Bard
A bard is an artist or performer who channels their performance medium-- be it story, song, dance, theater, or any other art form-- into tangible forms of magic.
Bards are practitioners of learned magic, though the average Wizard or Artificer might disagree with this classification. A bard who does not study their craft in a conservatory, apprenticeship, or similar program is sometimes called a prodigal bard.
Career
Qualifications
Bards typically begin life as mundane entertainers such as actors, singers, or troubadours. Any act of artistic performance can serve as a conduit for bardic magic—song, dance, oration, poetry, even niche fields like clowning and mimework. To begin to channel magic through their art, a would-be bard must develop an intimate connection between their art and their own soul.
"There can be months... years where you're a musician, you know? Where you're a guy with a lute in his hands who's pretty good at playing it. And then one day it's like something in your soul tunes itself to the strings and sings along. There's no you anymore outside the music... and yet at the same time, you're so keenly aware that the music needs you if it wants to be heard. It sounds crazy until you've felt it. After that, it's the only thing that makes sense." —Figaro
Career Progression
Many bards are content to use their magic solely to enhance their chosen career. Magical effects like voice amplication, visual illusions, and sympathetic enchantment can all be powerful tools for a performer. Some bards expand beyond the scope of their artistic field and seek careers as adventurers, where they often prove to be powerful allies in both combat magic and diplomatic negotiation.
Type
Arcane
Famous in the Field
Other Associated professions
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