Bard (Legendary)

Some warriors spend their lives honing their martial prowess, some mages spend their lives devoting themselves to their arts. Bards are neither. Through their travels and adventures the legendary bard has picked up a wide variety of skills and abilities that allow them to adapt to overcome nearly any challenge and to seamlessly fit themselves into any group of would-be adventurers.

Role: A legendary bard is a jack-of-all-trades, able to mold their abilities to fit nearly any role in a party. Whether it be at the front lines of combat, enhancing their allies with performances from the rear, decimating their foes with potent spells and magical performances, or using their wits to solve their problems, the legendary bard can shape themselves to fit the needed role in their own unique ways.

**Alignment:** Any.

**Hit Die:** d8

**Starting Wealth:** 3d6 x 10 gp (average 105 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

**Class Skills:** The legendary bard’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

**Skill Ranks Per Level:** 6 + Int modifier.

### **Weapon and Armor Proficiency**

A legendary bard is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the longsword, rapier, sap, shortsword, shortbow, and whip. Bards are also proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields). A legendary bard can cast bard spells while wearing light armor and using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a bard wearing medium or heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass legendary bard still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

### **Bardic Spellcasting**

A legendary bard casts spells drawn from the bard spell list (Additional bard spells can be found here). A legendary bard must prepare their spells ahead of time, but those spells are not expended when they’re cast. Instead, they can cast any spell they have prepared, consuming a spell slot of the appropriate level, assuming they haven’t yet used up their spell slots per day for that level. The number of spell slots of each level available to the bard is indicated on Table 1-2: Bardic Spellcasting. A legendary bard uses their Charisma when determining their bonus spell slots from high ability scores.

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the legendary bard must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell’s level. The saving throw DC against a bard’s spell is 10 + the spells level + their Charisma modifier. Every bard spell has a verbal component (singing, reciting, or music).

The legendary bard learns their spells as songs, performances, and tales that they can recall and prepare at the beginning of each day. At 1st level, the legendary bard knows all 0-level bard spells plus two 1stlevel spells of their choice. The legendary bard also knows a number of additional 1st-level bard spells equal to their Charisma modifier. At each new legendary bard level, they learn two new spells of any spell level or levels that they can cast (based on their new bard level).

A legendary bard can learn new spells similar to casters who use a spellbook to record their spells. However, instead of using a spellbook the bard stores their accumulated knowledge of spells in their mind. A legendary bard can learn their spells by having the knowledge of the spell dictated to them by another bard who knows the spell they wish to learn or by adapting spells they find in a spellbook or on a spell scroll. Learning a spell requires special components, normally special inscenses, and otherwise follows the same rules as a wizard adding spells to their spellbook, save that the legendary bard can learn an unlimited number of spells. The legendary bard can only learn spells on the bard spell list.

A legendary bard can only prepare a limited number of their known spells each day. At 1st level, they can prepare four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells each day. At each new legendary bard level, the number of spells they can prepare increases as indicated on **Table 1-2: Bardic Spellcasting**. Unlike the number of spells they can cast each day, the number of spells the legendary bard can prepare each day is not affected by their Charisma score.

A legendary bard must choose and prepare their spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour preparing, studying and reciting their spells. While studying, the legendary bard decides what spells to prepare and refreshes their available spell slots for the day.

A legendary bard can choose to apply any metamagic feats they know to a prepared spell as they cast it, increasing its spell level and expending a higher level spell slot.

Unlike a normal bard, a legendary bard cannot learn Bardic Masterpieces in place of spells known.

### **Cantrips**

Legendary bard’s learn and prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted on **Table 1-2: Bardic Spellcasting**. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used an unlimited number of times each day.

### **Bardic Performance (Su)**

At 1st level, legendary bard learns to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around them. These abilities are used by spending rounds of bardic performance. The legendary bard has a number of bardic performance rounds each day equal to 4 + their Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st, the legendary bard gains 2 additional rounds of bardic performance each day.

Starting a bardic performance is usually a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time. Some performances have different action costs, or require a certain number of rounds of performance to use their effects, as denoted in their descriptions.

At 1st level, 2nd level, and every two levels thereafter, the legendary bard learns a single bardic performance. The bardic performances a legendary bard can choose from can be found here.

Components: Each bardic performance relies on audible components, visual components or both in order to produce their effects. Some performances have additional components, such as having descriptors that can affect how they function. An example would be a performance that has the Mind-Affecting descriptor, noting that creatures who are immune to mind affecting effects are immune to the performance.

A legendary bard can use any Perform skill for any of their performances, however there are some cases where their choice of skill will change the performance’s components: If a performance says it relies on either audible or visual components, the components depend on the Perform skill used for the performance. Perform (dance) produces visual components, Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, wind, sing) produces audible components, and Perform (act, comedy) produces both audible and visual components.

If a bardic performance has audible components, the targets must be able to hear the bard for the performance to have any effect, and many such performances are language dependent (as noted in the description). A deaf bard has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with an audible component. If they fail this check, the attempt still counts against their daily limit. Deaf creatures are immune to bardic performances with audible components.

(Bardic Performances can be found here)

### **Inspirations (Su)**

At 1st level, the legendary bard learns to inspire their allies through their actions and their words. Starting an inspiration requires a standard action and lasts until the legendary bard chooses to end their inspiration (a free action) or if the legendary bard loses the ability to take any actions (such as if they are dazed, nauseated, unconscious, paralyzed or stunned). A legendary bard can only use a single inspiration at a time, attempting to start a second inspiration ends the first. Each of the legendary bard’s inspiration are mind-affecting effects.

A creature must either be able to either hear or see the legendary bard to benefit from their inspirations, and cannot benefit from the same inspiration more than once. A legendary bard always gains the benefits of their own inspirations, even if they can’t hear or see themselves or if they would normally be immune to mind-affecting effects.

If the legendary bard gains an ability, item, or feat that would increase the effects of one of their performances that share a name with one of their inspirations, it affects those inspirations as well.

As the legendary bard increases in level they gain inspirations from the list below:

* *Inspire Courage:* At 1st level, the legendary bard can inspire courage within their allies, granting them a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects, and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 5th level, and every four legendary bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum of +5 at 17th level.
* *Inspire Competence:* At 1st level, the legendary bard can inspire competence within their allies, allowing them to perform skills with greater ease. When the legendary bard begins this inspiration, they choose one skill. This inspiration grants the legendary bard’s allies a +2 competence bonus to the chosen skill. At 5th level, and every four legendary bard levels thereafter, the bard can choose an additional skill and the bonus provided increases by +1, to a maximum of 5 chosen skills and a +6 bonus at 17th level.
* *Inspire Heroics:* At 5th level, the legendary bard inspires heroics within their allies, granting them a +2 morale bonus on all saving throws, and a +2 dodge bonus to AC. At 9th level, and every four legendary bard levels thereafter, the bonus to saving throws and dodge AC increases by +1, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level.
* *Inspire Spellcraft:* At 9th level, the legendary bard can inspire the spellcraft of their allies, granting them a +2 morale bonus to the caster level of spells they cast. At 13th level and 17th level, the bonus to caster level increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level.
* *Inspire Hardiness:* At 13th level, the legendary bard can inspire hardiness within their allies, granting them DR 10/-, and resist 10 to all forms of energy damage. This damage reduction and energy resistance stacks with all other sources of damage reduction and energy resistance
* *Inspire Greatness:* At 17th level, the legendary bard can inspire greatness within their allies, granting them a number of temporary hit points equal to 11 + twice their Constitution modifier, a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, a +1 competence bonus on all saving throws, and a +2 increase to the caster level of any spells they cast. At the beginning of each turn, a creature under the effects of this inspiration regains the temporary hit points granted by this inspiration. If they lose the effects of this inspiration, these temporary hit points are immediately lost.

### **Bardic Fame (Ex)**

At 2nd level, the legendary bard becomes famous within a region, and within that region the locals are more likely to recognize them and their fame, granting the bard a bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks in that area and to influence people from that area.

At 2nd level, this region is a settlement, group of settlements, or subsection of a larger settlement of 1,000 or fewer people, and the bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks is +2. As the legendary bard grows even more famous, additional areas learn of them and their bonus applies to even more people.

At 8th level, the region is a settlement or settlements with a total population of 5,000 or fewer people, and the modifier on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks is +3. At 14th level, the region is a settlement or settlements with a total population of up to 100,000 people, and the modifier to Diplomacy and Intimidate is +4. At 20th level and above, the bard’s fame has spread far, and most civilized folk know of him (GM’s discretion); the bard’s modifier on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks is +5.

### **Bardic Knowledge (Ex)**

A legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on all Knowledge skill checks.

### **Well-Versed (Ex)**

At 2nd level, the legendary bard becomes resistant to the bardic performance of others, and to sonic effects in general. The legendary bard gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made against bardic performance, sonic, and language-dependent effects

### **Bardic School**

At 3rd level, the legendary bard begins their training in one of a variety of bardic schools. These bardic schools can represent actual locations of bardic training, or simply the bards personal improvement of one of their lines of bardic training. The legendary bard chooses a single school and gains its first set of benefits. At 7th level, and every four levels thereafter, the legendary bard can choose to improve one of their schools by (gaining additional benefits), or can choose to gain the benefits of a new bardic school.

(Bardic Schools can be found here)

### **Lore Master (Ex)**

At 5th level, the legendary bard becomes a master of lore and can take 10 on any Knowledge skill check that they have ranks in. In addition, once per day, the legendary bard can take 20 on any Knowledge skill check as a standard action. They can use this ability twice per day at 11th level, and three times per day at 17th level.

### **Jack of All Trades (Ex)**

A legendary bard picks up the talent required to perform nearly any skill throughout their adventures, allowing them to dabble freely among any trade and blend in within any group.

At 5th level, the legendary bard can use any skill, even if the skill normally requires them to be trained in the skill to use it. When making an untrained skill check with a class skill, the legendary bard adds a +3 bonus to their roll as if they had ranks in the skill they were making the check with.

At 10th level, the legendary bard considers all skills to be class skills. When the legendary bard uses a skill, they may use the higher of their ranks in that skill or half their legendary bard level (rounded down) as their effective number of skill ranks in the used skill.

At 15th level, the legendary bard can take 10 on any skill check, even if it is not normally allowed with that skill (this follows the other rules for taking 10 on a skill check as normal).

At 20th level, when the legendary bard uses a skill, they may use the higher of their ranks in that skill or their legendary bard level as their effective number of skill ranks in the used skill.

### **Quickened Performance (Ex)**

At 7th level, the legendary bard learns to begin their performances and inspirations more quickly. They can choose to start an inspiration or a performance that requires a standard action to start as a move action. At 13th level, they may instead start them using a move or a swift action instead.

## **New Favored Class Bonuses**

The following favored class bonuses are available to all characters regardless of their race:

* **All:** Add +1/8 to the bonuses provided by inspire courage or to the penalties imposed by diminish courage.
* **All:** Add +1/6 to the bonuses provided by inspire competence or to the penalties imposed by diminish competence.
* **All:** Gain +1/6th of a bardic performance.
* **All:** Gain +1 round to the legendary bard’s total number of bardic performance rounds each day.
* **All:** Increase the DC of the legendary bard’s bardic performances by +1/5.
* **All:** Add one spell known from the bard spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the legendary bard can cast.
* **All:** Choose one bardic performance; treat the legendary bard as +1/6 level higher when determining the effects of that performance.
* **All:** Gain a +1/3 bonus to all untrained skill checks.

## **Alternate Class Features**

Alternate class features are small, modular archetypes. They swap out a single class feature (or a few related class features) for new abilities. By affecting only a small part of the class at a time, a player is able to build the legendary bard that best fits their ideas. With these alternate class features, the legendary bard is more flexible than ever before.

If an archetype or alternate class features replaces one of the below class features, the placement class feature may not be exchanged for an alternate class feature. Mix and match these features to build your perfect legendary bard!

(You can find alternate class features here)

## Archetypes

Dirge Bard

**Firearm Staccato**

**Improv Artist (Spheres Archetype)**

**Maestro**

**Scholar of Legends**

**Warrior Poet**