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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 9562387" data-attributes="member: 11">BardA bard is a jack-of-all-trades who knows a little about a lot and a lot about a little, and who is pretty good at everything, but usually not the best at anything—save for song! Bards practice arcane magic they manifest through music, both through their voices and by playing instruments. This magic allows them to inspire others, soothe hurts, dishearten foes, and create illusions. Song also allows them to absorb and retain lore and legend better than most, using this knowledge both to entertain and inform. Bards can serve as wise sages or impudent jesters. They can earn livings as traveling songsters or well-reputed diplomats. But many bards seek to be the heroes of their own stories and accompany other adventurers to this end, both documenting (or exaggerating) the exploits of their comrades, but also making sure their own role is starring one.Bardic MagicWhile an arcane form, bardic magic is not as reliable or flexible as that of mages or warlocks. Most bardic magic requires the use of bardic focus in the form of a music instrument, with their voice contributing the verbal component with a song or ode. As such, bard spells with focus components and whose duration is maintained through concentration, require the continued use of the focus throughout that time. This means the focus is not free to cast other spells while maintaining concentration. However, they may still cast spells with a verbal component that do not require concentration while playing the focus by weaving in different musical motifs with their voice. Alternatively, a bard can use their voice as the focus, which means they cannot cast other spells with a verbal component while concentrating on a spell cast that way. This limitation of bardic magic is why bards supplement it with some martial skill and a variety of other skills and crafts.Bardic CollegesBards focus their craft into particular fields, calling them colleges. These colleges do not necessarily refer to an actual school building or campus (though these do exist and are not limited to particular kinds of bards) but rather to a school of thought or approach to their musical endeavors and recording of lore. Upon achieving 3rd level, bards in [Heroes of Makrinos] choose a college they will adopt as their own approach. The college of lore, the college of valor, or the college of eloquence. Other potential future bard colleges might include, the college of divinity, and the college of drama.Bard AlignmentIn the cosmic scope of the universe, bards tend towards a neutral viewpoint, understanding the need for Chaos and Law to be in balance (though not always equivalent) in order for sound to have meaning among the cacophony of noise in a disordered world. And yet, raw chaotic sound is also necessary to express emotion or manifest some magics. Nevertheless, they are not beholden to this view personally or in terms of the ethics of their behavior.Bards in the Inchoate EmpiresThere are few bard colleges in the Empires, and the few that do exist tend to be traveling bands that seek to escape the upheaval of war and politics while documenting it. In general, however, the bards of the empire are not particularly powerful spellcasters, given the general distaste for magic an its dampened effect in that part of the world, leaving most to cast cantrips and 1st-level spells, but not much beyond that. Bards who use magic to augment their shows are considered “inauthentic” and booed off stage. All that said, bards might be found in the court of a king, emperor, or warlord, or accompanying a band of traveling mercenaries. Those bards who leave the Empires for Makrinos in the east, might be seeking out the legendary creatures and events that are said to still happen in those “hinterlands,” in addition to whatever other motivations might drive them into exile.Of course, there are bardic traditions among the other peoples of the Empires who attempt to remain uninvolved in the human political and religious tumult. The specifics of those traditions very widely, though most would be marginal and on the verge of cultural extinction.Bards in MakrinosBards are among the most popular type of adventurers among the polis. Their songs and tales are welcome in most pubs, roadhouses, and inns, and even a local minstrel will give up entertaining a crowded tavern to allow a visiting one to play a set or even all night long, especially if they are a bard of repute. During election years, many bards are hired to persuade crowds of voters leading up to and on the day of voting. While there are certainly many people who know better, in general bardic magic here is considered as flashy and for entertainment value, at worse to con some sucker, making it more generally acceptable than that of mages and warlocks or as politically fraught as divine magic.More than one bard in the republic’s history has leveraged a reputation born of adventure and charm into a political career. For this reason, the wealthier and more established families of Makrinos might chide the “common entertainments” of the hoi polloi.</blockquote>

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