Pure Bards

[Knight Of Pentacles]

There are few reasons to ever go pure bard compared to a multiclass.  The pure perks don't really cut it.  Making it so that pure bards suffer no spell failure when using light armor or chainshirts might help change that.or possibly making it to where songs don't scale as quickly when multiclassed therefore making the final song tier more difficult to achieve.    

[VanillaPudding]

The songs scale just fine. Pure bards have done quite well many times over as well when used properly also. There is little reason to continue to dampen a core aspect of the game (multiclassing) when there are far superior options.

[EventHorizon]

I do agree that the update to bard perks was a little lopsided. I think the other half of what needed to happen was to buff the pure bard perks a bit in order to compensate for their pure prerequisite. Now KOP's idea inspires me:

Give all pure bards -20% arcane spellcasting failure. This allows them to wear studded leather armour. Then give the Spellsinger perk -10% additional failure negation, allowing them to wear chainmail. Add a Ranger-like clause that negates these traits in heavy armor EXCEPT for Dwarven Barrellers.

Wearing studded leather (3 AC) gives pure bards a little something to ease the pain of not multiclassing in general, and giving Spellsingers the ability to wear Chainmail (5 AC) is a fair offset for not specifically being able to take Fighter levels to be a little more viable in the fray. The default -20% failure from pure perks also makes the Dwarven Barreller's Heavy Armor proficiency bonus potentially viable; we're not expecting Dwarves to have stellar spellcasting, due to -2 CHA, but 4/5 spells being cast successfully in Banded Mail (6 AC) or 3/4 in Full Plate (8 AC) is a good trade-off for the perk... and for being a Dwarf bard.

I think my suggestion also balances the existing perks. Spellsinger was singularly different from all the other perks in allowing armoured bards - with this, every pure bard can be armoured, and Spellsinger acts as a perk for better armour.

[CondorHero]

There's plenty of chain shirts with -20% arcane spell failures though. Certain songs also benefits from bards being lvl 10.

[EventHorizon]

There's plenty of chain shirts with -20% arcane spell failures though. Certain songs also benefits from bards being lvl 10.

Then multiclassed bards can wear those specific chain shirts (4 AC) without penalty. But not chainmail (5 AC); and pure bards without the Spellsinger perk (as I have it outlined) can start the game able to wear any Studded Leather (3 AC), and build up to finding those chain shirts if they want, or take the Spellsinger perk and wear any chain shirt or chain mail (for the extra 1 AC) they want.

Essentially, I'm glad you pointed out the -20% chain shirts in the game, because I feel that further bolsters this revision of the bard perks. I'm wary of building any character that DEPENDS on getting a certain specific item, but if the availability of said item opens up some slightly different, non-overwhelming possibilities, all the more balanced - it's good when you can play your character in its intended style from the get-go, rather than having to mill around waiting or hunting for that item you need.

[Talir]

The perks here were made to give you different starting songs based on your concept, with an added bonus on top of it. They are not meant to be on the same level as the other perks. You want to get as many bard levels as possible for the bard song strength, which is the true power of the class.

[Howlando]

+3 GMW
Level 4 spell slot (II!)*
Pure song bonuses

Bard/x multiclass are likely more survivable at mid range questing, but I think pure bards win out in the end... particularly at level 10.

*I am aware that bards require either outstanding CHA or spell-slot loot to get that bonus, but both are achievable

[Bearic]

[INDENT]Pure bards are an army's best friend.[/INDENT]

[Demure]

I definitely think Pure Bards are very strong. I played one to level 10, and only died once that I can recall of in six months of frontline tanking. Didn't even have IV slots.

[EventHorizon]

I admit I never count on getting to level 10, or even really consider the possibility, because I can't even count on getting to 7/8.