ObjectivistActivist wrote:
Bards also get: third attack, dodge (which, by the way, is a skill that I think literally every caster gets, paladin or not), parry, disarm, sword (a weapon no casters except paladins/hellions get), e-damage, fast healing, trip, and dirt kicking.
They are consumate fighters, only outmatched by mercs, barbs, and swashies. It's a pretty even fight between bards and pallions. A caster gets to cry bitter tears of horror when a bard comes to call, if they don't have an army of undead or a big scary charm at the ready.
So your argument that "pallions are fighters and so should be able to use magic while fighting" applies just as readily to bards. There are exactly two fighting skills pallions get that bards don't: shield block, and heavy armor. Arguably, that's also offset to fewer by the fact that bards get fighting skills that paladins don't, such as brawling.
The problem is that D compares them to casters and NOT fighters. That is why I compared them to casters. Not that they should be compared to casters.