Mad Mashup: Bard

 And back to my series of classes for my mad mashup of various sources, but based on a B/X core.  

Bard

Some artists can literally tap into the music the Primal Ones used to sing Creation into being.  They can express this through song or stories or music or dance.  In any case, it grants True Bards powers beyond the abilities of mere entertainers.

Requirements

• Bards roll their hit points with a d6.  

• They save as Thieves.

• They can use any weapons but longbows and wear any armour except plate.  They may not use shields.

• Bards can only cast spells if they are at most Heavily Encumbered.

• A Bard must have Dexterity of at least 9 and a Charisma of at least 13.  If a Bard has Dexterity of at least 13 and a Charisma of 16, the Bard enjoys a 10% bonus to all earned EXP.

Abilities

• Every even level, they add a spell of any level from the Bard list to their repertoire.  To successfully cast a spell, the Bard’s player rolls a d20.  They add their Level to the roll and subtract the level of the spell.  If the result is 11+, the spell goes off without a hitch.  If they roll from 6 to 10, the spell goes off, but there’s a backlash.  If they roll 5 or less, the spell doesn’t go off AND they suffer a backlash.

• Every 5th level (5, 10, 15, etc.) the Bard adds another known Language.

• When trolling for rumours, a bard will gain one more than usual.  

• Bards enjoy a +1 bonus when rolling the reaction to an offer of employment to potential Retainers.  

• During fights, a Bard can perform instead of fight.  While they do this, all their allies get +1 to all attack rolls, saving throws, and morale checks.

• Bards can use the wands, staves, and wands that Wizards can use.

• All who watch a Bard perform for at least one Turn (10 minutes) cannot help but be affected by their skills.  When the performance ends, the audience must make a save vs. Spells or have their mood and emotions shifted according to the desires of the Bard.  For every Turn past the first, the saving throws are lowered by -1 to a max of -4.  (See the Apsara for potential synergies.)

A fun class for players who want to risk “bad” magical fumbles.  The combat performance option is also an easy choice for players who don’t enjoy being on the spot or suffer from analysis paralysis.

Art by NC Wyeth and from the manuscript Rudolf von Ems, History of the World, created around 1300.