The AD&D 1st Edition bard class ...

[GeorgeFields]

... is the original Prestige Class.

Third Edition has been out for ages, and I just noticed that. Odd.

Back in my days of 1e, I witnessed ONE person ever actually achieve a bard. Fingoliath (Fingolianna after a trip through the Tomb Of Horrors) was one bad ass character.I've thought about re-creating the 1e bard as a prestige class; but as usual, laziness and procrastination set in before I did it.

 

[Mycanid]

Bards! Just mention the name and the fiercest of foes would flee screaming in the other direction! They were tough!

I never met anyone who got to bardhood (aside from playing a pre-gen character, like Olaf Peacock in Dwellers of the Forbidden City).

As for what it would look like in 3.5? Err ... why not just a fighter/rogue who then becomes a bard? Kinda close, eh?

 

[Mark Hope]

The Fochlucan Lyrist from Complete Adventurer is a pretty good 3e rendition of the 1e bard.

 

[Christian]

"Clever OP," I thought on preview. "I wonder who wrote that?"



Man. Have I really been posting on these boards for four-and-a-half years? "Louis, it's 5:30 in the morning. You have got to get yourself a life." (President Andrew Shepherd)

 

[Koewn]

My legend lore roll presents this thread also from 2002:

http://www.enworld.org/archive/index.php/t-1901.html

Some highlights:

It was Ftr5 then Thf5, definitely, as a minimum requirement, although either class could be taken as high as 7th. Human or Half-Elf only.

Based on this, prereqs might be something like

BAB +8
Perform (8 Ranks)
Use Magic Device (8 Ranks)
Wilderness Lore (4 Ranks)

The BAB matches a multiclassed Ftr/Rog 5/5. Perform and Use Magic Device are both Rogue class skills, and presumably an aspiring character would sink enough skill points into Wilderness Lore (cc) and Perform for it to be worth his while. UMD is exclusive and feels better than sneak attack as a prereq. Ranger then Rogue would have an easier time with wilderness lore - maybe it's a more suitable combination anyway.

I have my 1e PHB right here. 1e Bards are as close to prestige classes as anything before 3e, and (I think) were actually the inspiration for PrCs:

"A bard must have scores of 15 orbetter in the following abilities: strength, wisdom, dexterity, and charisma. Furthermore, a bard must have at least a 12 score in intelligence and a 10 in constitution."

We can dispense with that, as 3e has dispensed with all ability score requirements.

"A bard must be human or half-elven."

Thats debatable within 3e rules.

"Bards begin play as fighters, and they must remain exclusively fighters untl they have achieved at least the 5th level of experience. Anytime thereafter, and in any even prior to the 8th level, they must change their class to that of thieves. Again, sometime between 5th and 9th level of ability, bards msut leave off theiving and begin clerical studies as druids; but at this time they are actually bards and are under druidical tutelage. Bards must fulfill the requirement in all the above classes before progressing to bards table 1. They must always remain neutral, but can be chaotic, evil, good, or lawful neutral if they wish."

Then there was Bards table 1, showing hit dice, druid spell levels available by class level, etc.

Bards also got a new language ever few levels or so, and a percent chance to to cast charm person or charm monter just by playing music. This, I would assume, is replaced by the bards special abilities associated with the Perform skill. Further powers are described for the 1e bard that duplicate those of the 3e Bard and their Perform skill.

1e Bards also got a legend lore percentage, which I assume would be replaced by Bardic Knowledge in 3e. Bards also had these really neat Gaelic titles, called Colleges, which unfortunately also would be dispensed with in 3e:

1: Probationer
2-4: Fochlucan
5-7: Mac-Fuirmidh
8-10: Doss
11-13: Canaith
14-16: Cli
17-19: Anstruth
20-22: Ollamh
23: Magna Alumnae (sorry...thats Latin, not Gaelic )

It goes on to say that Bards will not associate with a bard of a lesser collage, except for the Magna Alumnae, "who will happily aid (by advice and suggestion) any other bard of any level."

1e Bards were allowed to use leather or magical chainmail only, no shields, clubs, daggers, dards, javelins, slings, scimitars (misspelled scimiters, BTW), spear, staff, and swords (bastard, long, or short). They can use oil as a weapon, and only neutral evil bards will use poison.

There are about 2 1/2 pages detailing the bard, from pages 117-119 in the 1e PHB.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Even then, though, the class had problems by the 1e rules.

First, half-elves couldn't become dual-classed, and so could never become the thief-after-the-fighter.

Second, the ability score requirements aren't high enough. Dual-classed characters needed a 17 in the prerequisite score of the class you switch to, so having 17s in Dex, Wis, and Cha was actually needed.

 

[the Jester]

Having never played AD&D 1E, started playing d20 on the heels of 2E, I am wondering if some one, old-school player, could post his/her view of what the 1E Bard would look like as a 3E PrC? Any chance of that happening?

I think the Fochluchan lyrist, in Complete Adventurer, is a great update of the 1e bard.

 

[Delta]

I'm happy enough with the Prestige Bard class from Unearthed Arcana.

 

[Remathilis]

Even then, though, the class had problems by the 1e rules.

First, half-elves couldn't become dual-classed, and so could never become the thief-after-the-fighter.

Second, the ability score requirements aren't high enough. Dual-classed characters needed a 17 in the prerequisite score of the class you switch to, so having 17s in Dex, Wis, and Cha was actually needed.

Hmmm... Could a half-elven multi-classed figther/thief who met all other pre-reqs get it? By a literal reading; no. But was there ever a DM who allowed that? Otherwise, it was pretty much human only, barring a late-game reincarnate or polymorph...

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Even then, though, the class had problems by the 1e rules.

First, half-elves couldn't become dual-classed, and so could never become the thief-after-the-fighter.

Second, the ability score requirements aren't high enough. Dual-classed characters needed a 17 in the prerequisite score of the class you switch to, so having 17s in Dex, Wis, and Cha was actually needed.

1: The bard was an exception to this rule, and a good way to become a Half-elven fighter/thief dual class just by changing your mind before becoming a bard, though most dm's would bitch slap anyone who tried that.

2: Indeed, that's why bards were so rare.