Why no Swashable Short-Bows for Bards?

[Smokewolf]

As the title asks... Why no Swashable short-bows?

Firstly, understand that Bards already have short-bows as an innate class proficiency. Yet the Bard class Enhancements have nothing which directly supports their use. (Only thrower builds, which are boring)

Secondly, Short bows don’t have a major place within the DDO. Thus by allowing Bards to Swash a short-bow, would make them more than just vendor loot.


@Dev’s. Would it be really that game breaking to add short-bows to the list of Swashable weapons?

Thank you for your time and consideration!

-Smoke

[SoVeryBelgian]

Well seeing as Inquis already matches up with Bard, might as well make Shortbows more useful.


I'm more interested in making Rapier viable, personally... but eh

[Smokewolf]

I'm more interested in making Rapier viable, personally... but eh

Rapiers already are Swashable... This begs the question, why are they not viable?

[unbongwah]

Swashbuckler was never intended to cover all bard weapons. It also does nothing for longswords, clubs, morningstars, staves, and (until Inquisitive came along) crossbows. Plus it took like 5-6 years before bard throwers finally became viable and not just a flavor choice. The 3.5e class upon which it's based was always melee-only IIRC.

That said, I'm hoping Horizon Walker opens up some interesting bardcher build options, just as Inquisitive did for crossbows with Dashing Inquisition.

[Smokewolf]

Swashbuckler was never intended to cover all bard weapons. It also does nothing for longswords, clubs, morningstars, staves, and (until Inquisitive came along) crossbows. Plus it took like 5-6 years before bard throwers finally became viable and not just a flavor choice. The 3.5e class upon which it's based was always melee-only IIRC.

That said, I'm hoping Horizon Walker opens up some interesting bardcher build options, just as Inquisitive did for crossbows with Dashing Inquisition.

I totally get all the above...

Still though, my “2” points are valid. Thus I see no reason why the Swash list couldn’t be expanded to use a weapon that most would otherwise disregard as vendor trash.

Besides, as things are now, Bards are one of the few classes that I absolutely refuse the play. (Monk being the other) IMO there's just too many enhancement restrictions that make the Bard a painful experience to level up. Thats unless your playing a generic cookie-cutter build, in which case it’s subpar to just about every other class in existence. (Boring too) But sure, there are a “few” extremely good Bards out there, that have the past lives, gear and patience to make it work. Unfortunately for a large % of players out there, this just isn’t true.

Bardcher... just another useless thrower build. If it weren’t true then you’d see everyone building them instead of Sorcerers/ Alcs / Warlocks.

[droid327]

I'm guessing the logic is that Bows open up too much synergy with Ranger and/or Elf AA. Whether or not that was ever true, its probably going to become true when HW comes out.

And its definitely true that it would be too synergistic now that Bows get so much crit bonus in their new feat structure. Unless Swash didnt give Bows any crit bonus at all...but then Swash really isnt giving you anything at all as an archer...you already get DEX to dmg now, you wont have a compatible Swash Style, etc. That's kinda the reason Swash Inquis arent a thing, Swash just really doesnt add anything to the mix.

[OfElectricMen]

Still though, my “2” points are valid. Thus I see no reason why the Swash list couldn’t be expanded to use a weapon that most would otherwise disregard as vendor trash.

Eh, they really aren't though.

There's no good reason to make them workable with SB.

And if you want short bows to actually be useful then the change to make would be to let us use them for what they are for: mounted archery.