Bard Q&A [COMPLETED]

RiotA Small Man·Mar 6, 2015·85 votes·401,913 views

http://news.cdn.leagueoflegends.com/public/images/pages/2015/breveal/img/Bard_Splash_WP.jpg

EDIT - Alright, we're heading back to work. Thanks for all the questions and we hope you guys enjoy Bard!

Hey guys,

We've gathered a bunch of Rioters from the Bard team for some Q&A about the Wandering Caretaker himself. Whether you're interested in Bard's gameplay, story, art, or sound, ask away and we'll be happy to answer!

Here are some links in case you need to get up to speed:

The Wonder Above Bard, the Wandering Caretaker, revealed Bard: Mountain

1,376 Comments

KriIIinMar 6, 2015219 votes

My biggest question is whether the moonstone in Nami's lore is the same stone that was taken by Bard. There are a good number of signs pointing to the possibility

The moonstone is "a powerful object found only in the towering reaches of the surface world", the highest places on the surfaces tend to be mountains like the one Bard took the stone to. Those mountains seem to be the highest in Runterra as well.
The fact that they use its light to "ward off the terrors of the depths". One would assume that this light could be the pulse the elder used to kill his pursuer in the video.
With Soraka and Bard being tied closely to the stars it's not a stretch to assume they have ties to other celestial bodies like moons
Having an enemy pursuing the stone could explain the reason no-one brought the stone to the mystical cave
The line "We'll die without it" could refer to the potential threat that not obtaining the moonstone and abyssal pearl from one another could pose for both the Marai and the Ionian people, or Runeterra as a whole
I'd like to also finish this with a symbol I noticed on Nami's staff that bares a slight resemblance to another newly shown crest. Riot has been know to foreshadow with splash art in the past:

VeniVidiVictoryMar 6, 201567 votes

I'd like to see a reply here lol

Hit of my WubongMar 6, 201570 votes

Riot just had an idea thanks to this man

darkdillMar 6, 201551 votes

Okay, first things first, Bard's ultimate.

Are you worried that some of the less-savory players in today's community might use Bard's ultimate as a griefing tool? Did such a worry ever hinder Bard's design process?

Rabid LlamaMar 6, 2015126 votes

Hey there!

I'm not too worried - I think the first couple of days he's out (and the first days of his free week), we might see a little of this while people get it out of their systems. But, trolls are gonna troll, and if someone is going into a match with the intention of playing AGAINST his team, it's going to be a bad time no matter what abilities he has.

Also, I didn't let worries about griefing steer my design process. I have to make a character assuming players are using teamwork and playing together - if I try to hedge my bets and make a spell un-griefable, it often ends up with a worse version of the spell, or one with unexpected power in weird places.

moopdogMar 6, 201590 votes

I personally believe this is fantastic design philosophy.

SolideusMar 6, 201549 votes

Is there any connection between Bard and the once celestial being Soraka Soraka ?

RiotLoping CinderMar 6, 201585 votes

Soraka definitely knows of the Bard.

CupcakeTrapMar 6, 201535 votes

[{quoted}](name=Loping Cinder,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=Ev3qQR4G,comment-id=000c0000,timestamp=2015-03-06T19:25:26.570+0000)

Soraka definitely knows of the Bard.

http://i.imgur.com/1bbfWs1.gif

I suspect the question may have been more about whether they're both connected to the same "celestial" plane, or if they're two entirely different beings that just happen to both be called "celestial".

I'd definitely be curious to know more about that. I'd also ask, as a follow-up, whether this "celestial-ness" has any connection to, say, Demacian holy magic, or Shuriman "cosmic" power such as the type wielded by Xerath. Kind of trying to get a sense of Runeterra's cosmology.

EDIT: And below, Jaredan provides an enlightening explanation. Thank you! That definitely helps address the issue I rant about in the remainder of this post.

As an aside, one major critique I have of Runeterra after the Great Retcon is how extremely disjointed it is. I remember laughing at Elise's login screen monologue: "The Shadow Isles: some say they don't exist!" Um, Elise, who says the Shadow Isles don't exist? Anyone who watches a League match knows the Isles exist. There's a Field of Justice in the Shadow Isles. Pretty sure people know that the Isles exist, however spooky or mysterious they may be. Then came the Great Retcon, and I understood why she'd say that.

But I have to say, I deeply dislike the idea of a world made up of Champions and factions off in their own miserable little corners, ignorant of one another's existence, and without any reason to interact. I mean, do Demacians even know Ionia exists? (I imagine the answer is an unsatisfying, "Some tell tales of a mysterious land of magic and mystery!") Do Demacia and Piltover trade with each other? (Likely answer: "Perhaps sometimes adventurous merchants travel between them, but for the most part they're much too wary of each other to have regular trade.") When Bilgewater, the premier maritime city-state, was attacked by zombies for the millionth time, why didn't anybody do anything? (Anticipated answer: "They don't know it exists!"/"They might just be stories."/"Nobody cares about Bilgewater."/"They're too busy with their own problems to help anyone.") It's a very stark contrast to the League of Legends universe that actually contains a League of Legends, and has a "fantasy Babylon 5" thing going, with factions and Champions having frequent cause to deal with one another.

All in all, it feels like a universe where Champions, well, have approximate knowledge of many things.

RiotRiotJaredanMar 6, 201536 votes

Bard traverses all planes that can intersect with Runeterra, so he is certainly linked to that degree, but he's not restricted only to Soraka's plane of origin.

Runeterran magic has many different aspects, origins, and foci. Bard exists and journeys across many realms and planes, which is the difference in his concept of "celestial" as compared to the specific focus of each of your examples. It certainly makes sense to see things like Shurima's sun-disk as an attempt to tap into one part of a celestial power.

SeexydVanessaMar 6, 201541 votes

Just wanted to say that we all love the champions you guys make and everything about LoL you come up with! Keep up the good work :) Love you all

RiotRiotLamzMar 6, 201542 votes

WE LOVE YALL TOO! thanks for playing! :)

RiotRiot DragglesMar 6, 201536 votes

Hi all, I'm actually curious: what is Bard's instrument? Does it have a name?

Blip120Mar 6, 201534 votes

Looking deep into the character I get the feeling of a caring guardian, who's existence is too look after the ancient powers of this world (Maybe look after Nexuses? Nexi?). Yet I also get this contrasting, uncaring feeling, as if the mortal plane of existence is of no meaning to him except for the moments that history wants shaped. Did you design the deep personality of Bard to be this contrasting way? He is clearly no hero who saves mortals, yet looks after this world with a sort of delicacy.

He also reminds me a lot of the character Lu-Tze from Thief of Time. Ever read any Terry Pratchett? If so, I'll happily fill up this board with discussing his books and characters. I'm a student director, so learning about new characters is fascinating. That's why I love watching you bring out these new characters, Stories, Art Styles, Characters, Sound ideas, everything. I learn so much from you guys. Thanks Riot

RiotLoping CinderMar 6, 201544 votes

This is a fantastic post.

BLIP120 please don't take offence when I politely ask you to GET OUT OF MY HEAD.

Your understanding of Bard's character is entirely accurate.

I love Pratchett. Admittedly, it's been years since I've read any. But it's back in the gray matter somewhere.

Thank you.

Jack In The BxMar 6, 201534 votes

Hey, technical question :

You said people still take damage while traveling through the E tunels. I wonder what happens in a few cases :

if they get hit by bard's ultimate, since is stops "dashes"
if they get "displaced" during travel, do they ignore displacement or get kicked out of the tunel following the regular "dashing through unpassable terrain" rules?
if they die during travel, do their corpse stay stuck in the terrain?
if they are/get slowed do they travel slower in the tunel?
if there is an annivia wall blocking the exit, do people stay stuck in "buble form" unable not only to move, but to cast too?

Rabid LlamaMar 6, 201528 votes

[{quoted}](name=Jack In The Bx,realm=EUW,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=Ev3qQR4G,comment-id=0088,timestamp=2015-03-06T19:39:23.843+0000)

Hey, technical question :

You said people still take damage while traveling through the E tunels. I wonder what happens in a few cases :

if they get hit by bard's ultimate, since is stops "dashes" Bard Ult doesn't stop it because, um... Bard magic? I special-cased it because I'm a jerk. It was the cooler thing to have people pop out the other side all golden and invulnerable than have them get shunted out.

if they get "displaced" during travel, do they ignore displacement or get kicked out of the tunel following the regular "dashing through unpassable terrain" rules?

Depends. Knockbacks that are "long enough" will work normally. Knockups or short knockbacks will "pop you out" of terrain like you said. In 5.6, it should pop you out a little more nicely, assuming I can get it working bug-free :)

if they die during travel, do their corpse stay stuck in the terrain?

If you die, your corpse is in terrain - seemed like the least surprising thing to do. If you go into a "Zombie" state (Kog, Karthus, Sion, Yorick) you actually complete the Journey and pop out the other side in zombie form. Zyra's special, in that she gets popped out to the nearest out-of-terrain spot in order to turn into her flower. Gotta put down roots, after all.

if they are/get slowed do they travel slower in the tunel?

Nah, it's treated more like a dash than walking.

if there is an annivia wall blocking the exit, do people stay stuck in "buble form" unable not only to move, but to cast too?

I'm pretty sure it will find a place to put you, either stuck between Anivia wall and the terrain, or otherwise popped out on the far side of the Anivia wall. You might be stuck in place, but you'd be able to cast.

By the way, it seems like you could have a future in QA :)

Grouchy PoroMar 6, 201531 votes

Oh boy, I've been super pumped about Bard for a while now. Honestly, his character design is so mystical and great plus the mask is just so beautifully simple. I've never cosplayed before but I think if I start I'd make a Bard costume; I have ideas already jotted down for what I'd do but all I need is money, time, and people to go to a convention with me :P.

Anyways, I have a few questions regarding Bard and hopefully they aren't too difficult to answer so here we go :D

Could you give us anything on why Bard's face is carved into the rocks of Summoner's Rift? Are they created by Bard as a way of going 'Bard wuz here', are they carved by people who believe in Bard and use them as shrines, do they have to do with the new lore and why champions fight on top of a mountain for no reason, or was it just a teaser and they're being removed soon? If they aren't being removed and become cannon there must be a reason behind them.
Can we get official word on what it would be like to hug Bard? He seems to be very blimp like in his movements so I'd imagine he'd be squishy like Baymax :P.
Can Bard be understood? I know that we as retconned summoners can't understand him but if Bard needed to could he speak to someone in a way they would know what he was saying?
Is there any reason Bard doesn't have an in game emote or idle animation where he plays his horn like in the new cinematic? Seems like it would be a cool thing for him.

This last question is for someone else who can't be here for the Q&A. Mostly his/her words but I edited a little to get rid of extra fluff:

5 . "Bard sounds like a very boring main character: He pops in, does something and pops out. Nothing will ever go wrong for Bard without being unstoppable, because if it is stoppable Bard already stopped it. He is basically omnipotent? What kind of stories is Riot expecting to tell that are interesting with Bard if he seems to be omnipotent?"

Super greatful for you guys taking the time to answer our questions and I can't wait to play Bard. I've got the IP saved up and the teambuilder quene is calling my name :D.

RiotLoping CinderMar 6, 201552 votes

Roosterbega, please. please send a picture when you cosplay Bard.

Summoner's Rift is the impression of the world of Runeterra, it is not a 1-to-1 literal representation. It was a fun tease, but shrines that the Bard does protect can bear his symbol.
Officially: it's like falling into a pile of puppies (no puppies were harmed during this hugging experience).
He can be understood. If Bard "spoke" directly to you, you would grok his meaning.
His Ult animation was inspired by the cinematic, but the in-game to out of game representations aren't necessarily 1-to-1.
Bard is not omnipotent, as a spirit he can be banished, powerful magics could potentially imprison him, and a force of equal power could possibly end him.

Thank you so much for the questions.

MoNsTeRR MaNNMar 6, 201529 votes

Garen + Katarina = KISS YOU TWO FINNALY!! ;D

RiotRiotLamzMar 6, 201587 votes

do it do it do it

LANWhaleMar 6, 201525 votes

**What are Meeps? **

-We know they are some sort of spiritual beings* but what exactly are they?* -Why are they with Bard? -What do they do? -And why are they named Meeps? -Are they named that from the people who saw them? Can people even see them?

Sorry but really we know how bard acts only intervening when necessary, not meaning when an entire nation gets attacked. But the Meeps seem....out of place.

RiotSkeeziksMar 6, 201534 votes

LANWhale, thanks for the question. I suppose the most basic way of looking at the meeps is that they are lesser spirits that are attracted to Bard's "celestial gravity". Something like those little fish that follow around whale sharks. They revere him innately.

As to their name, yes they were named by the people who observed them.

Loping Cinder is actually sitting right next to me. And he will undoubtedly say it better than I have.

He says: "Meeps are definitely a contrast against Bard's stoic nature. But so are the little fish that follow sharks around."

I hope that helps a little!

Seguro MacksMar 6, 201523 votes

This might be way out of left field, but is Bard at all influenced by The Doctor from Doctor Who? They both: --are beings interested in preserving events in time --travel between worlds --have lived so long they enter the folklore of their respective worlds --intervene when all seems lost.

Rabid LlamaMar 6, 201596 votes

They're also both associated with OOO-WEEEE-OOOOO noises

DraconomialMar 6, 201521 votes

What's Bard's favorite style of coffee? Is he a cold brew kinda guy? Dinky cup of scalding espresso? Inquiring baristas want to know!

Rabid LlamaMar 6, 201559 votes

Foam. Just... foam.

SeexydVanessaMar 6, 201521 votes

Bard only makes sounds with his flute in game, does that mean he can't talk or that he just 'doesn't wanna' talk? :D

Rabid LlamaMar 6, 2015133 votes

Maybe you're just not listening correctly...

Tesla EffectMar 6, 201521 votes

Im not saying it was Illuminati, but it was Illuminati.

RiotRiotJaredanMar 7, 201584 votes

I'm not saying it's Illuminati, they told me not to.

SyllinMar 6, 201520 votes

about how long ago were the events that occured in the Bard: Mountain video. his teaser implied that his constellation was created "Not long ago." so like 40 years? 100 years?

RiotLoping CinderMar 6, 201571 votes

WIthin a Runeterran lifespan—the child being carried out of the flames of the conflict in Ionia in the animated trailer grows up to become the old storyteller in the Wanderer Above web teaser.

fat rengarMar 6, 201520 votes

Was Bard partially inspired by some of Hayao Miyazaki's movies? (Princess Mononoke in particular.) And, was Bard's lore particularly hard to work with, considering he's some spirit guardian kind of guy who doesn't have too big of a tie with most current League of Legends champions. And lastly, Bard, to me, feels like what Udyr (identity wise, not gameplay), was supposed to be. One with the spirits who lives to protect ancient artifacts and keep the world in balance. Was Udyr a part of the inspiration from him, or did you just happen to come up with another "spirit-y guardian"?

RiotSkeeziksMar 6, 201530 votes

Hey, King! Thanks for the question! I will try to speak to the art inspiration for him as best I can.

As to the Miyazaki/Ghibli influence, absolutely! I am a huge fan of their work to the point I would say Miyazaki is a part of my DNA as an artist! To me it's an honor that you see any connection there at all. Aside from Ghibli I would say I thought a lot about Norse mythology and looked at characters like Odin as well.

I would defer to Loping Cinder for the lore stuff, but yeah he is definitely a unique case.

Loping Cinder: "The hardest challenge was successfully communicating Bard's concept to the production teams responsible for his execution."

Thanks again!

SolideusMar 6, 201519 votes

What is your favorite piece of Bard fan-art?

RiotRiotLamzMar 6, 2015157 votes

Does this count? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezRrrdboWLc couldnt stop LOL'ing at this last night, 10 hours version deffo needed

dudebromansicleMar 6, 201517 votes

Why are so many new champions role-specific? We need more cho-gaths, who can fill many different roles and lanes.

Rabid LlamaMar 6, 201536 votes

This is a very complex question, and I won't be able to do it justice (I'm neither as experienced nor as well-spoken as others on the team).

I will say, we're very interested in adding new gameplay and strategies to League through every new champion (and rework!) we release. Recently, we've taken a strategy of focusing on one existing role or position in particular with each character and defining them entirely around that, which I think is a strategy that leads to the effect you're talking about.

I'll actually keep this in mind as I start my next champion, and see what other folks on the team think about it.

HecyJLMar 6, 201515 votes

Hey I was just wondering whats Bard's favorite type of pizza?** Very important question!**

RiotLoping CinderMar 6, 2015133 votes

Meep Lovers

RiotRiotJaredanMar 7, 201589 votes

The groan I produced when LC wrote this crossed many dimensions.

FunkyyCatMar 6, 201514 votes

What inspired you to start developping a champion like Bard? Also, closely related, could you go through a few of the iterations that ended up being scrapped but were still interesting, maybe why they were scrapped?

RiotSkeeziksMar 6, 201520 votes

Hey, Funkyycat, thanks for the question! I was the principle concept artist on Bard. Bard actually began quite a ways back when I was an intern here at Riot. I began pitching the early incarnations of what would become Bard in the summer of 2013 with the hopes of creating a champion from the folklore of our world. We thought about applying him to a single faction but ultimately decided he would be best served as a character that would exist in lore throughout Runeterra.

Over time he did go through a number of iterations but he actually "took shape" visually fairly early on (with of course the support of the other artists). In terms of his lore/personality, he really took shape with the work of Loping Cinder and the design contributions of Rabid Llama.

SiachiMar 6, 201511 votes

(This is my list of questions concerning gameplay and balance)

Again, sorry about the long list of questions, I’m just really interested in Bard and his design: He’s definitely one of those champs that, even though I’ll probably suck with him, his design is interesting enough that I’d love to learn how to play him properly. You don’t have to answer them all at once, just whichever ones you feel like answering.

I’ve noticed a couple of times while testing him on the PBE, that Chimes might occasionally spawn under the enemy’s turret, which is a bit frustrating. Are there any plans to change this, or do you feel there’s an acceptable risk/reward with this?

Bard is definitely much more different than previous champions Role-wise, on account of being the first support (That I’m aware of) designed specifically with roaming in mind. **How do you imagine him in pro-play? **While his abilities can be very useful to a coordinated team, I might worry that an enemy pro-team might pick up easily on “Bard’s roaming, DESTROY THE ADC!”

I always ask this, but were there any previous versions of Bard’s kit you feel like sharing, and perhaps why they didn’t get the cut? Rabid Llama talked about a point where Magical Journey was his ultimate, and could be used 2-3 times in quick successions, for instance.

**Which ADC’s do you think will pair well with Bard? **I know Caitlyn has been mentioned, but I might also think that Ezreal or maybe Corki would pair well with him: They both have escapes, and a method for farming at longer range (Though Corki needs to wait until six for the most part), and are Caster ADCs, so they benefit a bit more from the extra experience they’ll get for when Bard’s away.

Also, on a personal note, I have to say I liked Rabid Llama: He answered my stupid balancing questions about Bard’s design on the PBE, which also helped me understand a bit more about his visions and intentions for Bard.

Rabid LlamaMar 6, 201522 votes

Hello again!

Chimes spawning under enemy tower:

It is intentional, that Chimes sometimes spawn in dangerous spots - either under tower (there's only one potential spawn place there) or in the enemy jungle. This is to give the Bard player something to strive for. The chimes you collect feel all the sweeter when there's some you can't get to, and when you DO manage to get the towerdive kill and grab that #!@* chime on the way out, it feels even better.

That's part of the reason chimes are frequent, small power - I can afford to have the spawner put them someplace weird or inaccessible occasionally, since it will even out over the course of the game out of sheer numbers. I call this design technique "cheating" >_>

Pro play

I'm very interested to see what pros do with him. He's the kind of character that I put these tools on without a full idea of what the possibilities are, just that he can do crazy things. It's possible that in his current state, pros won't be able to find a use for him - I'm making some guesses at how things will play out, and if they turn out differently we can apply nerfs and buffs accordingly :)

My theory on it is that the teams will have to find a way to take pressure off their ADC (killing at level 2, shoving wave, early jungle ganks) in order to "unlock" Bard from having to stay there. From there, I think Bard scales really hard with teamwork, so I think they'll be able to figure out all sorts of strategies from there.

Previous kits

Hmmmmm... a few of the abilities I tried were super cool but not good fits for Bard, so I think I'll keep those a secret for now (they're up for grabs for other designers, too - we have a very collaborative process).

Early on, when I was just looking for an in-lane hook, I tried out Bard as "a support for assassin players." He was a close-range trickster, with a stealth that he had to channel (like Recall) to enter, a directional knockback, stuff like that. He would clear the ward from his lane brush, and then zone the enemy team. The idea was that if you ever lost sight of the guy, he was just gone. The kit had a BUNCH of gameplay problems (it was my first stab at a kit) and also ended up fitting Bard's thematic and character pretty poorly, so it got scrapped.

Good ADCs for Bard

The ones you mention are good for the reasons you mention (Cait/Corki/Ez, for safety). I've also seen a very successful Sivir/Bard lane, since she can shove the lane so hard that the enemies can't get any pressure on her. Also, strangely, Kalista/Bard has seen some success internally - you don't make much use of her W passive, but her scouts, mobility, and shoving power keep her fairly safe, and her ult can pull back Bard from a mid-length roam very quickly.

Edit: Aaaaaalso, I'm really curious if it will turn out that Bard+is a good lane. Bard/Velkoz or Bard/Cass might be a thing... gotta get that sweet sweet solo lane XP, after all.

Thanks! You ask interesting questions, so I'm happy to answer them.

(Also, you were lucky enough to post right after he released on PBE - I got buried in bugfixes soon after, so to anybody who felt neglected on the PBE forums: I'm sorry! D: )

SeexydVanessaMar 6, 201511 votes

How about Santa Bard for Christmas? :D