Bard

Bards are traveling entertainers. Poets, singers, musicians, and tellers of tall tales all fall under this class. Especially nowadays, bards are a welcome sight almost anywhere for the diversion they provide from the drudgery of day-to-day life. Bards are true jacks-of-all-trades having abilities in combat, stealth, knowledge and magic.

Some bards ply their trade from town to town, whereas others make their living by distracting the crowd so accomplices can snatch the pouches of people in the audience. In any case, bards can be found in adventuring groups everywhere, which find their wide variety of skills to be a valuable commodity. In order to use bardic magic, a character must sing and/or play an instrument, or at the very least carry a physical representation of an instrument in their hand and role-play its use while casting. Like mages, bards cannot wear armor while casting their spells.

To cast their magic, bards use chords as a mage would use mana or a cleric would use piety. Bards buy chords at a ratio of 3 character points for 2 chords. In order to avoid fractional numbers, this must be purchased in 2 chord increments. If a starting bard does not purchase any chords at all, they will not have any starting spells and would need to learn bardic magic in game. If a starting bard does purchase chords, they will begin with the Light spell and three other random spells from the starting list.

Bards often compose great (and not so great) ballads singing the praises of heroes and casting scorn on villains. A unique situation exists with bards in that while entertaining they have complete freedom of speech, and it is generally understood throughout most civilizations that there will be no reprisal for this, even if they make a joke at noble’s expense. This is not always adhered to strictly of course, and it should also be noted that this only applies to the bards act, and does not give them license to act inappropriately at will.

Maximum Health – 18

Chords – 2 Chords are gained per 3 character points spent

Skill

1-Handed Blunt

1-Handed Edged

Appraisal

Armor Field Repair

Backstab

Bow

Brawling

Burst of Strength

Courage

Craft: Merchant

Crafting: Armorsmith

Crafting: Blacksmith

Crafting: Brewer/Vintner

Crafting: Carpenter/Woodworker

Crafting: Chef

Crafting: Engineering

Crafting: Trap Crafter

Crafting: Weaponsmith

Critical Backstab

Crossbow

Daze

Decipher Script

Disable

Disarm

Disarm Trap

Escape Artist

Evade Trap

First Aid

Florentine I

Florentine II

Florentine III

Gathering: Farmer

Gathering: Fisher

Gathering: Harvesting

Gathering: Hunter

Gathering: Logger

Gathering: Miner

Gathering: Naturalist

Gathering: Scrounger

Gemology I

Hard Headed

Hard to Kill

Health

Health (11-14)

Health (15-18)

Killing Blow

Literacy

Literacy Other

Lockpicking

Parry

Pierce, Edged

Pierce, Ranged

Poison Tolerance

Polearm/Spear

Shield

Sixth Sense

Small Weapon

Staff

Sweep

Thrown Weapon

Waylay

Cost

6 then 3/3

Prerequisites

None

4 purchases of Backstab

None

Blunt Weapon, Staff, or Brawling

None

Florentine I

Florentine II

None

10 Health

14 Health

None

Literacy

None

Edged Weapon Skill

Ranged Weapon Skill

None

Staff, Spear, or Polearm

None

Self-Taught

Yes

Bardic Magic & Spells

Bardic magic is a highly specialized form of magic. The bard is often looked at as an individual who is the jack of all trades and master of none, and seemingly their magic follows this principle. In a manner that neither mage nor scholar fully understands, bards are able to draw forth magical energy by using music as their focal point. Some bards can produce magical effects by song whereas others utilize instruments or even a mixture of the two. A bard’s ability to channel this magic is expressed in chords. Unlike other spellcasting classes, bards will not necessarily begin the game with any capacity for magic at all, and this is determined by whether or not a starting character has purchased chords. In the event no chords have been purchased, no spells will be known and any magic the bard wishes to learn must be done in-game. In the event the starting character does have chords, they begin with the Light spell and three other random spells from their starting list. A bard’s spells seem to consist of a sampling of different schools and divine energies as well as several potent spells no other class can match. The overall power of their spells is limited, but the diversity of those spells is without question.

Light
Cost: 0
Incant: “I create this source of magical light.”
Effect: By using a glowstick the caster may activate it to represent a magical light spell. This spell requires no Chords to cast and may be cast as many times as you have glowsticks. You may use this glowstick to light a room, mark a path or give to another individual. The spell lasts for as long as the glowstick lasts. Players must supply their own glowsticks.
Awaken
Cost: 1
Incant: “I wake you from your sleep.”
Effect: This spell will immediately awaken a sleeping or unconscious target. This spell works on normal and magical sleep brought upon by exhaustion, poison, venom, spell, potion, or waylay. This will not wake someone who is dying from lethal poison or during their death count from normal injuries.
Communication
Cost: 1
Incant: “I create a sphere of communication, 10 minutes.”
Effect: This spell allows everyone within earshot of the caster to speak and understand any spoken language for ten minutes. This will not work on creatures with no intelligence, most undead, or those speaking in gibberish.
Mighty Voice
Cost: 1
Incant: “Mighty Voice, strike you deaf 10 minutes”
Effect: This spell causes the target to be completely deaf for 10 minutes. This must be role-played and the target will be unable to hear cries for help, warnings to look out or someone rifling through the cabin they are supposed to be guarding. The target is still affected by skill and spell calls, because although they are “deaf,” calls are merely a mechanic for letting game participants know how to react to a skill or spell. Even if the victim doesn’t hear the slay or assassinate, it still will hurt him.
Minor Healing
Cost: 1
Incant: “I heal your/my body 1 health.”
Effect: This spell restores 1 health to an injured subject. Your health may never exceed your maximum through healing.
Ballad of Protection
Cost: 3
Incant: “I grant you/myself 2 magic armor.”
Effect: This spell grants 2 points of magical armor to the individual it is cast upon. This may not be stacked with any other magical armor (i.e. Barkskin, Ice armor) and if damaged the recipient of this spell will lose these magical armor points first.
Ballad of Vigor
Cost: 3
Incant: “I grant you/myself 2 magic health.”
Effect: This spell grants 2 points of magical health to the individual it is cast upon. This may not be stacked with any other magical health (i.e. Empowerment) and if damaged the recipient of this spell will lose these magical health points after they lose normal armor and before they lose their normal health. These points cannot be healed.
Singing Sword
Cost: 3
Incant: “I imbue this weapon with magic, 1 minute.”
Effect: This spell causes the weapon it is cast upon to function as a magical weapon for 1 minute. When the user of the weapon swings it, they should loudly call “Magic!” Although the attack still does its normal damage, it counts as magical damage and therefore will harm creatures only affected by magic.

Bard

Bardic Magic & Spells

Bardic Spells