Bards often serve as negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies. They love to accompany heroes (and villains) to witness heroic (or villainous) deeds firsthand, since a bard who can tell a story from personal experience earns renown among his fellows.
BARD
A bard casts arcane spells without any advance preparation, much like a sorcerer. Bards also share some specialized skills with rogues, and their knowledge of item lore is nearly unmatched. A high Charisma score allows a bard to cast high-level spells.
CLASS FEATURES
Alignment Restrictions: Any nonlawful.
Hit Die: d6.
Proficiencies: Simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.
Skills Points (*4 at 1st level): 4 + Int Modifier.
Spellcasting: Arcane (Charisma-based, no spell preparation, spell failure from armor is a factor). Bards begin the game knowing all cantrips.
Ex-Bards: Bards cannot gain levels of experience while they are of any lawful alignment.
Bonus Feats: The epic bard gains a bonus feat every three levels after 20th
Epic Bard Bonus Feats: Curse Song, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Will, Great Charisma, Great Dexterity, Improved Combat Casting, Lasting Inspiration, Epic Spell Focus
ABILITIES
Bardic Knowledge
The bard is able to identify items more easily than other classes.
Gained: 1st Level.
Use: Automatic.
Bonuses: Apply bard levels as a bonus to any Lore skill checks.
Bardic Music
Bards are able to sing songs that can bolster their allies.
Gained: 1st Level.
Use: Selected.
Bonuses: Deafened creatures are not affected by the bard’s
singing. The bardsong may be sung once per day, per class level.
The song affects all allies within 30 feet and lasts for 6 rounds.
The higher the bard’s Perform skill, the better the bardsong. Bard
song bonuses do not stack.
- Perform and bard Level 1: +1 to Attack and Damage rolls.
- Perform 6 and bard Level 2: +1 to Will Saves.
- Perform 9 and bard Level 3: +1 to Damage rolls and +1 to Fortitude Saves.
- Perform 12 and bard Level 6: +1 to Reflex saves.
- Perform 15 and bard Level 8: +1 to Attack rolls, +8 temporary Hit Points.
- Perform 18 and bard Level 11: +2 to Dodge Armor Class.
- Perform 21 and bard Level 14: +1 to Damage rolls, +8 temporary Hit Points and +1 Dodge Armor Class.
- Perform 24 and bard Level 15: +1 Will Saves, +1 Reflex Saves, +1 Fortitude Saves, +1 Dodge Armor Class.
- Perform 25 and bard Level 16: +1 Will Saves, +4 temporary Hit Points. +1 Dodge Armor Class.
- For each additional 5 Perform and 1 class level in bard an additional +2 temporary Hit Points is granted.
Spell Caster - Bards are Arcane Spell Casters.
CUSTOM FEATURES
Carousing - BARDS can CAROUSE; soliciting their choice of coin or rumors from any body of persons capable of conversing.
Expanded Social Skills - Bards with PERSUADE can GRIFT for money or rumors, while those with INTIMIDATE can engage in EXTORTION.
Bardic School Lore - Bards can call upon the lore of their college, reciting songs and stories from the repertoire of their school, and even ADD THEIR OWN SONGS AND STORIES TO THAT KNOWLEDGE BASE.
