Bard

Campaign class — see Classes for the full list.

Prime Requisite:	DEX and CHA
Requirements:	None
Hit Dice:	1d4
Maximum Level:	14

Successful adventurers live forever in the sagas and songs about their deeds. Remembering and recounting these sagas is the profession of bards. Most bards are content to recite the deeds of others, but some bold few participate in the dangers themselves and become inspiring heroes in their own right. In the Sairan empire, such a bard might be an adventuring minstrel with a sword in his hand and a song at his lips, a warrior-skald of the borderlands, or a haughty aristocrat of a Caernathi city-state.

Bard Level Progression

Experience	Title	Level	Hit Dice	Damage Bonus	Arcane Dabbling	Listening	Loremastery
0	Reciter	1	1d4	+1	4+	14+	18+
1,750	Versifier	2	2d4	+1	4+	13+	17+
3,500	Archivist	3	3d4	+2	4+	12+	16+
7,000	Annalist	4	4d4	+2	4+	11+	15+
14,000	Chronicler	5	5d4	+2	4+	10+	14+
28,000	Panegyrist	6	6d4	+3	4+	9+	13+
56,000	Skald	7	7d4	+3	4+	8+	12+
110,000	Rhapsodist	8	8d4	+3	4+	7+	11+
220,000	Bard	9	9d4	+4	4+	6+	10+
340,000	Bard, 10th Level	10	9d4 + 2*	+4	4+	5+	9+
460,000	Bard, 11th Level	11	9d4 + 4*	+4	4+	4+	8+
580,000	Bard, 12th Level	12	9d4 + 6*	+5	4+	3+	7+
700,000	Bard, 13th Level	13	9d4 + 8*	+5	4+	2+	6+
820,000	Master Bard	14	9d4 + 10*	+5	4+	1+	5+

Bard Saving Throws and Attack Bonus

Level	Paralysis	Death	Blast	Implement	Spells	Attack Bonus
1	13+	14+	15+	16+	17+	+0
2-3	12+	13+	14+	15+	16+	+1
4	11+	12+	13+	14+	15+	+2
5-6	10+	11+	12+	13+	14+	+3
7	9+	10+	11+	12+	13+	+4
8-9	8+	9+	10+	11+	12+	+5
10	7+	8+	9+	10+	11+	+6
11-12	6+	7+	8+	9+	10+	+7
13	5+	6+	7+	8+	9+	+8
14	4+	5+	6+	7+	8+	+9

Combat Characteristics

Combat Proficiencies: Bards have weapon proficiency with all missile weapons and with all tiny, small, and medium melee weapons. They have armor proficiency with medium, light, and very light armor. They have fighting style proficiency the dual weapon, two-handed weapon, and weapon and shield styles.

Combat Progression: Bards advance in attack throws and saving throws by two points every three levels of experience. They increase their base damage from successful missile and melee weapon attacks by +1 at 1^st level, and by an additional +1 at 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th level. They can cleave after felling a foe a maximum of once per round per class level.

Starting Class Powers

Arcane Dabbling: Bards are prone to dabble in the arcane. They can attempt to use wands, staffs, and other magic items only usable by arcane casters. The bard does not need to know the command word for the item, but he must make a proficiency throw of 4+ on 1d20 or the attempt backfires in some desultory way (Judge’s discretion).

Inspire Courage: By reciting heroic lays and epic poems, bards can improve the effectiveness of their allies. Inspiring courage requires a few moments of oration before a battle (one round) and makes up to 30 of the bard’s allies within a 50’ radius inspired. An inspired creature gains a +1 bonus to attack throws, armor class, morale rolls (for monsters or NPCs allied with the caster), and saving throws against magical fear. The bonus lasts for 10 minutes (1 turn). A bard can inspire courage once per day per class level. (Even the most inspired epic gets stale if you hear it twice in the same day.) A bard cannot inspire courage on characters who are already engaged in combat.

Jack of All Trades: Being habitually curious jacks-of-all-trades, bards pick up an array of skills that vary widely. The bard can learn one class proficiency from any class; a thief skill (excluding backstab); a venturer class power (excluding mercantile network); or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting powers. The bard cannot select a class power when the bard’s class level is lower than the class level at which that power becomes available to its default class. For instance, he could not select Rumormongering at 1^st level because it doesn’t become available to venturers until 4^th level. Note that some selections might not be useful; e.g. the bard has no spells to regain with Contemplation, so that proficiency isn’t ever a good choice.

Listening: Bards have sharp ears that permit them to hear noises in caves, hallways, at a door, or other locations. The Judge makes a Listening proficiency throw in secret on behalf of the bard. If the throw succeeds, he hears any noises in earshot. If the throw fails, or if there aren’t any noises in earshot, he doesn’t hear anything. The bard must be quiet and must be the closest creature in the party relative to the location of the sound or suspected sound. Listening only requires one round but can only be undertaken once per turn (10 minutes) if the party is moving at all, because it takes time for people to settle down into quiet.

Loremastery: The bard can make a proficiency throw of 18+ to decipher occult runes, remember ancient history, or identify a historic artifact or special monster part. The proficiency throw required reduces by 1 per level. He can also identify magic items as if he were a 5^th level mage. (This class power is the equivalent of Loremastery proficiency.)

Multilingual: Because they travel widely and converse freely, bards become conversant in a wide variety of tongues. They gain three bonus languages. The bard can select some or all of these languages immediately from among those in common use in the campaign’s starting region or select them later from among those he encounters in play. (This class power is the equivalent of one rank of Language proficiency.)

Performance: The bard has been trained in a performing art such as chanting, reciting poetry, singing, or playing an instrument. He can earn 10gp per month from working as a street performer or tavern entertainer. He can identify renowned performers, famous works, and unusual songs with a proficiency throw of 11+. (This class power is equivalent to one rank of Performance proficiency.)

Additional Class Powers

Jack of All Trades II (3^rd): The bard can learn another class proficiency from any class, thief skill (excluding backstab), venturer class power (excluding mercantile network), or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting.

Deciphering (4^th): The bard gains the ability to decipher text (including ciphers, treasure maps, and dead languages, but not magical writings). Deciphering a page of text requires one turn (10 minutes) and a successful proficiency throw of 4+ on 1d20. If the roll does not succeed, the bard cannot try to decipher that particular page of text until he reaches a higher level of experience.

Chronicles of Battle (5^th): The bard’s songs and stories inspire his hirelings to strive for glory. Any henchmen and mercenaries hired by the bard gain a +1 bonus to their morale score while the bard is present to witness and record their deeds. This bonus stacks with any modifiers from the bard’s Charisma or proficiencies.

Jack of All Trades III (6^th): The bard can learn another class proficiency from any class, thief skill (excluding backstab), venturer class power (excluding mercantile network), or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting.

Max HP	Temp HP Gained
1 – 3	1d2
4 – 9	1d3
10 – 16	1d4
17 – 23	1d6
24 – 29	1d8
30 – 36	1d10
37 – 49	2d6
50 – 63	2d8
64 – 76	2d10
77 – 89	2d12
90 – 110	3d10
111 – 140	4d10
141 – 170	5d10
171+	6d10, plus 1d10 per 30 hp past 170

Inspire Hope (7^th): By recounting the glorious deeds of old, bards can brighten the darkest moment. Inspiring hope requires a few moments of oration (one round) and grants up to 30 of the bard’s allies within 30’ a pool of temporary hit points. The number of hit points gained by each ally is determined on the adjoining table based on the bard’s or the ally’s max hit points (whichever is lower). These temporary hit points last for one turn (10minutes), until lost to damage, or until the bard inspires hope on the ally again, whichever comes first. The bard can inspire hope once per day at 7th level, and one additional time per day with each level thereafter.

Jack of All Trades IV (8^th): The bard can learn another class proficiency from any class, thief skill (excluding backstab), venturer class power (excluding mercantile network), or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting.

Great Hall (9^th): By acquiring a great hall worth at least 15,000gp, the bard can attract followers to his service. 5d6 x 10 0th level troops and 1d6 bards of 1st – 3rd level arrive to serve him within 1d3 months of him acquiring the hall. If the bard already has a hall, the followers arrive to serve him within 1d3 months of him reaching 9th level. The bard must pay his followers the ordinary rates for mercenaries and henchmen, or they leave his service. Additional rules for great halls are detailed in the Campaigns chapter.

Scrollreading (10^th): The bard gains the ability to read and cast magic from arcane and divine scrolls. The bard does not have to be able to read the language in which the scroll is written provided he has successfully deciphered it before. Reading a magical scroll requires one round and a successful proficiency throw of 4+ on 1d20. However, a failed throw means the spell does not function as expected and can create a horrible effect at the Judge’s discretion.

Jack of All Trades V (11th level): The bard can learn another class proficiency from any class, thief skill (excluding backstab), venturer class power (excluding mercantile network), or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting.

Class Proficiencies

Proficiency Progression: At 1st level, bards gain one class proficiency from their class proficiency list and one general proficiency from the general proficiency list (as indicated by the template rolled). They select an additional class proficiency at 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th level. They select an additional general proficiency at 5th, 9th, and 13th level.

Bard Proficiency List: Acrobatics, Bargaining, Beast Friendship, Bribery, Combat Trickery (disarm), Command, Diplomacy, Disguise, Elven Bloodline, Fighting Style Specialization, Healing, Knowledge, Language, Leadership, Lip Reading, Magical Engineering, Magical Music, Mimicry, Mystic Aura, Performance, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Romance, Running, Skirmishing, Swashbuckling, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus

Bard Templates

3d6	Template	Proficiencies	Starting Equipment
3 – 4	Woodland Piper	Beast Friendship Naturalism Performance (instruments) Familiar	2 javelins, hide armor, leather shoes, leather belt, belt pouch, pan pipes, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 1gp (enc. 2 5/6 st)
5 – 6	Hedge Magician	Prestidigitation Alchemy Performance (oration) Soothsaying	Staff, leather armor under mage’s cassock, cloak with embroidered sigils, fancy silver sash, low boots, 2 small sacks, 2 tallow candles, tinderbox, 1 pint of rare wine in potion vial, leather-bound spellbook (blank), waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 2gp (enc. 5 4/6 st)
7 – 8	Swashbuckler	Swashbuckling Seafaring Performance (singing) **[[Fighting Style Specialization	Fighting Style Spec.]] (dual wield)**
9 – 10	Wandering Minstrel	Magical Music Romance Performance (instruments) Precise Shooting	Crossbow, case with 20 bolts, short sword, dagger, well-maintained leather armor, traveler’s tunic and pants, embossed belt, sturdy low boots, belt pouch, small sack, lute, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations (enc. 4 2/6 st)
11 – 12	Historian	Magical Engineering Knowledge (history) Performance (epic poetry) Bright Lore of Irian	Crossbow, case with 20 bolts, short sword, dagger, well-maintained laminated linen armor, traveler’s tunic and pants, polished high boots, backpack, parchment journal half-filled with entries, quill and ink, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 6gp (enc. 6 2/6 st)
13 – 14	Beguiler	Mystic Aura Diplomacy Performance (singing) Treachery (Venturer)	Crossbow, case with 20 bolts, sword, polished chain mail armor, flamboyant fur-lined cloak, fancy tunic and pants, long leather gloves, high boots, bright silk sash, purse, belt pouch, waterskin, 2 weeks’ iron rations, 10gp (enc. 7 st)
15 – 16	Spy	Disguise Streetwise Performance (acting) Hiding (Thief)	Crossbow, case with 20 bolts, short sword, dagger, unmarked leather armor, simple hooded cloak, traveler’s tunic and pants, embossed belt, low boots, backpack, disguise kit, crowbar, 50’ rope, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 56gp for bribes (enc. 6 2/6 st)
17 – 18	Aristocrat	Command Leadership Performance (oration) Armor Training (Heavy)	Matching sword and dagger with lacquered hilts, exquisitely made plate armor, shield, fur-lined cloak, armiger’s tunic and pants, high boots, medium riding horse, riding saddle and tack, 2 leather saddlebags, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 10gp (enc. 6 2/6 st with rations on horse)