Bard

Untold wonders and secrets exist for those skillful enough to discover them. Through cleverness, talent, and magic, these cunning few unravel the wiles of the world, becoming adept in the arts of persuasion, manipulation, and inspiration. Typically masters of one or many forms of artistry, bards possess an uncanny ability to know more than they should and use what they learn to keep themselves and their allies ever one step ahead of danger. Bards are quick-witted and captivating, and their skills might lead them down many paths, be they gamblers or jacks-of-all-trades, scholars or performers, leaders or scoundrels, or even all of the above. For bards, every day brings its own opportunities, adventures, and challenges, and only by bucking the odds, knowing the most, and being the best might they claim the treasures of each.

Bards capably confuse and confound their foes while inspiring their allies to ever-greater daring. While accomplished with both weapons and magic, the true strength of bards lies outside melee, where they can support their companions and undermine their foes without fear of interruptions to their performances.

Armor: Due to the difficulty heavy armors can impose on singing and playing most instruments, Bards are only proficient in Light Armor.

Weapon Proficiencies: Bards are skilled with the following weapons: Short Weapon, Medium Weapon, Bow, Thrown, and gain the Florentine Power for free. Furthermore, they can use instrument based/shaped weapons of the previously mentioned sizes.

Energy: Bards utilize Energy to fuel their techniques and are limited to a max of 30

Additional Note: The first 2 Knowledge (Area) skills the character purchases are considered Basic Class skills, and do not require an instructor. These can not be Rare Knowledge (Area)s.

Class Features:

Hidden Lore: As a master of the road, the character has learned much about the world; in every town they travel to, they pick up a little more. This allows the character to summon up some small bit of information from a Knowledge (Area) without need of having that skill, and the information that can be garnered is equivalent to rank 4 in that Knowledge (Area). This skill can be used once each reset.

Perform: This gives the character the ability to affect more targets by giving an extended performance. For reasons dealing with combat safety, in combat, this skill can be a 30-count action, so as not to damage actual instruments. While performing, the character must maintain concentration, and being interrupted or stopping before the time is reached will prevent the skill from having affect and will waste the energy for the skill. When this skill is used, the player must announce it before the skill to be affected, e.g. Perform Song of Healing. At the end of the performance the character will announce, in a tone no louder than the noise generated by the performance, “All Allies Voice <Effect>”, paying the Energy cost only once, but still affecting many targets. If this skill is used with Dirges, then the attack becomes delivered as “<Target> Voice <Effect>”, this will only affect a single target but greatly improves the range at which it can be used. This skill can be used 3 times each reset, and an additional time for each 5 character levels (5^th, 10^th, 15, etc.). Using this skill in conjunction with a performance art outside of combat; instrument, singing, prose, etc; will waive the times per day usage.

Bard: Basic Skills
Skill	Cost	Prerequisite	Technique	SP Cost	Use Cost
Precision +2	15		Mobility	2	1 Energy
Precision +4	15	Precision +2	Garrote	2	1 Energy
Precision +6	15	Precision +4	Song of Healing	2	1 Energy
Spell Pool I	5		Charm Strike	3	2 Energy
Spell Pool II	10		Roll	3	2 Energy
Hide	6		Song of Purity	3	2 Energy
Energy (1-15)	1 per		Dirge of Command	5	3 Energy
Energy (16-30)	2 per		Escape	5	3 Energy
			Sleep Strike	5	3 Energy
			Dodge	7	4 Energy
			Song of Resistance	7	4 Energy
			Ambush	7	4 Energy
Bard: Advanced Skill
Skill	Cost		Technique	SP Cost	Use Cost
Encore	4		Song of Guidance	2	1 Energy
Stash	3		Dirge of Harm	2	1 Energy
Dirge of Wipe Mind	3		Dirge of Slow	3	2 Energy
Song of Mental Focus	3		Song of Inspiration	3	2 Energy
Allegro!	6		War Cry	5	3 Energy
Strike a Chord	8		Song of Fluidity	5	4 Energy

Bard Skills

Spell Pool: Sometimes the right song or verse can transport you to a place in a magical way. Sometimes you ain't got the time for that and instead elect to just push unshaped emotion and wail! Doing this is faster and less stressful than what is done by formal spellcasters. One point of spell pool generates 1 point of healing or wind specific elemental damage, to a limit of 5 points at a time and must be delivered in 5 point increments. This is cast as "I summon X <healing | wind>" and packet delivered. Every rank of Spell Pool (I & II) adds 25 points of usable pool and increases the 'spell cap' of the amount used of your pool you can use at a time by 5. This is different from a lot of other classes whose spell cap begins at 10. Bards start lower since they have the ability to use their pool in two different ways without things like 'picking up a second school of magic', since they don't use magic in schools like other caster types do. Thus, With spell pool 1 your cap is 5 points per use and with Spell Pool II you may use 10 points of pool at a time. Spell Pool can be refreshed with five minutes of uninterrupted time, or immediately refreshed via the 9th level spell Evocation. In the unique case of Bards, they have access to both healing and damage pools and can cast from their pool either way as they see fit without a Mage's School prerequisites.

Allegro!: This skill allows the character to give a quick performance that affects nearby allies by speeding them up. With a call of 'Hasten Magic Burst' the Bard allows all their allies within melee distance to cast their next spell via Magic Delivery

Ambush: With this skill the character unleashes a powerful blow that will knock out most opponents. When used, the player must call “Ambush". This skill can be used from the front; however, if used from behind the target, the call is “Ambush Surprise”, making the attack very difficult to avoid. This skill can only be delivered with a melee boffer attack. A target that is affected by this attack is unconscious for 10 minutes.

Charm Strike This skill allows the character to deliver a powerful weapon attack as, Charm Strike which will Charm the target. The attack can be delivered with Melee or Ranged weapon and must land a legal weapon blow to affect the target; this is one swing hit or miss.

Dirge of Command: This skill allows the character to strike a chord of dissonance against their foe. This attack is delivered as “<Target> Voice Command” against a target in line of sight and will cause the target to be affected by Command.

Dirge of Demoralize: This skill allows the character to strike a chord of dissonance against their foe. This attack is delivered as “<Target> Voice Weakness” against a target in line of sight, and will cause the target to take the Weakness effect.

Dirge of Harm: This skill allows the character to strike a chord of dissonance against their foe. This attack is delivered as “<Target> Voice 10 Body” against a target in line of sight and will cause the target to take 10 points of Body damage to living creatures.

Dirge of Mind Wipe: This skill allows the character to remove part of a target's recent memory, acting as a Forget (1 Hour). This skill takes 5 minutes of performance, and if the target is conscious they can choose to ignore the effect.

Dirge of Slow: This skill allows the character to strike a chord of dissonance against their foe. This attack is delivered as “<Target> Voice Slow” against a target in melee weapon range and will cause the target to be affected by Slow.

Dodge: This skill allows the character to avoid a single ranged weapon or packet delivered attack that strikes them. This defense cancels the attack, meaning it does not continue on and hit someone behind them.

Encore: This skill is used at the end of a use of Perform, the character can continue the performance, so long as they maintain concentration. Each 60 count the Song/Dirge will repeat and the character can announce the effect again. This will allow the performance to continue for as long as the character maintains Concentration up to a maximum of 15 minutes.

Escape: This special defense allows the character to escape from all forms of movement impairing and Binding effects currently affecting them, instantly ending their duration, though it does not work on Contain effects or Petrify. This skill can also be used on a target other than the character; the character must touch the target and maintain concentration for a 5 counted action.

Garrote: This skill allows the character to greatly hinder their foe. The call for this skill is “Silence Strike”, which will cause the target to be affected by Silence. If used immediately after leaving Hide, the character may add the Surprise Flavor Carrier to the attack, making the call “Silence Strike Surprise”. This attack can only be used with a melee weapon and is one swing, hit or miss.

Hide: This skill allows the character to become Hidden from normal view. This skill has several rules that must be followed for its use: First, in order to use this skill, the character must be next to an object that is stationary or cannot be easily moved, and the object must be larger than the player. Second, it takes a 5 Counted Action to enter Hide, which must be done while no one is actively looking at the character in game. Third, once in Hide, the character must place their hands in front of their chest (closed, with knuckles touching), and can stay there for up to an hour, though the character cannot move from their Hide location (other than minor shifting). While in Hide, they are aware of the world around them and can see and hear anything they would normally be able to. Leaving Hide simply takes a 5 Counted Action.

Mobility: This skill allows the character to resist slowing effects, Pin and Bind effects, and Binding Strike’s up to +4 Strength. Additionally, this skill can remove any of the above effects that are currently affecting the character, as well as allow escape from other non-magical bindings on their person.

Precision: This skill will add two points of damage to the called verbal of a weapon swing when used from behind another character. For example, if you are using a Long Sword whose normal call is "Two Normal" when swinging, taking Precision +2 would mean that your new verbal is 'four normal' when you swing from behind an enemy. This skill stacks and the number given in the skill is the total cumulative number. If you purchase this skill the maximum of 3 times your verbal when behind your opponents will be "Eight Normal". Precision is purchased per hand and does not stack when using a two-handed weapon. Ambidexterity may never be used to stack it over your class maximum.

Roll: This skill allows the character to negate a portion of an attack. Roll can only be used to defend against attacks that strike the character with a weapon or packet and have a numerical damage value in the call. When used, the defended attack will only deal half damage (rounded down) and will remove any effect carriers, from the attack.

Sleep Strike This skill allows the character to deliver a powerful weapon attack announced as, “Sleep Strike” which will Sleep the target. The attack can be delivered with Melee or Ranged weapon and must land a legal weapon blow to affect the target; this is one swing hit or miss.

Song of Fluidity: This skill allows the character to give a quick performance that affects up to 3 targets, within melee weapon range, excluding the performer. During the next 1 hour or Module, the targets can cast a spell that consumes a 4 mana less (minimum 1 mana), and that spell additionally has its Delivery Type changed to Magic (as per Hasten Spell from Mage).

Song of Guidance: This skill allows the character to give a quick performance that affects up to 3 targets, within melee weapon range, excluding the performer. The targets will gain 1 Temporary Common Knowledge Point; or grant the target +1 Bonus on their next Contested Roll. This effect lasts for the next Hour or Module, or until used.

Song of Healing: This skill allows the character to give a quick performance that affects nearby targets with "I summon 5 Healing Burst".

Song of Inspiration: This skill allows the character to give a quick performance that affects nearby targets, with "Inspiration Burst".

Song of Mental Focus: This skill allows the character to give a quick performance that affects up to 3 targets, within melee weapon range, excluding the performer. This allows the character to reduce a target's next counted action, which must be used within the next 5 minutes. The time for the counted action is reduced by 50%; additionally, the target gains the benefits of the Improved Concentration power during the action. This cannot be stacked with itself or other Temporary Reduction effects.

Song of Resistance: This skill allows the character to give a quick performance that affects nearby allies, excluding the performer, with "Barrier Burst". This effect lasts for an Encounter or up to 5 minutes.

Song of Purity: This skill allows the character to give a quick performance that affects nearby allies, excluding the performer, with "Purify Burst".

Stash: This skill allows the character to hide an object, which may contain other items, for up to 3 hours. The object to be hidden can be no larger than 1 cubic foot in total area. When this skill is used, the character must place a “Stash” tag on the item and write the time the skill was used on the back of the tag. While similar to Secret Box, this item can be found- though not easily. To notice that there is a stash, a character must have at least rank 10 in the Track skill, and even then, must make a Contested Roll that is considered to have 10 levels of counter tracking.

Strike a Chord: Music soothes the savage beast and does not stop there. With a short performance you can cause certain target types to drift into an entranced state. This allows your party of up to 10 players to move past the encounter without engaging. This skill only works when dealing with creatures that are not immune to Mental Effects.

War Cry: The standard War Cry effect

Bard Powers

Amp: When wielding an instrument weapon, the base damage of the weapon is increased by 1 point.

Power Chord: When wielding an instrument weapon, the Bard may change their call for beneficial songs from 'Burst' to 'All allies', or for Dirges: replace 'Target' with 'All Enemies'. This may be used twice per reset.

Sling Arrow: This power allows the character to use a stringed instrument weapon (Lute, Harp, etc.) as both a melee and a ranged weapon. The rep must be appropriately constructed for the type of combat it will be used for. Bards may use 1/2 their Precision damage as an increase to their range damage.

Bard Heroic Powers

Hype Man: A good Bard can put on a stellar performance, but a great Bard can help put others over the top. This is exemplified by being their 'Hype Man'. To do so the Bard will call "Allies Voice Delivery" which will allow all allies to deliver their next Energy or Mana driven skill via voice delivery. This may be used once per reset. Even Lil' John can get repetitive, the magic is in the moderation.

Reverberate: This Power allows the Bard to unleash a mighty chord that lingers in the air long after they have finished their song. Twice each reset, they can gain the benefits of Encore without needing to continue the performance. Once activated, the performance will last for 5 minutes, or one Encounter, allowing the Bard to take other actions and still announce the effect every 30 seconds.

Subsonic Prerequisites: Bard The character’s mastery over sound has reached a point where they can manipulate it around them, allowing the character to play a subsonic chord. This is used by announcing “Everyone in the sound of my Voice Suppress Verbal”, this prevents all those effected from speaking or using any skill or ability that requires them to be able to speak. This effect lasts for 5 minutes or one Encounter, or until the character stops maintaining concentration on the performance.