Bard is so under-used, people think they are just the band or some annoying dude like Cacophonix. But with a bit of lateral thinking, they can be so much more.

One of the greatest war leader NPC's I've got looks like the typical warrior king. But he's actually a fighter-bard, and it's the bardic abilities (with their requirement for a good charisma stat) that make him so inspirational to his men.

Plus of course, the obvious choice when a bard comes to pick his or her instrument is "voice". Although I did always think it might be funny to make a bard who has to lug a full drum kit around the dungeon 😁 "Henchmen ? Nope, they're my roadies".