the Bard gets an extra short rest, which is important because many party spells and effects reset on a short rest
a bard in armour with a weapon can stand next to the badguy giving your other fighters flanking ... the hand crossbow is more for blowing things up and finishing off an enermy ... remember the dip auto dips both hand for that extra 2d6 of fire , poison etc but yes the real point of the Bard is saying hay guys how about you join our side?
