Athasian Bard

From the shadowy corners of Athas’ most disreputable places hails the bard. Like their counterparts in other fantasy worlds, Athasian bards are the unquestioned masters of oral tradition and forgotten lore, but rather than sharing their lore with whoever will listen, Athasian bards guard their secrets as jealously as the sorcerer‐kings harbor their water and iron. Athasian bards may sell information to the highest bidder; they peddle their services and the fruits of their knowledge, but trade secrets are what give bards an edge on the uninitiated. Bards would rather die than reveal these secrets.

Meeting a bard can be an uneasy encounter, since one never knows how the bard has chosen to devote his multiple talents. Some bards master the art of making poisons, and survive by selling these poisons and their antidotes for those who have coin to pay. Some bards master the art of entertainment, using their performances to amuse nobles and templars and gain wealth. Some become assassins, mixing their knowledge of poison and stealth to become hired hands. Bards’ unique position in the Athasian society means they often overhear conversations between high‐ranking templars or nobles, or they may have treated an injured person that prefers to remain anonymous. Respectable folk despise them; the powerful fear them; but in the Athasian cities, everyone eventually comes to need their services.

## Making a Bard

Bards receive numerous abilities they can use to survive. Many become masters of poisons, selling their illegal substances to anyone. Alone of the classes, bards hold the secrets of alchemy, creating fiery concoctions and mysterious mixtures. Bards are master smugglers, selling spell components and other illegal items in the Bard’s Quarters of the city‐states. All bards, however, have some degree of entertainment skill. The songs of most bards can dazzle a crowd, or incite them to riot. Bards tend to learn to play a variety of instruments, or recite poetry or old legends by campfire. They can be acrobats, performing dazzling displays of physical prowess. They are often called upon as sources of information.

**Abilities**: Charisma is the most important ability for a bard, because many of their abilities and skills are affected by it. A high Dexterity improves the bard’s defensive ability. Intelligence is also important because it bolster the numbers of skills he has access.

**Races**: All humanoid races of Athas can become bards. The social stigma in certain regions may be higher than others, however. For example, the loremasters of the halflings of the Jagged Cliffs are highly regarded because of the ancient secrets and histories they preserve. But in the city‐states, where the Bard’s Quarters are notorious, being a bard is not usually a good thing. Elven tribes often have a bard, who keeps the history of the tribe alive, its conquests and defeats. Humans are often bards, becoming performers of great talent, or assassins of deadly skill and precision. Half‐elves, because of their lonely existence, often take to being bards. The prejudice they face at every stage in life can move some to become great poets or singers. Muls and half‐giants make poor bards; their talents are usually better served elsewhere than the stage or the shadows of alleys. As well, thri‐kreen are rarely seen as bards, relying instead upon their racial memory.

**Alignment**: Most bards are chaotic, and operate alone, brokering information, arranging deals, smuggling illegal wares such as poisons, drugs, spell components and other things. Neutral bards are the ones most likely to operate in fellowships with adventurers, or entertain in troupes with other bards. The rare lawful bards can easily secure positions as councilors or agents for templars, and noble and merchant houses. Good bards are often entertainers or lorekeepers, putting their talents to benevolent use, sometimes diagnosing poisonings and selling the proper antidotes. Evil bards are often masters of poisons and alchemy, selling their wares to anyone with the ceramic to pay.

## Class Features

As in the Core Rulebook, except where noted below:

### Class Skills

The Athasian bard adds Disable Device (Dex), Heal (Wis), and Use Psionic Device (Cha) to his class skills list and removes Spellcraft (Int).

### Weapon and Armor Proficiency

The bard is proficient in all simple weapons, and the following additional weapons: bard's friend, crossbow (any), garrote, greater blowgun, whip (any) and widow's knife. The bard is also proficient with light armor, but not shields.

### Spells

An Athasian bard can not cast spells, and loses all associated spellcasting abilities.

### Alchemy

Bards are not only masters of creating mundane alchemical substances such as alchemist's fire and smokesticks, but also of fashioning magical potion-like extracts in which they can store spell-like effects. When a bard creates an extract, he infuses the concoction with a tiny fraction of his own life-force; this enables the creation of powerful effects, but also binds the effects to the creator. When using Craft (alchemy) to create an alchemical item, a bard gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on the Craft (alchemy) check. In addition, a bard can use Craft (alchemy) to identify potions as if using *detect magic*. He must hold the potion for 1 round to make such a check.

Extracts, in many ways, behave like spells in potion form, and as such their effects can be dispelled by effects like *dispel magic* using the bard's level as the caster level. Unlike potions, though, extracts can have powerful effects and duplicate spells that a potion normally could not.

A bard can create only a certain number of extracts of each level per day. His base daily allotment of extracts is given on the table above. In addition, he receives bonus extracts per day if he has a high Charisma score, in the same way a wizard receives bonus spells per day. When a bard mixes an extract, he infuses the chemicals and reagents in the extract with magic siphoned from his own life-force. An extract immediately becomes inert if it leaves the bard's possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to his keeping - a bard cannot normally pass out his extracts for allies to use (unless he knows the infusion trade secret). An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before becoming inert, so a bard must re-prepare his extracts every day. Mixing an extract takes 1 minute of work - most bards prepare many extracts at the start of the day or just before going on an adventure, but it's not uncommon for a bard to keep some (or even all) of his daily extract slots open so that he can prepare extracts in the field as needed.

Although the bard doesn't actually cast spells, he does have a formulae list that determines what extracts he can create. An extract is “cast” by drinking it, as if imbibing a potion - the effects of an extract exactly duplicate the spell upon which its formula is based, save that the spell always affects only the drinking bard. The bard uses his level as the caster level to determine any effect based on caster level. Creating extracts consumes raw materials, but the cost of these materials is insignificant - comparable to the valueless material components of most spells. If a spell normally has a costly material component, that component is expended during the consumption of that particular extract. Extracts cannot be made from spells that have focus requirements (bard extracts that duplicate divine spells never have a divine focus requirement).

A bard can prepare an extract of any formula he knows. To learn or use an extract, a bard must have an Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the extract's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a bard's extract is 10 + the extract level + the bard's Charisma modifier. A bard begins play knowing two 1st-level formulae of the bard's choice. At each new bard level, he gains one or more new formulae, as indicated on Table: Formulae Known (Unlike extracts per day, the number of forumlae a bard knows is not affected by his Charisma score).

Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third bard level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a bard can choose to learn a new formulae in place of one he already knows. In effect, the bard “loses” the old forumlae in exchange for the new one. The new formulae's level must be the same as that of the formulae being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level formulae the bard can use. A bard may swap only a single formulae at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the formulae at the same time that he gains new formulae known for the level.

The Athasian bard adds formulae from the Alchemist's Formulae List in the Advanced Player's Guide, as well as those found in the Athasian Bard Formulae List.

### Brew Potion

At 1st level, bards receive Brew Potion as a bonus feat. A bard can brew potions of any formulae he knows (up to 3rd level), using his bard level as his caster level. The spell must be one that can be made into a potion. The bard does not need to meet the prerequisites for this feat.

### Poison Resistance

At 2nd level, a bard gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws against poison. This bonus increases to +4 at 5th level, and then again to +6 at 8th level. At 10th level, a bard becomes completely immune to poison.

### Poison Use

Bards are trained in the use of poison and starting at 2nd level, cannot accidentally poison themselves when applying poison to a weapon.

### Swift Alchemy

At 3rd level, a bard can create alchemical items with astounding speed. It takes a bard half the normal amount of time to create alchemical items, and he can apply poison to a weapon as a move action.

### Trade Secrets

At 4th level, and then again every 3 levels thereafter, a bard learns a secret of the trade. Unless otherwise noted, a bard cannot select an individual trade secret more than once. Some secrets can only be made if the bard has met certain prerequisites first, such as uncovering other secerts. The DC of any saving throw called for by a trade secret is equal to 10 + 1/2 the alchemist's level + the alchemist's Intelligence modifier.

A complete list of trade secrets can be found here: Trade Secrets

### Swift Poisoning

At 6th level, a bard can apply a dose of poison to a weapon as a swift action.

### Instant Alchemy

At 18th level, a bard can create alchemical items with almost supernatural speed. He can create any alchemical item as a full-round action if he succeeds at the Craft (alchemy) check and has the appropriate resources at hand to fund the creation. He can apply poison to a weapon as an immediate action.

## Playing a Bard

You are a master of oral tradition and lore, and a true artist, but you share your talents only with those who can afford to pay you.

You are an artist. You are the center of attention (whenever you want to), the person everyone wants to talk to, the “face” of the party. Even if you aren’t the most attractive or charismatic member of your group, your unequaled skill at performance arts creates an irresistible appeal born of justified confidence. You are more than just light entertainment, though. Your target rarely survives the encounter if you don’t want him to.

You might adventure because you desire entertainment. Someone with your smarts gets bored easily. Alternatively, you may have been blacklisted on your current location because of a “business transaction” gone wrong. You have to keep moving, and adventuring offers you a regular change of scenery. In any case, a life of adventure allows you to see new things, meet interesting people, and get some silvers in the process.

### Religion

No central bardic organization exists, and more often than not bards have no particular penchant for religion. Some may worship the elements, fearing the power of the elemental forces, and most bards tend to relate to the Air ever‐changing nature, but bards that worship sorcererkings are rare. A lifestyle of breaking the rules of the citystates does not lend one to worship the lawgivers.

### Other Classes

Bards face life as it comes, and usually hold no special grudge or awe for any one class. They usually approach other’s profession on the basis of how it can help them at the moment. Clerics and druids are respected for their devotion to a divine force, but usually not held in awe. Fighters, gladiators and rangers can be useful as sword– arms but are otherwise useless to the bard. Bards do not view wizards with the same aversion as others might view them, since bards sell them their components.

### Combat

A bard rarely seeks to initiate combat―instead he skulks about, looking for an opportunity to strike swiftly, using his poisons to their greatest advantage. Your work best with teammates, maneuvering to get flanks and help bring down opponents with your various poisons. Use your bardic music to bolster your allies and distract your opponents while the real heavy hitters in your group mop them up.

### Advancement

You have a flexibility in building your talents unrivaled by any other class. You can either emphasize on ability or nurse a broad range of abilities. In most cases, feats that consistently improve your talents are more useful than feats that function in only certain situations. As you advance in the class, continue to max out your ranks in Bluff and Perform, and invest skill points in Gather Information and Sleight of Hand. Many feats in the Athasian Emporium supplement make the most of your poison abilities. Improved Feint is an excellent choice with your expertise in Bluff, and Greasing the Wheels (page 72) if perfect for getting around templar inspections. If you play up the assassin aspect of this class, consider magic (or psionic) items that help you cloak your true intentions, such as an amulet of proof against detection and location or a veil of lies (page 260). When multiclassing or taking a level in a prestige class, find combinations that further broaden your abilities or that increase your flexibility. The poisonmaster prestige class (page 101), the dune trader (page 90), and the assassin (DMG 180) deserve special mention. They are a great combination with the bard class.

## Bards on Athas

*“She was a rare beauty: charming, graceful, talented. It’s too bad she killed my boss.”* ―Talos, mul bodyguard

Athasian bards use songs and tales as their tools of trade. A bard is a person of wit and camaraderie. Despite having few other talents to offer, the bard is a welcome source of entertainment and information across Athas. However, bards are noted to be extremely untrustworthy and even ruthless―they often sell their skills as assassins and poison alchemists to the highest bidder.

In the cities, bards often become tools of the nobility. They’re commonly hired by one noble house and sent to another as a gift. The bards are sent not only to entertain, but usually to perform some other subtle task as well (such as robbery, espionage, or even assassination).

Nobles consider it rude to turn down the gift of a bard or bard company. However, when presented with a troop of bards from one’s worst enemy, it’s sometimes better to be rude and turn them away, for the consequences of their visit could be downright deadly. To get around this, the noble who hired them sometimes disguises their approach by having another noble send them. A very complicated collage of intrigue and deceit is often woven wherever bards are involved.

### Daily Life

The way a bard behaves depends on his individual sense of morality. Some think nothing of adopting false identities, smuggling forbidden goods, or even coldblooded assassination. Other bards find themselves driven to use their skills to entertain and help people. Bards can become great leaders. With their quick wits and great charisma, bards would be natural leaders were it not for their inconstancy. If a bard manages to earn the trust of companions, they value his leadership. Lacking that trust, a bard rarely leads for long.

### Notables

Bards often gain notoriety for their deeds, although most prefer to remain behind false identities. The human bard only known as Wheelock has become a legend when it comes to creating poisons. Fyrian Wynder is a Tyrian half‐elven bard notorious for his combination of bardic abilities and the Way, since his acting skills enable him to adopt several identities, while his psionic abilities provide a means of gaining access to secured areas and going unnoticed once he gets there.

### Organizations

Bards don’t organize together, but they often linger around the same places, which end up getting known as the Bard’s Quarter in most city‐states. A bard joining an organization probably has a specific goal (or target) in mind and rakes a position that best allows him to attain it. A long‐term commitment to such a group rarely appeals to a bard.

### NPC Reactions

Common folk ten to have a hard time differentiating bards from rogues. Bards further confuse the issue by regularly adopting false identities and hiding their varied abilities. Thus, the reaction a bard gets from those he meets depends on what he is pretending to be at a time. Individuals who know about the bard class and the reputation that comes with it have an initial attitude one step more hostile than normal. Templars in particular look poorly upon bards, since they know of the various illegal activities they usually perform.