Bard Spell and Song Lists and Special Rules

# Bard Realm

Bard Discipline spell lists are special in how and when a
character can learn them.  Bards have one
list of spells (Bard’s Banters) that is like any other spell list.  You learn them the same as other spell
lists.  Unique to the Bard Realm is the Bard’s
Songs. You can learn any song from the list in any order, but you need to learn
levels of the Musician Skill in order to perform the song and produce its
magical effects.

### **Who can learn a Bard Spell list**

·
A Bard must chose the Bard Discipline as his primary
1st spell Discipline; he can then chose any discipline from either
the Mage or Cleric realm as his secondary Discipline; the 3rd and 4th
discipline must be from the same realm as the 2nd discipline.

·
All other classes can only learn Bard Discipline
at the cost for “Other Discipline” on the spell skills acquisition chart.

### **Bard's Special Rules**

#### **Bard Spell Points - Countenance**

Bard songs and spells use spell points based on the stat
Countenance.  This is different from any
other spell caster.  The Bard can use
Countenance spell points for casting spells for his 2nd, 3rd
and 4th discipline, which will be all from the same realm.  But, when a Bard learns spells from the other
realms using the Other Discipline skill, he must use spell points calculated
from the stat for that spell realm.

It should be noted that the Spell Point skill is purchased
specific to a spell point type: Mage (INT), Cleric (WIS), Engineer (ING) or
Bard (COU).  Thus, if a character wants
to get extra spell points for a different realm he must purchase the Spell
Point skill for that realm.

#### **Bard Spell lists are Different**

The Bard Songs Spell list takes a different form from any
other spell list.  All songs require 1
Skill Acquisition Point to learn.  The
level of a song performance is dependent on the caster’s level of musician
skill.

The Bard’s Banter spell lists is like any other spell list
in how it is learned and used.

#### **Instruments of the Bard**

Bards can learn any instrument to improve their songs.  Some instruments improve songs more than
others.  If a song is sung, hummed or
whistled it gains different bonuses than if accompanied with a wind, string or
percussion instrument.  Different types
of instruments have different effects on a song and those are described in the
song description.  Two Bards can play the
same song at the same time and increase its effectiveness. Following is a list
of instrument categories:

#### **Instruments and their Descriptions**

·
**Flute, Baroque Flute** - Similar to
our modern flutes. This type of Musical instruments played by flute-minstrels
of the Middle Ages

·
**Trumpet, Baroque Trumpet** -
Long instrument made of metal, often in four parts - often associated with
fanfares and pageants

·
**Pipe** - The pipe was an
extremely basic instrument usually having only three melody holes

·
**Shawm** - The shawm was a reed
instrument with vent holes

·
**Recorder** - The recorder was also
an extremely basic instrument with melody holes

·
**Flageolet** - A small fipple flute
with four finger holes and two thumb holes.

·
**Bagpipe** - The Bagpipe was an
ancient instrument, used by the poorest people and was made using a goat or
sheep skin and a reed pipe

·
**Crumhorn** - The crumhorn (Curved
Horn) was introduced in the 1400's as a double reed musical instrument

·
**Gemshorn** - The gemshorn was made
of horn of an ox, chamois or similar

·
**Cornett** - The cornett was an
early woodwind instrument taking the form of a long tube with woodwind-style
fingerholes

·
**Lizard** - The lizard was a
descriptive term for an s-shaped horn

·
**Ocarina** - An egg-shaped woodwind
instrument with a mouthpiece and finger holes

·
**Sackbut** - A medieval musical
instrument resembling a trombone

·
**Hautboy** - A slender double-reed
woodwind instrument with a conical bore and a double-reed mouthpiece

·
**English Horn** - Despite its name it is
not a horn - this instrument is more similar to an oboe

·
**Cor Anglais** - Another name commonly
used for the Cor Anglais is the English Horn

·
**Horns** - Originally made of a
horn (ox or a ram)

·
**Bombard** - The
Bombard can be described as a large shawm

·
O**boe** - evolved
from the Shawm into the hautboy and then the oboe

·
**Trombone**- a long tube whose length can be
varied by a U-shaped slide

·
**Tuba** - an ancient trumpet, the
lowest brass woodwind instrument

·
**Meyer Flute** - it could have up to 12 keys and
was built with head joints of either metal-lined ivory or wood

·
**Drum** - Drums were made
initially from a hollow tree trunk, clay or metal and covered by skins of water
animals - also called tambours

·
**Cymbals** - Thin round concave
metal plates

·
**Triangle** - The triangle was a
musical instrument introduced during the 14th century

·
**Tambourine** - This musical instrument
was traditionally used by a woman

·
**The Tabor** - a small drum used as an
accompaniment to a pipe or fife, both being played by the same person.

·
**Timbrel** - This musical instrument
was also referred to as a tambourine and dates back to antiquity

·
**Bells** - the use of Bells also
dates back to antiquity

·
**Harp** - The harp was a favorite
instrument of the troubadours and minstrels and was about 30 inches in length

·
**Lute** - A plucked string
instrument having a pear-shaped body, a usually bent neck, and a fretted
fingerboard

·
**Fiddle** - There were a variety of
Medieval Fiddles which were played with a bow or plucked and usually held under
the chin or in the crook of the arm. Easily portable and one of the most
popular street musical instruments

·
 **Rebec** - The rebec was an
instrument with a round pear-shaped body much like an early violin

·
**Psaltery** - The Psaltery was a
Medieval musical instrument which was a cross between a harp and a lyre

·
**Chittarone** - a lute which could
reach 6 feet tall

·
**Cittern** - Similar to a modern
guitar

·
**Dulcimer** - The Dulcimer was played
by striking the strings with small hammers

·
**Gittern** - Similar to a modern
guitar

·
**The Viol** - Viols were played with
a bow and held on the lap or between the legs

·
**The Vielle** - Popular string
instrument with troubadours and jongleurs

·
**Mandolin and Mandore** -
A small and beautifully shaped string instrument resembling the lute

·
**Clavichord** - an early stringed
instrument like a piano but with more delicate sound

·
**Harpsichord** - a
harp-shaped instrument of music set horizontally on legs, like the grand piano

·
**Spinet** - The Spinet can be
described as a keyed instrument of music resembling a harpsichord, but smaller

·
**Others** as identified during game play.

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