Bard V2

From Risenholm

Bards draw Power from a mixture of the arcane and primal energies within the emotions of themselves and others. They possess the most innate support abilities of any class, and are able to tailor their spell selections to a variety of playstyles. While all the bard archetypes further enhance their support role, their focus lies in general ally enhancement, damage, or spellcasting boons.

Maximizing Strength or Dexterity is recommended for attacking with weapons and using Maneuvers like Knockdown. It also provides bonuses to your Fortitude or Reflex save.
A medium/high Charisma contributes to your spellcasting ability (Offensive DCs, Spells/day, and Metamagic Pool) and support Maneuvers such as "Commander Strike".
A medium/high Dexterity allows you to maximize Armor Class from light armors and improves your Reflex save.
Constitution increases your survivability in raw hit points and contributing to your Fortitude save.
Intelligence contributes to your maximum Maneuver pool and Reflex save.
Wisdom contributes to your Will save.


Vitals

Hit Die: d8 (8 HP per Level)
Proficiencies: Armor (Light, Medium), Shields, Weapons (Simple, Rogue)
Skill Points per level (*4 at 1st level): 8
Skills: All
Primary Saving Throw(s): Reflex, Will
Spellcasting Ability: Charisma (10 + Spell Level to be able to cast a spell)
Spellcasting Type: Arcane/Primal Hybrid. Spontaneous. Spontaneous spellcasters know a limited selection of spells, and may cast any of these spells at any time so long as they have slots available for the given spell level.
Spellbook: Bards learn two spells each level.
Level Feature
1 Spellcasting (Level 1), Bardic Knowledge, Metamagic: Conversion
2 Inspiration +1
3 Spellcasting (Level 2)
4 Archetype Feature I, Harmony Feat, Harmony: Vilify, Inspiration +2
5 Spellcasting (Level 3)
6 Harmony Feat, Inspiration +3
7 Spellcasting (Level 4), Archetype Feature II
8 Harmony Feat, Inspiration +4
9 Spellcasting (Level 5)
10 Archetype Feature III, Harmony Feat, Inspiration +5

Bard Core Mechanics

Bardic Knowledge

The Bard receives a Knowledge bonus equal to their class level.

Inspiration Aura

The Bard's presence enhances the damage of themselves and nearby allies. This consists of a 10m radius aura with the following magnitude according to Bard level:

Class Level Inspiration Bonus
2 +1
4 +2
6 +3
8 +4
10 +5

Harmony

Whether through song, dance, speech, or their simple presence, a Bard resonates with the social fabric wherever they go. Harmony represents an abstraction of this, granting the Bard a resource pool with a maximum capacity equal to their Bard level plus Charisma modifier, which may be expended to power various effects. One point of Harmony is restored for every 5 enemies slain.

The Bard receives the Vilify ability at level 4, and may select an additional Harmony feature that utilises this resource at levels 4, 6, 8, and 10.

Vilify

Expending 1 Harmony, the Bard inflicts 15 + 10d2 Psychic damage against a target. This feature cannot be used again until 1 round has passed.

Echo

The Bard expends 2 Harmony to replicate the effects of any positive spells currently present upon them, to a target ally.

Sympathy

A burden shared is a burden halved. The Bard expends 1 Harmony to restore half of the target's missing hitpoints.

Epiphany

A target ally may be granted Maneuvers and Metamagic equal to the Bard's Charisma modifier, at the cost of 1 Harmony.

Peace

Expending 3 Harmony, the Bard causes a single target ally to receive the effects of Stabilize. This ability may only be used once per rest.

Metamagic: Conversion

The character receives the Conversion feat for free.

Spell List

Cantrips 1st Level Spells 2nd Level Spells 3rd Level Spells 4th Level Spells 5th Level Spells

Daze
Flare
Light
Resistance
Spare The Dying

Charm Person
Cure Light Wounds
Expeditious Retreat
Grease
Mage Armor
Magic Weapon
Protection
Scare
Sleep
Summon Creature I

Blindness/Deafness
Bull's Strength
Cat's Grace
Clarity
Cloud of Bewilderment
Cure Moderate Wounds
Deafening Clang
Eagle's Splendor
Fox's Cunning
Ghostly Visage
Hideous Laughter
Hold Person
Invisibility
Iron Horn
Owl's Wisdom
See Invisibility
Silence
Sound Burst
Summon Creature II

Bestow Curse
Charm Monster
Confusion
Cure Serious Wounds
Dispel Magic
Displacement
Fear
Greater Magic Weapon
Gust of Wind
Haste
Invisibility Sphere
Neutralize Poison
Remove Disease
Remove Curse
Slow
Summon Creature III
Wounding Whispers

Cure Critical Wounds
Dismissal
Dominate Person
Hold Monster
Ice Storm
Improved Invisibility
Summon Creature IV
War Cry

Energy Buffer
Ethereal Visage
Healing Circle
Mind Fog
Summon Creature V

Archetypes

Storyteller

"Who doesn't like a good story?"

Class Level Feature Details
4 Living Legends You may grant allies a variety of benefits, dependent on their role in your story. Granting a role consumes 1 Harmony.

Each role may only apply to one target at a time, with a maximum of 3 roles granted at once. There is no duration limit on these benefits, so long as a target remains within your Inspiration Aura If a target leaves your Inspiration Aura range, their role benefits will expire within 1 minute. The target may return to the aura to again remove this durational limit.

The roles and their benefits are as follows:

The Mighty: +CHA Attack Damage

The Swift: +1 Attack per round

The Stalwart: +30% Multiplicative Damage Immunity (MultDI) to all damage

The Erudite: +25% Spell Damage, +1 Metamagic Recycle

The Beneficent: +20% Healing, THP generation, DR Magnitude

The Vengeful: Retaliation [Trigger: Attacks, Damage: 1d6 + CHA Sonic, Limit: N/A, Duration: N/A, Cooldown: 5s, per-Attacker], +25% Retaliation Damage

7 Rapt Audience When using Harmony features, you affect every applicable target within your Inspiration Aura range instead of a single target. If you have any Living Legends currently outside your Inspiration Aura, they too receive the Harmony effects.
10 Legends Never Die Upon granting a Living Legend role, you also grant the target Plot Armour; a Damage Resistance effect with a Threshold equal to your Charisma modifier, and an Absorption Limit equal to half the target's maximum hitpoints. If the Living Legend should suffer damage that would result in their death, the damage is instead halted at 1 HP, the Living Legend is healed for hitpoints equal to the remaining Absorption in the Plot Armour, and they may not be reduced below 1 hitpoint for 1 round. If you grant Plot Armour to a target who is currently dead or dying, they are immediately revived before receiving the additional effects.


Plot Armour may be reapplied to a Living Legend without Plot Armour via the Storyteller menu, at a cost of 1 Harmony.

Skald

"Revel in the glory of combat!"

Class Level Feature Details
4 Great Deeds When an ally scores a critical hit within your Inspiration Aura, all allies within it gain the effects of Haste for 3 rounds as an Extraordinary effect. The duration of Great Deeds stacks if an ally should already be under its effects.


You may also use this feat to consume 1 Harmony in order to activate Great Deeds as if you had scored a critical hit.

7 Striking a Chord When an ally strikes a critical hit within your Inspiration Aura, half of their total damage is struck again as Sonic damage. You also grant all allies receiving your Great Deeds effect a Sonic damage bonus equal to twice your Inspiration Bonus.
10 Retelling When an ally scores a critical hit within your Inspiration Aura, any Sonic damage that was a part of that attack is reapplied to the nearest enemy to you within your Inspiration Aura. The triggering ally then receives temporary hitpoints equal to this Sonic damage total, which last for one minute.

Lorekeeper

"There are some things man was never meant to know; and others that he must."

Class Level Feature Details
4 Magical Secrets Your archetype menu may be used to target a spell scroll to create a Scroll of Secrets, a charged magical item capable of casting the spell contained within the target scroll, with the following properties:


  • Charges equal to your combined mental ability modifiers upon resting. Spells consume 1 + 1 charge per spell level.
  • Two slots, able to hold spells of up to 3rd level.
  • When you expend a Bard spell slot, your Scroll of Secrets gains charges equal to the level of the spell. Similarly, you regain a spell slot equal to the spell's level whenever you cast from your Scroll of Secrets. This may exceed the normal maximum capacity for charges or spell slots.
  • You may use your archetype menu to expend 3 Harmony in order to restore charges to your Scroll of Secrets equal to your combined mental modifiers.
  • You may reassign your Scroll of Secrets spells whenever you Rest, before casting any spells from the Scroll of Secrets.
  • Spells cast from the Scroll of Secrets do not degrade Stability.
7 Expansive Knowledge You gain two more slots in your Scroll of Secrets. These slots are able to hold up to 4th level spells.
10 Deep Lore You gain one further slot in your Scroll of Secrets, able to hold spells up to 5th level. When using the Scroll of Secrets or an equipped item to cast a spell, the spell benefits from any applicable Metamagic you know at no cost.