Bard
The bard is an optional character class that can be used if your DM allows. He makes his way in life by his charm, talent, and wit. A good bard should be glib of tongue, light of heart, and fleet of foot (when all else fails).
In precise historical terms, the title "bard" applies only to certain groups of Celtic poets who sang the history of their tribes in long, recitative poems. These bards, found mainly in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, filled many important roles in their society. They were storehouses of tribal history, reporters of news, messengers, and even ambassadors to other tribes. However, in the AD&D game, the bard is a more generalized character. Historical and legendary examples of the type include Alan-a-Dale, Will Scarlet, Amergin, and even Homer. Indeed, every culture has its storyteller or poet, whether he is called bard, skald, fili, jongleur, or something else.
Qualifications
Generating ability scores high enough to qualify for the bard class is difficult. In fact, it is unlikely unless your DM allows one of the alternative dice-rolling methods described in the Ability Scores section. Use the recommended method of generating ability scores.
To be a bard or not to be a bard, these are the qualifications:
Ability Requirements:
Prime Requisites*: Dexterity, Charisma
Races Allowed: All Races Allowed
Alignments Allowed: Any Neutral (LN, NG, N, NE, CN)
*Bards with a 16 or better in both Dexterity and Charisma gain a 10% bonus to their awarded experience points.
As noted in Chapter 3 of the Player's Handbook under the discussion of multi-class benefits and restrictions, no multi-classed bards combination are listed. This changes with the Complete Bard's Handbook. Note that multi-class options are not open to human characters.
All of the standard demihuman races and their allowable bard multiclasses are listed here. For added flavor, multi-class combinations have been defined for specific kits. If the kits are not used in your campaign, only those combinations that include the True Bard can be used.
Humans can Dual-Class as bards. Only humans can be dual-classed. Dual-classed humans can use any kit that the Dungeon Master allows in his campaign. In order to switch from the bard to another character class, the character must have a 15 or better in both Dexterity and Charisma and a 17 or better in the prime requisite of the new class. If the character is of another class and wishes to pick up the bard class, he must have a 15 or better in the prime requisite of his other class and a 17 or better in both Dexterity and Charisma.
All rogues (including bards) use the Rogue Experience Levels Table to determine level and hit dice based upon experience points. As noted in the table, a six-sided die is used to determine hit point increases for bards of level 1 through 10 (plus any Constitution adjustments).
After 10th level, bards gain 2 hit points per level advanced. A hit die is no longer rolled and Constitution adjustments no longer apply.
Proficiency and saving throw numbers are listed in the Bard Level Improvements table to complete the information for level advancement. If a bard uses a weapon with which he isn't proficient, a -3 attack roll penalty is incurred.
A bard, by his nature. tends to learn many different skills. He is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.
Although bards fight as rogues and calculate their THAC0s accordingly, they are allowed to use any weapon. Cost, weight, damage, and other relevant statistics for all weapons are found in the Weapons section.
Bard Level Improvements
*Does not include bonus proficiency slots for high intelligence
PPDM: Paralyzation, Poison, or Death Magic
RSW: Rod, Staff, or Wand
PP: Petrification or Polymorph
BW: Breath Weapon
S: Spell
| Level | Weapon Proficiencies* | Nonweapon Proficiencies* | PPDM | RSW | PP | BW | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
| 4 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
| 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 13 |
| 6 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 13 |
| 7 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 13 |
| 8 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 13 |
| 9 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 11 |
| 10 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 11 |
| 11 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 11 |
| 12 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 11 |
| 13 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 9 |
| 14 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 9 |
| 15 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 9 |
| 16 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 9 |
| 17 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 |
| 18 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 |
| 19 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 |
| 20 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 |
| 21 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 5 |
Bard Allowed Armor
| Armor | AC | Cost (gp) | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leather Armor | 8 | 5 | 15 |
| Padded Armor | 8 | 4 | 10 |
| Studded Leather | 7 | 20 | 25 |
| Ring Mail | 7 | 100 | 30 |
| Hide Armor | 6 | 15 | 30 |
| Brigandine Armor | 6 | 120 | 35 |
| Scale Mail | 6 | 120 | 40 |
| Chain Mail | 5 | 75 | 40 |
Bards can wear any armor providing Armor Class 5 (chain mail) or worse. Other forms of armor are simply too constraining, heavy, and awkward for true entertainers to wear. Likewise, bards cannot employ shields, as these get in the way of activities such as playing instruments or performing sleight-of-hand tricks. Carrying a lute around in the dungeon is hard enough without worrying about a large metal shield banging around and getting in the way.
A bard can still put on any form of armor normally disallowed to the class (as suggested by certain kits, for purposes of disguise, out of necessity, or for the sake of entertainment), the penalties are identical to those for a thief in similar armor.
All bards are proficient singers, chanters, or vocalists and can play a musical instrument of the player's choice (preferably one that is portable). Additional instruments can be learned; the bard can learn two instruments for every proficiency slot spent.
In his travels. a bard also manages to learn a few wizard spells. Like a wizard, a bard's Intelligence determines the number of spells he can know and the chance to know any given spell. These he keeps in his spell book, abiding by all the restrictions on memorization and spell use that bind a mage, especially in the prohibition of armor. Hence, a bard will tend to use his spells more to entertain and impress than to fight.
See Bards and Magic for more information.
Combat and spells, however, are not the main strength of the bard. His expertise is in dealing and communicating with others. To this end, the bard has a number of special powers. The base percentage for each power is listed on Table 33. This base percentage must be adjusted for the race and Dexterity of the bard as given in the Thief description. After all adjustments are made, the player must distribute (however he chooses) 20 additional percentage points to the various special abilities. Thereafter, each time the character advances a level. he receives an additional 15 points to distribute. See the table at the end of the Bard Thief Abilities section to see the average bard abilities per level.
Bard Abilities Base Skills
| Pick Pockets | Detect Noise | Climb Walls | Read Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 20% | 50% | 5% |
Bard Abilities
Bard abilities are subject to modifiers for situation and armor as per the thief.
Climb Walls enables the bard to climb near sheer surfaces without the aid of tools, just like the thief.
Detect Noise improves the bard's chances of hearing and interpreting sounds. He may be able to overhear parts of a conversation on the other side of a door or pick up the sound of something stalking the party. To use the ability, the bard must stand un-helmeted and concentrate for one round (one minute). During this time, all other party members must remain silent. The DM secretly makes the check and informs the player of the result.
Pick Pockets enables the bard not only to filch small purses, wallets, keys, and the like, but also to perform small feats of sleight-of-hand (useful for entertaining a crowd). Complete details on pickpocketing (and your character's chances of getting caught) can be found in the Thief description.
Read Languages is an important ability, since words are the meat and drink of bards. They have some ability to read documents written in languages they do not know, relying on words and phrases they have picked up in their studies and travels. The Read Languages column in the Bard Abilities Base Skills table gives the base percentage chance to puzzle out a foreign tongue. It also represents the degree of comprehension the bard has if he is successful. The DM can rule that a language is too rare or unfamiliar, especially if it has never been previously encountered by the bard, effectively foiling his attempts to translate it. At the other extreme. the bard need not make the dice roll for any language he is proficient in. Success is assumed to be automatic in such cases.
See Bard Thief Abilities for racial, kit, and armor adjustments to these skills.
The bard can also influence reactions of groups of NPCs. When performing before a group that is not attacking (and not intending to attack in just seconds), the bard can try to alter the mood of the listeners. He can try to soften their mood or make it uglier.
The method can be whatever is most suitable to the situation at the moment—a fiery speech, collection of jokes, a sad tale, a fine tune played on a fiddle, a haunting lute melody or a heroic song from the old homeland. Everyone in the group listening must roll a saving throw vs. paralyzation (if the crowd is large, make saving throws for groups of people using average hit dice). The die roll is modified by -1 for every three experience levels of the bard (round fractions down). If the saving throw fails, the group's reaction can be shifted one level toward either the friendly or hostile end of the scale, at the player's option. Those who make a successful saving throw have their reaction shifted one level toward the opposite end of the scale.
This ability cannot affect people in the midst of battle; it is effective only when the audience has time to listen.
The music, poetry, and stories of the bard can also be inspirational, rallying friends and allies. The bard can heroically inspire his companions (immortalizing them in word and song), granting a +1 bonus to attack rolls. or a +1 bonus to saving throws, or a +2 bonus to morale (particularly useful in large battles) to those involved in melee. The bard must spend at least three full rounds singing or reciting before the battle begins. This affects those within a range of 10 feet per experience level of the bard.
The effect lasts one round per level. Once the effect wears off, it can't be renewed if the recipients are still in battle. However, troops who have withdrawn from combat can be reinspired by the bard's words.
Bards are also able to counter the effects of songs and poetry used as magical attacks. Characters within 30 feet of the bard are immune to the attack as long as the bard sings a counter song (or recites a poem. etc.). While doing this, the bard can perform no other action except a slow walk. Furthermore. if he is struck or fails a saving throw, his effort is ruined. Success is checked by having the bard make a saving throw vs. spell. Success blocks the attack, failure means the attack has its normal effect (everyone affected rolls saving throws, normal damage is inflicted. etc.). The bard can use this ability once per encounter or battle. This power does not affect verbal spell components or command words; it is effective against spells that involve explanations, commands, or suggestions.
Finally, bards learn a little bit of everything in their studies and travels. Thus all bards can read and write their native tongue (if a written language exists) and all know local history (without cost). Furthermore, bards have a 5 percent chance per experience level to identify the general purpose and function of any magical item. The bard need not handle the item but must examine it closely. Even if successful, the exact function of the item is not revealed, only its general nature.
Being something of a warrior, a bard can build a stronghold and attract followers upon reaching 9th level. The bard attracts 10d6 0-level soldiers into his service. They arrive over a period of time, but they are not automatically replaced if lost in battle. Of course, a bard can build a stronghold any time, but no followers arrive until he reaches 9th level.
Upon reaching 10th level, a bard can attempt to use magical devices of written nature- scrolls, books, etc. However, his understanding of magic is imperfect (although better than that of a thief, so there isa 15% chance that any written item he uses is read incorrectly. When this happens, the magical power works the opposite of what is intended, generally to the detriment of the bard or his friends.
The above information defines the standard bard character class. This core is common to all bards no matter what setting, history, personality, or bard kit used. As such, it does not include the special kit abilities or personality aspects that make a character stand out. This type of information is found in the character kits section described later.
The experienced player will note that many of the bard's special abilities listed in the Player's Handbook are missing in the above treatment. That is because the standard bard, as detailed in the Player's Handbook, is considered a complete kit unto itself. It is called the True Bard kit. This kit combines the core information above with the kit approach of this book to define the bard as it appears in the Player's Handbook.
[Complete Bard's Handbook]
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