Again, Murray, since when? I use barre chords a lot and use hammer-ons and pull-offs. Classic guitarists call them "slurs" and do that sort of thing all the time. Bass runs to, from, or between barre chords? No sweat. I don't see why you think it can't be done.

By the by, as far as being a "classical player manqués who decided to exploit folk music as plan B," for me, folk music was Plan A. When I first got interested in folk music, I got myself a steel string guitar. I played steel string guitars for a couple of years, then started taking classic guitar lessons so I could learn how to do all that stuff. I could see that what folk guitarists were doing was much the same as what classic guitarists were doing, only applied in a different way. The result is that I can and do accompany all kinds of songs: I can play real simple, straightforward accompaniments or I can get pretty flashy if the song calls for it. I can finger-pick when I want to, I can accompany very old English ballads and make the guitar sound like a lute if I want to, and when the spirit moves me, I can play some Fernando Sor or Francisco Tarrega. Also, on a good day and with a tail-wind, I can whip off a bit of flamenco. But primarily, I sing and accompany folk songs. I've been at it most of my life, and I'm really glad that I didn't let myself get stuck in any one style or technique.   

Don't set limits on yourself.

Don Firth