Bard

     Bards are traveling entertainers. Poets, singers, musicians, and tellers of tall tales all fall under this class. Especially nowadays, bards are a welcome sight almost anywhere for the diversion they provide from the drudgery of day-to-day life. Bards are true jacks-of-all-trades having abilities in combat, stealth, knowledge and magic. Some bards ply their trade from town to town, whereas others make their living by distracting the crowd so accomplices can snatch the pouches of people in the audience. In any case, bards can be found in adventuring groups everywhere, which find their wide variety of skills to be a valuable commodity. In order to use bardic magic, a character must sing and/or play an instrument, or at the very least carry a physical representation of an instrument in their hand and role-play its use while casting. Like mages, bards cannot wear armor while casting their spells. To cast their magic, bards use chords as a mage would use mana or a cleric would use piety. Bards buy chords at a ratio of 3 character points for 2 chords. In order to avoid fractional numbers, this must be purchased in 2 chord increments. If a starting bard does not purchase any chords at all, he will not have any starting spells and would need to learn bardic magic in game. If a starting bard does purchase chords, he will begin with the Light spell and three other random spells from the starting list. Bards often compose great (and not so great) ballads singing the praises of heroes and casting scorn on villains. A unique situation existing with bards is that while entertaining they have complete freedom of speech, and it is generally understood throughout most civilizations that there will be no reprisal for this, even if they make a joke at noble’s expense. This is not always adhered to strictly of course, and it should also be noted that this only applies to the bards act, and does not give them license to act inappropriately at will.

Maximum Health – 18

Chords – 2 Chords are gained per 3 character points spent