
(07-24-2013, 01:20 AM)Asyria Wrote: Music inspires us, can make our hearts soar and our tears flow, without any magic involved. Now add to this the magical abilities of the fantasy bard, and you got your answer, I would think. ^^
I mean, imagine you're in the middle of a fight... it's getting rough.. and all of a sudden you hear Guile's Theme! Not only does it fit with everything, but it's also accompanied by a flow of magic strengthening you! Time to send the enemy home to be family men.
Obviously, this is a gross oversimplification but you get the idea: musical inspiration combined with magic buffs.
Right, that's the direction I was likely going with if it turned out that there was no concrete answer ;P
The explanation I'm writing toward is that to become a Bard, one must both be capable of harnessing the powers associated with White Magic and wield sufficient skill with an instrument in which to carry and project that magic. Just as a faulty gesture would ruin a mage's spell, nothing less than perfect playing will allow a Bard to "cast" their surges of inspiration. Therefore those without magical talent or the proper skill with their instrument of choice cannot become Bards--and so that's what makes them special: they're able to combine both magic and talent seamlessly.
As for the archery part of it...? Maybe it's a tradition? ;P
RP-wise, I don't see why someone couldn't play as a Bard and have nothing to do with archery.