Editing Bard

[[Image:Ir bard.gif|right|Bard icon]]
'''Description:''' Bards often serve as negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies. They love to accompany heroes (and villains) to witness heroic (or villainous) deeds firsthand, since a bard who can tell a story from personal experience earns renown among his fellows. A bard casts [[arcane]] spells without any advance preparation, much like a [[sorcerer]]. His magic emphasizes charms and illusions, and the bard can also play an inspiring [[Bard Song|song]] that strengthens him and his allies. Bards also share some specialized skills with [[rogue]]s, and their knowledge of item lore is nearly unmatched.

'''Alignment restrictions:''' any non-lawful

'''[[Hit die]]:''' d6

'''Proficiencies:''' armor ([[Armor Proficiency (Light)|light]], [[Armor Proficiency (Medium)|medium]]), [[Shield Proficiency|shields]], weapons ([[weapon proficiency (simple)|simple]])

'''[[Skill point]]s:''' 4 + [[int]] modifier ( (4 + int modifer) * 4 at 1st level)

'''Skills:''' [[appraise]], [[bluff]], [[concentration]], [[craft armor]], [[craft trap]], [[craft weapon]], [[discipline]], [[heal (skill)|heal]], [[hide]], [[listen]], [[lore]], [[move silently]], [[parry]], [[perform]], [[persuade]], [[pick pocket]], [[spellcraft]], [[taunt]], [[tumble]], [[use magic device]]

'''Unavailable feats:'''
[[divine might]], [[divine shield]], [[extra turning]], [[weapon specialization]]
<br />These [[general feat]]s cannot be selected when taking a level of bard.

'''[[Saving throw|Primary saving throw(s)]]:''' [[reflex]], [[will]]

'''[[Base attack bonus]]:''' +3/4 levels

'''Spellcasting:''' [[Arcane]] ([[spell failure]] from armor is a factor), [[charisma]]-based (a base charisma score of 10 + the spell's level is required to cast a spell, [[bonus spells]] are based on modified charisma, and the charisma modifier affects spell [[difficulty class|DC]]s), and [[spontaneous cast]] (no spell preparation required). Bards begin the game knowing four cantrips.

[[Image:Bard.jpg|Bard]]

==Spells==

{| border=2 style="background:#efefef; color:#000000; border-collapse:collapse"
|- style="background:#c0c0c0"
!Cantrips
!1st level spells
!2nd level spells
!3rd level spells
!4th level spells
!5th level spells
!6th level spells

|- align=left valign=top
|
*[[Cure minor wounds]]
*[[Daze]]
*[[Flare]]
*[[Light]]
*[[Resistance]]

|
*[[Amplify]]
*[[Balagarn's iron horn]]
*[[Charm person]]
*[[Cure light wounds]]
*[[Expeditious retreat]]
*[[Grease]]
*[[Identify]]
*[[Lesser dispel]]
*[[Mage armor]]
*[[Magic weapon]]
*[[Protection from alignment]]&nbsp;
*[[Scare]]
*[[Sleep (spell)|Sleep]]
*[[Summon creature I]]

|
*[[Blindness/deafness]]
*[[Bull's strength]]
*[[Cat's grace]]
*[[Clarity]]
*[[Cloud of bewilderment]]
*[[Cure moderate wounds]]
*[[Darkness (spell)|Darkness]]
*[[Eagle's splendor]]
*[[Fox's cunning]]
*[[Ghostly visage]]
*[[Hold person]]
*[[Invisibility (spell)|Invisibility]]
*[[Owl's wisdom]]
*[[See invisibility]]
*[[Silence (spell)|Silence]]
*[[Sound burst]]
*[[Summon creature II]]
*[[Tasha's hideous laughter]] &nbsp;
*[[Ultravision]]

|
*[[Bestow curse]]
*[[Charm monster]]
*[[Clairaudience/clairvoyance]]
*[[Confusion]]
*[[Cure serious wounds]]
*[[Dispel magic]]
*[[Displacement]]
*[[Fear (spell)|Fear]]
*[[Find traps]]
*[[Greater magic weapon]]
*[[Gust of wind]]
*[[Haste (spell)|Haste]]
*[[Invisibility sphere]]
*[[Keen edge]]
*[[Magic circle against alignment]] &nbsp;
*[[Remove curse]]
*[[Remove disease]]
*[[Slow (spell)|Slow]]
*[[Summon creature III]]
*[[Wounding whispers]]

|
*[[Cure critical wounds]]
*[[Dismissal]]
*[[Dominate person]]
*[[Hold monster]]
*[[Improved invisibility]]
*[[Legend lore]]
*[[Neutralize poison]]
*[[Summon creature IV]]
*[[War cry]]

|
*[[Ethereal visage]]
*[[Greater dispelling]]
*[[Healing circle]]
*[[Mind fog]]
*[[Summon creature V]] &nbsp;

|
*[[Dirge]]
*[[Energy buffer]]
*[[Ice storm]]
*[[Mass haste]]
*[[Summon creature VI]] &nbsp;
|}

==Level progression==

{| border=2 style="background:#efefef; color:#000000; border-collapse:collapse"
|- style="background:#c0c0c0"
!Lvl
!BAB
!colspan=3|Saves
!Feats
!HP range
!rowspan=22 style="background:#ffffff"|&nbsp;
!colspan=7|Base spells per day
!rowspan=22 style="background:#ffffff"|&nbsp;
!colspan=7|Known spells

|- style="background:#c0c0c0"
!colspan=2|
!Fort
!Ref
!Will
!colspan=2|
!0
!1st
!2nd
!3rd
!4th
!5th
!6th

!0
!1st
!2nd
!3rd
!4th
!5th
!6th
|- align=center
|1st ||+0 ||+0 ||+2 ||+2 ||align=left|[[bardic knowledge]], [[bard song]] ||3-6
|2 ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|4 ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|- align=center
|2nd ||+1 ||+0 ||+3 ||+3 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||6-12
|3 ||0||-||-||-||-||-
|5 ||2||-||-||-||-||-
|- align=center
|3rd ||+2 ||+1 ||+3 ||+3 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||9-18
|3 ||1 ||-||-||-||-||-
|5 ||3 ||-||-||-||-||-
|- align=center
|4th ||+3 ||+1 ||+4 ||+4 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||12-24
|3 ||2 ||0 ||- ||- ||- ||-
|5 ||3 ||2 ||- ||- ||-||-
|- align=center
|5th ||+3 ||+1 ||+4 ||+4 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||15-30
|3 ||3 ||1 ||-||-||-||-
|5 ||4 ||3 ||-||-||-||-
|- align=center
|6th ||+4 ||+2 ||+5 ||+5 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||18-36
|3 ||3 ||2 ||-||-||-||-
|5 ||4 ||3 ||-||-||-||-
|- align=center
|7th ||+5 ||+2 ||+5 ||+5 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||21-42
|3 ||3 ||2 ||0 ||-||-||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||2 ||-||-||-
|- align=center
|8th ||+6/+1 ||+2 ||+6 ||+6 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||24-48
|3 ||3 ||3 ||1 ||-||-||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||-||-||-
|- align=center
|9th ||+6/+1 ||+3 ||+6 ||+6 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||27-54
|3 ||3 ||3 ||2 ||- ||- ||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||- ||- ||-
|- align=center
|10th ||+7/+2 ||+3 ||+7 ||+7 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||30-60
|3 ||3 ||3 ||2 ||0 ||- ||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||2 ||-||-
|- align=center
|11th ||+8/+3 ||+3 ||+7 ||+7 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||33-66
|3 ||3 ||3 ||3 ||1 ||- ||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||- ||-
|- align=center
|12th ||+9/+4 ||+4 ||+8 ||+8 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||36-72
|3 ||3 ||3 ||3 ||2 ||- ||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||- ||-
|- align=center
|13th ||+9/+4 ||+4 ||+8 ||+8 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||39-78
|3 ||3 ||3 ||3 ||2 ||0 ||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||2 ||-
|- align=center
|14th ||+10/+5 ||+4 ||+9 ||+9 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||42-84
|4 ||3 ||3 ||3 ||3 ||1 ||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||-
|- align=center
|15th ||+11/+6/+1 ||+5 ||+9 ||+9 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||45-90
|4 ||4 ||3 ||3 ||3 ||2 ||-
|5 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||-
|- align=center
|16th ||+12/+7/+2 ||+5 ||+10 ||+10 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||48-96
|4 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||3 ||2 ||0
|5 ||5 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||2
|- align=center
|17th ||+12/+7/+2 ||+5 ||+10 ||+10 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||51-102
|4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||3 ||1
|5 ||5 ||5 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||3
|- align=center
|18th ||+13/+8/+3 ||+6 ||+11 ||+11 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||54-108
|4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||3 ||2
|5 ||5 ||5 ||5 ||4 ||4 ||3
|- align=center
|19th ||+14/+9/+4 ||+6 ||+11 ||+11 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||57-114
|4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||3
|5 ||5 ||5 ||5 ||5 ||4 ||4
|- align=center
|20th&nbsp; ||+15/+10/+5&nbsp; ||+6 ||+12 ||+12 ||align=left|&nbsp; ||60-120
|4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4 ||4
|5 ||5 ||5 ||5 ||5 ||5 ||4
|}
''Being able to cast 0 spells of a certain level per day means the bard cannot cast spells of that level unless bonus [[spell slot]]s of the appropriate level are granted by a high charisma.''

As a rule of thumb, bards can cast spell levels up to a third their class level, rounded up.

[[Image:ife x2epbard.gif|right|Epic bard]]

==Epic bard==
The epic bard's music is beyond inspiring, beyond heartrending, beyond perfection. With just a song, the bard can weaken the cruelest creature or inspire allies to the heights of power and bravery.

'''Hit die:''' d6

'''Skill points:''' 4 + int modifier

'''Bonus feats:''' The epic bard gains a bonus feat every three levels after 20th. In other words, at levels 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, and 38.

'''Epic bonus feats:''' [[arcane defense]], [[curse song]], [[epic skill focus]] (all but [[animal empathy]]), [[epic spell focus]], [[epic will]], [[extra music]], [[great charisma]], [[great dexterity]], [[greater spell focus]], [[greater spell penetration]], [[improved combat casting]], [[lasting inspiration]], [[lingering song]]

'''Unavailable epic feats:'''
[[bane of enemies]],
[[construct shape]], [[dragon shape]],
[[epic spell: dragon knight]], [[epic spell: epic mage armor]], [[epic spell: epic warding]], [[epic spell: greater ruin]], [[epic spell: hellball]], [[epic spell: mummy dust]],
[[epic weapon specialization]], [[great smiting]],
[[improved ki strike 4]], [[improved ki strike 5]], [[improved sneak attack]],
[[improved spell resistance]], [[improved stunning fist]],
[[mighty rage]], [[outsider shape]],
[[planar turning]], [[terrifying rage]], [[thundering rage]], [[undead shape]]
<br />These general [[epic feat]]s cannot be selected when taking a level of bard.

===Epic bard level progression===

{| border=2 style="background:#efefef; color:#000000; border-collapse:collapse"
|- style="background:#c0c0c0"
!&nbsp; Lvl &nbsp;
!Feats
!HP range
|- align=center
|21st ||align=left|&nbsp; ||63-126
|- align=center
|22nd ||align=left|&nbsp; ||66-132
|- align=center
|23rd ||align=left|bonus feat ||69-138
|- align=center
|24th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||72-144
|- align=center
|25th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||75-150
|- align=center
|26th ||align=left|bonus feat ||78-156
|- align=center
|27th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||81-162
|- align=center
|28th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||84-168
|- align=center
|29th ||align=left|bonus feat ||87-174
|- align=center
|30th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||90-180
|- align=center
|31st ||align=left|&nbsp; ||93-186
|- align=center
|32nd ||align=left|bonus feat ||96-192
|- align=center
|33rd ||align=left|&nbsp; ||99-198
|- align=center
|34th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||102-204
|- align=center
|35th ||align=left|bonus feat ||105-210
|- align=center
|36th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||108-216
|- align=center
|37th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||111-222
|- align=center
|38th ||align=left|bonus feat &nbsp; ||114-228
|- align=center
|39th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||117-234
|- align=center
|40th ||align=left|&nbsp; ||120-240
|}

==Prestige class tips==
*Bards are best suited to become [[shadowdancer]]s or [[harper scout]]s.
*Combat-oriented bards may enjoy becoming a [[red dragon disciple]], [[champion of Torm]] or eventually an [[arcane archer]].
*The [[pale master]] prestige class provides defensive abilities, [[undead]] [[summon]]s, and access to [[epic spell]]s (despite the lack of [[spell level|level]] 9 spells).

==External Links==
* {{FRW}}
[[Category:classes]]