Honor Among Thieves had its reasons for removing Edgin’s spellcasting ability, but the movie’s version of the bard would never work in a D&D game.

Although Edgin is a hilarious and beloved character in Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the film’s decision to leave the bard without spellcasting abilities means he would never be a workable character in a real Dungeons and Dragons game. Honor Among Thieves is a 2023 film that adapts the popular roleplay game Dungeons and Dragons to the big screen. The film follows a band of thieves that reunite after a failed heist in order to save the main character’s daughter, and later, the entire city.

Chris Pine’s Edgin is arguably the fearless leader of Honor Among Thieves’ cast, however, he is far from the strongest member of the team. Though Edgin is a bard, a Dungeons and Dragons class that typically comes with useful spellcasting abilities, in the film, he has no spells at all. This means that, when the party gets into the thick of things, Edgin must rely on Simon and Doric’s magic to eke by. Really, all he has to him is his quick thinking, average fighting skills, charm, and ambition. While these qualities are enough for Honor Among Thieves‘ classes, unfortunately, it probably wouldn’t work in an actual game of D&D.

Honor Among Thieves’ Bard Class Would Never Work In Dungeons & Dragons

Because Edgin has no spells in Honor Among Thieves, the film creates a new version of the bard character that would never actually work in Dungeons and Dragons. In the game, each player chooses a class for their character, and that class determines the majority of the character’s strengths. For example, sorcerers and wizards are more adept at magic, while barbarians and fighters have more strength and combat abilities. All Dungeons and Dragons characters have enough built-in abilities so that, no matter what a player chooses, they should be able to hold their own. However, a bard without spells is arguably useless.

The bard is the performer class in Dungeons and Dragons. They are typically musicians, dancers, or writers, that use their proficiency in performing to outwit or outplay enemies. Bards also have spells, which are usually related to charming or manipulating other players. In this way, bards can be very powerful, even if they lack physical prowess. However, this standard is completely broken by Edgin in Honor Among Thieves. Without spells, Edgin in a game of Dungeons and Dragons would only have luck on his side, and typically this alone doesn’t go over well for D&D players.

Edgin As A Rogue Would Have Made More Sense

In the end, if Honor Among Thieves didn’t want to give Edgin magic, then they should have made him a rogue. Rogues are a class known for their sneakiness and deception. Considering Edgin’s past as a thief and his strong sense of charisma, he would have fit the archetype of a rogue. Really, the only detail that connected Edgin to the bards at all was his lute, and musical abilities are also available to classes other than bards. Overall, if Edgin had been a rogue, he likely would have been a much stronger player, and furthermore, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves would not have messed with the bard class.