Bards are versatile adventurers whose primary abilities include a fair assortment of spell powers. Unlike rangers and paladins, who don't gain spell abilities until relatively late in their careers, bards may make use of a limited selection of spells at the beginning of their careers and cast spells at their actual experience level, not at a reduced level of effectiveness. In addition, the rapid level progression of the rogue character group means that low-level bards increase in magical power almost as quickly as their wizard counterparts, especially if player characters share spells.
Bards are described in great detail in the Player's Handbook. As the jacks-of-all-trades of the AD&D game, bards have the weapon choices of a fighter, the skills of a thief, and some of the magical power of a wizard. Bards have a slower spell progression than true wizards, and they are limited to spells of 6th level or less. In addition, bards never gain spells automatically and must acquire their spells by luck and circumstance, finding them wherever they can. Bards are subject to all the normal restrictions concerning wizard spells, including maintenance of spell books and use of armor while casting spells.
The term 'custom-designed character' refers to any other dilettante who has access to spells throughout their adventuring careers. A character of this type may enjoy the spell progression similar to that of a bard, or he may acquire spells in some other fashion, but he is not a true wizard or priest. Generally, custom-designed characters are created using the character class design rules from the Dungeon Master ® Guide.
Bards and customized characters may not specialize in a school of magic. Bards do not gain the ability to cast spells until they reach 2nd level, at which point they begin with a spell book of 1d4 randomly determined spells. Note that bards are not guaranteed spells of the school of universal magic, as wizards are—their lack of formal training means that these spells are as unfamiliar to them as spells of the other schools.
Bards in Player's Option: Spells & Magic[]
While this book is primarily intended for players of priest and wizard characters, much of this information is relevant for bard characters, too. The chapters describing proficiencies , equipment , spells in combat , critical hits , new spells , and new magical items are all applicable to bards. In addition, the new magical system in Chapter 6 includes rules for bards and other such spellcasters. In addition, you'll find that this chapter introduces some new variants for bardic spell ability.
The Bard's Spell Book: Bards must keep spell books, just as wizards do, but a bardic spell book is not the same thing as a wizard spell book. When a bard discovers a spell in a wizard's spell book or on a scroll and wishes to copy it into his own spell book, he may not be able to immediately do so. In fact, at 1st level, the bard only has a 40% chance to comprehend the wizard spell as it is written. This chance increases by 5% per level to a maximum of 85% at 10th level. If the bard is able to make sense of the wizard spell (or uses read magic to read it), he may then attempt to learn the spell and add it to his repertoire by translating the spell into bardic spell notes.
Translating a spell from wizard notation to bardic notation requires one week and 100 gp in materials. When the translation is complete, the bard attempts a learn spells check to see if he can add the spell to his spell book. If the check fails, he can always wait until he gains a level before examining his notes again.
Bards add spells to their book only through luck and happenstance. With the exception of spell translations, bards may not engage in spell research or scroll research. Bards may only gain access to new spells by using another bard's spell book, chancing upon a wizard spell they happen to understand, or translating a wizard spell they don't. If the DM is generous, a bardic college or hall might have bardic spell translations available for trade or purchase.
Bards and Scroll Use: Normally, bards must wait until 10th level before using wizard scrolls; spells on scrolls are recorded in a wizard's notation, and as described earlier, a bard often can't make sense of a wizard's notes. As an optional rule, the DM may permit the bard character to attempt to read wizard scrolls before 10th level. His chance of success is 25% at 4th level, plus 10% for each level above 4th, to a maximum of 85% at 10th level. If the bard fails to read the spell correctly, the effect may be less (or more!) than expected, or it may affect someone or something besides its intended target. Obviously, this makes low-level spell use a very hazardous thing for a bard, but if the character's willing to take a chance, he can try it.
Optional Abilities for Bards[]
Optional Abilities for Bards
Bard characters may modify their spell abilities by selecting optional abilities or restrictions from the following list. Note that these concentrate on the bard's spell powers; the other basic class abilities remain unchanged. For each optional ability selected, the bard character must take a restriction of equal value, so that the total number of character points spent remains 0. Or, these abilities may be added to the bard list in Player's Option: Skills & Powers .
Accelerated spell progression (15): The bard enters Table 32 : Bard Spell Progression in the PHB as if he were one level higher. A 1st-level bard with this advantage has the spell power of a 2nd-level bard, a 4th-level bard is treated as a 5th-level bard, and so on.
Armor and spell use (5/10): Normally, a bard cannot wear armor and cast spells. For 5 CPs, he may wear leather or lighter armor and still use spells; for 10 CPs, he may wear any kind of armor normally usable by a bard and still cast spells.
School specialization (10): A bard with this power may select a school of magic in which to specialize. He may choose enchantment/charm, illusion, or song magic as his specialty. Bard specialists gain all the normal benefits and restrictions associated with school specialization, including opposition schools and penalties to learning spells outside their chosen school. However, they may not engage in spell research.
Scroll use (10): This is the optional ability described above under Bards and Scroll Use . Instead of waiting until 10th level, the bard may attempt to use wizard spell scrolls at 4th level. His success chance is 25%, plus 10% per experience level above 4th (maximum 85%). If the reading fails, the scroll's effects usually rebound on the bard or his companions with deleterious results.
Wizard magical item use (10): A bard with this ability may make use of magical items normally reserved for use by wizards, including wands, rings, and miscellaneous magical items, but not rods or staves.
Optional Limitations for Bards[]
Awkward casting method (5): The bard's spells require either loud singing or the strong playing of an instrument of some kind, making it impossible to cast spells discretely or quietly. He will almost never be able to cast spells without revealing a place of concealment or tipping off an ambush.
Opposition school (5+): The bard may not make use of spells from one philosophical school of magic or make use of magical items that duplicate that school's effects. (Schools that are in opposition to any specialty schools of the character can't be selected for this restriction.) For each opposing school of philosophy, the character may take a 5-point restriction.
Reduced spell power (10): Since he is not a true wizard, the bard's spells are of less power than a wizard's. For purposes of all level-based characteristics (range, duration, area of effect, damage, and so on), a bard of 2nd–5th level effective casting level is one level lower, a 6th–9th level bard's effective casting level is two levels lower, and a bard of 10th level or higher casts spells as if he were three levels lower.
Reduced spell progression (15): The bard can cast one less spell at each level than normal. For example, a 4th-level bard may normally memorize two 1st-level and one 2nd-level spell; with this restriction, he is reduced to memorizing only one 1st-level spell.
Unreliable casting method (5): The bard's unorthodox approach to magic results in occasional failures, with spells just fizzling instead of taking effect. The chance for failure is 10% per spell level, less 2% per experience level. For example, a 6th-level bard casting a 2nd-level spell would have an 8% chance (20 minus 12) of failure.
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