Bards

Bards weave magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds, create illusions, and even heal wounds.

While they are capable fighters, the true power of bards lies in their words and music. They can inspire those who hear them, raise their spirits, and affect their minds in other ways. They are well-versed in lore and magic, as well.

Bard class was introduced in the Inner Strength DLC.

## Class Starting Equipment

* Rapier OR Longsword
* Lute OR other musical instrument (Bongo, Conch, Drum, Dulcimer, Flute, Horn, Lute or Shawm)
* Dagger
* Bard Armor
* Diplomat's Pack or Entertainer's Pack

## Class Features

**Saving Throw Proficiencies ➜** Dexterity, Charisma

**Weapon Proficiencies ➜** Longsword, Shortsword, Rapier and Simple Weapons

**Bard Skills ➜** Choose any 3 skills.

**Bard Spellcasting ➜** Can cast spells from the Bard Spells list

**Bard College ➜** At 3rd level, Bard's select a bard college of their choice.

**Bardic Inspiration ➜** Using a bonus action, chose a creature other than yourself within 12 squares that can hear you to receive 1d6 Bardic Inspiration. Once, within the next 10 minutes, the inspired creature can add the Bardic Inspiration die to one failed ability check, attack roll or saving throw. All expended uses of Bardic Inspiration are regained on a long rest and it has the number of uses equal to your CHA modifier.

## Higher Level Features

**Level 2**

* **Jack of All Trades ➜** Add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check in which you are not already proficient.
* **Song of Rest ➜** During a short rest, allies gain an extra d6 Hit Die to spend in addition to their normal Hit Dice in order to regain hit points. This extra hit die increases to a d8 at 9th level and d10 at 13th level.

**Level 3**

* **Bard Expertise ➜** Select 2 proficient skills to double their proficiency bonus.

* **Bard College ➜** Select your Bard College to specialize your musical performances.

**Level 4**

* **Ability Score Choice** ➜ Choose between increasing your ability scores or gaining a bonus feat.

**Level 5**

* **Font of Inspiration** ➜ You regain all expended uses of Bardic Inspiration on a short rest and a long rest.
* **Bardic Inspiration (d8)** ➜ Your Bardic Inspiration die changes from 1d6 to 1d8.

**Level 6**

* **Countercharm** ➜ Grants all allies (including yourself) within 6 cells an advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. Requires an Action to activate and lasts until the end of your next turn.

**Level 8**

* **Ability Score Choice** ➜ Choose between increasing your ability scores or gaining a bonus feat.

**Level 9**

* **Song of Rest** ➜ The additional hit die from Song of Rest during a short rest increases from a d6 to d8.

**Level 10**

* **Magic Secrets ➜** Learn two spells from ANY class.
* **Bardic Inspiration (d10)** ➜ Your Bardic Inspiration die changes from 1d8 to 1d10.
* **Bard Expertise ➜** Select another 2 proficient skills to double their proficiency bonus.

**Level 12**

* **Ability Score Choice** ➜ Choose between increasing your ability scores or gaining a bonus feat.

**Level 13**

* **Song of Rest** ➜ The additional hit die from Song of Rest increases from d8 to d10.

**Level 14**

* **Additional Magic Secrets ➜** Learn two additional spells from ANY class.

**Level 16**

* **Ability Score Choice** ➜ Choose between increasing your ability scores or gaining a bonus feat.

## Bard College

These Bard subclasses are granted at level 3.

### College of Lore

Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from diverse sources. The College of Lore has gathered knowledge from all over the world, from ancient ballads, peasant folklore, scholarly tomes, and more. They pursue truth and beauty with unending devotion.

**Level 3**

* **Bonus Proficiencies** ➜ Gain proficiency in 3 additional skills.
* **Cutting Words** ➜ Use your bonus action to expend one Bardic Inspiration die to select a creature you can see within 12 cells of you. Decrease its ability checks, attack and damage rolls by the value of the Bardic Inspiration die until the start of your next turn.

**Level 6**

* **Magic Secrets** ➜ Lore Bards get access to Magical Secrets before all other bards, learning two spells from ANY class.

**Level 14**

* **Peerless Skill ➜** You can now cast Bardic Inspiration on yourself.

### College of Hope

Bards of the College of Hope focus their musical performances on healing themselves and their allies. They are bringers of comfort and dispellers of fear. Their songs raise the spirits of those who hear them, healing bodies as well as soothing fears.

**Level 3**

* **Healing Ballad** ➜ Improves Song of Rest by adding Charisma modifier to the amount healed. At the end of the short rest, it also grants allies temporary HP equal to one Bardic Inspiration die + Bard's Charisma modifier.
* **Wandering Healer** ➜ In your list and always prepared:
	+ Level 3: Prayer of Healing
	+ Level 6: Mass Healing Word and Revivify

**Level 6**

* **Words of Hope** ➜ Bardic Inspiration also heals for an amount equal to Song of Rest whenever it targets an ally below half of their max health.

**Level 14**

* **Song of Hope ➜** As an action, you can sing a Song of Hope to help allies within 6 cells, granting them resistance to all damage and advantage on all their saving throws until the start of your next turn. If you take damage, you must make a successful Concentration check or Song of Hope will end.

### College of Heroism

Bards in the College of Heroism use their music to support and inspire their allies to achieve heroic results. They sing the song of battle and dance the dance of death, inspiring crowds with their deeds.

**Level 3**

* **Bolster Morale** ➜ When allies expend your Bardic Inspiration dice, they roll with advantage.

* **Heroic Tale** ➜ You can use your action to bolster an ally you can see within 6 cells of you for 1 minute. Ally gets immunity to fear/frightened effects and advantage on all saving throws. You can't use this feature again until you finish any rest.

**Level 6**

* **Thundering Voice** ➜ Whenever you are granting Bardic Inspiration to an ally, also deal 1d8 + Charisma modifier thunder damage to the closest enemy within 12 cells of you and impose disadvantage on their next attack roll (successful Wisdom saving throw halves the damage).

**Level 14**

* **At Road's End ➜** When an ally you can see within 12 cells is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to make them fall to 1 hit point instead. You regain this feature on a short or long rest.

### College of Tradition (Lost Valley DLC)

Remnants of the old Manacalon Empire, the College of Transition is a fairly selfish archetype from a selfish era. They descend from an order of song-wizards who served the Manacalon Empire. While their allegiance has changed, their fascination with magic has not – and neither has their skill.

**Level 3**

* **Aura of Preeminence** ➜ Intimidation and Insight checks of less than 10 are treated as a 10.
* **Ancient Tradition** ➜ Can cast Mage Armor on yourself at will. If you're unarmored, your AC becomes 13 + Dexterity modifier.

**Level 6**

* **Verbal Onslaught** ➜ Whenever taking damage from a creature you can see within 12 cells of you, you can use your reaction to expend one Bardic Inspiration die. On a failed Intelligence saving throw, the target takes 2× the die result + Charisma modifier in psychic damage and is stunned (half damage on a successful save).

**Level 14**

* **Manacalon Perfection ➜** Once per long rest, as a bonus action, grant yourself and one ally the benefits of bardic inspiration for free. This bardic inspiration always rolls the maximum value.

## Spell List

Bard spell list enumerates all the spells the character can cast. Whether they have it memorized or just want to cast it from a scroll, the spell needs to be on their spell list.

**Cantrip**

* Dancing Lights
* Dazzle
* Light
* Shadow Armor
* Shadow Dagger
* Sparkle
* True Strike
* Vicious Mockery

**Spell Level 1**

* Animal Friendship
* Bane
* Charm Person
* Comprehend Languages
* Cure Wounds
* Detect Magic
* Faerie Fire
* Feather Fall
* Healing Word
* Heroism
* Hideous Laughter
* Identify
* Longstrider
* Mage Armor (College of Tradition only)
* Thunderwave

**Spell Level 2**

* Blindness
* Calm Emotions
* Enhance Ability
* Heat Metal
* Hold Person
* Invisibility
* Knock
* Lesser Restoration
* Prayer of Healing (College of Hope only)
* See Invisibility
* Shatter
* Silence

**Spell Level 3**

* Bestow Curse
* Dispel Magic
* Fear
* Hypnotic Pattern
* Mass Healing Word (College of Hope only)
* Revivify (College of Hope only)
* Stinking Cloud
* Tongues

**Spell Level 4**

* Confusion
* Dimension Door
* Dreadful Omen
* Freedom of Movement
* Greater Invisibility

**Spell Level 5**

* Dominate Person
* Greater Restoration
* Hold Monster
* Mass Cure Wounds
* Raise Dead

**Spell Level 6**

* Eyebite
* Hilarity
* True Seeing

**Spell Level 7**

* Arcane Sword
* Regenerate
* Resurrection
* Symbol

**Spell Level 8**

* Dominate Monster
* Feeblemind
* Power Word Stun