Isn't there a job skills forum, because this kind of fits under job skills... I think that it shouldn't be a skill, in fact none of the job skills should be skills... they should be in a different tab in game... (revolutionary thought)... named Job Skills! Sorry for the bitter sarcasm there, but I think that maybe you should be happy to see a lute or something in the game, even if it isn't usuable. I found it slightly hilarious to find a lute under Caias Cosadus' (bad spelling) bed.

Edit: It would be fun to use it for persuasion though... Okay, maybe it should be in the game...

"Job" skills like cooking are useless because all you can do is make food that has effects that only last like 10 seconds.

Bards and Music can be used in many different useful ways to make it usable as a real class.

Proffesions, eh?

Acrobats should be able to do flips and other acrobatics. In public this should bring clapping admirers who give money.

Agents should shoot an arrow into the sky and catch it with his own teeth. Simillar reaction.

Archers should demonstrate their skills by shooting targets blindfolded, etc.
Assasins should demonstrate their nimble fingers by juggling daggers.

Barbarians should llift axes and roar, demonstrating strength.

Bards should play instruments.

Battlemages should set their weapon on fire and shove it in the air, releasing a cloumn of fire.

Crusaders should heal the beggars and get donations from the churches.

Healers should set up a market stall that heals people, for a price.

Knights should tell stories about their adventures.

Mages should do 'Cheap parlour tricks'

Monks should preach.

Nightblades should show skills in all combat styles.

Pilgrims should help out in the church.

Rouges should charm the ladies, give gifts to them and pick their pocket when they do not look.

Scouts should talk to the guilds about cave locations and loot. Paid for information.

Sorcerers should sit in a small corner, surrounded by candles and tell futures.

Spellswords should do simmliar acts with battlemages.

Thieves should have jobs as a locksmith

A warrior? See Knight.

Witch hunters should tell stories of how they were cornered by witches and almost got killed, then show scars.

I shall update.

This is really good. It would really make it tempting to choose a premade class. Premade classes are often less powerful than they could be. This would tempt the character into sacrificing power gaming characters for profitable characters.

I agree, granted it is a good class if you want a character primarily based around speechcraft.

They did something like that in Betrayal at Krondor, and I would love to see it pulled off in a modern elderscrolls game.

No need- Like Oblivion, the skill should be linked to the picture, not the pre set check. So if I want a thief with blade instead of mercantile I can, the avatar of the class can stay a thief. Obviously this would create a problem for our thief;

The service he offers requires needs security and mercantile; security for obvious reasons, mercantile for better gain.
This should add more use for the mercantile skill; NPC's who need a service will try to barter with you and like usual disposition and mercantile are important.

A warrior won't need all of his skills, but experience. If you lie about a story, your disposition and speechcraft should come into play with the certain NPC, and Fame/Infamy for all. You could have an option to say:

(Lie)
Which breaks into (Evil) and (Good)

(Truth- quest)
Which breaks into (Good- From quest) and (Evil- from quest)

(Truth- experience)
Which breaks into (I was in...) and various other starts of a story.

Swell idea And you could have instruments (a lute, for example), that are enchanted and cause paralysis or something different.

For a Bard I would imagine you would learn Songs of Power.

Songs that could lull to sleep, or rouse to battle.

You might even use a song to beguile or enchant someone - making them open to your suggestions.

As your skill increases and you learn new songs these could be used to make money in specific area's - taverns, lordly courts, bawdy houses, and even the town square.

Eh, I'd like to see NPCs play music, but I don't care for it as a skill to be used by the player.

I love the idea of playing a Bard that is actually a Bard. Each class in the Elder Scrolls is essentially a list of replaceable skills. So many conventions are strewn about in character development because there is no incentives to play a particular class. Pick a few melee skills, 1 or 2 magic skills, and lockpicking and alchemy and you pretty much have the same character everytime regardless of which skills are major or minor. Class Incentives should be the focus here, not just on playable instruments.

Bards use instruments...Necromancers raise the dead (Not summon them) and carry the Book of the Dead...Clerics and Paladins rely on religious relics for protection and ressureection...Explorerrs and Rangers use handheld maps and find flora to navigate. You see where I'm going here. I think the idea of class specific mechanics is very important if they dont want players to eventually make a character thats 90% like others people, unless you use mods. Not everyone chooses to use mods, and forgive me for saying this, but if they dont want the game to get stale (Oblivion I'm talking about you), then they've got to find a way to encrouage players to use different skills and classes. Otherwise we are back to Dupe cheat to raise Alchemy to 100 and then combat and magic until you are level 40 within 2 hours.

I agree entirely.

Its a nice idea, but I would rather the devs work on something more important to the game, and leave music to the plenty of other games. Anyway, unless the NPCs reacted in some way to the music it would be rather pointless.

It is a nice idea, however ive never been a big music player so it doesnt appeal to me that much, though what i would like is to walk into a inn and see people dancing and singing to a song could help me choose an inn to stay in if i hear good music coming from it

I agree with that, If the other characters could participate and interact with the music it would make it worth while.

I don't care much for Mysticism, yet that is still a skill.

You played to much mabinogi.

Music is in my suggested skill list.

Even though there's little use for it, the fact that Bard-class has always existed demands a Music-skill. With better companion system a bard could raise morale of others. Music could earn a living. You could use your music skillz to get access to noble houses and castles to steal/assassinate folks. You could tame/pacify animals, even some daedra or mystical beasts with music.

I could definitely see music as a skill, we all know that musical talents can be a charmer, as well as a calmer. Would be great for a non violent character.