Bardic Whispers

This is a call for submission to a group project dedicated to our favorite class the bard ( Ok so my favorite class), As I stated below and am reposting here I will be more of a Content editor, and then as a group I will give it back into your hands to decide what you want to do with it.

Things that we are looking for...

Feats (New Bardic, or General feats that fit in a Bardic World)
Magic Instruments
Prestige Classes
New Uses for Old Skills
Variant Core Bardic Classes
New Bardic Spells
New ways to use the bard ( Masterwork Perfomances are an example though unless I am mistaken we will not be able to write any of our own)

If you give me a Prestige Class please if you can give me a Iconic Character from that class.




For instance,

A Bardic PrC after the Divine Magical "Bard" From Soul Singer of Tyrnos by Ardath Mayhar.

The Speaker for the Dead (from Orson Scott Cards: Ender's series)

The Musical Truth Binder type from Rhapsody

I would like to collect a assortment of Bardic PrC's either as a listed

From S&S or posted either as a .doc; or .rtf file here. I am thinking about a Book for Bards, (After reading the article on Masterwork Performances) and would love to include good PrC's for the project which will highlight a more detailed way to determine the ability of a Bard( for instance whether his performance was poor, good, great, or legendary) Please keep the PrC's WOTC format, and include if you will at least a bio of a Iconic Character of the class (Stats are not needed as of yet.)

Other things that will be accepted include Magical Instruments, Or Essays on the function of a bard.

Topics must include some form of bard (whether skald, Court Bard, Riddle Master, etc) and I am partial to Essays on Bards & City Intrigue.

so you want a bard prestige classes, and you want them to be based on something read in a novel?

Not necessarily, from a novel but if you have seen or have used unique bardic classes (such as those I listed above) then by all means I would love to see them.

I just want to see some unique, and playable Bardic classes that step out of the norm for the 3E Bard.

Such as the Divine Magic Bardic PrC that is tied to some divine source.

The Speaker for the Dead is one that I would love to see (personally) It should have the ability to root out the truth of a spokens life (good or bad) and then be able to weave the truths into a total story that acurately portrays the spoken.

I've worked up several bardic prcs for my campaign, including the Jester (self-explanatory concept), the Meistersinger (sounds like your divine bard, more or less) and the War Beater (orcish drummer who inspires the troops).

Are you working on a book to publish or just for your campaign? I'll be happy to offer up some contributions (I also have a bunch of bard-related feats) as long as you put my name in the credits.

I am really just compiling a work that will include nifty things for bards (unfortunetly not our own masterwork performences) That I may try and get published via a PDF publisher.

And yes I would share or even give credit to a multitude of people. ( I do have hidden motives as most of my party are bards or musicians of some sort)


Things I would like to compile for this New Bardic Feats, New Unique Bardic Ability Varients. A more elaborated Group magical effect (like out of the Bardic Voices series by M. Lackey)
New Uses for old skills, And a DM Section on how to run the Political, and Social Intrigue campaign ( of course trying to make fun for others as well)

And since I would rather be a Compiler and Editor I am looking for your submissions (which I will then compile and hand back to you all in a body (you all refers to submitters) So you can reread the material test run it whatever, and then vote on what to do with it.

Hey even if all you got on bards is how say a Yuan-Ti, or Medusa bard may be lets see it, I want all things unusual about bards (Bards as Villians, As Soldiers, etc.)


Think bard, Think Unusual, Think Useful that is what I am looking for.

Here's a start for ya!

MEISTERSINGER
Some religious orders maintain choirs of holy singers. These singers learn to use their voices as musical channels for divine power. Many Galadorian churches maintain orders of meistersingers, but they are far from the only ones. Meistersingers are also knows for their tendency to travel in groups, as their power increases with the harmonies they produce.
Hit Die: d6
Prerequisites: Perform (8 ranks). Cooperative Spell. Bardic music ability. Divine spells.
Class Skills: Concentration (con), Decipher Script (int), Craft (int), Diplomacy (cha), Heal (wis), Knowledge (religion) (int), Listen (wis), Perform (cha), Scry (int), Sense Motive (wis), Spellcraft (int), Use Magic Device (cha). Skill points per level: 2 + int bonus.
Base Attack: Medium (as cleric)
Good Saves: Fort and Will
Poor Saves: Ref

Level Special Abilities
1 Bardic music, +1 caster level
2 Rally, +1 caster level
3 Tone of Calm, +1 caster level
4 Hymn of Victory
5 Song of Angels, +1 caster level
6 +1 caster level
7 Unearthly Choir
8 +1 caster level
9 Note of Destruction, +1 caster level

CLASS FEATURES
Armor and Weapon Proficiency: Meistersingers gain no armor or weapon proficiencies.
Spells: The meistersinger may choose a preexisting spellcasting class to increase his caster level in. The meistersinger may choose a different class each time he has the opportunity to increase a caster level. No other class abilities are gained from increasing his caster level.
Bardic Music (Ex, Su and Sp): The meistersinger’s levels stack with bard levels for bardic music purposes.
Rally (Su): Using bardic music, the meistersinger can counter fear effects if his perform check exceeds the fear effect’s save DC.
Tone of Calm (Sp): The meistersinger may cast calm emotions as a use of bardic music. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability. The save DC is 15 + cha modifier; it is otherwise just like the spell.
Hymn of Victory (Su): If the meistersinger has at least 10 ranks in perform, he can use his inspire courage ability to greater effect by calling on his divine patron’s blessings. The hymn grants a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls; a +2 morale bonus on saves against fear and charm effects; and, to followers of your religion, a +1 sacred bonus on attacks and saves. This counts as two uses of your bardic music for the day; it is a mind-affecting sonic ability.
Song of Angels (Sp): Depending on the meistersinger’s alignment and religion, this ability may be known as the song of devils, song of slaadi, etc. He sings religious energy at enemies of his faith as a full round action, and it functions as a dispel evil, law, chaos or good. The meistersinger may sing to dispel any alignment to which his is opposed.
Unearthly Choir (Sp): The meistersinger may use his bardic music to damage targets in a cone. An unearthly choir is more effective with other creatures aiding the meistersinger. The cone goes out to short range (25’ + 5’/2 levels) if he sings it alone, deafening all within it for 2d4 rounds if they fail a Fort save (DC 15 + cha modifier). If two to six bards join in the choir and at least one of them is a meistersinger, it becomes a cone out to medium range (100’ + 10’/level of the directing meistersinger) that causes 5d4 hp of damage, deafness for 2d4 minutes, and stuns all creatures in the cone for 2d4 rounds. Creatures in the cone receive a Fort save, DC 20 + cha bonus) for a partial effect: 1 round of stunning, 1d4 rounds of deafness and half damage. If more than six bards join together and are directed by at least three meistersingers the cone of sound deals 5d8 hp of damage and a save indicates 1d4 rounds of dazing after the initial round of stunning. This is a sonic effect that counts as one use of the meistersinger’s bardic music ability for the day.
Note of Destruction (Su): The meistersinger’s bardic music can be used to damage or destroy objects. The meistersinger can strike a high pitch that deals 10d6 points of damage to a single object within close range, ignoring its hardness. The object receives a Fort save for half damage, DC20 + cha bonus.


I'll post a few more things later in the day...

WAR BEATER
Orcish drummers who encourage their kin in battle, war beaters are almost always audible miles away. Their tremendous drumming builds the confidence of the troops they strike a beat for.
Hit Die: d8
Prerequisites: Base attack +5. Cha 15+. Perform (drumming) (8 ranks). Inspire Fear, Soldier’s March. Bardic music ability.
Class Skills: Bluff (cha), Climb (str), Concentration (con), Craft (int), Decipher Script (int), Diplomacy (cha), Disguise (cha), Forgery (int), Gather Information (cha), Handle Animal (cha), Heal (wis), Intimidate (cha), Intuit Direction (wis), Perform (cha), Ride (dex), Spot (wis), Use Rope (dex). Skill points per level: 4 + int bonus.
Base Attack: Good (as fighter)
Good Saves: Fort
Poor Saves: Ref and Will

Level Special Abilities
1 Deafening Drumming
2 Rally
3 +1 bardic music/day
4
5 Inspire Rage
6 +1 bardic music/day
7
8 Name Champion
9 +1 bardic music/day
10 Doubletime

CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: War beaters are proficient in all simple and martial weapons, as well as light and medium armor.
Bardic Music (Ex, Su or Sp): The war beater continues to gain uses of bardic music per day, albeit at a slower rate than a true bard.
Deafening Drumming (Su): The war beater can create a cone of thunderous sound to short range (25’+5’/2 levels). The cone lasts for one full round, during which time the war beater cannot move. All creatures that pass into or through the cone must make Fort saves (DC 15 + cha bonus) or be deafened for 2d4 minutes. This ability counts as one use of bardic music for the day and is often used to wreak havoc on a battlefield by disrupting the enemy’s communications.
Rally (Ex): If the war beater’s unit’s morale should break, his tremendous drumming can rally them to him. He makes a Perform check with a base DC of 20, modified as follows:
Outnumbered: +2; if more than 2:1, DC is increased by 4 instead.
Impossible to harm foes (high DR, no ranged attacks against flyers, etc): +5
Enemy is other than humanoid, animal, vermin or beast: +2
Fear effect on at least 25% of unit: +2
Numerical superiority: -2; if more than 2:1, DC decreases 4 instead.
Hated enemy (racial, religious, enemy state, etc): -4
If the war beater’s Perform check succeeds, the unit rallies and is brought back under the control of their commander. This is a mind-affecting sonic language-dependant ability that counts as one use of bardic music for the day.
Inspire Rage (Ex): The war beater can cause all his allies within a 20’ spread to fly into a barbarian rage that lasts for 1 round plus each character’s (newly enhanced) con bonus. Allies unwilling to rage are allowed a Will save (DC 15 + cha bonus) to resist. This is a sonic, mind-affecting compulsion that counts as two uses of bardic music for the day.
Name Champion (Su): The war beater’s exhortations can single out one individual to act as a champion for his unity, encouraging him to greater feats of glory. The creature must hear the war beater orate and drum for a full round, then gains a +2 enhancement bonus to str, con, attacks, weapon damage and reflex saves. These bonuses last for as long as the war beater continues to drum and rant. Once a unit has a champion named, it cannot have a different champion named until the first one leaves the unit or dies. This is a sonic, mind-affecting, language-dependant ability that counts as one bardic music use for the day.
Doubletime (Su): This sonic ability allows the war beater to set a marching beat that gives all his allies within a 100’ spread an extra move-equivalent action each round. This ability lasts 1 round/war beater level; it is a sonic effect that counts as two uses of bardic music for the day.



Let me know what you think- the Jester has some formatting issues when I cut and paste it from Word, so it's gonna take a little work. I'll post my feats and the spells I've done up for bards at some point too.

Oh, about the prereqs for War Beaters- Soldier's March and Inspire Fear are both custom feats. I have several that basically open up new types of bardic music performance; as I said, I'll post them here at some point for you.

Thanks Jester,

They look really good from my quick once over that I gave (running errands today) I noticed a few campaign specifics but other than that It is a great start.

I was thinking about another Bardic Prestige Class when I was reading your post that is related to the African practice of sending signals by drum. That would be a fun class to see around (of course there are other cultures with signal instruments such as the Diggeredoo (sp?).


As far as the Campaign specifics...


Galadorian churches If you'd give me a bit of info on these ( I am just assuming they are from your campaign)

And I would love to have any bardic feats that you should have.

I was thinking of working on some Bard Schools for the more refined Bards. I do not know

Priest said:

As far as the Campaign specifics...


Galadorian churches If you'd give me a bit of info on these ( I am just assuming they are from your campaign)

Click to expand...

Oh, Galador is the main semi-monotheistic religion in my campaign (there's Galador, the sun god; his son/Jesus-figure, Dexter; and Dexter's descendant, the God-Emperor Prayzose)...

They're pretty much only mentioned as part of the campaign's flavor text; we can take the references out without affecting anything.

I'll post some more stuff once I get past where I'm stuck in this cursed Mystery of Time and Space flash game... dag nabbit...!