Bard

Foundations

Required Abilities

Dex, Per, Cha

Axiom

Favored

Affinity

Primal

Spell Casting

Cha

Spell Attack

San

Saving Throws

Dex, Per, Cha

Hit Dice

D8

HP @ Lvl 1

Your Con Modifier + 1d8 or 4.

HP @ Higher Lvls

Your Con Modifier + 1d8 / Level After 1st

Introduction

Bards fill a niche that no others can. What other entertainer, which performer, where would you find an artist of such high caliber who would be willing to take the news of the world to the world?

Sure, the Arch Priests have their fancy talking mirrors, but they are priests and have you seen what priests do for a living? Do they do it with panache, and style, to boot?

Bards and the Empire are deeply intertwined – no matter the prohibition on them in Sibola, they are the news gatherers, the rumor mongers, the gossip hounds, and the town criers of the world. The few newspapers in circulation are all the work of and intended mostly for Bards, and they are at least half of the secretive Messenger’s guild. Of all the other professions, only Nomads and Envoys come close to the level of importance that Bards have in the daily lives of people – and no one can be more entertaining or more aware than a bard.

For centuries, we have told and retold the history of the Empire, keeping their stories and traditions alive. We have spread the word of edicts and announced the downfalls of Noble Houses. We have recounted the tales of great heroes, and ruinous villains. We have sung and spoke and danced and juggled and performed for the people the living history and myths and legends and wonders of the world we live in.

We should be able to go out and get a little something for all that trouble. We may not be as devoted as Nomads or as secretive as Envoys, but we are the ties between the steading and the town, the link between the Home and the House.

We are the Hall brought to the Hearth and the Field, we are the magic of the moments in between. We are the dancing laughter in the eyes of a child and the wistful longing of the widow in the window.

Bards are the masters of music and song and spoken word, and no others have their gift of gab.

Role

Proficiencies

Skills (Pick 3)

Choose any 3

Spell Proficiency

Simple, Rudimentary, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert

Armor Training

Standard, Light

Weapon Training

Simple, Common, Specialist

Invoking magic through music, dance, and verse, Bards are expert at inspiring others, soothing hurts, disheartening foes, and creating illusions. Bards believe that Everything has a sound if you but take the time to hear, and that remnants of the magic in the world still resound and glimmer on every plane of existence.

Bards have Mojo, the source of their power, the form of their mana, and their spells are called Jujus, and when a bard complains about their Mojo being off, it is time to pay attention, for that means they are in trouble.

There is a secret about Bards that only a few know, and a key element to the nature of their abilities and the form of their power: they are favored by Muses. Any performer or entertainer can become a bard, but the key to being able to make that next step forward is having a Muse take an interest in you. Muses are spirits, never seen by the bard except possibly in glimpses.

A person with blue hair and a guitar

Description automatically generated Bards are trained in Bardic Halls, called Colleges, apprenticing and learning their craft much as anyone does, and those who have the gift of magic will learn beside those who do not, for bards are aware that everyone can use it, and that the capacity to store it and craft is something one must develop if you have it. Bards choose to do it though the act of selfless devotion to the arts, and with the aid of a Muse.

Bards come in four general sorts:

Dancers

Musicians

Singers

Orators

The sorts are a matter of personal preference, however, a greater feel for one thing over another, as all are taught the fullness of the arts, depending on their ability. There are some bards who cannot speak, others who cannot carry a tune, others who cannot move their limbs, but it is known that all Bards have one of those ways.

Troubadours, Jugglers, and many Surkus folk often have some training from a Bardic Hall and are part of the collective within the minds of Bards, even though they may lack the particular benefit of a muse.

Instruments

Bards commonly have some sort of Focal, a key tool without which they cannot perform their arts. For an Orator, it might be a mask, for a Dancer it may be a ribbon baton, while for a Singer or Musician it is a musical instrument that they play. The particular choice is up to the Bard, and every Barf has two instruments they have the ability to play. All Bards are also required to learn the piano, but it has been found to be difficult to transport such on one’s person.

Accordion

Bagpipes

Banjo

Bellcoat

Bugle

Buisine

Castanet

Cithar

Clarinet

Clave

Clavichord

Drum

Dulcimer

Flute

Handpan

Harmonica

Harp

Horn

Lute

Lyre

Mandolin

Mouth Harp

Oboe

Ocarina

Pan flute

Pipa

Recorder

Shawm

Sitar

Tambour

Triangle

Trumpet

Vielle

Viol

Zither

Defining Work

Almost anything can inspire a new song or tale, so Bards are fascinated by almost everything. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and develop an aptitude to do almost anything well. Bards become masters of many things, including musical performance, the workings of magic, and the formation of jests.

Bards typically have a defining work. This is a work that they are known as having the authorship over that is also popular and considered well done. To graduate from apprentice to novice requires the creation of such a work. For every Degree of Mastery, a bard will have at least one Defining Work.

Embarrassments

There is always that one time, that one thing that will have embarrassed them during a performance or immediately surrounding one and linked to it in gossip and memories of the time. It is whispered that the Grand Masters will not approve an Apprentice’s Defining Work until such a thing has happened, for it is considered key to ensuring they don’t get too full of themselves. For every Degree of Mastery, a bard will have at least one embarrassment.

Muse

On Wyrlde, Bards typically have a muse. Legends, myths, even the very stories of bards themselves, shared among only them, tell of what happens when a Bard meets her muse. Entire affairs have been performed about these. Which all leads to a certain point to be aware of: muses are real.

It is said that every single Bard has a Muse in the world, that haunts them, that is always watching, always giving them a bit of mystery or guidance or perhaps just toying with them. Muses are not fickle, but they are jealous, and there is little else that can have a more lasting effect on a Bard than the loss of their muse, or – worse – a fight with one.

A muse for the Bards of Wyrlde is a particular Spirit of the World. They follow the bard about, always barely glimpsed or half seen, a hint and an allure, a sense of emotion and companionship. They do not speak to the bard, usually, or if they do it is never in the same form as they are known to the Bard. If they do appear to a Bard in full, they will take an interest in them, but they will never reveal that they are, in fact, the Muse.

And it is here that they become the secret power of bards, the quiet truth, for while bards can store mana, they do not follow the rules of magic, much like they rarely follow other rules.

For the magic of Bards comes from their Muse.

This particular fact is something that Bards do not speak of or about, lest the Muse be offended. It is also why you do not see former bards with their Aspects intact – their muse has moved on, or been offended, or angered. On the other hand, it is said that the optimism of Bards derives in large part from this Muse, for the only way to truly capture a Bard is to separate the from their Muse.

Denigrados, a Sage and Wizard whose Tower overlooks the entrance to Akadia, has hypothesized that the relationship between a Bard and a Muse is akin to that of a Dryad and a Tree. Each needs the other in some way.

Fortes

Creative Inspiration

At 1st Level, you can supernaturally inspire others. This inspiration is represented by your Bardic Inspiration Die, which is a d6 as a Novice, a d8 as a Professional, a d10 as an Adept, a d12 as a Master, and a d14 as a Grand Master.

Using Bardic Inspiration.

You can use your Bardic Inspiration die in the following ways:

Buff. When another creature within 60 feet of you that you can see or hear fails a d20 Test, you can use your Reaction to give the creature a Bardic Inspiration die. The creature rolls that die and adds the number rolled to the d20, potentially turning the failure into a success.

Heal. Immediately after another creature within 60 feet of you that you can see or hear takes damage, you can use your Reaction to roll your Bardic Inspiration die and restore a number of Hit Points to the creature equal to the number rolled. As a Professional or Higher, you can add an additional person, dividing the total, and an additional person at Adept, Master, and Grand Master

Number of Uses. A Bardic Inspiration die is expended when it’s rolled. You can confer a Bardic Inspiration die a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

At 5th level When you make an Ability Check and fail, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, roll the Bardic Inspiration die, and add the number rolled to the Ability Check, potentially turning it into a success. If the check still fails, the Bardic Inspiration isn’t expended.

At 9th Level you regain all of your expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.

At 13th Level when you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Inspiration left, you regain one use.

At 17th Level If a creature has a Bardic Inspiration die from you and casts a spell that restores hit points or deals damage, the creature can roll that die and choose a target affected by the spell. Add the number rolled as a bonus to the hit points regained or the damage dealt. The Bardic Inspiration die is then lost.

Countercharm

At 5th level, you gain the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. As an action, you can start a performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. During that time, you and any friendly creatures within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed.

A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit.

The performance ends early if you are incapacitated or silenced or if you voluntarily end it (no action required).

Mote of Potential 9

At 9th Level, whenever you give a creature a Bardic Inspiration die, you can utter a note from the Song of Creation to create a Tiny mote of potential, which orbits within 5 feet of that creature. The mote is intangible and invulnerable, and it lasts until the Bardic Inspiration die is lost. The mote looks like a musical note, a star, a flower, or another symbol of art or life that you choose.

When the creature uses the Bardic Inspiration die, the mote provides an additional effect based on whether the die benefits an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw, as detailed below:

Ability Check. When the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die to add it to an ability check, the creature can roll the Bardic Inspiration die again and choose which roll to use, as the mote pops and emits colorful, harmless sparks for a moment.

Attack Roll. Immediately after the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die to add it to an attack roll against a target, the mote thunderously shatters. The target and each creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or take thunder damage equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die.

Saving Throw. Immediately after the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die and adds it to a saving throw, the mote vanishes with the sound of soft music, causing the creature to gain temporary hit points equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die plus your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).

Animated World

At 13th Level, as an action, you can animate one Medium or smaller nonmagical item within 30 feet of you that isn’t being worn or carried. The animate item uses the Dancing Item stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus. The item is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. It lives for 1 hour, until it is reduced to 0 hit points, or until you die.

In combat, the item shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the item can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

When you use your Bardic Inspiration feature, you can command the item as part of the same bonus action you use for Bardic Inspiration. Once you animate an item with this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend 4 or more points of Mana to use this feature again. You can have only one item animated by this feature at a time; if you use this action and already have a dancing item from this feature, the first one immediately becomes inanimate.

At 17th Level, When you use your Animated World feature, you can create more than one item at once. The number of items equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of two items). If you create an item that would exceed that number, you choose which of the previously created items disappears. Only one of these items can be of the maximum size you can create; the rest must be Small or Tiny.

Performative Mastery

At 17th Level, if you perform for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to inspire wonder in your audience by singing, reciting a poem, or dancing. At the end of the performance, choose a number of people within 60 feet of you who watched and listened to all of it, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you. While charmed in this way, the target idolizes you, it speaks glowingly of you to anyone who talks to it, and it hinders anyone who opposes you, although it avoids violence unless it was already inclined to fight on your behalf. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour, if it takes any damage, if you attack it, or if it witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies.

If a target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to charm it.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Apprenticeship

Starting Gear

Gear

Small Backpack, Tinderbox, Large Sack, 30’ Rope, Waterskin

Tools or Kit

Three musical Instruments of your choice.

Focus

One of the instruments is your focal

Armor

One Standard Armor

Weaponry

Any two allowed Weapons, Melee or ranged.

Wealth Bonus

30

Bards learn their craft at a College, which is a Bard School. These Colleges are large, campus-like structures with dormitories and performance spaces often open to the public, where those earning can be taught, tested, and trained in the arts and crafts of their chosen approaches. Bards are trained in Clutches of 7 performers to start, often developing strong bonds – but it is said that generally 3 out of every 7 people will fail out of the classes, making these friendships something forged in difficulty and long lasting. Each Clutch has a Mentor, whose task it is to oversee the training and guide the young performers, while often hoping that one of them will attract the attention and adoration of a Muse. The people who are the members of one’s Clutch or a Mentor are people with whom strong bonds are formed.

Colleges are located in the cities, so bards often have more experience of a large city than most folks who travel often – it is said only Merchants know them better. There is only one city without a Bard College: Sibola. However, Colleges can be found in Aztlan, Antilia, Dorado, Durango, Lyonese, Qivira, Akadia, and Islandia.

While there is n college, there is a Great Tent in Kahokia where Bards from both Kahokia and Hyboria train, set upon a small rise of a small island between the two nations.

Not every singer or poet in a tavern or jester in a royal court is a Bard. Harnessing the Words of Creation requires hard work and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can sometimes be hard to spot the difference between these performers and Bards, though. A Bard’s life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore, telling stories, and living on the gratitude of audiences, much like any other entertainer. But Bards’ depth of knowledge, level of musical skill, and mastery of magic sets them apart.

Aspects

Precepts

Bards do not get to select their initial Precepts. Unusual is that certain bits of secret, Veiled knowledge are fairly common to pass on to newer bards, who then try to master the skills. Chief among them is the Song of Rest, taught by many to Bards who will adventure. But also, as a way to escape tricky situations, there is Terrible Affect.

Few are as willing to take chances as Bards on the Esoterica available; but then, few can get quite as much use out of them.

Song of Rest

Beginning at 3rd Level, you can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize your wounded allies during a short rest. If you or any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain hit points at the end of the short rest by spending one or more Hit Dice, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points.

The extra hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 at 7th level, to 1d10 at 11th level, and to 1d12 at 15th level.

Terrible Affect

At 7th Level, you learn to infuse innocent-seeming words with an insidious magic that can inspire terror.

If you speak to a humanoid alone for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to seed paranoia in its mind. At the end of the conversation, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you or another creature of your choice. The target is frightened in this way for 1 hour, until it is attacked or damaged, or until it witnesses its allies being attacked or damaged.

If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to frighten it.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short rest.

At 11th Level you can choose one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.

At 15th Level you can choose one aspect from the Hieros list, or one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.

At 19th Level you can choose one aspect from the Alumni list, or one aspect from the Hieros list, or one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.

Maxims

Silver Tongue

At 1st Level, You are a master at saying the right thing at the right time. When you make a Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

This ability gets more use as your capabilities increase.

At 4th level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.

At 8th Level, You learn how to use your wit to supernaturally distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of yourself succeeds on an Ability Check or an Attack Roll, you can use your Reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll, potentially turning it into a failure.

At 12th level, when the right thing is a verbal attack, you can deal Psychic Damage to that creature equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die plus your Charisma modifier. You can spin words laced with magic that unsettle a creature and cause it to doubt itself. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. Roll the Bardic Inspiration die. The creature must subtract the number rolled from the next saving throw it makes before the start of your next turn.

At 16th Level, When you successfully inspire someone, the power of your eloquence can now spread to someone else. When a creature within 60 feet of you adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to its ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll succeeds, you can use your reaction to encourage a different creature (other than yourself) that can hear you within 60 feet of you, giving it a Bardic Inspiration die without expending any of your Bardic Inspiration uses.

You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Universal Speech

At 8th Level, You have gained the ability to make your speech intelligible to any creature. As an action, choose one or more creatures within 60 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one creature). The chosen creatures can magically understand you, regardless of the language you speak, for 1 hour.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot to use it again.

At 12th Level you can choose one Zealous Maxim or one Persistent Maxim or one Dedicated Maxim.

At 16th Level you can choose one Unyielding Maxim or one Zealous Maxim or one Persistent Maxim or one Dedicated Maxim.

At 20th Level you can choose one Absolutist Maxim or one Unyielding Maxim or one Zealous Maxim or one Persistent Maxim or one Dedicated Maxim.

Esoterica

At 2nd Level, you can choose one aspect from the Postulant list.

At 6th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.

At 10th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.

At 14th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Hieros list, or one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.

At 18th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Alumni list, or one aspect from the Hieros list, or one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.

Orders & Mysteries

Affinity

Axiom

Cipher

Manifestation

Orgone

Primal

Favored

Motes

Mojo

Affinity Score

Axiom Score

Spell

Spell Book

Focal

Cha

Cha

Juju

Nomicon

Instrument

Bards have the ability to choose to take either a Mystery or an Order. Not all Bards choose to learn the martial skills, nor do all choose to learn the Magical ones. Most spend a bit of time studying both, and at 1st level they must make a choice between a First Order or a Simple Mystery.

Spell Level

Spell Point Cost

Actions to Cast

Cantrips / 0

1

1

1 Level Spells

3

1

2 Level Spells

5

2

3 Level Spells

8

2

4 Level Spells

12

3

5 Level Spells

14

3

6 Level Spells

17

4

7 Level Spells

19

4

8 Level Spells

21

5

9 Level Spells

25

5

Thereafter, at each level, they can choose either an Order or a Mystery at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. When choosing, they must be aware that they can only take the lowest ranked one available to them – many Bards will choose to only learn Simple and rudimentary Mysteries, and indulge themselves in First, through Third Orders in a weapon or two they are particularly fond of.

Still other Bards will skip both, and instead use their available slot to choose some additional Esoterica or Veiled knowledge ability, assuming they can find a teacher for such. This is possible because Bards do gain some initial skill and ability with armor and weapons that they continue to hone.

At 1st Level, you can choose either 1 Simple Mystery or one First Order

At 5th Level, you can choose either an Order or a Mystery.

At 9th Level, you can choose either an Order or a Mystery.

At 13th Level, you can choose either an Order or a Mystery.

At 17th Level, you can choose either an Order or a Mystery.

Mana Stored & Spells Per Level

Complexity ->

Mana Stored

Simple

Rudimentary

Intermediate

Advanced

Expert

Mastery

Level

Cantrip

1st Level

2nd Level

3rd Level

4th Level

5th Level

6th Level

7th Level

8th Level

9th Level

Novice

1

10

3

2

20

4

1

3

30

4

1

4

40

4

2

1

Yeoman

5

50

5

2

1

6

60

5

3

2

1

7

70

5

3

2

1

8

80

6

4

3

2

1

Adept

9

90

6

4

3

2

1

10

100

6

5

4

3

2

1

11

110

7

5

4

3

2

1

12

120

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Master

13

130

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

14

140

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

15

150

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

16

160

8

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Grand Master

17

170

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

18

180

9

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

19

190

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

20

200

10

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

Proficiencies

At 2nd Level, you gain 2 proficiency slots.

At 6th Level, you gain 2 proficiency slots.

At 10th Level, you gain 3 proficiency slots.

At 14th Level, you gain 2 proficiency slots.

At 18th Level, you gain 2 proficiency slots.

Ability Score Increases

At 3rd Level, You gain 2 points.

At 7th Level, You gain 2 points.

At 11th Level, You gain 3 points.

At 15th Level, You gain 2 points.

At 19th Level, You gain 1 point.

Leveling Table

Level

Mastery

Prof Bonus

Skill

Forte

ASI

Maxims

Precepts

Mysteries

Orders

Esoterica

1

Novice

0

Yes

Simple

First

2

0

Yes

Yes

3

0

Yes

Yes

4

+1

Yes

Rudiments

5

Yeoman / Doyen

+1

Yes

Second

6

+1

Yes

Yes

7

+1

Yes

Yes

8

+2

Yes

Medial

9

Adept

+2

Yes

Third

10

+2

Yes

Yes

11

+2

Yes

Yes

12

+3

Yes

Advanced

13

Master

+3

Yes

Fourth

14

+3

Yes

Yes

15

+3

Yes

Yes

16

+4

Yes

Expert

17

Grand Master

+4

Yes

Fifth

18

+4

Yes

Yes

19

+4

Yes

Yes

20

+5

Yes

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