First of all: Leave your snark at the door. I'd rather not have the mods barge in out of nowhere and turn this thread into a graveyard.

That said, it's unlikely proper reactions are going to be implemented at all, so I thought it'd be a fun exercise to predict how certain abilities are going to be altered to fit into BG3. Moreover, the purpose of this is to see how everyone thinks this would alter the balance of those abilities between tabletop and BG3. And maybe in a few months from now, we'll see how far or close to the mark we ended up being.

It's no secret that I favor Bards above all others, but I simply do not see BG3 being able to implement Bardic Inspiration exactly like it is in tabletop since it is reaction-based AND choice-based all in one. For the uninitiated, this is what Bardic Inspiration does.

Bardic Inspiration
You can inspire others through stirring words or music. To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic Inspiration die, a d6.

Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest. At 5th level, you regain any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Your Bardic Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.

The different Bard colleges change how you can use the Bardic Inspiration die. Right now, most people think that at the very least, College of Lore and College of Valor would be implemented into BG3.

College of Lore gets the additional ability Cutting Words, which allows them to do the following:

Cutting Words
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.

College of Valor gets Combat Inspiration, which upgrades the base Bardic Inspiration with bonus effects:

Combat Inspiration
Also at 3rd level, you learn to inspire others in battle. A creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you can roll that die and add the number rolled to a weapon damage roll it just made. Alternatively, when an attack roll is made against the creature, it can use its reaction to roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to its AC against that attack, after seeing the roll but before knowing whether it hits or misses.

Right now, the existing Bard mod for BG3 seems to be taking the interpretation that it will most likely be changed to a round-based effect that will apply all possible bonuses (or penalties in the case of Cutting Words) at once. That's probably the simplest way to implement it, and the most likely route for Larian to take too. However, this would make Bards hilariously busted, with Bardic Inspiration acting as a super version of Guidance with huge combat bonuses as well, especially in regards to College of Valor's upgraded version of it.

In the tabletop 'meta', assuming people actually take it any seriously (you really shouldn't), College of Valor is generally seen as an inferior archetype option. BG3 possibly changing Bardic Inspiration to a round-based effect with all bonuses at once would basically transform it into the single best class ability in the entire game. Potentially giving a party member anywhere from +1-8 to AC for a whole round or longer by mid-game is massive. Getting +1-8 to attack AND damage rolls on top of that is way over the top, and that's not even including the saving throws and skill checks (although the AC/Damage part may be altered, see below). The only downside would be that the Bard can't use it on themselves, unless BG3 decides to change that too. Though Lore's Cutting Words would also be potent in the idea that enemies would not be able to avoid its penalties at all, as nothing blocks it other than having charm immunity or being deafened.

I am morbidly interested in seeing how it'd work out in regards to the game's balance in the long term for myself.

To any dataminers on this forum: Assuming Bardic Inspiration already exists somewhere in the game's files, care to shed any light on how close this would be? I am unsure if the version of Bardic Inspiration that exists in the Bard mod is something that the modder added in, or it's something that is actually already in the files and the modder just switched it on to be available, like virtually everything else in the mod.

This is the version of Bardic Inspiration and Combat Inspiration seen in the mod by the way. Both are treated as separate buffs but are applied by the same time by a Valor Bard.

[Linked Image from cdn.discordapp.com]

[Linked Image from cdn.discordapp.com]

So assuming the mod didn't just conjure these up out of thin air, Combat Inspiration isn't quite as busted as it could be, but adding proficiency to damage and AC is still a pretty big deal. This is what the combat log looks like with and without it by the way.

[Linked Image from cdn.discordapp.com]
[Linked Image from cdn.discordapp.com]

[Linked Image from cdn.discordapp.com]
[Linked Image from cdn.discordapp.com]

Also, for the curious, here's the rest of the differences between College of Lore and College of Valor.

Lore:
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Lore at 3rd Level, you gain proficiency with three Skills of your choice.

Additional Magical Secrets
At 6th level, you learn two Spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.
The chosen Spells count as Bard Spells for you but don’t count against the number of Bard Spells you know.

Peerless Skill
Starting at 14th level, when you make an ability check, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration. Roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to your ability check. You can choose to do so after you roll the die for the ability check, but before the GM tells you whether you succeed or fail.

Valor:
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Valor at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.

Extra Attack
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Battle Magic
At 14th level, you have mastered the art of weaving spellcasting and weapon use into a single harmonious act. When you use your action to cast a bard spell, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.

(Note: All Bards get Magical Secrets at level 10, Lore Bards get 2 bonus spells way earlier than all the others. So the primary difference between Lore and Valor is that Lore Bards are more focused towards a mage-like playing style, while Valor Bards generally prefer using weapons and are capable of acting as support tanks if needed.)

Last edited by Saito Hikari; 01/03/21 08:06 AM.