Bards

The Pen & Dagger RPG    Players & Heroes Book    Classes      Bards

---

Widely trained artist, bards employ stories, songs, and performance to influence the world.

---

Bard Heroes

Prerequisite: 12 Charisma, 12 Intelligence
Starting Hit Points: 6 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Die: d6
Proficiencies: You are Trained in Dodge, Initiative, Simple Weapons, Buckler Shields, and Light Armor.
Skills: You possess the Perform skill and can select four other Skills.

Bard Features

Bardic Knowledge

You have Reliability with knowledge Skill attempts other than Perception and know incredible detail when achieving a critical success

Bardic Music

You can spend a hero's surge as part of your turn to produce musical inspiration or woe through a performance you possess the Perform skill in. Bardic music places a non-magical musical Enchantment (Compulsion) on creatures that can hear you within 30'. It requires concentration and lasts up to 1 minute per level. Its effect varies by the song employed. You know a number of Bardic Music songs equal to your Intelligence modifier.

At each odd level after 1st, you learn an additional song.
Boon Options:

• Learn two additional bardic songs.
• Double the area of effect of your bardic music.

Bravado

You double your Reknown

Combat Composer

When you use the Ready action to strike with an ally's next attack or defense attempt, your attack and your ally’s attempt share the higher Success Level, provided that your ally or the target of their attack is visible and within 30’.

The Bard

---

Level	Benefit	Hero’s Surges	Title
1	Bard Features, Bardic Knowledge, Bardic Music, Bravado, Combat Composer	4	Dabbler
2	Coordinated Beat, Muse's Calling	5	Jongleur
3	Bardic Music, Countersong	5
4	Boon, Muse's Calling Benefit	6	Troubadour
5	Bardic Music, Valor	6
6	Muse's Calling Benefit	7	Minstrel
7	Bardic Music, Boon	7
8	Muse's Calling Benefit	8	Virtuoso
9	Bardic Music, Boon	8
10	Heroism	9

LEVEL 2 Bard

Coordinated Beat

You can use a Hampering Effect to allow an ally that can hear you within 60' to shift 5'

Muse's Calling

At level two, your bardic practice develops your musical prowess beyond that of mere mortals. Choose your Muse's Calling to gift to the world.

Siren

Sirens

---

Music awakens innate power within your blood, perhaps through a curse, prophecy, or fey ancestor. Through this power, you enchant the world around you, turning it to your will.

---

Discordant Notes

While employing Bardic Music, you can release painful strains of song to punish those who attack your friends. Once per turn when an ally is attacked by a creature within the area of effect of your Bardic Music feature, the triggering creature must resist your Perform check with Charisma or take 1d6 psychic damage.

Boon Option: Increase this damage by 1d6.

Fey Music

You learn a dialect of the Divine language and become Trained in Divine Magic and its Divine Defense feature and learn the Virtue, Resistance, Cure Minor Wounds, and True Strike orisons. Once per turn while your Bardic Music feature is active, you can cast these orisons on targets within its area of effect, regardless of their standard range.

Fey Melodies

You can use a musical instrument you possess the Perform skill in as an implement with Divine Magic and fulfill a spell's verbal, somatic, and zero-cost material components by playing it.

LEVEL 4 Siren

Spellcasting

Select a Domain. You learn its orisons and a number of rituals from it equal to your Intelligence modifier. Each level after four, you learn an additional ritual. The maximum spell level of a ritual you may select with this feature is equal to your number of odd levels.

Boon Options:

• Gain access to an additional domain and learn the orisons a ritual from it.
• Learn a spell from a domain you have access to of a maximum spell level equal to your number of odd levels. You can cast this spell through a performance you possess the Perform skill in by spending a hero's surge.

LEVEL 6 Siren

Collateral Notes

At the start of each of their turns, the hero of your Bardic Music regains 1 hit point and the villain suffers 1 psychic damage. This effect can occur up to a number of times equal to your level.

Boon Option: Increase the damage and healing of this feature by 1.

Music Over Magic

You can utilize Countersong against any magical effect, not just auditory ones.

Siren Song

While employing your Bardic Music feature, creatures attempting to attack you must resist your Charisma with their Wisdom. Until a creature does so, it cannot target you with an attack. This Divine Enchantment (Compulsion) effect ends if you make an attack.

LEVEL 8 Siren

Intertwined Refrain

By utilizing two different musical instruments you possess the Perform skill and can employ simultaneously (such as a lute and singing or dance and drums), you can maintain two Bardic Music effects at the same time. While doing so, you can use your Discordant Notes feature twice per round.

Song Mage

Song Mages

---

Incredibly skilled in instruments, you leverage music to unleash powerful magic.

---

Arcane Register

You learn the Arcane language and become Trained in Arcane Magic and its Arcane Defense and Detect Magic features.

Magical Music

You can use musical instruments you possess the Perform skill in as implements for spellcasting, and by playing such instruments, fulfill a spell's verbal, somatic, and zero-cost material components.

Strike the Chord

While employing your Bardic Music feature, you can spend a hero's surge to interrupt an action to cast a cantrip.

Spellcasting

Select an Arcane school, such as Enchantment or Illusion. You learn one ritual and the cantrips from this school. At each level after second, you learn an additional ritual from your known schools. The maximum spell level of a ritual you may select with this feature is equal to your number of odd levels.

Boon Options:

• Learn an additional two rituals from schools you have access to.
• Gain access to an additional Arcane school and learn the cantrips and one 1st level ritual from it.

LEVEL 4 Song Mage

Play it Loud

You add your Charisma modifier to damage and hit points affected with spells cast through musical instruments

LEVEL 6 Song Mage

Musical Magic

You learn a spell from a school you have access to and can cast it through a musical instrument by spending a hero's surge. At each level after 6th, you learn an additional spell. The maximum spell level of a spell you may select with this feature is equal to your number of odd levels.

LEVEL 8 Song Mage

Spark the Chorus

You gain the ability to use your Strike the Chord feature to cast a spell you know.

Story Singer

Story Singers

---

You seek songs and stories through the heroism of your companions, tuning their deeds with your music, words, and might.

---

Expanded Audience

Increase the range of your Combat Composer feature to 60'.

Boon Option: Remove the range limitation of your Combat Composer feature.

Expert Dabbler

Select from one of the following options:

Arcane Dabbling: You learn the Arcane language, become Trained in Arcane Magic, and learn a non-damaging cantrip or an arcane ritual of a level up to the number of times you have selected this option plus one.
Boon Option: Learn a non-damaging arcane spell of a level up to the number of times you have selected Arcane Dabbling plus one. You can cast this spell once per day.
Diversiform Dabbling: Gain two Skills, Proficiencies, Languages, or a combination thereof.
Divine Dabbling: You learn a dialect of the Divine language, become Trained in Divine Magic, and learn a non-damaging orison or divine ritual of a level up to the number of times you have selected this option plus one.
Boon Option: Learn a non-damaging divine spell of a level up to the number of times you have selected Arcane Dabbling plus one. You can cast this spell once per day.
At each odd level after 2, select a new Expert Dabbler option, or select one of these options again.

Quick Wit

You can use the Ready action as an attack action

LEVEL 4 Story Singer

Narrator

You gain advantage on Initiative

LEVEL 6 Story Singer

Jack of All Trades

You can make an Intelligence check in place of another ability check on attempts with skills you don't possess.

See the Story

You spend a hero's surge to act before your turn at any initiative success level.

LEVEL 8 Story Singer

Dilettante's Boons

You gain any two Skills, Proficiencies, Languages, or a combination thereof, regardless of the prerequisites

Plot Armor

When you score a critical success in combat, you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your level

LEVEL 3 Bard

Countersong

As an action, you can make a Perform attempt against an auditory effect you are aware of within 30'. On a normal success against an effect created by a creature of no more hit dice than your bard level, you suppress the effect while maintaining concentration and spending an action every turn. In addition, if the effect is not permanent you can spend a hero's surge to dispel it.

On a major success, consider your level for this attempt to be one higher. On a critical success, consider your level for this attempt to be two higher. On a result of 20, you can affect any effect and spend a hero's surge to dispel a permanent effect.