How do you roleplay bards if you have no perform talent?

[Errant]

Hi all, I was working on an adventure and had an idea for a (hopefully) funny NPC I could insert, a goblin bard.

Unfortunately I've personally got so little 'perform' talent myself I've always struggled to imagine how adventuring bards perform at all in the dungeon or combat etc.

Any tips on how to bring to life a bard?

:\

 

[diaglo]

as a cohort.

to quote: Tom Jackson from the WotC boards: "Bards Suck"

 

[Plane Sailing]

Play him in 3rd person rather than 1st person.

 

[Henry]

One way is to prepare jokes ahead of time. If your bard is a musical one, rather than an oratorical-type, then look up some song lyrics (preferably slightly funny ones if your singing ability is lousy) and sing a line or two for comic effect.

If an oratory-preferred bard, look up some quotable quotes sites on the internet, as well as sites dedicated to classic poetry, and jot some down (or copy and paste, excuse me). Then, you can read off some as the occasion demands.

Some helpful links:

DnD In-game Jokes. In particular, look for my reference to "Glibstone" in Piratecat's game.

http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com

http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/

 

[Hand of Evil]

 

[Enkhidu]

Make him an instrumental genius with a wind instrument - flute for example.

 

[reveal]

I've played bards and prepared a list of jokes ahead of time. I also compiled a CD and played it at the table. Whenever my bard would perform to inspire courage or anything of that nature I would play a predefined track.

 

[Hellefire]

I suggest air guitar!
Or a Bill and Ted-ish kinda thing (Wyld Stallions!!)

Aaron

 

[Voadam]

Narratively.

"He begins to play his atonal goblin bagpipes and you feel the martial spirit enter you, inspiring you with the desire to slash and kill and cause mayhem." then tell the PCs they get a morale bonus to their attacks and move on to the next action. Make eye contact with the party wizard as you say this description.

 

[Janx]

This is why 3e has all those Social skills for, to supplant players actually performing or speaking as their character (and saying dumb things in funny accents).

"I perform an inspiring battle ballad, rolled a 23 on Perform"

"I talk the mayor into letting us bivouak our troops here, rolled a 19 on Diplomacy"

"Is he lying? I got a 13 on my Bluff check"

Janx