A different bard, not quite so hard
by Jeffery Goelz
[Note: Though this is the version from Dragon 56, the spell progression has been corrected, as per Best of Dragon III.]
(A conversation of
a DM with two NPCs; Jake Armageddon, a half-orc
fighter/assassin, and Jake’s
brother Alphonse, a cleric/assassin.)
DM: Guys, I’m glad you could come. I
want your
opinion on a particular subject.
Jake: Go ahead, boss. Whatcha wanna
talk about?
DM: Urn . . . bards.
(The two valiant half-orcs immediately
run into the
nearest corner, cowering and whimpering.)
Alphonse: Ach, sss, it hurts uss. It
hurts usss,
nasssty DM.
DM: Don’t worry, I’m not going to bring
one here
right now. I just wanted to talk about
them.
(Jake and Alphonse apprehensively come
back from
the corner.)
Jake: Boss, bards are just plain mean!
Me and Alphie
will probably be in the runnin’
for guildmaster pretty
soon now, but these bard guys could
lick the tar out of
both of us.
DM: Which ones are worse, the old-type
bards or the
newer- type ones?
Jake: Well, I’ll tell ya, I’d rather
run into a division of
Sherman tanks than one of the old ones,
and the newer
ones are just as bad ‘cept nowadays
there sure are less
of ‘em, ‘cause it takes them so long
to become one.
Alphonse: Ach, sss, nasssty bardsses.
DM: Jake, where did you learn about
Sherman
tanks? . . .
There is one great drawback to the bard
class as described in
the AD&D™ Players Handbook,
that being that you have to go
through 10 to 16 levels as something else
before you may
become a bard. The modified bard class
described in the article
which follows removes this inhibiting factor;
the bard class, as
redefined according to the author’s experience
and opinions, is
one which a beginning character may enter
without having to
gain fighter and thief experience first.
It is also a class which,
unlike the official AD&D bard, does
not possess thieving abilities — but does have limited power in the use
of illusionist
spells.
In planning a revision of the the bard class,
a path could have
been chosen toward one of the two possible
extremes: either to
rework the material in the Players Handbook
without altering
any of the basic structure underlying the
class, or to literally
start from scratch and design an entire
new class, perhaps
having only its name and a few of the most
basic characteristics
in common with the official version. In
the end, the path chosen
lies between the extremes but ends up closer
to the second one
than the first.
I chose the Welsh version of the bard as
my source, for
several reasons. The bardic heritage of
the Welsh people is rich
and continues even to modern times, with
annual gatherings at
bardic festivals. More importantly, the
version is readily available to most people in Evangeline Walton’s version
of the Welsh
Mabinogion tetralogy.
Similarities may be found between this version
and the version in the Players Handbook. (After all, they both describe
essentially the same thing, only from different
perspectives.)
When there was no evident reason to change
a characteristic or
attribute, that item was kept fundamentally
the same. Many
differences will be noted, including but
not limited to those
mentioned above.
It is easy to see how thieving abilities
could be introduced
into a non-Welsh version of a bard, but
not in the bard as viewed
by the Welsh themselves. Welshmen had a
somewhat poor
reputation in the eyes of other British
peoples. The concept of
“welshing” on a bet is derived from the
Welsh people. Also,
there is a British saying that equates
Welshmen with thieves. If
the Welsh bard is assumed to be the prototypical
bard (the Irish
may have a quarrel with this), non-Welsh
writers may have
understandably included this thievery aspect
in their literature.
The “illusionist connection” is demonstrated
well by Evangeline Walton’s works, such as the incredible illusion Manawyddan
created at the court of Caswallon in The Song of Rhiannon.
This description certainly portrays a bard
differently than the
Players Handbook — but no claim
of superiority is made for it.
The differences arise from different perceptions,
probably derived from a difference in sources. I can state that this bard
is
better for my purposes, and I believe that
it has more versatility
and fewer restraints than the official
bard. I hope other players
will find it useful as well.
Bard abilities and characteristics
A bard must have certain minimum ability
scores. These are:
strength
9; intelligence 15; wisdom 12; constitution 6; dexterity
16; and charisma 15. A bard does not gain
10% to earned
experience for exceptional ability scores
in any area.
Race: A bard may be human, elven, or half-elven
and have an
unlimited chance for advancement. A halfling
or dwarf may be a
bard and attain up to 5th level.
Alignment: The alignment of a bard may be
either lawful
good, lawful neutral, (pure) neutral, neutral
good, or (rarely)
chaotic neutral or chaotic good. Bards
tend to be lawful, since
they depend on custom and culture to make
their living. Bards
may expect to be allowed admittance to
the homes of most
nobles and other wealthy patrons to play
for their dinner, and if
they are superb they may also receive other
payment, perhaps a
gold chain or a bag of coins thrown to
the bard by the patron for
his excellence. Bards are not evil, for
this evil intent would
pervade their songs and ruin the beauty
inherent in them. Evil
people are generally portrayed as being
against beauty in any
event.
Arms and armor of
bards
The only armor a bard may wear is leather
armor, and only a
wooden shield is permitted. A shield may
not be actively used
when a bard attempts charming, since a
string instrument must
be played which requires the use of both
hands. The weapons
usable by a bard are: hand or throwing
axe, club, dagger, darts,
hammer, javelin, horseman’s mace, scimitar,
sling, broadsword, longsword, and short sword. A bard may use flaming oil,
but not poison.
Bards use the same “to hit” table as fighters;
however, they
never strike more than once per round as
fighters do when they
attain high levels. Likewise, they do not
gain multiple attacks
against opponents of less than one hit
die.
When a bard character starts his career,
he is proficient with
only one weapon, and suffers a -4 penalty
whenever using any
weapon with which he is not proficient.
A bard may become
proficient with one additional weapon for
every four levels that
have been attained; i.e., a 5th-level bard
can be proficient with
two weapons. Note that in no case may a
bard use a weapon in
each hand, such as a sword in one hand
and a dagger in the
other.
Magical items usable
by bards
A bard may employ magical weapons of the
types normally
usable by a bard (see above). Magical leather
armor and a
magical wooden shield may also be used
by a bard. They may
use potions, scrolls, rings, rods, wands,
and miscellaneous
magic items which are usable by all classes,
Any books. librams, manuals, or tomes that are read by a bard cause the
same effect as if the bard were a druid.
Bards may also use a
Rod of Beguiling and all types of the Horn
of Valhalla. Of
course, they may also use any appropriate
Instruments of the
Bards
The bard may employ some
magic items with better than
usual effect. These are:
Drums
of Panic -- saving throw is made at -1 on the die.
Horns of Blasting --
50% greater damage
Lyre of Building — double
effects.
Pipes of the Sewers—double
number of rats in half the usual
time; also, a bard may substitute the pipes
for a stringed instrument when attempting to charm
children, utilizing it as
such rather than for summoning rats.
Horn of the Tritons
— Calm water in a two-mile radius, double the number of summoned creatures,
double duration of
fleeing by creatures.
Horn of Valhalla — double
amount of summoned fighters.
Saving throws
A bard makes his saving
throws as a cleric of equal level,
except for saving throws vs. paralyzation,
poison, and death
magic, which the bard makes as an equal-level
magic-user.
Spell use and languages
Due to their training under the tutelage
of druids, bards can
cast most druid spells. Some spells are
unusable by bards of
any level, however; these will be enumerated
below. The effectiveness of a druid spell cast by a bard is the same as
that of a
Spells usable by level
| - | Illus. spells | - | - | - | Druid
spells |
- | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bard level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | 1 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | 2 | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| 9 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| 10 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 14 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - |
| 15 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - |
| 16 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - |
| 17 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - |
| 18 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - |
| 19 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - |
| 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| 21 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| 22 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - |
| 23 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
druid one level lower than the bard; i.e.,
a 3rd-level bard would
cast a spell with the same effectiveness
as a 2nd-level druid.
However, effectiveness greater than that
of a 12th-level druid
cannot be attained until the bard becomes
a Master Bard, in
which case spells are cast with 13th-level
effectiveness.
Bards also have some illusionist spell
powers, derived from
their ability to enter strong impressions
upon people’s minds.
Just as with the druid spells, there are
some illusionist spells
that are off limits to bards, and they
are listed below. A bard’s
effectiveness in casting illusionist spells
is 3 three levels less
than they have attained as a bard; a 5th-level
bard casts an
illusionist spell as if he were a 2nd-level
illusionist. A bard
determines which illusionist spells are
known by him, just as an
illusionist does.
Spells not usable by bards
Illusionist spells
| 1st level: | darkness, hypnotism |
| 2nd level: | blindness, hypnotic pattern, misdirection |
| 3rd level: | continual darkness, rope trick |
| 4th level: | minor creation, shadow monsters |
Druid spells
| 2nd level: | barkskin, fire trap |
| 3rd level: | stone shape |
| 4th level: | control temperature 10' radius, produce fire, plant door (May pass through undergrowth or thickets with this spell, but may not enter trees.) |
| 5th level: | insect plague, pass plant, sticks to snakes |
| 6th level: | conjure fire elemental, transport via plants, wall of thorns |
| 7th level: | conjure earth elemental, chariot of Sustarre, creeping doom, finger of death, fire storm |
Since bards are a scholarly sort, often
perusing old works or
learning songs of foreign languages, they
have the ability to
read languages and also have knowledge
about many magical
or legendary people, places and things.
The bard’s “Read Languages” percentage determines
not
only whether or not the bard can comprehend
a particular
work, but how much of what is there may
be understood. For
instance, if a bard has a 25% chance to
read languages and is
successful in the roll to determine whether
the item can be read,
he can still read only 25% of the information
there, so his
knowledge of the work in question will
still be rather sketchy.
Unlike thieves, bards may read languages
that are now extinct.
Bards are different in the way in which
they may learn languages. A bard does not need to be taught by a person
who
knows the language, but must study the
language for an
amount of time equal to 1 month, minus
one day for each point
of intelligence above 12 and minus one
additional day for each
language already known. However, this does
not allow a bard to
learn more languages than his intelligence
would indicate. A
bard may also, if he wishes, learn languages
in the same way
other classes do.
The bard’s ability to determine the nature
of magical or legendary people, places, or things is expressed as the bard’s
“Lore Percentage.” Usually this knowledge
will be dispensed to
others as a riddle, poem, song, or in some
other cryptic form.
This ability is not a substitute for a
detect
magic spell. A typical
+1 sword is generally not able to be identified
as such by a bard,
but the sword of a legendary hero could
be identified, and the
alignment (at least) of an intelligent
sword could be discovered.
Any magic item bearing magical inscriptions
can be detected
as magical and its properties determined
by use of the bard’s
Lore Percentage. Any item to be identified
must be closely
scrutinized, and if it is possibly usable
by the bard it must be
actually handled by him. Artifacts and
relics can be identified as
such by the bard, but their powers won’t
be known, or will only
be hinted at. Bards may also have knowledge
about a legendary
place, if the name is known or if the site
has been visited.
Note that the dice should not always be
allowed to dictate the
course of events on a Lore Percentage roll.
If there is some
knowledge that the DM does not want characters
to find out, he
may disregard the result of a Lore Percentage
roll and state that
the bard knows nothing about the item or
subject at hand. This
should only be done for the sake of the
adventure or the campaign as a whole, and the tactic should not be used
so often that
the bard’s ability becomes worthless.
Charms and suggestions
Another ability of bards is that of charming
creatures of at
least animal-level intelligence by use
of their singing and playing. Creatures that are immune to charms are not
affected, nor
are deafened creatures. All non-associated
creatures within 4”
of the bard are subject to the bard’s charm.
Previously associated creatures who are now hostile to the bard may be
affected.
To check the success of a charm attempt,
percentile dice are
rolled. If the number rolled exceeds the
bard’s “Charm Percentage,” none of the creatures within range are particularly
impressed with the bard’s song and must merely delay their actions for
1 segment. If the number rolled is equal to or less than
the bard’s Charm Percentage, all non-associated
creatures
must make a saving throw vs. spells. If
the creature makes its
saving throw, it will listen to the bard
for one melee round,
doing nothing else, as long as the bard
continues to play.
A bard can, if he wishes, while a creature
is in this charmed
state, try to implant a suggestion (as
the spell), in which case
the charmed creature must again save vs.
spells—this time at
-2 on the die — and if it fails, it will
suffer the full effects of the
suggestion. If the second saving throw
succeeds, the creature
is totally free of the bard’s charm. To
plant a suggestion, the
bard must be able to speak in a language
that can be comprehended by the intended victim. It is not necessary to
speak the
creature’s language to simply charm, however.
A bard may attempt to charm as often as
he wishes, but any
individual creature or character may be
affected only once per
day. Loud noise which would drown out the
bard’s singing, or a
physical attack upon the bard, will immediately
negate charms,
but not suggestions, which may be in effect.
Charming by a bard is exclusive of all other
activities other
than walking. If the bard begins to walk
while charming, the
charmed creatures will attempt to follow
until or unless they are
forced to be farther than 4” away, at which
time the charm will
be broken. A bard must use both hands to
play his instrument
while charming.
Other effects of a bard’s songs
A bard’s singing and/or playing also has
other effects. By
merely singing a poem or song, a bard increases
the morale of
associated creatures by 10%; gives =1 to
those creatures on
saving throws vs. fear, submission, or
other attacks which act
to dishearten the individual; and inspires
ferocity in attack, so
that “to hit” rolls are made at +1. Both
of these characteristics
require 1 round of poetics to produce the
desired effect; during
the second round after the bard begins
to sing or play, the
ferocity and/or morale bonuses will be
in effect. These effects
last for one full turn, as long as the
bard continues to sing
throughout this time. The bard can melee
while he sings and
still produce these effects, but cannot
charm or cast spells and
invoke the ferocity/morale bonuses at the
same time.
A bard’s singing and playing negates the
song effects of
harpies and prevents similar attacks which
rely upon song. A
bard’s song gives +1 to the saving rolls
of associated creatures
and the bard himself against attacks which
are based on sound,
such as the keen of a groaning spirit,
or the roar of an androsphinx or a dragonne. The bard’s playing also stills
the noise of
shriekers.
When two opposing bards are in a conflict
of songs, the
charm percentage of the lower-level bard
is subtracted from the
charm percentage of the higher-level bard,
thus giving a new
charm percentage for the more adept bard
in this instance.
When two bards of equal level oppose each
other, their songs
have no charming effect since they cancel
each other out,
though the duet may sound exquisite!
A bard is useful to his party when traveling
in the wilderness
because a bard’s songs are soothing for
a road-weary traveller,
thus allowing an additional 20% of normal
movement per day if
on foot; if all party members are mounted,
a gain of an additional 10% per day is obtained.
When a bard gains the title of Bard (11th
level), he also gains
the power to change
form, as a druid is able to do.
An instrument is needed for all bard abilities
associated with
song, except for inspiring ferocity or
raising morale. In no way
is any loyalty or reaction adjustment for
high charisma any
benefit to a bard’s functions.
A Bard cannot employ henchmen nor hirelings
until he gains
the title of Bard (11th level), and then
he may employ only
druids or fighters of the human, half-elven,
elven, or halfling
races.
A bard will work with no other bards while
adventuring, although they may practice their music or poetry with each
other.
Like monks and rangers, bards will retain
very little of the
money they gain. They will attempt to buy
serviceable clothes
for traveling, and will buy fine clothes
and the most exquisite
instrument they can acquire for use when
they perform, but will
keep only enough money to maintain themselves
in a modest
manner. Any other money will be donated
to a worthy cause or
give away at whim — although not to player
characters! Occasionally, when a bard amasses an amount of wealth that
is a
burden to his creativity, he might use
it to have an extravagant
festival or party instead of giving it
away.
One interesting sidelight of the bard class
is that if a player
with a bard character has the ability or
inclination to write or
recite short poems or songs for particular
situations, he should
be encouraged to do so. For example, if
a bard was to charm a
creature and then plant a suggestion of
sleep on the creature, a
lullaby could be appropriately sung by
the player. It could add
additional flavor and enjoyment to the
game.
DM: Well guys, how
do you like it now?
Alphonse: Taaasssty,
taaasssty!
zb
1 I Lady Elorelei (bard 4; 92.234)
