Bard

Bards are a class of musicians that know some of the fighting skills, mostly the ones they would pick up in bar fights, and then they have their repertoire of songs which produce varying effects.

Bards are well known for being drunk and spending a lot of time in bars or taverns. All bards begin with skill in the staff. Tunes of wonder spill from the lips of a bard, but to learn a new song they must seek out a fellow master of song and rehearse it. The default skill selection for bards is as follows:

Armor

Bards can wear cloth, leather and studded leather armor, and can use shields. Chain and plate are too noisy and heavy.

Races

These races can become bards. The experience column is how much experience a bard of that race needs per level compared to normal (100%); higher means slower leveling.

Cannot be bards: Ogres and Giant Ogres, Wemics, Bugbears, Gully Dwarves, Pixies, Bakali, Trolls, Orcs and Arboren. Remort and special races (Dragons, Angels, Demons, Balanx, Draconians and Giants) have their own classes and cannot choose bard.

Skills & Spells

Free at Creation

Every bard starts with these, at no creation point cost.

Bard Default Package (40 creation points)

Taking the default package at creation gives you all of the following:

Song groups: War Hymns, Hymns of Life (see Song & Spell Groups below)

Skills

Skills a bard can learn individually. Cost is in creation points at creation; after creation, skills are gained from your guildmaster for twice that many trains.

Song & Spell Groups

Bards cannot buy songs or spells one at a time; they come in groups. Each group lists the level at which a bard can use each one. War Hymns and Hymns of Life are bardic songs, which must be learned with rehearse.

Racial Skills

Only bards of the listed race receive these.

Reclassing

A bard may reclass once, starting at level 10 (level 51 gives the most benefit). Clan reclasses require level 51 and are granted by a clan leader. See help reclass in the game for full details.

Bard Reclasses

These are open only to bards, and any race that can be a bard may take them:

Jongleur

Acrobats and jugglers who can catch almost anything, walk tightropes and polevault; their agility gives them great defenses.
Race: Any bard race · Armor: up to leather

Charlatan

Tricksters and con artists.
Race: Any bard race · Any alignment · Any clan except Knighthood · Armor: up to studded leather

Skald

Singing, chanting warriors who rally their allies with song.
Race: Any bard race · Any alignment · Any clan · Armor: up to chain

Brewmaster

Hard-drinking brawlers who mix dirty fighting, powerful punches, bardic songs and a little magic; they fight better with a good buzz.
Race: Any bard race · Armor: up to studded leather

Ovate

Seed-singers who grow magical plants and turn nature itself against their foes.
Race: Any bard race · Armor: up to leather

Clan & Special Reclasses

These are open to any class, including bards, if the other requirements are met:

Paladin (Knighthood)

Great Knights of the Gods of Good.
Level 51 · Race: Humans only · Lawful Good only · Knighthood only · Armor: all, including plate

Shadow Knight (Shadow)

Honorable Evil Knights of Necrucifer.
Level 51 · Race: Humans only · Follower of Drakkara only · Shadow only · Armor: all, including plate

Battlerager (Wargar)

Dwarven Berserkers, one of the most deadly classes.
Level 51 · Race: Hill and Mountain Dwarves · Wargar only · Armor: all, including plate

Bladesinger (Shalonesti)

Elves who have learned the art of bladesinging.
Level 51 · Race: Elves of any subrace · Shalonesti only · Armor: up to chain

Eldritch (Shalonesti)

Physically weak, but strong elvish magic.
Level 51 · Race: Elves only · Any alignment · Follower of Zandreya · Shalonesti only · Armor: cloth only

Dragon Slayer (Slayers)

Warrior-like fighter with specialized skills for slaying Dragons.
Level 51 · Race: Any · Slayers only · Armor: all, including plate

Monk (Manatonics)

Manatonics who dedicate their life to their art.
Manatonics only, after a successful quest · Race: All except Giant Ogre, Kender, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Bugbear, Pixie, Gully Dwarf · Any clan · Armor: cloth only

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