Bard
The bard makes his way in life by his charm, talent, and wit. A good bard should be glib of tongue, light of heart, and fleet of foot (when all else fails). A bard, by his nature, tends to learn many different skills. He is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.
The bard's casting level is equal to his current level.
The bard can Influence Reactions of groups of NPCs.
A bard can Inspire Allies.
Bards are also able to use Counter Song.
Upon reaching 10th level, a bard can attempt to use magical devices of written nature - scrolls, books, etc. However, his understanding of magic is imperfect (although better than that of a thief), so there is a 15% chance that any written item he uses is read incorrectly. When this happens, the magical power works the opposite of what is intended, generally to the detriment of the bard or his friends. The DM will tell you what happens to your character, based on the situation and particular magical item. The result may be unpleasant, deadly, or embarrassing. (Deciding these things is part of the DM's fun!)
In his travels, a bard also manages to learn a few wizard spells.
Like a wizard, a bard's Intelligence determines the number of spells he can know and the chance to know any given spell. These he keeps in his spell book, abiding by all the restrictions on memorization and spell use that bind a wizard, especially in the prohibition of armor.
Bards do not gain bonus spells based on their Intelligence.
In no case can a bard choose to specialize in a school of magic.
Beginning bards do not have a selection of spells.
A 2nd-level bard begins with one to four spells, chosen either randomly or by the DM. (An Intelligence check must still be made to see if the bard can learn a given spell.)
The bard is not guaranteed to know read magic, as this is not needed to read the writings in a spell book.
The bard can add new spells to his spell book as he finds them.
He does not automatically gain additional spells as he advances in level. All spells beyond those he starts with must be found during the course of adventuring.
The base percentage must be adjusted for the race and Dexterity of the bard as given in the Thief description.
The character has 20 percentage points to spend at first level.
Each time the character advances a level, he receives an additional 15 points to distribute.
Climb Walls enables the bard to climb near sheer surfaces without the aid of tools, just like the thief.
Detect Noise improves the bard's chances of hearing and interpreting sounds. He may be able to overhear parts of a conversation on the other side of a door or pick up the sound of something stalking the party. To use the ability, the bard must stand unhelmeted and concentrate for one round (one minute). During this time, all other party members must remain silent. The DM secretly makes the check and informs the player of the result.
Pick Pockets enables the bard not only to filch small purses, wallets, keys, and the like, but also to perform small feats of sleight-of-hand (useful for entertaining a crowd).
Read Languages is an important ability, since words are the meat and drink of bards. They have some ability to read documents written in languages they do not know, relying on words and phrases they have picked up in their studies and travels. The Read Languages column in Table 33 gives the base percentage chance to puzzle out a foreign tongue. It also represents the degree of comprehension the bard has if he is successful. The DM can rule that a language is too rare or unfamiliar, especially if it has never been previously encountered by the bard, effectively foiling his attempts to translate it. At the other extreme, the bard need not make the dice roll for any language he is proficient in. Success is assumed to be automatic in such cases.
| Level | Thief/Bard | HD (d6) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 1,250 | 2 |
| 3 | 2,500 | 3 |
| 4 | 3,000 | 4 |
| 5 | 10,000 | 5 |
| 6 | 20,000 | 6 |
| 7 | 40,000 | 7 |
| 8 | 70,000 | 8 |
| 9 | 110,000 | 9 |
| 10 | 160,000 | 10 |
| 11 | 220,000 | 10+2 |
| 12 | 440,000 | 10+4 |
| 13 | 660,000 | 10+6 |
| 14 | 880,000 | 10+8 |
| 15 | 1,100,000 | 10+10 |
| 16 | 1,320,000 | 10+12 |
| 17 | 1,540,000 | 10+14 |
| 18 | 1,760,000 | 10+16 |
| 19 | 1,980,000 | 10+18 |
| 20 | 2,200,000 | 10+20 |
| Group | WP Initial | WP #Levels | Penalty | NWP Initial | NWP #Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | 4 | 3 | -2 | 3 | 3 |
| Martial Artist | 3 | 3 | -2 | 3 | 3 |
| Wizard | 1 | 6 | -5 | 4 | 3 |
| Priest | 2 | 4 | -3 | 4 | 3 |
| Rogue | 2 | 4 | -3 | 3 | 4 |
| Psion | 2 | 5 | -4 | 3 | 3 |
| Climb Walls | Detect Noise | Pick Pockets | Read Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 20% | 10% | 5% |
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 6 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 11 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 12 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 14 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- |
| 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 19 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 20 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
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