Class: Bard

(Right up front, people who like the trope of the randy bard who seduces everyone and sings inspirational song magic are not going to like my version of this class. I have always found a bard who is going to sing an inspirational song to help the thief pick a lock cringe and stupid. There’s room for a storyteller, entertainer and traveling lore-smith, but song magic doesn’t work for me. This bard is loosely based on the class that was in the Original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player Handbook, focuses on the skills, and jack of all trades approach and has a more grounded take on their musical talents. I took inspiration from the Mounteback class from Darkest Dungeons as well.)

Bards are human characters that are traveling musicians. They tell the stories of myths and legends, share news, and entertain for a few coins. Remote villages welcome bards with a party and larger towns make room in their taverns and Inns for them to be transported by their music and stories. They are lore keepers as well as rumor mongers. They keep the known world connected with information between the distant nations they travel between. Or at least this is their cover.

Bards are trained in their skills at Druidic colleges. It is true that they do all the things described above, but the reason they do this is that they are agents of the Druidic Orders. Druids are so tied to nature, they cannot maintain an established presence in civilization or they loose their powers. To keep from being victimized by this necessary isolation, the Druids established the bardic colleges, so men and women will be able to gather information, report, and influence any threats to the world around them. Bards have fighter, thief and druidic skills. Their druidic magic is not effected by contact with civilization, but they do need to maintain a routine of ritual cleansing to maintain their magic. This daily cleansing is functionally identical to clerics praying for their spells every morning, but involves quite a bit of singing and dancing.

Prime Requisite: Wisdom
Experience Bonus: +10% if Wis > 16
Hit Dice: d6
Maximum Level: 36

Equipment Restrictions
Bards can use any one or two-handed weapon, and may use leather armor. They cannot use shields. Bards can use any missile weapon except mechanically-based ones like crossbows and arquebuses. Bards travel light and usually are carrying a musical instrument. They are not limited in the use of steel like Druids are, although they still tend to prefer natural weapons, like staves and carved clubs.

Weapon Proficiencies
Bards start with two weapon slots but increase the number of available slots at the same rate as fighters.

Spells
Bards can cast spells from the Druid spell list provided they had a good night’s sleep and have performed their cleansing ritual. The spells are memorized like a cleric and can be reversed. The spells are cast at a level half of the Bard’s level. For example, a 10th level Bard casts as a 5th level Druid. The minimum level for spell effects is 1.

Item Use
Bards are able to use magic items as a Fighter, Thief or Druid.

Bards gain 1d6 plus Con bonus to hit point every level up to 9th and +1 each level there after. They advance in THAC0 as a fighter.

Saving Throws
Bard follow the saving throw track as Clerics

Special Abilities
Bards gain a free mastery in a musical instrument. This instrument becomes their favored one, and even though a bard may play any musical instrument with proficiency, they may only use their special abilities with their chosen instrument. This instrument must be chosen at character creation.
Once per day a Bard can play uplifting and inspirational music to cast the Bless spell on all who are able to hear it. The song will take a turn to have it’s effect and the Bless spell effect will last 6 turns. This effect can be reversed if the Bard chooses.
At 9th level, due to his vast knowledge of the Druidic arts and local myths and legends, the Bard gains the ability to conjure knowledge as if using the Lore spell, this ability can be used once per week.

Higher Levels
Bards do not maintain strongholds, when a Bard hits 9th level, he may become a teacher at one of the bard colleges, we will attract 2d4 1st level bards as students. The Bard must spend half the year teaching at the Bardic College, but gains the favor of the Druidic Order and will be able to command powerful favors. A high level Bard that does not choose to teach, becomes a Wandering Minstrel. He continues as an agent of the Druidic Orders, and gains a single Bard student as his apprentice.

LevelXPHDT
H
A
C
0		W
e
a
p
o
n
s		1234567CWMSHSPP
101d6194187201020
24,0002d6194188251525
38,0003d6195289302030
416,0004d6175290352435
532,0005d61752191402840
664,0006d61762192443245
7120,0007d61562293483550
8250,0008d61562294523855
9400,0009d615722195554160
10600,0009d6+113722196584465
11850,0009d6+213832297614770
121,100,0009d6+313832298645075
131,350,0009d6+4118322199665380
141,600,0009d6+51183221100685685
151,850,0009d6+61193322101705890
162,100,0009d6+7993322102726095
172,350,0009d6+899332211037462100
182,600,0009d6+999332211047664105
192,850,0009d6+10710433221057866110
203,100,0009d6+11710433221068068115
213,300,0009d6+12710444321078270120
223,500,0009d6+13510444321088472125
233,700,0009d6+145114443211098674130
243,900,0009d6+155114443211108876135
254,100,0009d6+163115443221118978140
264,300,0009d6+173115443221129080145
274,500,0009d6+183125444321139182150
284,700,0009d6+192125444321149284155
294,900,0009d6+2021254443211159386160
305,100,0009d6+2121354443211169488165
315,300,0009d6+2221355543221179590170
325,500,0009d6+2321355543221189692175
335,700,0009d6+2421465544321189794180
345,900,0009d6+2511465544321199896185
356,100,0009d6+2611465544331199998190
366,300,0009d6+271156554433120100100195