Bards are entertainers who can imbue their performances with magic. Many bards have an artistic, social, or scholarly focus to their abilities. Minstrels, storytellers, swashbucklers, actors, adventurers, field medics, translators, lore masters, scholars, and diplomats can all be made using this class.
This is a digital artwork of a yellow and green budgerigar sitting on a branch with a tiger head that is the same color as its yellow feathers.
Magical Performance
You use artistic performance to connect with magical energies. This means that when you want to cast magic, you can use either of your two main types of performance from the Performance skill to cast a spell. Only brief performances are needed to cast a single spell. If you wish, longer performances can be used to cast multiple spells.
One important aspect of magical performance is that your skill at casting magic is not a reflection of your artistic skill. Each type of magic is a separate ability that needs to be studied (you will be choosing which ones you know from the “Bardic Training” section below). This means that the dice rolls for casting magic are based on the text of each magic ability and not on the Performance skill. For this purpose, magic is any ability with the word “Magic” in its name.
Because magical performance is the act of using performance to channel magical energy, that magic infuses the performance in some obvious way. You get to decide what this is like. One important consequence of this is that, unlike other forms of magic, magical performance can’t be used subtly or hidden with a skill.
Magic cast using a magical performance can affect anyone, regardless of whether or not they can perceive the performance. In addition, like other forms of magic, most ongoing spells last for one scene. Partial successes may shorten this duration and outstanding successes may increase it.
Bardic Training
For standard characters, choose four abilities off the following list. This list is divided into sections to make it easier to navigate.
Helping and Hindering Magic
Healing and Restoration Magic: You can create magical healing effects that alleviate harm and improve ongoing conditions. Examples of things that you can do are mending wounds, curing poisons, removing curses, dispelling harmful mind- and emotion-altering magic, decreasing pain, reducing the intensity of symptoms, healing those diseases that can be healed by magic, and bringing people to optimal medication levels. Healing and Restoration Magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Harm and Affliction Magic: You can create magical harm effects that interfere with the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of others. Harm and Affliction Magic can be used to cause direct harm with wounds or poisons. When using poisons, it is helpful to decide what the poison’s intending symptoms are. Harm and Affliction Magic can also be used to give others magical conditions, such as becoming sleepy, fatigued, overwhelmed, hungry, nauseated, itchy, beset by hiccups, uncomfortable, in pain, irritable, dizzy, disoriented, or unable to balance. Harm and Affliction Magic can also be used to detect and protect from the Harm and Affliction Magic of others. This magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Enhancement Magic: You can create magical effects that temporarily enhance yourself and others. Each time that you use Enhancement Magic, pick a specific thing that you are enhancing. For example, you can enhance traits like size, speed, strength, dexterity, toughness, comprehension, memory, and charisma. Specific skills, abilities, and types of defensive training can also be enhanced. Except in cases where an enhancement allows a character to do something that would not otherwise be possible, Enhancement Magic is considered preparation. Enhancement Magic can also be used to detect and remove others’ enhancements. This magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Diminishment Magic: You can create magical effects that temporarily diminish the skills, abilities, and traits of living things. When using Diminishment Magic, pick a specific thing to diminish. For example, you can decrease traits like size, speed, strength, dexterity, toughness, comprehension, memory, and charisma. Specific skills, abilities, and types of defensive training can also be diminished. Characters affected by Diminishment Magic will be unable to do certain things and will experience more severe consequences of partial successes and failures when using affected skills and abilities. Alternatively, there are optional rules for dice penalties in the “Dice Penalties and Bonuses” part of the “Optional Rules” section. If used, dice penalties would replace the “more severe consequences of partial successes and failures.” Diminishment Magic can also be used to detect and remove others’ diminishments. This magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Social Magic
Attention Magic: You can create magical effects that influence focus and attention. Attention Magic can be used to directly help or interfere with someone’s ability to focus. It can also direct attention toward something. For example, it can create a momentary distraction by suddenly drawing everyone’s focus to a specific person or object, make an ongoing distraction more compelling, shape a conversation by making a specific topic more interesting, cause a performance to entrance its audience, and make an object seem so fascinating that people can’t look away. In addition, Attention Magic can be used to prevent people from noticing something, such as a person or object. It can also detect and undo others’ Attention Magic. This magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Communication Magic: You can create magical effects involving communication. Communication Magic allows you to talk to animals, plants, ghosts, and the spirits of objects (keep in mind that most objects have limited awareness). Examples of other effects that you can do are voice amplification, telepathy, magical translation, and lie detection. You can also do things like send messages, visit someone’s dreams, and prevent communication from being understood. In addition, this magic can also be used to detect, block, or listen in on other’s communications. Communication Magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Emotion Magic: You can use magic to affect emotions. One way this is used is to induce specific emotions. For example, you could calm frightened animals, make someone fall in love, provoke anger, foster confusion, intimidate a dangerous person, increase compassion, enhance the emotional impact of an artistic performance, or cause a stranger to feel a strong feeling of friendship toward you. Emotion magic can also be used to do things like detect others’ emotions, assist emotional healing, communicate emotions, intensify emotions, decrease the intensity of emotions, encourage someone to be honest about their feelings, and make it hard for someone to share what they are feeling. This magic can also be used to sense and defend against the Emotion Magic of others.
The targets of this magic still have free will and choose how they react to their emotions. In addition, nonconsensual manipulation of the emotions of sapient beings is illegal. However there may be exceptions for self-defense; these vary based on the setting. Emotion Magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Mind Magic: You can use magic to affect the minds of others. Examples of things that you can do are communicating mind to mind (telepathy), transferring a large amount of information directly into someone’s brain, reading a person’s thoughts, retrieving a buried memory, temporarily altering a person’s memory, putting a suggestion into someone’s mind, improving someone’s ability to do a mind-based skill by helping them focus, protecting others from mental manipulation, sensing when someone else is using Mind Magic, and reversing the effects of harmful Mind Magic.
Magical effects that limit free will are possible, but they are especially difficult to do. As a result, they are short-lived, often only lasting a single round. Examples of these effects are magically preventing someone from taking an action, giving someone a compulsion to do a specific task, and freezing someone in place.
Nonconsensual manipulation of the minds of sapient beings is illegal. However there may be exceptions for self-defense; these vary based on the setting. Mind Magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Utility Magic
Transportation Magic: You can create magical effects involving transportation. Examples of things that you can do are speeding travel, way finding, summoning mounts, conjuring temporary magical vehicles, levitating objects, making someone fly, teleporting, preventing harm from hazardous terrain, and enhancing someone’s ability to swim, climb, fly, or ride. This magic can also be used to detect, track, or hinder the transportation of others. Transportation Magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Illusion Magic: You can use magic to create illusions that trick people’s senses. Illusions can affect vision, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and other senses, like echolocation. The more senses you want to affect, the more difficult the magic is. It is also more difficult to affect any sense that you do not have. The harder the magic is, the larger the consequences of failed rolls will be.
Illusions can make people perceive things that aren’t there, disguise something as something else, or prevent people from perceiving things that are there. For example, you could create the sound of a dangerous monster in the distance, hide a door behind an illusory wall, animate an illusory scene, make something old appear new, disguise a trap as an everyday object, impersonate someone, make someone invisible, or cause a loud event to seem silent. This magic can also be used to detect, alter, or stop other’s illusions. Illusion Magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Because illusions aren’t real, illusory objects can’t directly affect anything that is real. For example, an illusory wall cannot stop a person from walking through it, an illusory chair cannot hold a person up, an illusory lamp can’t illuminate an area, an illusory sword can’t cause wounds, and an illusory sound can’t travel beyond the edge of the area affected by the illusion. In addition, magically disguising a person or object doesn’t change how that person or object interacts with real objects. For example, a person disguised as someone taller can’t reach as far as the taller person could, a puppy made to look like an adult guard dog still acts like a puppy, and an invisible person that steps in a puddle still causes ripples. This means that the more interaction a person has with an illusion, the more opportunity they will have to figure out that it is an illusion. Note that knowing something is an illusion doesn’t make the illusion go away.
Analytic Magic: You can use your magic to sense, understand, suppress, and dispel magic. Examples of things that you can do are perceive the magic around you, detect a particular type of magic, locate a specific magical object, figure out what a spell or magic item does, determine how long a magical effect will last, and analyze the properties of ongoing magic. You can also dispel short-term magical effects (such as spells) and temporarily suppress long-term magical effects. For example, you can counter a spell as it is being cast, end an ongoing spell, temporarily suppress the magical properties of an item, pause the effects of permanent magic, and create a zone that provides a short-term shelter from a large-scale magical effect. Note that magic can have non-magical effects (such as damage done to people and objects) and those effects continue even after the magic is dispelled. Analytic Magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Casting Abilities
Arcane Performance: You can imbue your performances with a specific kind of arcane magic. Choose one of the following types of magic: fire, water, earth, air, weather, animal, plant, shapeshifting, sensing, necromantic, force, object, and summoning. For details on what these types of magic can do, go to the mage “Arcane Training” list. You can use your magical performance to cast this kind of magic.
Disguised Casting: Unlike other bards, you have a way to hide the signs of spell casting in other aspects of your performance. Each time that you want to use your magical performance to cast magic without others being aware of it, roll the Performance skill. If you get a full success (two successes), then you have successfully hidden the fact that you used your performance to cast magic. If you get a partial success (one success), then someone noticed what you did (or at least suspects it).
Mystical Powers
Attunement: You have a special connection to one type of magic that is expressed as an immunity and two specific magical effects that you can do without risk of failure. Choose a type of magic that you can cast. You are attuned to this type of magic. Go to the “Attunement List” and choose one immunity and two minor magical effects from the section for your attuned magic.
The minor magical effects can be used without risk of failure, which means that no roll is needed to use them. However, if you incorporate a minor magical effect into a more complicated action, you will need to roll to accomplish that action.
In addition, some minor magical effects have a specified duration while others don’t. If no duration is specified, then the effect wears off at a story appropriate time, usually at the end of a scene. When the effect does wear off, non-magical outcomes, like healing and harm, remain. You may take this ability multiple times, but you must choose a different type of magic to be attuned to each time.
Social Abilities
Inspired Artistry: You are an exceptionally skilled and expressive artist. This means that you can use your art to connect with people in a deep way. You are considered prepared whenever you use the Performance skill to entertain, express emotion, or communicate an experience. Please keep in mind that, while the results of a success will generally be favorable, art is open to interpretation and each person will have a unique reaction to your art.
Charismatic: You have a natural talent for social skills. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use the Communicating with Animals, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, or Performance skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Diplomacy Expert: You are an expert at communicating diplomatically. Once per day you may turn a failed Diplomacy skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Performance Expert: You are an expert at performing. Once per day you may turn a failed Performance skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Scholarship Styles
Lore Master: You have a deep knowledge of many subjects. Any time you get a full success (two successes) on an Arcana, Culture, Nature, or Technology roll, the information you gain is more detailed than it would otherwise be. This information is helpful enough to grant you an additional benefit. In essence, this ability turns a full success into an outstanding success.
Exceptional Linguist: Through a combination of talent and practice you have achieved exceptional skill with languages. As a result, you are fluent in all of the major languages of your home region. When translating or communicating in a non-magical language that you aren’t fluent in, roll the Culture skill as usual to find out how successful you are. For this roll, your linguistic ability allows you to treat failures (zero successes) as if they were partial successes (one success). In addition, given time and access to resources, such as linguistics books, you can accurately translate any non-magical language. Please note that you should check with your game manager to find out if different languages will be part of your game before taking this ability.
Knowledgeable: You are extremely knowledgeable. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use the Arcana, Culture, Nature, or Technology skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Arcana Expert: You are an expert in arcane knowledge. Once per day, you may turn a failed Arcana skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Culture Expert: You are an expert in cultural knowledge. Once per day, you may turn a failed Culture skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Daring Talents
Derring-do: You are practiced at accomplishing feats of derring-do. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you attempt a daring maneuver with the Acrobatics, Athletics, Climbing, Flying, Mobility, Riding, or Swimming skills. A daring maneuver is an action that is reckless, bold, or risky. Attempting a daring maneuver is a significant risk, and, as a result, the consequences of failure are more severe. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Swashbuckling: You are an expert at using daring and flamboyant maneuvers. Any time you get a full success (two successes) when doing a daring action, the results are larger-than-life. This means that the outcome is more dramatic than it would otherwise be, granting you an additional benefit. In essence, this ability turns a full success into an outstanding success (three successes). A daring action is any action that is reckless, bold, or risky. Attempting a daring action is a significant risk, and, as a result, the consequences of failure are more severe.
Flamboyant: You do everything with so much style that it influences others. When you successfully pull off a daring action (two or three successes), you impress onlookers. This means that you count as prepared when you use the Communicating with Animals, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, or Performance skills with someone who observed your daring maneuver. Note that this ability only applies when the social roll takes place in the same scene as the daring action. A daring action is any action that is reckless, bold, or risky. Attempting a daring action is a significant risk, and, as a result, the consequences of failure are more severe.
Physical Abilities
Dexterous: You are extremely dexterous. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use the Acrobatics, Manual Dexterity, Mobility, or Stealth skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Strong as an Ox: You are extremely strong. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use the Athletics, Climbing, Flying, Riding, or Swimming skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Combat Expertise: You have extensive combat training. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use the Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, and Unarmed Fighting skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Acrobatics Expert: You are an expert in acrobatics. Once per day you may turn a failed Acrobatics skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Athletics Expert: You are an expert in athletic activities. Once per day you may turn a failed Athletics skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Climbing Expert: You are an expert at climbing up and down things. Once per day you may turn a failed Climbing skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Flying Expert: You are an expert at flying. Once per day you may turn a failed Flying skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Swimming Expert: You are an expert at swimming. Once per day you may turn a failed Swimming skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Perception Abilities
Alert: You notice subtle things about the people and places around you. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use the Insight, Perception, or Survival skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Insight Expert: You are an expert at reading people. Once per day you may turn a failed Insight skill roll (zero successes) into a partial success (one success). This ability must be used before the consequences of failure are revealed. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
General Enhancements
Beginner’s Luck: You are unusually successful when you try new things. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when using a skill that you are not trained in.
Balanced Expertise: You are good at both body and mind skills. Choose one mind skill and one body skill. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use either of these two skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire, choosing either the same or different skills.
Specialty: You are especially good at doing one thing. Choose an area of focus for a skill or ability that you already have. This is your specialty. You are particularly good at this specialty and are always considered prepared when using it. This specialty needs to be significantly more specific than the skill or ability it is based on. For example, a character with the Acrobatics skill could have a specialty in leaping, or a character with the Transportation Magic ability could have a specialty in casting flying spells.
Physical Intuition: You have an intuitive, physical understanding of something that is normally a mental task. Choose one mind based skill or ability. You can now use this skill or ability by rolling body.
Special Technique: You know a special technique that makes it easier for you to do something that is a physical task. Choose one body based skill or ability. You can now use this skill or ability by rolling mind.
Skillful: You know more skills than most people. Choose two additional skills off the skills list. You are trained in these skills. There is no limit on how many times you may choose this ability.
Extra Species Trait: You have manifested an additional species trait. Choose a new species trait off the “Species Trait” list. There is no limit on how many times you may choose this ability.
