Bard
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| Bard | ||||||||||
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| Hit Die | d6 | |||||||||
| Skills | 6 + INT | |||||||||
| Proficiencies | Simple Weapons, Longsword, Rapier, Shortbow, Shortsword, Light Armor, Shield | |||||||||
| Class Skills | Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft (All), Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (All), Listen, Move Silently, Parry, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device | |||||||||
| Requirements | ||||||||||
| Alignment |
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| Source: Player's Handbook, p. 26-30 | ||||||||||
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The Hypertext d20 SRD Visit related material |
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Neverwinter Nights 2 Wiki Visit related material |
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Forgotten Realms Wiki Visit related material. |
- "It is said that music has a special magic, and the bard proves that saying true. Wandering across the land, gathering lore, telling stories, working magic with his music, and living on the gratitude of his audience—such is the life of a bard. When chance or opportunity draws them into a conflict, bards serve as diplomats, negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies.
- A bard's magic comes from the heart. If his heart is good, a bard brings hope and courage to the downtrodden and uses his tricks, music, and magic to thwart the schemes of evildoers. If the nobles of the land are corrupt, the good bard is an enemy of the state, cunningly evading capture and raising the spirits of the oppressed. But music can spring from an evil heart as well. Evil bards forego blatant violence in favor of manipulation, holding sway over the hearts and minds of others and taking what enraptured audiences "willingly" give." -- Player's Handbook
Class Features
| Level | BAB | Fortitude | Reflex | Will | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Bardic Knowledge, Bardic Music, Countersong, Fascinate, Inspire Courage (+1) |
| 2 | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Inspire Competence (+2) |
| 3 | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Haven Song |
| 4 | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | |
| 5 | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Inspire Defense (+2) |
| 6 | +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Cloud Mind |
| 7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | |
| 8 | +6/+1 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Inspire Courage (+2), Inspire Toughness (+1) |
| 9 | +6/+1 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Ironskin Chant |
| 10 | +7/+2 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Inspire Defense (+3) |
| 11 | +8/+3 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Inspire Competence (+4), Inspire Slowing (15%) |
| 12 | +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Song of Freedom |
| 13 | +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Inspire Toughness (+2) |
| 14 | +10/+5 | +4 | +9 | +9 | Inspire Courage (+3), Inspire Jarring |
| 15 | +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +9 | +9 | Inspire Defense (+4), Inspire Heroics |
| 16 | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | Inspire Slowing (30%) |
| 17 | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | |
| 18 | +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Inspire Legion, Inspire Toughness (+3) |
| 19 | +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Inspire Competence (+6) |
| 20 | +15/+10/+5 | +6 | +12 | +12 | Inspire Courage (+4), Inspire Defense (+5) |
Spellcasting
- See also: Bard Spells.
A bard casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the bard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a bard must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level (Charisma 10 for 0-level spells, 11 for 1st-level spells, and so forth). Starting at 8th level, and every three levels after, bards can replace one known spell with a new spell of the same level. The replaced spell must be two spell levels below what the bard can currently cast (1st level spell at 8, 1st or 2nd level spell at 11, 1st or 2nd or 3rd level spell at 14, and so forth). Bards do not suffer from arcane spell failure when wearing light armor. Medium and heavy armor, as well as all shields, still incur the normal failure chance.
| Level | Spells per Day | Spells Known | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | |
| 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||
| 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||||||
| 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ||||||
| 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ||||||
| 10 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||||
| 11 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ||||
| 12 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ||||
| 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 17 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 18 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 19 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 20 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Bardic Knowledge
A bard may make a special bardic knowledge check with a bonus equal to his bard level + his Intelligence modifier to see whether he knows some relevant information about local notable people, legendary items, or noteworthy places.
- If the bard has 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (history), he gains a +2 bonus on this check.
A successful bardic knowledge check will not reveal the powers of a magic item but may give a hint as to its general function. A bard may not take 10 or take 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random.
| DC | Type of Knowledge |
|---|---|
| 10 | Common, known by at least a substantial minority of the local population. |
| 20 | Uncommon but available, known by only a few people. |
| 25 | Obscure, known by few, hard to come by. |
| 30 | Extremely obscure, known by very few, possibly forgotten by most who once knew it, possibly known only by those who don’t understand the significance of the knowledge. |
Notes
Differences from NWN2
- The Perform is modified to closer fit SRD. Your highest Perform skill is used for all bardic abilities.
- Bards cannot stealth while using bard songs.
