy with a heavy metal spec all they want. Just like how Monk has a crazy Brewmaster spec that is all about getting drunk to tank.

Primitive Orcs on the back of Kodos beating drums doesn’t really mesh with Tauren, Undead, and Orcs playing punk music with modern day rock instruments. In fact, the latter doesn’t mesh with anything in Warcraft at all.

[Maljinwo]

They are totally a thing, just not playable for reasons

[DatToffer]

Do you have any examples of ETC being an actual lore character and participating in actual WoW lore?

Primitive Orcs on the back of Kodos beating drums doesn’t really mesh with Tauren, Undead, and Orcs playing punk music with modern day rock instruments. In fact, the latter doesn’t mesh with anything in Warcraft at all.

You know, they made an entire questline with an easter egg character to Indiana Jones. Who's to say which cameo character is lore-valid and which is not ?

[Triceron]

Primitive Orcs on the back of Kodos beating drums doesn’t really mesh with Tauren, Undead, and Orcs playing punk music with modern day rock instruments. In fact, the latter doesn’t mesh with anything in Warcraft at all.

Nothing really meshes if you're advocating for giant mech suits romping around next to dudes in cloth and plate.

The absurdity in WoW isn't something to be concerned with, especially if you once made the case that giant pocket factories and explosive mechanical animals are fine in the context of class mechanics.

Rock and Roll is no more absurd than giant mechs and drunken pandas.

[username993720]

So would bards as a new playable class.

Blizzard would give them the aesthetics necessary to fit Warcraft as a setting.

Never said they aren't.

As long as one spec grounds the class in the universe, they could go crazy with a heavy metal spec all they want. Just like how Monk has a crazy Brewmaster spec that is all about getting drunk to tank.

No. Heavy metal does not fit the aesthetic of WoW (outside of jokes). Drinking is as old as history. No reason why it wouldn't fit.

Rock and Roll is no more absurd than giant mechs and drunken pandas.

It actually is, because it's not grounded in lore.