KISMET'S GAME ADDITIONS

  Kismet's Bard Version 1.1 

Overview

      The bard is, at the very core of his being, a master of language and communication. He speaks the language of love, the language of words, the language of the body, the language of music. He communicates through stories, poems, lyrics, dances, acrobatics - anything and everything at his disposal can be used to channel his desire to reach out and touch others. Communication is a rare gift and often an underestimated one, yet kingdoms have died for lack of it and people have pined away with desire for it throughout time. The bard is the repository for many skills and many gifts, but all of his magic stems from a common source.

      The bard is also one of the only character classes that can be said to be truly rooted in charisma. For indeed, bards are by nature charismatic people and charisma is a magic all unto itself. Bards draw people to them unawares, inspire emotions without trying and leave impressions with all that they do. Coupled with their gift of communication, the gift of charisma completes a strong equation: bards can reach out with all of the power of art and people are inspired to pay attention. In a world of strapping warriors, fiercely intelligent wizards and devoted priests, the bard holds a power to rival all others but in an area that is often relegated to lesser status. Communication is power. Knowledge is power. Adoration is power. And given the opportunity, the bard will show you this.

      Tied to arts of all sorts and strong creative drives, bards can often be found on the go in any given world. They move for excitement, for growth, for power or fame, and their movement gives them rewards in many ways. They enrich their stories and add to their repertoire for life, gaining knowledge and skills that more settled people might miss; even the bard who remains in one place will surround himself with new information to make up for the loss of new places. Bards remain on the cutting edge of the adventuring world by taking up every opportunity to learn something new and are some of the most vital characters in Dungeons and Dragons.

Alignment

      The bard class governed by creative power and emotion, by the heat of the moment and the seat of one's pants, and cannot be comfortably contained by the restrictive confines of a lawful alignment. Authority and laws will never mean more than what the bard feels is important at heart, which will vary widely from bard to bard; they are nothing if not individuals.

Races

      Nearly all races have their storytellers, musicians and entertainers. Some races have traditionally encouraged bards more than others, but it is important to remember that appearances can be deceiving - some races simply discourage some arts in favor of others they deem more worthy. What makes a bard is not his skin but his inner voice and his ability to reach out to his audience in a deeper way than the novice can dream. Bards of some type or other can be found in nearly every race of at least some measure of intelligence, for even "savage" tribal societies value things that bards can do best.

      Of the goodly races, bards are most often associated with humans, elves and half-elves. Halflings are quite swift of foot and their bards have often been overlooked during important, newsworthy events. Gnomes, likewise, can make great bards; they are hardy and have a few natural tricks up their sleeves. Dwarves have rich storytelling traditions and their bards pass on some of the oldest stories that can be heard, for while dwarves are not as long-lived as elves, they have tended to keep more tightly knit communities in which to retain their ancient folkways. Half-orcs have been ridiculed just for being born and have been treated even worse for trying to entertain. In a world which strives to forget half-orcs or labels them as horrible mistakes, people of other races have resisted giving half-orcs any sort of center stage. Some half-orcs strive to be more than what people expect them to be, however, and use their connection to art to keep their hope for a better life alive.

Background

      Some bards discover their talents on their own and work their way up to mastery, while others find mentors to teach them particular arts. Yet other bards form groups of learning so that a wealthy pool of skills and knowledge can be passed on through a school-type format. A few bards progress through competition with one another, making their growth a race to prove who is the best and the fastest. Bards are not always friendly to each other and may even try to hinder one another in order to gain favor, love or money - or just out of spite.

In The Party

      Bards have their own niche to fill as a character class, and it is a social one. They can be wonderful diplomats, but not just in dealing with folks outside of the party - the bard can be the glue that binds a party together. The bard is a social creature and can serve as a group's tie to the people around them - not just underground organizations but even respected gentry. The bard can be a fount of information and local gossip from all circles of society and can often provide obscure information. When a bard is not fulfilling his prime role, he can step into others: his magic and his skills make him useful in a multitude of ways.

Religion

      Bards are exposed to a great number of religions, not only in their travels but in stories and interactions of all sorts. There is no telling what god a bard might be following, because just when you think you've got them pinned down, bards are bound to surprise you. Many bards do follow gods of travel, knowledge, poetry, music or thievery but not because their class demands it - they follow the gods that resonate with them the most. Some bards regularly worship a whole collection of gods out of appreciation, while others simply seek to gain as much help as they can get.

Musical Instruments

      Although some bards inspire others through rhymes, dance, and other methods, many continue to rely on the language of music. Adventuring bards tend to favor portable musical instruments, the sturdier the better. Some possibilities include violins (or other small stringed instruments, like the rebec and lyre), horns, rattles, flutes, chimes, drums, triangles, gongs, and tambourines (or the more ancient sistrum). Musical instruments can gain the benefits of masterwork craftsmanship and they can be enchanted with magical abilities, as well. Summoned instruments (as in the Summon Instrument spell) are generally mediocre versions that only play for a limited time, so many bards favor permanent versions.

Rules

      The bard gets all of the benefits listed in the PHB except as follows:

Class Skills: Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int; any), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Rope (Dex)

Spells: A bard is a truly eclectic spellcaster and has been gifted in strange ways. While wizards use their force of will to make their magic and clerics use the force of their god, bards use their very force of personality to make their magic happen. Charisma is the basis for their spell use, spell DCs and bonus spells.

      The bard does not stay within the boundaries that others make for themselves or have made for them so they dabble in whatever they happen to come across. A true jack of all trades, the bard can know any arcane or divine spell. All spells that a bard casts count as arcane spells, however.  A bard is limited in the same way as a sorcerer, in that he can only know so many spells.

      Bards do not have the same intimate connection with spells found on scrolls or in wands that they do with the spells they know by heart. In order to use scrolls and wands, bards must make a Use Magic Device roll; since they have a natural familiarity with magic, however, their difficulty is five less than what is listed. Bards cannot take ten or twenty on the roll and if they fail, one charge is lost.

      Bards may learn spells from scrolls and even spell books, but a bard does not need a spell book to cast his spells. He also does not need to prepare them beforehand. Bards can never specialize in a particular school of magic because the very flexibility of their magic use forbids it. At every even-numbered level (2, 4, 6 and so on), a bard can choose to learn one new spell in place of a spell he already knows. The new spell must be of the same level as the one being lost.