Samloyal23
Adventurer
I am wondering if anyone has ever created anything a variant of the bard based on visual arts instead of music? Is that possible?
Visual Artsist?
- Thread starter Samloyal23
- Start date
Ashtagon
Adventurer
Strictly speaking, I'm not sure that is possible. Visual art is a Craft skill, whereas bards rely on Performance.
Unless you mean something like performance art?
Unless you mean something like performance art?
Samloyal23
Adventurer
Well, art can affect mood and inspire people just as music does, so I am thinking fine arts can have similar effects to bardic music...
trancejeremy
Adventurer
Dancing? I know I've seen that someplace, though where I can't remember (not for D&D). But casting spells through dancing, not singing...
Samloyal23
Adventurer
Shades of the LXD? Interesting idea. I think the key to the bard is not the type of performance but the emotional vibration produced by the art, whether it is singing, dancing, poetry, or painting...
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
Complete Scoundrel has the Cloaked Dancer PrC that is expected to build off a Bard, using Perform (Dance) skill to accomplish the class abilities- Beguiling Dance, Wearying Dance and Frightful Dance.
Complete Adventurer has the Virtuoso PrC, which states in the Virtuoso Performance class ability, in part, "He can use any form of performance as part of this ability. Although many of the names refer to musical performances, a virtuoso isn’t actually so limited—for example, an actor could perform a “sustaining soliloquy” or “sustaining dance” rather than a sustaining song."
My understanding is that Bardic Music abilities could be done through Oration or Instrument as effectively as singing, it's simply a matter of how much your hands might be free to fight while you play a drum, for example.
Painting would likely accomplish a Bard's class abilities, but would be less viable in a combat situation than Oration, for the obvious reasons. If that Bard was facinating a crowd on stage, or dancing on a hilltop to inspire the army ranks though, it should work just fine.
Now, if you mean how every Bard spell has a verbal component to cast, and instead replacing it with an elaborate somatic component, I don't know of an existing variant that does this.
Complete Adventurer has the Virtuoso PrC, which states in the Virtuoso Performance class ability, in part, "He can use any form of performance as part of this ability. Although many of the names refer to musical performances, a virtuoso isn’t actually so limited—for example, an actor could perform a “sustaining soliloquy” or “sustaining dance” rather than a sustaining song."
My understanding is that Bardic Music abilities could be done through Oration or Instrument as effectively as singing, it's simply a matter of how much your hands might be free to fight while you play a drum, for example.
Painting would likely accomplish a Bard's class abilities, but would be less viable in a combat situation than Oration, for the obvious reasons. If that Bard was facinating a crowd on stage, or dancing on a hilltop to inspire the army ranks though, it should work just fine.
Now, if you mean how every Bard spell has a verbal component to cast, and instead replacing it with an elaborate somatic component, I don't know of an existing variant that does this.
Last edited:
Samloyal23
Adventurer
Obviously a character who uses craft to accomplish things will have less to do in combat, but outside of that type of situation creating things with permanent effects such as an inspirational mural in a busy city could be extremely powerful over the longterm...
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
Exemplar can also captivate a crowd using skills.
An Exemplar painter could do very well for him or herself.
An Exemplar painter could do very well for him or herself.
Last edited:
Samloyal23
Adventurer
I don't know from the Exemplar, is it online somewhere?
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
Complete Adventurer p.44. It's the ultimate skillmonkey PrC. 8+INT. All skills in class. Skill Artistry class ability bonuses to skills. level 5 ability allows you to use any of the skills you've chosen as Skill Artistry in place of a Diplomacy check for whoever watches you use it.
My Google-Fu has failed to find anything on the PrC online.
Similar Threads
