Played pretty much everything, not bard yet.
So i start, 4 cha, 3 int, get the guy in the tavern and put first skill points in serenade and the one that deals damage and knocks em down.

The guy in the tavern doesnt follow me and stays in tavern, and when playing a serenade I dont deal damage or knock anything down as the tooltip says how it works.
But im just standing there like an idiot playing tunes and nothing happens getting wrecked by a friggin deer while my companion (?) is getting drunk in the tavern.