Perhaps I have very little grasp of the song situation since my bard is
only around 20 (due to paying 6 different characters to the same levels) but
perhaps more songs could be more...ummm....bardlike. There are bards
thoughout history that have built into our collective minds the power and
character of the bard. I would think it would be nice to have some of THOSE
abilites.

1. I like the Pied Piper idea. And it IS practical in a way. Imagine
pulling a small mob away to an area suitable for mesmerization and general
extermination. Or pulling a group off a poor, poor caster beleagered by
creatures the tank could slap into submission (if they could get to them).
Combined with a memory wipe, that song alone would have none bards crying
about the bards power being to high.

2. Everyone seems to be debating on the merits of invisibility to undead,
whether we have it or not, do we want it or not, etc. Perhaps a song or two
that deal strictly with undead would not be uncalled for. Imagine a song of
Life that lowers the aggro range of undead to zero or allows them to realize
they are dead and, in their despair over their pathetic existence, set them
to attacking each other instead of living players. Wouldn't that be a sight?
It could even require a special type of strings (my, my, could all those
various packs of strings and instrument bodies scattered thought the game
become USEFUL?). Silver strings for instruments that affect the undead.
Several bards utilized silver strings for just that purpose.

3. Songs of Youth could do nothing but make the creatures forget how old
they are. Useful? Ummm, perhaps not. Then again, if they forget all they've
learned for the last five levels, that could turn a level 50 into a level 45
or a level 65 into a level 60, thus making it easier to remove from the
party's path.

4. Songs of the Season. Spring could regenerate, heal, remove the effects
of spells for a growing. Summer could reduce all cold based damage and
ability to cast cold to minimal use. Fall, the slowdown of creatures with
the snare of leaves, the interuption of casters by wandering thoughts.
Winter, The opposite of Summer.

5. The Song of the Path. If cast soon enough and with enough time, leads
the soul back to the body much like the clerics reserect does. The main
difference would be the amount of time it would take (perhaps a minute of
real time) and how soon it needs to be cast. Perhaps it would need to be
sung within 10 minutes, before the spirit gets to far away. That would make
an interesting delinma. Do they reserect a fallen player and quit party
support or let them go until a cleric can spare the mana? This would not be
a general replacement for the cleric spell, only a limited copy.

6. Song of Material. A song whose only purpose is to make things more
like what they are. (What?) Shields are more shieldlike, swords are more
swordlike, armor...well, I'm sure you get the drift. It could add an
additional 3 or 4 points to all item stats. A weapon goes from damage 12 to
damage 15. A breastplate goes from 22 to 25. It would make items that proc
want to proc more often.

Of course, these are just off the top of my head. I'm sure similar songs
have been discussed before and tossed away. With all the discussion, I'm
assuming the main songs bards seem to want are binding and invis to undead.
Perhaps when I am higher, they will be the only songs I will feel we are
missing.