DnD Flavor SHOULD NOT come at cost of Mechanics
Channel: Funky Dungeon Master
Date: 2022-05-15

In D&D 5e, Whispers Bard ability just doesn't do enough, right from level 3. I plan to BUFF it!
But first, let's address a common hiccup people usually have! Balancing BUFF a flavorful official WotC subclass will only give its flavor more attention in choosing which subclass to play. And if the subclass is good, we can even see more of said flavor in more tables because players would choose to play it more.

Click for Treantmonk on the Whispers Bard: https://youtu.be/NamYbFs_QnE?t=1851
Click for RPGBOT's analysis of the Bard subclasses and Whispers Bard: https://rpgbot.net/dnd5/characters/classes/bard/subclasses/

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I'm an avid consumer of D&D optimization content like Treantmonk and RPGBOT. And I want to use that knowledge to make the game more fun for optimizers and non-optimizers alike.
Thus, born the Thien's Balance Homebrew series for D&D 5th edition 🥂: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOlGNxI48E1xaHdQJCdVRNd0fcSf-aBqT
By making all the player options balanced, I hope to remove trap options for players that don't like to worry much about the nitty-gritty game mechanics. Also, when all the player options are roughly equivalent in power, we can worry a bit less about picking a powerful option and more about which option brings out the flavor we want.

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Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thienthenguyen while I meme more music and D&D content.
All the music in my videos are made by me. If ya wanna duet my music, check me out on Tiktok @makeitbetter01
The songs used in the videos are wrote just for this occasion. Let me know in the comments if I should release them as standalone "OST" for community usage.
Bandcamp: https://thienthenguyen.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Z2C9rBETpD3aRkKZvUVAO?si=oER5XzxVSvyx-0jQIe1jtg

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More elaboration on Whispers Bard:

The Whispers Bard subclass only has 1 combat ability, and a mediocre one at that, Psychic Blades.

Psychic Blades requires the us to spend an action to attack with a non-primary stat when we could be casting spells instead. You know, being full spellcaster and all. Furthermore, using bardic inspiration on Psychic Blades instead of giving it to our allies is always a trade-off, too.

A Hexblade dip will make Whispers Bard good. But Hexblade dip also makes Swords Bard way better. And more importantly, using a broken multiclass option to make Whispers Bard viable doesn’t it mean that it is a good subclass to begin with. Do you know I’m also slightly nerfing the OP Hexblade multiclassing dip for my balance homebrew series? Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/Be5J_cqpXYI?feature=share

Now, credit where it is due, Psychic Blades is not all bad. It could be used instead of Vicious Mockery for more focus fire damage in between casting and concentrating on big spells. Focus fire damage is usually not a strong suit for Bards, not until they gain very high-level spells anyway. The ability has a good foundation, just not fully there, coupling the fact that the subclass doesn’t have any other combat ability, the full package lackluster.

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Bard, College of Whispers:
Most folk are happy to welcome a bard into their midst. Bards of the College of Whispers use this to their advantage. They appear to be like other bards, sharing news, singing songs, and telling tales to the audiences they gather. In truth, the College of Whispers teaches its students that they are wolves among sheep. These bards use their knowledge and magic to uncover secrets and turn them against others through extortion and threats.
Many other bards hate the College of Whispers, viewing it as a parasite that uses a bard’s reputation to acquire wealth and power. For this reason, members of this college rarely reveal their true nature. They typically claim to follow some other college, or they keep their actual calling secret in order to infiltrate and exploit royal courts and other settings of power.

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