Let the mystic roam!
So while playing Bard post-buff, I realized something about him: Bard is exceedingly poor at roaming without an adequate number of chimes in the way. If he lets them build up to about 5-6 chimes in a tight circle he can grab them and either be back or gank mid quickly, but outside of that, despite his focus on being this roaming celestial being, Bard...lacks mobility. Like, especially given that's his core concept, Bard can't roam terribly effectively without ideal circumstances.
So lets give Bard a few more tools to work with, starting with tweaking his passive and E. Now this may sound counter-intuitive, but I think the movement speed bonus from picking up Chimes needs to be moved from his passive to his E.
I can already feel the confusion, but hear me out. Tying the movement speed bonus to his E not only gives him a reason to actually put ranks in it, but grants him a unique strength late-game: The world's best scout. As the bonus scales up, Bard gains increased roaming potential and, if tied to his other abilities, increased engagement potential as well. It'll be easiest just to illustrate what I mean
- E: Magical Journey
- Passive - When out of combat for 5 seconds or when he picks up a Chime, Bard gains 10.0/12.5/15.0/17.5/20.0% bonus Movement Speed. This bonus movement speed increases by 2.0/2.5/3.0/3.5/4.0% for each additional Chime Bard collects and every 5 seconds, stacking up to 5 times for a total Movement Speed bonus of 20/25/30/35/40%. Additionally, this bonus Movement Speed is triggered whenever Bard activates a Caretaker's Shrine or travels through Magical Journey's Portal, and the base bonus is granted to allies who contact either of those abilities as well, with the bonus decaying over three seconds.
Bam. Bard can now whisk through the forest like a ghost, warding and collecting chimes without having to worry about the bonus decaying too soon. Of course, the bonus in its entirety ends the moment Bard deals or takes damage in any capacity, so don't get hit, or your magical journey is gonna end at the bad end of town.