An interesting way of thinking up a new character or introducing them to other players is talking about who they are without ever mentioning their class, and only race if its necessary. It helps shape the character without the biases of what people expect from said classes and races.
Bards don't have to be song-based either; poets and orators are also suitable concepts. One bard concept I have is a dude who's just trying to write down the most epic tale ever for a novel, so he goes with the party and sometimes makes their stories seem way more grandiose than they actually were. He's so obsessed with a good story / source of conflict that he kinda does the Goku thing of helping the enemy JUST enough to make it a riskier / higher stakes fight.
I really want to play a College of Creation Bard who uses Painters Tools instead of an instrument. Also, they are an elementary school art teacher, and their Mote of Inspiration ability would just be little stickers they would give to the rest of the party.
@Ryen oh trust me I constantly second guess all my actions / run plans by my party before I execute them if they have consequences, to a fault actaully. :v This guy wouldn't be like, "oh yeah the lich can have the artifact" but he would sign the party up for the most dangerous contracts possible.
I made an entire subclass dedicated to the idea that batds can be Generals where the inspiration of victory through risky tactics motivates party action and they get certain benefits for controlling wargame style.
There are also countless homebrews of college of dance bards who weave magic through intricate dances like an belly dancer, interpretive dancer, or, the master of the charm spell, pole dancer.
"imagine a fighter who incorporates singing directly into fighting" oh I've been doing that for years chief, no worries. anyway, for unrelated reasons, time to watch some super old AMVs.
"You can make a bard without the performer background" Every bard player: *has their conciousness siphoned into the astral expanse from the sheer mass of higher knowledge they've obtained*
Oh, come on. :D My current Bard comes from a long line of stonemasons famous for the crypts, headstones and memorials to the fallen they have built; Bard-ing came later in his life.
I have a halfling College of Creation Bard. She does not use instruments, she draws and paints to cast spells and calligraphy to describe things. She uses paints to create things out of thin air. She's playing Scribblenauts.
"They can sing, dance, paint, prance, make a pretty dirt drawing with a Lance. Plenty of ways to further enhance the battlefield, if given the right chance." - JoCat
@@ElFrogge pretty sure he was making a JoCat reference, he always ends his videos with "now you know how to X, you're welcome *cut to music*", it's so ingrained that when I read his comment my brain filled in the tune after it.
I once made a bard that was a mute, and would just play his Violin to respond to roleplay and inform about decisions and such. And i even made a custom soundboard to properly play with him during online sessions. It was pretty cool.
Bynn: A Changeling Lore Bard. Having read tomes from an ancient Grung Race, they preserve tales that detail hundreds of different ancient civilizations and races. They use their shapeshifting powers to essentially become the people they tell stories of, or at least an approximation. If you can't tell, they're Ben 10 the Bard.
To be fair Kevin Hearne just created a new fantasy series and that is exactly how his Bards work. Any person a Bard meets they can become and they are always looking for stories and secrets where they become the person and tell their stories.
Lol, I recently made a Changeling creation bard and this is his performance schtick. He gathers as many stories and legends as he can then puts on what is basically a one-man play with them.
I love bards that break the mold for how they cast. singing a song is a classic and a good choice, but hearing of a bard that paints the air making his art come to life, or one that dances in a specific way to a beat. Bards are about art and art can be anything it is so flexible
I'm actually putting together a bard that paints her spells into creation. In my mind it'd work a bit like Okami (I think it's Okami) where a quick symbol in the air and boom you got a fire or whatever else you need to make.
Reminds me of when the bard and I routed a entire gnoll war band by using a the cha cha slide with improvised lyrics to line them up for the falling tree traps we had set up for a few hours. “ slide to the left 3.27 feet, slide to the left 4.7 inches, criss cross, every body clap your hands while leaving your weapons on the associated x at your position. Now it’s time to get .... FUNKY....funky ..................funky”
>Three giants coming barreling towards the party as they frantically scramble to escape "AND I SAY WEY HEY HEY IT'S JUST AN ORDINARY DAY, AND IT'S ALL YOUR STATE OF MIIIIIIIND!"
I'd like to emphasize that bards need not be limited to just music. Their only constant is some manner of creative expression. A blade can be a capoeira dancer with daggers bound to their wrists and ankles. A lore can be a novelist or poet that inspires their allies with promises of cementing their legacy in history. A whisper can be a painter that over-glorifies one side or villanizes another to sway public opinion one way or another.
Hey, Vsauce here! Have you ever wondered why goblins are so hard to hit? Well today, I'm going to show how the little snots use the laws of thermodynamics to their advantage, and how you can turn that advantage *bonks sneaking goblin* into a weakness. (*another goblin runs into frame on fire*)
Meanwhile I made a bard who's entire existence is as a meta satire of the edgelord "my character is secretly undead" or "my character is secretly a dragon" or "my character is secretly a half devil" trope. She's secretly a unicorn, she is a sword bard who fences with a rapier, has long flowing pink hair and shiny greenish tint skin, and her name is literally a pun that translates as horse girl in another language. She's a bard because it's the class that starts with a rapier and lets her keep her unicorn healing magic, and she became a sword bard because unicorns get really good at fighting with that one long pointy object they got.
That is so beautiful. After the reborn race was official, I really wanted to play one. So I ended up making a Reborn College of Spirits bard. To add more to that combo is the fact he has the Second Skin player option, so he goes from small human person to big horrific wendigo-like plant monster. He casts spells by pulling tarot cards.
That’s the only bard I wanted to hear about lmao, it’s sheer inability to get less than 10 on pursasion makes it my favourite subclass even though I don’t usually like bards
@@thegreatestchigone5813 technically it should be higher unless you counter build...charisma is its main trait and probable prof or expert bonus but yea i love that part and the if your inspiration doesn't change the outcome they can keep it till it makes a difference and using it to force the opponent to tank their next save then hit em with one of the bards many debilitating control spells
"Imagine a fighter who incorporates singing into their fighting." So is anybody with me to build a pirate captain that sings sea shantys to devastating effect to rally his men and strike fear into the souls of the people he is up against besting odds that no mortal men should simply because of the rallying songs of their captain.
Not a pirate captain, but yeah, a sailor swords bard I played was just that. Love him to bits, but can't really do it justice in online games, so he's on a backburner, for now
I played a Death Metal bard last week that was just, the nicest guy! Had the softest facial features, constantly complimenting his friends, super sensitive, and then just wham as soon as he starts playing he turns into a totally different person.
Thank you for making this, this gave me a great idea for a "gentleman". A Lore Bard who uses words of kindness, respect and benevolence for his spells with the goal of spreading these values across the world. A story of things hoped for.
My lore bard does something similar, but she’s more of a happy go lucky pacifist(-ish, she is only mildly uncomfortable in hurting people as long as they don’t die from it) party mom character. The only thing I consider when choosing spells for her is how thematic they would be in a performance .
The bard I am playing in our current game is functionally Chaotic Evil Mary Poppins. She is very support focused for the party. She also tries to convince children would be adventures the quickest way to power is to make a pact with a demon or other worldly being, through song!
I love the idea of a bard that isn't even art based, they just inspire and cast spells with pure, unbridled positivity. They give their bardic inspiration via encouragement, heal and buff their allies with compliments, and hinder their enemies with insults. They don't utter arcane incantations to cast resilient sphere, they just say "fuck you, you're in a ball now" then it happens.
My French teacher once told me about a rogue he played during Tomb of Annihilation that multi-classed into bard. Since it took place in the middle of a forest very far from civilization, he role played it as him learning body percussion, so that whenever he gave bardic inspiration, he used his own body as his instrument. Genius
"imagine a fighter who incorporates singing directly into fighting" *Y'ALL MIND IF I HUM "Megalovania" TO MYSELF EACH TIME I GO ABOUT STABBING PEOPLE?*
You joke but I play at a table with a few friends and our in-combat playlist is Megalovania on loop, while our out-of-combat playlist is Megalovania Elevator Music on loop. And not once have we regretted it.
When you thnk about it, a bard of creation is the equivalent of a dwemer tonal architect. Actually, this is a pretty rad idea! I might consider that for my next campaign.
I'd like to point out that two fantastic Bard archetypes in our media Zeitgeist are Brandon Sanderson's Singers/Listeners/Parshendi, who are always attuned to the rhythms of their planet and integrate those rhythms into their speech and culture. The other example is King Arthur! He's not especially versed in musical ability, but he demonstrates the bard's capacity to inspire by law, edict, and authority gained by feats of faith and valor. Arthur Pendragon is only of slightly above average skill, but he commands the near super human knights of the round table through his personal gravity and charisma!
I think one of the funniest and most creative bards I've ever seen in a game is Brad "The Motivator" Bradson from The Adventure Zone - a wet-blanket Human Resources manage right out of an office humor sitcom complete with button down shirt and permanent coffee mug - also he's an orc and the son of a bloodthirsty chieftan from the hills. His "instrament" is oration and cheesy motivational speeches and everybody fucking hates him, it's great. Realtalk though I think one of the coolest things about bards is that their artistry doesn't need to be limited to music. You could have a "painter" bard whose catalyst is a brush and who paints their magic into the air. Or you could have a dancer bard, who makes somnatic spell movements with their step routines. A poet bard who merely speaks and recites verses laced with magic, or even a sculptor bard who moulds raw magic with their hands to form spells. Music is the obvious route and the one that most of the game's spells are geared to, but art has many forms and I think bards are great way of exploring them.
My favorite bard I ever played was an entrepreneur and master strategist. His “song,” was him giving battlefield commands making a pitch or explaining logistics. It sounds boring but it was a blast. Also this was in pathfinder so the gameplay was more flexible.
While I really like this (honestly, good work!), I feel you could have gone even deeper. The bard can do music without music at all. The brush stroke of a Painter, the movements of a Dancer, hell, the lashing of a whip and the screams that ensue. All of these things can be a bards “song”. A Valor bard can be a general who’s speech can rally the most weary or shaken troops. A glamour bard’s beauty could be so great that receiving a mere sideways glance from one could spur on an entire party. A sword bard torturer’s bloody work can bring fervour to an evil party just as easily as a catchy tune. As long as you inspire SOMETHING, you can be a bard.
I've got two bards on the backburner atm; A revamped version of my very first D&D character, a Tiefling Lore Bard abandoned at birth & raised by a legendary Opera Producer/Actor/Writer/Director. They wish to follow in their guardian's path, but can't bring themselves to focus on this goal because of a deep rooted belief that They are Going to Hell, simply because they're a Tiefling. Thus they've poured over myths & legends regarding immortality, and go questing to see those legends realized without stooping to the Evil the world, and themselves, expect of them. As an NPC because I'm always the GM they either achieved that goal & have run the opera house for a few hundred years, or used the Lore Spells to become a Bard-Based Lich, trapping only the souls of unrepentant Fiends as a form of Salvation for the Damned. The other one is a Goliath Valor Bard who isn't as strong or tough as the rest of their clan, but they sure are the loudest.
I actually really like the idea of a bard who isnt actually a singer or musician, but rather a different kind of performer. I recently helped a friend with a college of creation build who is a puppeteer who uses spells and eventually his 6th lvl ability to animate his puppet for his performances and overall is a comedian for bardic inspiration. Definitely a lot of room within the class to think outside the box!
Currently I’m running a Kalashtar bard that is all about dreams and the dream world. He is level 15 and he has some access to the high level enchantment, conjuration and illusion spells. And basically he acts as a therapist to the party by recreating last memories that had with dead loved ones and friends allowing them closure and allowing them closure through dreams as well. I remake the songs into stories that he tells from the things he’s learned from the dream world. He plays the flute as well so that’s a bonus. He has also been sending the big bad nightmares every day to terrorize them in the hopes of them being extremely exhausted upon the final battle.
One of my PC bard's most liked tunes is a variation of "The Kissing of the Sheriff's Wife" He's not personally lecherous, but does play to his audience.
My first bard ever was my favorite. A friendly bard named "Lorben Burdenwood", friendliest guy you could ever meet, tries their best to help people in most situations, all around swell guy to his friends. However, he was a slaver, he also extorted his allies for juicy information to blackmail them into giving him a cut. He was a evil man, but not a bad one. He does his best to help those whom he chooses to help, but has no compunctions about his actions in the slightest. He didn't even play an instrument. I flavored his bard-esque abilities into ones themed around business sense, as he always knew where he could strike a deal. This entire character was, to be honest, a deliberate jab at a guy I knew that said that all bards are good hearted bastards, so of course I created an Heartless Saint.
To this day, my group hasn’t forgotten Roscoe, the bard who played his lute so well it turned into a kazoo, and used that kazoo to play “Lean On Me” to the BBEG and pluck at their heartstrings.
I have 3 bard NPCs in my world. One is a speech writer / advisor to the Regent, one is a Madam who occasionally sees clients themselves, and one is a barkeep who listens and doors out advice.
I remember a long time I took this D&D Quiz. I can't remember where it was from but I saved my details. Over 100 questions about your personality, morality, and physique. Out of curiosity I tried answering about myself as honestly as possible. According to it, I was a CN Human Bard, starting level 2, with my stats looking weird. 9 Strength 18 Constitution 7 Dexterity 10 Intelligence 12 Wisdom 14 Charisma Can't really imagine a Bard with CON being his highest stat though unless he was a drunk, and I rarely touch the stuff. Edit: Maybe like one of those Banner/Flag carriers in a battlefield. Good for morale, and gotta be tough to survive.
I had a fairly new player at my table just a few weeks ago, a friend who'd only ever played like 4 sessions of LMoP before the group had to disband. Instead of leaning into the musical part of being a bard she leaned into the confidence behind letting the word see your inner feelings and thoughts, making a bard (of Triton nobility) who's actually a pretty shitty singer but who has such a forceful personality that it doesn't matter. She exuded such confidence that being inspired by her is just being afraid of failing her. Was a surprisingly fun character not gonna lie, really helped get the roleplay going.
Bards don't technically need an instrument. Bards just need a method of magic that is liked to how they operate. Say an actor reciting parts of a play of a hero to boost moral or knows special effects to impart healing magic on others.
One character concept for a Bard that I've always wanted to do was that of someone who uses paint magic. Whatever they paint becomes reality, such as chains over a person, a fireball, an ally becoming inspired, etc. Someone like Zhong Qui from Smite, Epic Mickey, or Gama from Yu Yu Hakusho would be great inspirations for the character.
I had this one concept for a Bard where it's more of a Storyteller than a Musician. Rather than song, he told tales of the Dead to his allies. I used the Haunted One background and made the slight addition that the 'Spirits' he sees that tell him tales miiiight actually just be hallucinations. Nonetheless, the stories he tells t affect his allies and enemies in great ways. ... Used this 'College of Spirits' thingy which I think is either a homebrew or is either a really obscure thing that's hidden in some rare book. Either way- I think it's a cool concept.
I think we should entirely ditch the idea of bards being musicians and make them creatively driven instead. As party of my new Napoleonic campaign setting I have made a college of Scribes and Generals (names pending). Generals are commanders who give inspiration through success and smart tactics. Essentially they are focused on keeping and convincing forces to follower their ans for delayed payoff. Scribes are people who can transcribe their inspiration into their passionate writing and many will be found working as reporters. I think through ditching the idea of bards necessarily being musicians but artists in general we have way more character options that fit the bards abilities and have thematic weight through customization.
Bards don't even have to make music, they can also practice other art forms, like dancing or painting. Or they can be a leader/commander, re-flavor inspiration as giving advice, issuing orders, or just a simple "you can do it!" sort of encouragement
I like the idea of a bard being based on other types of performance rather than just music, like you touched on with the college of swords. I like the idea of a bard who uses a marionette performance to channel enchantment magics, or a triton who used to be a synchronized swimmer who uses magic to enhance athleticism WITH acts of athletic performance.
I've always thought that bards should have a far more intimate and profound touch on the pulse of the world than people give them credit for. Charisma is the power of one's soul, after all, not just literal charm.
Probably my favorite bard I played wasn't even a performer. He was a planar archeologist who became a jack of all trades through studying a diverse range of subjects and adapting to different situations while making solo expeditions. He was basically just a much more charming and less grumpy Indiana Jones. The closest he got to being an artist was writing research papers and playing the harmonica around the campfire.
Funnily enough, even before watching this video, I did have a bard character who's concept did break the mold a bit (albeit not to the same degree as the examples given here). Marcia Viacu is a tiefling bard who uses a hurdy-gurdy and is aligned with her nation's primary religion. She travels the land as a "singing missionary" who attempts to preach and perform short sermons to others via song and music.
Rather than singing,her style is telling funny and/or embarrassing stories, dance and juggling. Her favorite weapons are her twin war fans, and her daggers a close second.
My favourite character idea for a bard is a card reader. You read cards at your allies for inspiration. So the bonus is the foresight that they get. This works best with something like college of creation. You just change the little music notes that fly around into little cards. You are still charismatic and you can even be a swindler, just not musical.
noise, music, and sound waves have always been a core metaphysical concept in high fantasies such as LoTR (Music of the Ainur) and Elder Scrols (Tonal Architecture, Dragon Shouts, etc.)
Fun fact: creation bards can create antimatter rifles, ammo, grenades, poisons, etc. They can also target worn and carried items with their Animating Performance
Performance can be things other than music. I had a concept for a bard who is proficient in cook's tools and performs like a hibachi chef. Healing was done through snacks, combat spells took the form of cooking fires, weaponry focused on kitchen implements, and inspiration was done through delicious smells that promised a rewarding meal after the battle.
“Tis but a scratch.” = Cure Wounds “Me, fail English? That’s unpossible.” = Glibness “If You Need Me, I’ll Be In The refrigerator.” = Tiny Hut “Throw him to the floor” = Compulsion
"and now for something completely different" Polymorph or Alter Self "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Invisibility "Romanus eunt domus!" Comprehend Languages "wink wink, nudge nudge" Charm Monty Python alone is a goldmine, Simpsons too seems overkill lol.
I actually would love to play a bard composer at some point by the name of Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitzweimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm making sure to say the complete name every time I meet someone or mention my family
my favorite type of bard is ironically one that doesn't use music or singing at all. I'd rather replace those instrument profiencies with tools the character could use. this is a bard that instead draws their power from the spoken word itself. there are legends involving words of power, or knowing something's true name gives you power over it. the later is directly involved with the fey and why you don't tell them your full name (reason middle names are a thing). this bard embodies that idea with their words being literally magic, whether they're true or deceptive to manipulate not only the people around them but the world itself. their healing word is "get up" their banishment is "you don't exist" their animate object is literally just asking the object to move eloquence bard is one college that could fit this, such as not being able to roll below a 10 on persuasion and deception
Wow, this actually opened my eyes...now I want a Minotaur Bard who plays rock music, and does so to both tell how awsome he and his party is, whilst also striking fear into the enemy through (Sometimes exaggerated) tales of the party killing monsters
I've been making an NPC who has bard casting but I flavour them as more of traditional mage with their focus being on manipulation and having the capacity to lie to anyone. I gave them a few different abilities based on a few of the different subclasses like Eloquence Bard. The concept I had in mind for them was someone who basically embodies Deception. Nothing they say is straightforward and they could just as easily want you on their side as they want to talk you into your own downfall. In terms of combat, they aren't that physically intimidating but they're resourceful and will try to make the best of whatever situation they're in.
I want to make a College of creation bard who, instead of singing, uses ASMR narration and paints their college features into reality. Bard Ross is where it's at.
I once made an ex-healer bard who was inspired by the illusory skills of a rakshasa his military had fought. He now seeks to become the best illusionist of all time, and I flavored my bardic inspiration as sensory effects. He inspires allies with the sound of drums resonating through a battlefield, or the taste of strawberries, or the smell of salty sea air.
I am thoroughly enjoying my Librarian Bard. He has tips and facts and occassionaly gets to break the 4th wall a little by me making up statistics about how many times a situation/trope has occurrd in the stories he has read. No songs, though he knows them.
These "make your" class videos are awesome. I've been following you for ages but I feel I really need to say you're doing a great thing - getting people to consider a different path than that of a trope.
One of my players rolled up a character one day. A Kenku bard. As a Kenku, he was cursed with no creativity at all, and he coudlnt speak on his own, so he coudlnt create any songs. His character instead only "weaved" the music using a machine, a mysterious custom made music box with a little piano on the side. He played for the party in multiple times, and offered not only comfort to everyone, also comic relief with his shenanigans with his friend, a Tortle Monk that worships the sun. His tale was actually his search for his mother, which was actually the goddess of cunning (In my setting, she was cursed millenia ago, and her children would never be able to fly, giving origin to the first kenku, from where the little guy come from). The party actually traveled to the future, but the Kenku didnt have any memory of what happened in the past, only faint memories of his mother. He found her tomb on a lost city, a clean slate with no name and a statue of a crow, but he was oh so sure, her mother rested there. We all kind of cried when it happened. She left for him a magic rapier able to penetrate magic armor with ease, a weapon suited for the most sneaky and cunning of them all. He was a legend, even able to circumvent his own speech problems a lot. Smart and charismatic, maybe a little too naive (but his best friend always helped with that), he was in my opinion the most unique and heartfelt character any player has ever roleplayed on my table. David, you fucking killed it dude. T'tue was his name, and I'm so proud of you and your little sneaky birb Edit: Also, forgot to tell. This was his first ever D&D campaing. This guy didnt now shit about how to play but the roleplay? oh god it was GLORIOUS
One of my favorite bards was a wounded minor god, destroyed to leave a single shard, unable to recover he got lost in the world, but was saved by a song, not the most beautiful, nor the best made, but it was a song about him who have already been forgotten in time, this inspired him to play the songs and tell the stories lost to time, eventually finding the real power music has.
Bards are about their image, their performance, but also of their craft. They don't need to be singers or musicians, though this is the most common. A Bard can be one of wit, much like Cyrano de Bergerac (think of how he made up nose jokes as he bested another who attempted to bully him with insults only with magic rather than swords). A Bard can be a very specific type of witch (think Samantha, who conjures all her spells with poems or rhyming couplets). I have a Bard who fancies himself an orator for a god and his sermons, the type a revival preacher might use, and his words flow from him into his spells. But an acrobat or a mime can be a Bard as well, as that imaginary rope become real or that invisible wall stops their opponent.
Personally my favourite concept for a bard is instead of a singer, they're a therapist who only started adventuring because they know that anyone who starts adventuring for just about any other reason is in serious need of therapy
College of Eloquence is based around oratory, chiefest tool of which is rhetoric. Rhetorical questions include such gems as, “So what’s the deal with airline food?”
@@Ellebeeby yeah i guess but the college of eloquence doesnt translate well to a more Jim Carrey-ish character like the one I have in mind... Maybe Rowan Atkinson tho... Might even try an English accent
I think the idea behind the College of Satire is pretty cool: the core idea is that “satire keeps us honest”. Basically, these guys are kinda like the Ancient Greek comedic playwrights, in that they tell the stories no one else is willing to tell, and they don’t care who they anger.
My favorite Bard concept is the failed actor who needs to go on a quest because he is a “‘method actor” and is preparing for a role as a hero. I imagine he speaks like Captain Kirk with dramatic pauses. And he trained in stage combat not actual combat, so every time I miss I can rp it as my old stage training kicking in making me miss my opponent.
I'm playing a bard for the first time. He's a mime and he has yet to speak in any of the sessions we've played. My DM let me come up with "pantomimes" for the spells I use - like Silence has me waggle my finger and do that little "lock your lips" motion and boom - silence (now everyone is a mime!) For Leomund's Tiny Hut I just do the invisible wall thing. Took some stuff like Minor Illusion so when our party goes off on adventure, I can act like I climb on a horse and ride off on it a la Monty Python and have the illusion do some coconuts banging together like horse hooves.
I had an idea for a collage of glamour bard that's Halloween themed. This would be more centered around the childish tricks and delights of Halloween, and as such, a bard in the first place is perfect for that, espacialy with the race of an autumn eledrin!? But here's the real seller... Whenever they take on the mantle of megesty, its a halloween costume! So weather you're frightening people with an ogre or witch, or charming them with a car or a fairy, I think it could be an interesting concept.
Just gonna put it out there - the Dragonborn in Skyrim is a bard. Shouting is basically bardic magic - ancient words which bend reality that are further given vigor by the essence of the soul. Also religious bard is so underused. So much of music throughout history has been religiously inclined!
you can also have one who doesn't use music at all. I have a plan to have a cooking themed bard for my next season. Bardic insperation is snacks given to party members that they eat when needed (eat a snickers).
My favourite idea for a bard that I want to use is a middle-aged author who realizes one day that his writing and oration was casting magic. So he travels the world with the party, writing and collecting stories to eventually publish his magnum opus and bring hope to the world while being the caring uncle of the group. He would cast his spells through writing on a piece of paper and orating the writing instead of just saying some mystical mumbo-jumbo.
"Damn My Airbuds are busted, I really would love if any of my subscriptions did the Raycon thing again" *Logan:* "So I've heard some whining from literally the other side of the planet..."
My favorite bard I've ever made was a 19 YO Human with the scholar background and lore subclass. I basically just made them an average college student who worked at the campus library for extra gold. I wanted him to use a rapier cause dex was one of his highest stats, so I made it where he was on the fencing team, and while not the best, was still top 5. I would incorporate his many skills with what he learned at college. Make a history or religion check? Try to remember what a culture teacher taught you about the subject? Arcana? Try to remember what the wizard librarian had taught you as a tip when you vented your frustrations about not understanding magic. The list goes on. He was a very multi-faceted character, and I loved playing him.
The way I like to run my college of swords bard is more as a dancer than a fighter, where knives are their words and the sword their instrument that they use to control and shape a raw battle into more of a freeform dance that even their opposition won't notice, but the onlookers see a beautiful dance almost as if its planned from the very start. it's just a story told through actions instead of song or poems. Also good video, keep up the good work and try not to work yourself too hard
My bard is a news investigator. He goes from place to place searching out the greatest adventures to capture in ink and paint. To inform the land of major goings on they might have been affected by but otherwise went unknown.
I always liked things like the War Chanter motif. Always made more sense than some ponce strumming a lyre into combat and throwing things like Leadership or whatnot into your build to make your frontline braving, buff machine better both thematically and mechanically is nice.
My Bard is a painter, my DM and I rearranged some details like I can inspire in a zone of silence but not total darkness. He's a College of Creation bard so his 'motes of potential' appear like comic book onomatopoeia, and his spells and object conjuring basically work like a cartoon characters "Toon-Time" or "Hammer-Time"
Came back to this after getting tashas book and making my own bard, I am making a pallid elf eloquence bard who is into actin and story telling while being big into philosophical debates on social and political topics like a D&D Socrates. He would use viscous mockery saying things like "You know what you want to be, but who are you really?" or say towards a demon "you claim to be in charge, but what does it truly mean to be in charge? could you possibly be simply a puppet in a grand cosmic play?" Or how dissonant whisper would be "Do you truly matter? What makes you matter? In the grand scale we are mere pebbles on the side of a river that flows through an entire world, you are only important within the world you perceive within your own reality" causing them to doubt themselves and cause psychic damage and possible step away from the fight out of an existential crises. At taverns and street corners he would put on plays and tell tales from his adventures of the things he has seen and the stories people have told.
Why sing ? Bards are artists, yes ? What about dance ? What about painting ? what about cooking ? I myself made a cook bard that uses his cooking to boost his allies. And because he also was a paladin (and a halfling) he used a giant fork as a trident and a giant lid as a shield. He hails from an order of super cooks who travel the world to find ingredients and bring joy and peace through meals and feasts.
ive had so many fun bards that had nothing to do with music either. a farmer turned monster rancher, a devil contract lawyer,a makeshift druid, and im currently having fun in a support role as a cunning tactician using battlemaster and lore bard. bardic inspiration,cutting words,spells, and maneuvers make him a great party buffer,skill monkey and a fairly decent tank as well.
“Tell us about your character”
“Oh he’s a bard”
“Alright, of what college?”
“Uh, Harvard...?”
Shoulda gone to Yale. He coulda been a Whiffenpoof.
An interesting way of thinking up a new character or introducing them to other players is talking about who they are without ever mentioning their class, and only race if its necessary. It helps shape the character without the biases of what people expect from said classes and races.
Soulds like probly a lore bard then, and/or a sage background?
@@agsilverradio2225 close, but instead of getting extra spells, you learn to practice law
@@chalkeater1427 what's the difference?
Bards don't have to be song-based either; poets and orators are also suitable concepts. One bard concept I have is a dude who's just trying to write down the most epic tale ever for a novel, so he goes with the party and sometimes makes their stories seem way more grandiose than they actually were. He's so obsessed with a good story / source of conflict that he kinda does the Goku thing of helping the enemy JUST enough to make it a riskier / higher stakes fight.
I really want to play a College of Creation Bard who uses Painters Tools instead of an instrument. Also, they are an elementary school art teacher, and their Mote of Inspiration ability would just be little stickers they would give to the rest of the party.
@Ryen oh trust me I constantly second guess all my actions / run plans by my party before I execute them if they have consequences, to a fault actaully. :v
This guy wouldn't be like, "oh yeah the lich can have the artifact" but he would sign the party up for the most dangerous contracts possible.
I made an entire subclass dedicated to the idea that batds can be Generals where the inspiration of victory through risky tactics motivates party action and they get certain benefits for controlling wargame style.
@@darienb1127 Bob Ross was a bard of creation
There are also countless homebrews of college of dance bards who weave magic through intricate dances like an belly dancer, interpretive dancer, or, the master of the charm spell, pole dancer.
"imagine a fighter who incorporates singing directly into fighting"
oh I've been doing that for years chief, no worries. anyway, for unrelated reasons, time to watch some super old AMVs.
Isn’t that basically just a blade singer hahaha
@@brannenpfister2579 no, the IRL equivalent is the battle-bard
"My character's name is Lincoln... Parks..."
@@brannenpfister2579 Bladesingers don't actually sing, it's a metaphor for the sound of their blades clashing on others.
@@jackdizzy123 ohhhhh word DIDNT know that! I’m talking it too literally x)
"You can make a bard without the performer background"
Every bard player: *has their conciousness siphoned into the astral expanse from the sheer mass of higher knowledge they've obtained*
Oh, come on. :D My current Bard comes from a long line of stonemasons famous for the crypts, headstones and memorials to the fallen they have built; Bard-ing came later in his life.
I have a halfling College of Creation Bard. She does not use instruments, she draws and paints to cast spells and calligraphy to describe things. She uses paints to create things out of thin air. She's playing Scribblenauts.
“Oh blast, I’m out of paint...”
* Draws picture of “paint” in the dirt with a stick *
“Problem solved!”
Or Okami. That game's combat and puzzle solving works by drawing certain patterns.
Nah, that ain't Scribblenauts, that's straight up Drawn to Life.
You. You my good sir are a fucking genius
this is the most brilliant idea i've ever heard fucking congrats king
"They can sing, dance, paint, prance, make a pretty dirt drawing with a Lance. Plenty of ways to further enhance the battlefield, if given the right chance." - JoCat
Now you know how to make a reference you’re welcome
@@scarletwyvern3753 don't take their credit
@@ElFrogge pretty sure he was making a JoCat reference, he always ends his videos with "now you know how to X, you're welcome *cut to music*", it's so ingrained that when I read his comment my brain filled in the tune after it.
With *[Insert Bard here]* you can rhyme, stop time, eat a lime, or lie to the authorities! (But only if you wanna get a fine.)
I once made a bard that was a mute, and would just play his Violin to respond to roleplay and inform about decisions and such. And i even made a custom soundboard to properly play with him during online sessions. It was pretty cool.
That actually reminds me of Lindsey Stirling
Reminds me of sona from leauge of legends
holy shit what a coincidence, im making a mute bard that plays a violin
thats hilarious
And with that im making an kenku bard
Made a mute bard that spoke through his guitar with minor illusion
Bynn: A Changeling Lore Bard. Having read tomes from an ancient Grung Race, they preserve tales that detail hundreds of different ancient civilizations and races. They use their shapeshifting powers to essentially become the people they tell stories of, or at least an approximation.
If you can't tell, they're Ben 10 the Bard.
_IT STARTED WHEN AN ARCANA DEVICE DID WHAT IT DID_
To be fair Kevin Hearne just created a new fantasy series and that is exactly how his Bards work. Any person a Bard meets they can become and they are always looking for stories and secrets where they become the person and tell their stories.
Oh well I play a changeling lore bard, but they are more of a existential-crisis character that wants to understand who they are.
Lol, I recently made a Changeling creation bard and this is his performance schtick. He gathers as many stories and legends as he can then puts on what is basically a one-man play with them.
@@GrassPokeKing it slapped itself upon their wrist with secrets that it hid
I love bards that break the mold for how they cast. singing a song is a classic and a good choice, but hearing of a bard that paints the air making his art come to life, or one that dances in a specific way to a beat. Bards are about art and art can be anything it is so flexible
I had a Sword Bard who casted spells by using their rapier to trace sigils into the air or, directly onto their targets.
I'm making a Satire Bard who slings insults at enemies and whacks them with a cane.
I'm actually putting together a bard that paints her spells into creation. In my mind it'd work a bit like Okami (I think it's Okami) where a quick symbol in the air and boom you got a fire or whatever else you need to make.
@@TonyRedgrave Heaven's Door
My bard shuffles on his foes, striking fear into their hearts
>every bard has a song
>me while fighting a group of gnolls
"-'M HAVING A GOOD TIME! HAVING A GOOD TIME! I'M A SUPERSTAR REEADY TO EXPLOOOODE-"
Reminds me of when the bard and I routed a entire gnoll war band by using a the cha cha slide with improvised lyrics to line them up for the falling tree traps we had set up for a few hours. “ slide to the left 3.27 feet, slide to the left 4.7 inches, criss cross, every body clap your hands while leaving your weapons on the associated x at your position. Now it’s time to get .... FUNKY....funky ..................funky”
@@Spiceodog this is an underrated comment
>Three giants coming barreling towards the party as they frantically scramble to escape
"AND I SAY WEY HEY HEY IT'S JUST AN ORDINARY DAY, AND IT'S ALL YOUR STATE OF MIIIIIIIND!"
@@rowdyriolu1 the tree traps were my idea, but the bard was the one who figured out how to get them lined up like that.
@@Spiceodog Nice!
I'd like to emphasize that bards need not be limited to just music. Their only constant is some manner of creative expression. A blade can be a capoeira dancer with daggers bound to their wrists and ankles. A lore can be a novelist or poet that inspires their allies with promises of cementing their legacy in history. A whisper can be a painter that over-glorifies one side or villanizes another to sway public opinion one way or another.
"Semidaily walks" beautifully put
I hope he means he walks twice daily and not once every other day.
@@robinthrush9672 that’s what semidaily means. Otherwise it would be bidaily.
@@masonvanderford6717 The point being that a lot of people use them interchangeably.
Bardic College: Lore
Race: Vedalkin
Name: Michael Stevens
Song: VSAUCE
Or is it?
Song: 145 Poodle
Hey, Vsauce here! Have you ever wondered why goblins are so hard to hit? Well today, I'm going to show how the little snots use the laws of thermodynamics to their advantage, and how you can turn that advantage *bonks sneaking goblin* into a weakness. (*another goblin runs into frame on fire*)
@@johncargille7722 Goblin Slayer: *go on*
Meanwhile I made a bard who's entire existence is as a meta satire of the edgelord "my character is secretly undead" or "my character is secretly a dragon" or "my character is secretly a half devil" trope.
She's secretly a unicorn, she is a sword bard who fences with a rapier, has long flowing pink hair and shiny greenish tint skin, and her name is literally a pun that translates as horse girl in another language. She's a bard because it's the class that starts with a rapier and lets her keep her unicorn healing magic, and she became a sword bard because unicorns get really good at fighting with that one long pointy object they got.
That is so beautiful. After the reborn race was official, I really wanted to play one. So I ended up making a Reborn College of Spirits bard. To add more to that combo is the fact he has the Second Skin player option, so he goes from small human person to big horrific wendigo-like plant monster. He casts spells by pulling tarot cards.
Get an F for my boys in the College of Eloquence.
That’s the only bard I wanted to hear about lmao, it’s sheer inability to get less than 10 on pursasion makes it my favourite subclass even though I don’t usually like bards
@@thegreatestchigone5813 technically it should be higher unless you counter build...charisma is its main trait and probable prof or expert bonus but yea i love that part and the if your inspiration doesn't change the outcome they can keep it till it makes a difference and using it to force the opponent to tank their next save then hit em with one of the bards many debilitating control spells
Socrates
F
@@thegreatestchigone5813 it can still get
Less then a 10 if the bard has a negative charisma modifier
“Stories that are lost to us forever”
Was thinking about Unnus Annus before the video of an old dnd campaign showed you
Memento Mori
Memento mori.
memento mori. the clock has stopped but the memories live on.
Memento Mori my friends
Memento Mori, we were there
"Imagine a fighter who incorporates singing into their fighting." So is anybody with me to build a pirate captain that sings sea shantys to devastating effect to rally his men and strike fear into the souls of the people he is up against besting odds that no mortal men should simply because of the rallying songs of their captain.
I feel like said character would sail with Captain Jack Sparrow.
I can see them Thunderwaving a Canonball back at an enemy ship.
That's the old dread pirate prestige class from 3.0 and 3.5. one of my faves
"WAY HAY UP SHE RISES-"
*Levitate ends and the bandit takes 10d10 falling damage.*
Not a pirate captain, but yeah, a sailor swords bard I played was just that. Love him to bits, but can't really do it justice in online games, so he's on a backburner, for now
I played a Death Metal bard last week that was just, the nicest guy! Had the softest facial features, constantly complimenting his friends, super sensitive, and then just wham as soon as he starts playing he turns into a totally different person.
Thank you for making this, this gave me a great idea for a "gentleman". A Lore Bard who uses words of kindness, respect and benevolence for his spells with the goal of spreading these values across the world. A story of things hoped for.
My lore bard does something similar, but she’s more of a happy go lucky pacifist(-ish, she is only mildly uncomfortable in hurting people as long as they don’t die from it) party mom character. The only thing I consider when choosing spells for her is how thematic they would be in a performance .
Is it the mister Rogers bard because i love that one
Musical Bard: Broke
Bard who makes youtube videos about monsters: Woke
A bard that's just a straight-up vlogger
But the old attage:
"If thou goeth woke, thou becomest broke (for not a one wants that shite)"
Voloke
The bard I am playing in our current game is functionally Chaotic Evil Mary Poppins. She is very support focused for the party. She also tries to convince children would be adventures the quickest way to power is to make a pact with a demon or other worldly being, through song!
So... Crowley as a nanny?
You're doing Asmodeus work buddy, keep it up
I love the idea of a bard that isn't even art based, they just inspire and cast spells with pure, unbridled positivity. They give their bardic inspiration via encouragement, heal and buff their allies with compliments, and hinder their enemies with insults. They don't utter arcane incantations to cast resilient sphere, they just say "fuck you, you're in a ball now" then it happens.
My French teacher once told me about a rogue he played during Tomb of Annihilation that multi-classed into bard. Since it took place in the middle of a forest very far from civilization, he role played it as him learning body percussion, so that whenever he gave bardic inspiration, he used his own body as his instrument. Genius
"imagine a fighter who incorporates singing directly into fighting"
*Y'ALL MIND IF I HUM "Megalovania" TO MYSELF EACH TIME I GO ABOUT STABBING PEOPLE?*
You joke but I play at a table with a few friends and our in-combat playlist is Megalovania on loop, while our out-of-combat playlist is Megalovania Elevator Music on loop. And not once have we regretted it.
Where did i say i was joking?
When you thnk about it, a bard of creation is the equivalent of a dwemer tonal architect.
Actually, this is a pretty rad idea! I might consider that for my next campaign.
I'd like to point out that two fantastic Bard archetypes in our media Zeitgeist are Brandon Sanderson's Singers/Listeners/Parshendi, who are always attuned to the rhythms of their planet and integrate those rhythms into their speech and culture.
The other example is King Arthur! He's not especially versed in musical ability, but he demonstrates the bard's capacity to inspire by law, edict, and authority gained by feats of faith and valor.
Arthur Pendragon is only of slightly above average skill, but he commands the near super human knights of the round table through his personal gravity and charisma!
I think one of the funniest and most creative bards I've ever seen in a game is Brad "The Motivator" Bradson from The Adventure Zone - a wet-blanket Human Resources manage right out of an office humor sitcom complete with button down shirt and permanent coffee mug - also he's an orc and the son of a bloodthirsty chieftan from the hills. His "instrament" is oration and cheesy motivational speeches and everybody fucking hates him, it's great.
Realtalk though I think one of the coolest things about bards is that their artistry doesn't need to be limited to music. You could have a "painter" bard whose catalyst is a brush and who paints their magic into the air. Or you could have a dancer bard, who makes somnatic spell movements with their step routines. A poet bard who merely speaks and recites verses laced with magic, or even a sculptor bard who moulds raw magic with their hands to form spells.
Music is the obvious route and the one that most of the game's spells are geared to, but art has many forms and I think bards are great way of exploring them.
My favorite bard I ever played was an entrepreneur and master strategist. His “song,” was him giving battlefield commands making a pitch or explaining logistics. It sounds boring but it was a blast. Also this was in pathfinder so the gameplay was more flexible.
While I really like this (honestly, good work!), I feel you could have gone even deeper. The bard can do music without music at all. The brush stroke of a Painter, the movements of a Dancer, hell, the lashing of a whip and the screams that ensue. All of these things can be a bards “song”. A Valor bard can be a general who’s speech can rally the most weary or shaken troops. A glamour bard’s beauty could be so great that receiving a mere sideways glance from one could spur on an entire party. A sword bard torturer’s bloody work can bring fervour to an evil party just as easily as a catchy tune. As long as you inspire SOMETHING, you can be a bard.
I've got two bards on the backburner atm;
A revamped version of my very first D&D character, a Tiefling Lore Bard abandoned at birth & raised by a legendary Opera Producer/Actor/Writer/Director. They wish to follow in their guardian's path, but can't bring themselves to focus on this goal because of a deep rooted belief that They are Going to Hell, simply because they're a Tiefling. Thus they've poured over myths & legends regarding immortality, and go questing to see those legends realized without stooping to the Evil the world, and themselves, expect of them. As an NPC because I'm always the GM they either achieved that goal & have run the opera house for a few hundred years, or used the Lore Spells to become a Bard-Based Lich, trapping only the souls of unrepentant Fiends as a form of Salvation for the Damned.
The other one is a Goliath Valor Bard who isn't as strong or tough as the rest of their clan, but they sure are the loudest.
I actually really like the idea of a bard who isnt actually a singer or musician, but rather a different kind of performer. I recently helped a friend with a college of creation build who is a
puppeteer
who uses spells and eventually his 6th lvl ability to animate his puppet for his performances and overall is a comedian for bardic inspiration. Definitely a lot of room within the class to think outside the box!
Currently I’m running a Kalashtar bard that is all about dreams and the dream world. He is level 15 and he has some access to the high level enchantment, conjuration and illusion spells. And basically he acts as a therapist to the party by recreating last memories that had with dead loved ones and friends allowing them closure and allowing them closure through dreams as well. I remake the songs into stories that he tells from the things he’s learned from the dream world. He plays the flute as well so that’s a bonus. He has also been sending the big bad nightmares every day to terrorize them in the hopes of them being extremely exhausted upon the final battle.
One of my PC bard's most liked tunes is a variation of "The Kissing of the Sheriff's Wife" He's not personally lecherous, but does play to his audience.
My first bard ever was my favorite.
A friendly bard named "Lorben Burdenwood", friendliest guy you could ever meet, tries their best to help people in most situations, all around swell guy to his friends.
However, he was a slaver, he also extorted his allies for juicy information to blackmail them into giving him a cut. He was a evil man, but not a bad one. He does his best to help those whom he chooses to help, but has no compunctions about his actions in the slightest.
He didn't even play an instrument. I flavored his bard-esque abilities into ones themed around business sense, as he always knew where he could strike a deal.
This entire character was, to be honest, a deliberate jab at a guy I knew that said that all bards are good hearted bastards, so of course I created an Heartless Saint.
To this day, my group hasn’t forgotten Roscoe, the bard who played his lute so well it turned into a kazoo, and used that kazoo to play “Lean On Me” to the BBEG and pluck at their heartstrings.
I have 3 bard NPCs in my world. One is a speech writer / advisor to the Regent, one is a Madam who occasionally sees clients themselves, and one is a barkeep who listens and doors out advice.
I remember a long time I took this D&D Quiz. I can't remember where it was from but I saved my details. Over 100 questions about your personality, morality, and physique. Out of curiosity I tried answering about myself as honestly as possible.
According to it, I was a CN Human Bard, starting level 2, with my stats looking weird.
9 Strength
18 Constitution
7 Dexterity
10 Intelligence
12 Wisdom
14 Charisma
Can't really imagine a Bard with CON being his highest stat though unless he was a drunk, and I rarely touch the stuff.
Edit: Maybe like one of those Banner/Flag carriers in a battlefield. Good for morale, and gotta be tough to survive.
I had a fairly new player at my table just a few weeks ago, a friend who'd only ever played like 4 sessions of LMoP before the group had to disband. Instead of leaning into the musical part of being a bard she leaned into the confidence behind letting the word see your inner feelings and thoughts, making a bard (of Triton nobility) who's actually a pretty shitty singer but who has such a forceful personality that it doesn't matter. She exuded such confidence that being inspired by her is just being afraid of failing her. Was a surprisingly fun character not gonna lie, really helped get the roleplay going.
I had a bard bandit that used his charming tones to bring back the money of men and chasity of women to his clan.
Indoubedably based.
"chastity of women"
@@bumblehoney7206 "tity"
College of Incellence?
Bards don't technically need an instrument. Bards just need a method of magic that is liked to how they operate. Say an actor reciting parts of a play of a hero to boost moral or knows special effects to impart healing magic on others.
One character concept for a Bard that I've always wanted to do was that of someone who uses paint magic. Whatever they paint becomes reality, such as chains over a person, a fireball, an ally becoming inspired, etc. Someone like Zhong Qui from Smite, Epic Mickey, or Gama from Yu Yu Hakusho would be great inspirations for the character.
You are Amaterasu Ōkami
So SpongeBob with a magical pencil, but replace the pencil with a paint brush.
I had this one concept for a Bard where it's more of a Storyteller than a Musician. Rather than song, he told tales of the Dead to his allies. I used the Haunted One background and made the slight addition that the 'Spirits' he sees that tell him tales miiiight actually just be hallucinations. Nonetheless, the stories he tells t affect his allies and enemies in great ways.
... Used this 'College of Spirits' thingy which I think is either a homebrew or is either a really obscure thing that's hidden in some rare book. Either way- I think it's a cool concept.
I think we should entirely ditch the idea of bards being musicians and make them creatively driven instead. As party of my new Napoleonic campaign setting I have made a college of Scribes and Generals (names pending). Generals are commanders who give inspiration through success and smart tactics. Essentially they are focused on keeping and convincing forces to follower their ans for delayed payoff. Scribes are people who can transcribe their inspiration into their passionate writing and many will be found working as reporters. I think through ditching the idea of bards necessarily being musicians but artists in general we have way more character options that fit the bards abilities and have thematic weight through customization.
Bards don't even have to make music, they can also practice other art forms, like dancing or painting. Or they can be a leader/commander, re-flavor inspiration as giving advice, issuing orders, or just a simple "you can do it!" sort of encouragement
I like the idea of a bard being based on other types of performance rather than just music, like you touched on with the college of swords. I like the idea of a bard who uses a marionette performance to channel enchantment magics, or a triton who used to be a synchronized swimmer who uses magic to enhance athleticism WITH acts of athletic performance.
My favorite idea of a bard is the “storyteller”; one who knows ancient songs and tales of heroes of a bygone age and uses them to inspire their magic.
I've always thought that bards should have a far more intimate and profound touch on the pulse of the world than people give them credit for. Charisma is the power of one's soul, after all, not just literal charm.
Probably my favorite bard I played wasn't even a performer. He was a planar archeologist who became a jack of all trades through studying a diverse range of subjects and adapting to different situations while making solo expeditions. He was basically just a much more charming and less grumpy Indiana Jones. The closest he got to being an artist was writing research papers and playing the harmonica around the campfire.
That's a really cool concept
Back in 3.5, I played a Tengu Bard who cast spells with bird songs.
He was a Tengu, though, so every song was him cawing at the top of his lungs.
Bully wug REEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTT bard sounds like a nice alternative.
Funnily enough, even before watching this video, I did have a bard character who's concept did break the mold a bit (albeit not to the same degree as the examples given here).
Marcia Viacu is a tiefling bard who uses a hurdy-gurdy and is aligned with her nation's primary religion. She travels the land as a "singing missionary" who attempts to preach and perform short sermons to others via song and music.
I helped my sister make a bard who’s “song” is their mad gains. Flex to give that inspiration
Bard of creation that manipulates sound via the sound of his muscles flexing
@Sightless_Seeker yes!! Big muscle man
Have you watched full metal alcamist brotherhood.... That's just Armstrong... FLEX TO BEAT EVERITHING
@@placeholdername3818 this is literally Flex Mentallo from DC comics
@@snakeinabox7220 You beat me to it xD
Rather than singing,her style is telling funny and/or embarrassing stories, dance and juggling. Her favorite weapons are her twin war fans, and her daggers a close second.
My favourite character idea for a bard is a card reader. You read cards at your allies for inspiration. So the bonus is the foresight that they get. This works best with something like college of creation. You just change the little music notes that fly around into little cards. You are still charismatic and you can even be a swindler, just not musical.
noise, music, and sound waves have always been a core metaphysical concept in high fantasies such as LoTR (Music of the Ainur) and Elder Scrols (Tonal Architecture, Dragon Shouts, etc.)
Fun fact: creation bards can create antimatter rifles, ammo, grenades, poisons, etc. They can also target worn and carried items with their Animating Performance
Performance can be things other than music. I had a concept for a bard who is proficient in cook's tools and performs like a hibachi chef. Healing was done through snacks, combat spells took the form of cooking fires, weaponry focused on kitchen implements, and inspiration was done through delicious smells that promised a rewarding meal after the battle.
Ok GM, now hear me out, my Bard cast all his spells by quoting Simpsons and Monty Python...
“Tis but a scratch.” = Cure Wounds
“Me, fail English? That’s unpossible.” = Glibness
“If You Need Me, I’ll Be In The refrigerator.” = Tiny Hut
“Throw him to the floor” = Compulsion
How to use Counterspell on your bard: "Simpsons did it, Simpsons did it!"
"I hope you're prepared for an unforgettable luncheon" = Heroes' Feast, if you picked it from Magical secrets
"and now for something completely different" Polymorph or Alter Self
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Invisibility
"Romanus eunt domus!" Comprehend Languages
"wink wink, nudge nudge" Charm
Monty Python alone is a goldmine, Simpsons too seems overkill lol.
I actually would love to play a bard composer at some point by the name of Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitzweimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm making sure to say the complete name every time I meet someone or mention my family
my favorite type of bard is ironically one that doesn't use music or singing at all. I'd rather replace those instrument profiencies with tools the character could use. this is a bard that instead draws their power from the spoken word itself.
there are legends involving words of power, or knowing something's true name gives you power over it. the later is directly involved with the fey and why you don't tell them your full name (reason middle names are a thing).
this bard embodies that idea with their words being literally magic, whether they're true or deceptive to manipulate not only the people around them but the world itself.
their healing word is "get up"
their banishment is "you don't exist"
their animate object is literally just asking the object to move
eloquence bard is one college that could fit this, such as not being able to roll below a 10 on persuasion and deception
Wow, this actually opened my eyes...now I want a Minotaur Bard who plays rock music, and does so to both tell how awsome he and his party is, whilst also striking fear into the enemy through (Sometimes exaggerated) tales of the party killing monsters
End each of your songs by casting thunder wave into the air for that nice dramatic flair
I've been making an NPC who has bard casting but I flavour them as more of traditional mage with their focus being on manipulation and having the capacity to lie to anyone. I gave them a few different abilities based on a few of the different subclasses like Eloquence Bard. The concept I had in mind for them was someone who basically embodies Deception. Nothing they say is straightforward and they could just as easily want you on their side as they want to talk you into your own downfall. In terms of combat, they aren't that physically intimidating but they're resourceful and will try to make the best of whatever situation they're in.
I want to make a College of creation bard who, instead of singing, uses ASMR narration and paints their college features into reality. Bard Ross is where it's at.
I was thinking of an ASMR one too, but I don't have a table that would put up with that lol
I once made an ex-healer bard who was inspired by the illusory skills of a rakshasa his military had fought. He now seeks to become the best illusionist of all time, and I flavored my bardic inspiration as sensory effects. He inspires allies with the sound of drums resonating through a battlefield, or the taste of strawberries, or the smell of salty sea air.
My favorite bard was my homeless, weed smoking, stand up comedian that I eventually multi classed into a Druid making him a buid.
I am thoroughly enjoying my Librarian Bard. He has tips and facts and occassionaly gets to break the 4th wall a little by me making up statistics about how many times a situation/trope has occurrd in the stories he has read.
No songs, though he knows them.
These "make your" class videos are awesome. I've been following you for ages but I feel I really need to say you're doing a great thing - getting people to consider a different path than that of a trope.
One of my players rolled up a character one day. A Kenku bard. As a Kenku, he was cursed with no creativity at all, and he coudlnt speak on his own, so he coudlnt create any songs. His character instead only "weaved" the music using a machine, a mysterious custom made music box with a little piano on the side. He played for the party in multiple times, and offered not only comfort to everyone, also comic relief with his shenanigans with his friend, a Tortle Monk that worships the sun. His tale was actually his search for his mother, which was actually the goddess of cunning (In my setting, she was cursed millenia ago, and her children would never be able to fly, giving origin to the first kenku, from where the little guy come from). The party actually traveled to the future, but the Kenku didnt have any memory of what happened in the past, only faint memories of his mother. He found her tomb on a lost city, a clean slate with no name and a statue of a crow, but he was oh so sure, her mother rested there. We all kind of cried when it happened. She left for him a magic rapier able to penetrate magic armor with ease, a weapon suited for the most sneaky and cunning of them all. He was a legend, even able to circumvent his own speech problems a lot. Smart and charismatic, maybe a little too naive (but his best friend always helped with that), he was in my opinion the most unique and heartfelt character any player has ever roleplayed on my table.
David, you fucking killed it dude. T'tue was his name, and I'm so proud of you and your little sneaky birb
Edit: Also, forgot to tell. This was his first ever D&D campaing. This guy didnt now shit about how to play but the roleplay? oh god it was GLORIOUS
One of my favorite bards was a wounded minor god, destroyed to leave a single shard, unable to recover he got lost in the world, but was saved by a song, not the most beautiful, nor the best made, but it was a song about him who have already been forgotten in time, this inspired him to play the songs and tell the stories lost to time, eventually finding the real power music has.
Bards are about their image, their performance, but also of their craft. They don't need to be singers or musicians, though this is the most common. A Bard can be one of wit, much like Cyrano de Bergerac (think of how he made up nose jokes as he bested another who attempted to bully him with insults only with magic rather than swords). A Bard can be a very specific type of witch (think Samantha, who conjures all her spells with poems or rhyming couplets). I have a Bard who fancies himself an orator for a god and his sermons, the type a revival preacher might use, and his words flow from him into his spells. But an acrobat or a mime can be a Bard as well, as that imaginary rope become real or that invisible wall stops their opponent.
I LOVE this! It gives SO much inspiration for character creation. If you continue this series I'd appreciate a sorcerer video.
Personally my favourite concept for a bard is instead of a singer, they're a therapist who only started adventuring because they know that anyone who starts adventuring for just about any other reason is in serious need of therapy
I wanted to make a stand up bard but wizards hasnt release college of satire yet
College of Eloquence is based around oratory, chiefest tool of which is rhetoric. Rhetorical questions include such gems as, “So what’s the deal with airline food?”
@@Ellebeeby yeah i guess but the college of eloquence doesnt translate well to a more Jim Carrey-ish character like the one I have in mind... Maybe Rowan Atkinson tho... Might even try an English accent
You want Eloy from the Team Fourstar "Natural One-ders" campaign. Like, he had an instrument and all but his primary weapon was his cutting wit.
I think the idea behind the College of Satire is pretty cool: the core idea is that “satire keeps us honest”. Basically, these guys are kinda like the Ancient Greek comedic playwrights, in that they tell the stories no one else is willing to tell, and they don’t care who they anger.
You can't use lore's cutting words or glamour's majestic performance?
My favorite Bard concept is the failed actor who needs to go on a quest because he is a “‘method actor” and is preparing for a role as a hero.
I imagine he speaks like Captain Kirk with dramatic pauses. And he trained in stage combat not actual combat, so every time I miss I can rp it as my old stage training kicking in making me miss my opponent.
"While other songs can make people crowds reality"
* Vsauce channel slowly appears *
I love you man...
I'm playing a bard for the first time. He's a mime and he has yet to speak in any of the sessions we've played. My DM let me come up with "pantomimes" for the spells I use - like Silence has me waggle my finger and do that little "lock your lips" motion and boom - silence (now everyone is a mime!) For Leomund's Tiny Hut I just do the invisible wall thing. Took some stuff like Minor Illusion so when our party goes off on adventure, I can act like I climb on a horse and ride off on it a la Monty Python and have the illusion do some coconuts banging together like horse hooves.
Imma make a bard who exclusively tells really bad dad jokes to outwit the opponent.
I had an idea for a collage of glamour bard that's Halloween themed. This would be more centered around the childish tricks and delights of Halloween, and as such, a bard in the first place is perfect for that, espacialy with the race of an autumn eledrin!?
But here's the real seller... Whenever they take on the mantle of megesty, its a halloween costume! So weather you're frightening people with an ogre or witch, or charming them with a car or a fairy, I think it could be an interesting concept.
Trash-talking the opponents: 'We will, We will, Smite You!'
DM: So the BBEG is now prone with 3d4 mockery, and all of you get 1 inspiration die.
Just gonna put it out there - the Dragonborn in Skyrim is a bard. Shouting is basically bardic magic - ancient words which bend reality that are further given vigor by the essence of the soul.
Also religious bard is so underused. So much of music throughout history has been religiously inclined!
Hear me out, a whispers bard who holds answers to obscure riddles
Your bard is a sphinx in disguise
you can also have one who doesn't use music at all. I have a plan to have a cooking themed bard for my next season. Bardic insperation is snacks given to party members that they eat when needed (eat a snickers).
I clicked on this video’s notification faster than most. I thank you, Runesmith. This video shall sustain me.
My favourite idea for a bard that I want to use is a middle-aged author who realizes one day that his writing and oration was casting magic. So he travels the world with the party, writing and collecting stories to eventually publish his magnum opus and bring hope to the world while being the caring uncle of the group. He would cast his spells through writing on a piece of paper and orating the writing instead of just saying some mystical mumbo-jumbo.
"Damn My Airbuds are busted, I really would love if any of my subscriptions did the Raycon thing again"
*Logan:* "So I've heard some whining from literally the other side of the planet..."
My favorite bard I've ever made was a 19 YO Human with the scholar background and lore subclass. I basically just made them an average college student who worked at the campus library for extra gold. I wanted him to use a rapier cause dex was one of his highest stats, so I made it where he was on the fencing team, and while not the best, was still top 5. I would incorporate his many skills with what he learned at college. Make a history or religion check? Try to remember what a culture teacher taught you about the subject? Arcana? Try to remember what the wizard librarian had taught you as a tip when you vented your frustrations about not understanding magic. The list goes on. He was a very multi-faceted character, and I loved playing him.
The best bard are ever payed with used a triangle to make music.
I'll keep my slidewhistle ;)
Try those frog croaky things. Ya know those thingies right?
@@Spiceodog kazoos??
The way I like to run my college of swords bard is more as a dancer than a fighter, where knives are their words and the sword their instrument that they use to control and shape a raw battle into more of a freeform dance that even their opposition won't notice, but the onlookers see a beautiful dance almost as if its planned from the very start. it's just a story told through actions instead of song or poems.
Also good video, keep up the good work and try not to work yourself too hard
Finally! The bard representation I've been waiting for!
My bard is a news investigator. He goes from place to place searching out the greatest adventures to capture in ink and paint. To inform the land of major goings on they might have been affected by but otherwise went unknown.
My question is how the bard can still sing while playing a cute little flute
M A G I C
I always liked things like the War Chanter motif. Always made more sense than some ponce strumming a lyre into combat and throwing things like Leadership or whatnot into your build to make your frontline braving, buff machine better both thematically and mechanically is nice.
The collage of whispers looks like my mute bard! Omg I loved playing her
My Bard is a painter, my DM and I rearranged some details like I can inspire in a zone of silence but not total darkness. He's a College of Creation bard so his 'motes of potential' appear like comic book onomatopoeia, and his spells and object conjuring basically work like a cartoon characters "Toon-Time" or "Hammer-Time"
"My gift is my song, yeah. And this one's for you."
I once played a Glamour Bard who was more like an overexcited football player than a sparkly singer. Derrick was a fun character.
I made a bard that instead of singing or playing they cast their magic through knitting
Anything that breaks the stereotype of bards only being musicians.
Came back to this after getting tashas book and making my own bard, I am making a pallid elf eloquence bard who is into actin and story telling while being big into philosophical debates on social and political topics like a D&D Socrates.
He would use viscous mockery saying things like "You know what you want to be, but who are you really?" or say towards a demon "you claim to be in charge, but what does it truly mean to be in charge? could you possibly be simply a puppet in a grand cosmic play?"
Or how dissonant whisper would be "Do you truly matter? What makes you matter? In the grand scale we are mere pebbles on the side of a river that flows through an entire world, you are only important within the world you perceive within your own reality" causing them to doubt themselves and cause psychic damage and possible step away from the fight out of an existential crises.
At taverns and street corners he would put on plays and tell tales from his adventures of the things he has seen and the stories people have told.
I genuinely wasn't expecting to be this early. It's pretty cool.
I thought the exact same then looked in the comments and laughed lol
Same man lol
Yes, yes it is
Me nether
Why sing ? Bards are artists, yes ? What about dance ? What about painting ? what about cooking ?
I myself made a cook bard that uses his cooking to boost his allies. And because he also was a paladin (and a halfling) he used a giant fork as a trident and a giant lid as a shield. He hails from an order of super cooks who travel the world to find ingredients and bring joy and peace through meals and feasts.
Aw ye, Bard, my second favorite class right after Sorcerer
ive had so many fun bards that had nothing to do with music either. a farmer turned monster rancher, a devil contract lawyer,a makeshift druid, and im currently having fun in a support role as a cunning tactician using battlemaster and lore bard. bardic inspiration,cutting words,spells, and maneuvers make him a great party buffer,skill monkey and a fairly decent tank as well.