AD&D - PHBR7 - The Complete Bard's Handbook (2e)

ergy into performan-. Thespians are actors.
They display their talents in plays, skits, and
dramatic productions. Some even perform in
streets or village squares. When a Thespian
isn't acting, he is likely writing scripts or read-
ing for upcoming parts.

Thespians are somewhat like, yet unlike,
Charlatans. Where Charlatans act to deceive,
Thespians act to make others believe. Because
of their similar methods, Thespians have
some skills in common with Charlatans.

Role: Thespians rarely travel from town to
town unless they are on an acting tour. Even if
they are on tour, they often return to their es-
tablished home. Most Thespians belong to the
local actor's guild and take part in regularly
scheduled performances.

Occasionally, Thespians are secretly hired
to serve as spies, or temporarily fill in for a
missing person. The great Thespian Hanala-
cious once filled in as the Lord Mayor of the
Free City of Greyhawkfor over a month while
the real mayor was away on secret errands.

The adventuring Thespian is a rare person
(player characters represent almost all of

them). Such Thespians are often out for "field
research." After all, if you want to play the
part of a mighty warrior, what better practice
than to go dungeoneering? Other Thespians
adventure for the thrill of it all. They look
upon such activity as taking a part in the
"Grand Play of Life.' Such Thespians often go
to any length to mold the adventure into a
dramatic production with themselves as the
stars-often to the chagrin of their fellow par-
ty members.

Secondary Skills: Any.
Weapon Proficiencies: Since they are ac-
tors, Thespians spend a lot of time practicing
with all types of weapons, in order to make
their plays more realistic. This produces a
unique situation. Thespians understand the
showy stage methods for using most weap-

ons, but they rarely practice with any one
weapon long enough to become truly profi-

cient at it.
I

A narmor and carry shields. However, they pian is acting; otherwise, they accept t
Of course, acts can go only so far. It is im-
incur a +1 Armor Class penalty when wear-
ing armor that is not standard for the bard possible to act as if you are lifting a 700-pound
character class (their understanding of these
armor types is imperfect). Thespians have no boulder over your head unless you have the
real understanding of shields; though they can aid of magic (or a Strength of 20 or more)
carry shields, they gain no Armor Class bonus
for the effort. SpeZl Acting: Any Thespian who has ta
the spellcraft proficiency can act as if he c
Special Benefits: cast powerful spells. To put on such a per-
General Acting: Thespians are masterful ac- formance, the Thespian must be easily viewed
tors. Using this ability, they can act as if a light by all who will be affected. The Thespian then
blow was fatal, pretend to faint, or exaggerate
their abilities. These skills are required on stands up, chants arcane words, gestures, and
stage, but are also very useful during adven- tosses "magical" powder about. During the
tures. spell acting, the Thespian directs his attention
Once, Hanalacious's band came upon a and gestures toward the intended targets of
camp of six ogres. Realizing that they were the spell. After one round, the targets must
outmatched, Hana leapt forward to meet the roll a successful morale check or flee in terror.
charging ogres. She acted as if the first strike
against her was a fatal blow. The ogres be- If the Thespian actually casts a flashy spell
lieved this and charged on to attack the rest of during the act (e.g., burning hands), the mo-
the band. With the time that Hana had bought rale check is made with a penalty equal to the
herself, she managed to unpack her fireball spell's level. Imagine what you would think if
scroll and succeeded in roasting the ogres and a wizards hands sprouted flame while he
saving the day. chanted and made gestures of doom in your
Hana's finest performance occurred in the direction.
famous dungeons of the Greyhawk ruins.
Here, she came upon Farcluun, a great red ZnfruenceReactions: Thespians can influence
dragon. During the next four hours, Hanala- the reactions of those they meet by trying to
cious was involved in the most dangerousrole act in an appealing manner. After Idlo rounds
she ever played. When she saw the great of such a performance, those associating with
wyrm, she quickly disguised herself as Zagig
Yragerne, the original founder of Greyhawk the Thespian roll a saving throw vs. paralyza-
Castle. Entering the cavern of Farcluun, Hana tion with a -1 penalty per three levels of the
Thespian. If they fail the saving throw, their
played up her knowledge, wisdom, and magi- initial reactions are altered one level in the di-
cal prowess. In the end, she cowed Farcluun rection that the Thespian desires. If the saving
and actually had the dragon huddled in a cor- throw succeeds, the audience realizes that the
ner with threats of turning its life's treasure Thespian is acting and their reactions are ad-
trove into an ant hill. justed one level in the opposite direction.

Acting functions in much the same way as Observe Motions: As actors, Thespians are
illusion spells. If the audience believes the act, trained to observe the motions of others. Usu-
then it works without question. If the audi- ally they use this skill to see cues from fellow
ence is skeptical, they are allowed to roll a actors during a performance. This ability also
saving throw vs. spell with a -1 penalty for enables them to predict the movements of op-
every three levels of the Thespian. If the sav- ponents during combat.
ing throw succeeds, they realize that the Thes-
In any round that a Thespian wins initia-
tive, he gains a +2 bonus to his Armor Class
and saving throws and a +1 bonus to attack
rolls.

Special Hindrances: None.

Bard Kits 5 1

Creating New Kits bards to be converted to the kits that most re-
semble the manner in which they have been
Although the list of kits given in this hand- played in the past. However, note that such a
book is large, it isn’t all-inclusive. There are transfer will have to be adjudicated by the
many other bard kits that DMs and players Dungeon Master.
can come up with.
If a player decides to drop a bard kit, he
Before designing a new kit, first examine the should meet with his Dungeon Master to dis-
existing kits to see if one of them can be modi- cuss the manner in which the transition should
occur. When a kit is dropped, the character
fied to fill your needs. If not, make a photo- becomes a core bard (not a True Bard), and
that character cannot regain his old kit. This
copy of the Bard Kit Record Sheet located in has the following effects upon the character:
the back of this handbook. Fill it out with the
description of your new kit. The information Future weapon proficiency slots can be
that should be listed under each section is spent on any weapon desired.
described in detail at the beginning of this
chapter. Refer to it for assistance. The bards four bonus proficiencies must
either be dropped or all future nonweapon
After you have created a new kit, present it proficiency slots must be spent paying for
to your Dungeon Master for approval. Often, them before any new nonweapon proficien
he will wish to adjust certain aspects of the cies can be selected.
new kit for balance. Once the kit is complete
and ready for use, the Dungeon Master still The character no longer needs to pay at
might adjust it in the future, based on how tention to his old kit’s suggested nonweapon
well it works in play. proficiencies.

Here is a helpful list of additional bard kits The character can wear any armor nor-
that you may wish to create on your own. mally allowed to the core bard, but cannot use
any other type of armor (including shields).
Historical Bard-Druid historian
Dervish-Arabian Dancer/Healer All special benefits are lost.
Muse-Singing Healer All special hindrances are ignored.
Scop-Anglo-Saxon Minstrel
Entrancer-Spell Dancer It is possible for a bard to change kits, but
Troubadour-Thief/Illusionist only in one very limited manner. First, the
Poet-Courtier/Romeo bards existing kit must be dropped. Then, if
Rustic-Folk Singer the bard wants, he may gain a new kit, but it
Rhythmist-Instrumental Dancer must be the True Bard kit. The process for
Savage-Medicine Man gaining the True Bard kit goes as follows.
Sleuth-Spy
Legionnaire-Cavalier Once the bards old bonus nonweapon
proficiencies are either dropped or paid for,
Acquiring, Dropping, and the next available proficiency slots must be
Changing Kits spent gaining singing, musical instrument,
reading/writing (native tongue), and local
Bard kits should be taken only when the history.
character is first created. The one exception
might occur when this handbook is first intro- As the bard gains the next four levels, he
duced into a campaign. In this case, the gains one of the True Bards special benefits at
Dungeon Master may allow certain existing each new level. The specific benefit gained is
determined by the player.

CHAPTER

Demil, Multil, and DuallClassed Bards

Demihumans as Bards Halflings* 6
Herald
As per the Player's Handbook, only hu- 8
mans and half-elves can become bards. Even Jester 12
this book doesn't allow dwarves, elves, Jongleur 9
gnomes, and halflings to become bards in the Riddemaster 15
true sense of the word. However, each of these Whistler
races has a strong tradition in the performing
arts. Dwarven chanters are legendary, as are *Counter Spell: Dwarves and halflings are
the great elven minstrels. Gnome professors extremely nonmagical. These two demi-bards
and halfling whistlers are also well-known. are not allowed to cast spells. They also fail to
receive the 10th-level bard ability to use
Unlike humans and half-elves, those play- written magical item.
ing demihumans must take a bard kit if they
are to run bard player characters. If the kit However, as demi-bards, these two races
system is not used, dwarves, elves, gnomes, possess the curiosity of all bards. This leads
and halflings cannot be bards. Since these them to study the workings of magic (i.e.,
races cannot be true bards, they are referred dwarf and halfling demi-bards must take the
to as demi-bards. Only a few kits are open to spellcraft proficiency). Although this doesn't
these races, but each race has a kit that is result in the acquisition of magical powers, it
available only to members of that race (indi- enables them to gain special resistances to
cated by italic type in the following table).
spells they understand.
Table 13:DEMI-BARDS If a halfling or dwarf is able to find a spell

Race Maximum and learn it (i.e.,succeed with their "chance to
Kit Level learn spells" roll), they become highly resist-
ant to the effects of that spell. Of course, these
Dwarves* 15 two races can learn to resist only spell
Chanter 6 same level as bards are typically able
Herald 12 Thus, a 2nd-level dwarf or halfling demi-
Skald
9 can learn how to resist the effects of all 1st-
Elves 6 level spells that he has learned (as per Table 6:
12 Spell Progression). Of course, the demi-bard
GYPSY 15 is still limited to the number of spells he
Herald 15 learn to counter. This limit is set by his
Loremaster mum # of Spellsper level" (an aspect of Inte
Meistersinger 6
Minstrel 6 gence).
15
Gnomes** 15 When a dwarf or halfling demi-bard is s
Charlatan 9 jected to a learned spell's effects, he can r
Herald 8 his "chance to learn spells" in an attempt to
Professor thwart the spell's effects. This roll is in addi-
Jester tion to all other saving throws normally al-
Jongleur
Riddlemaster lowed. This does not cancel the spell; it simply
prevents it from having any effect upon the
dwarf or halfling demi-bard.

**Illusions:Gnomes have a hard time un-
derstanding and casting the more practical
and substantial spells. They prefer spells that

\ .: .... ..
. ..$:.
. ’ “7 ‘

create illusions, flashy colors, and other won- keep the rhythm steady. Chanters often em-
drous effects. Because of this, gnome demi- ploy drums, gongs, gourds, and so on.
bards do not gain the full range of spells
normally allowed to bards. Instead, they must Role: The secret of chanting has been kept
select and use spellsas if they were illusionists. hidden from outsiders. Thus, Chanters are
However, they still use Table 6: Spell Progres- heavily guarded and highly regarded within
sion, to determine the number of spells they the dwarven kingdom. Of all dwarven organi-
cast at a given level. zations, the Chanter‘s College is one of the

Demihuman Kits most powerful. Even kings have been over-
ruled in the past by mighty Chanters threaten-
Following are four kits available only to ing to cease their rhythmic songs. Without the
demihumans. These kits cannot be selected by Chanters, the dwarven communities would
humans. However, half-elves can select the slow to a crawl and their underworld enemies
Minstrel kit, advancing up to 12th level. would push them from their homes.

Dwarven Chanter Adventuring Chanters are a great boon to
any party and are even more useful in large-
Specialty: Chanter/Time Lord. scale battles. They are the pace-setters and the
Qualifications: Chanters must have a Con- very heartbeat of those around them.
stitution of 13 or more. However, they have
no Intelligence qualification (unlike most SecondarySkills:Armorer, Jeweler,Mason,
bards). Only dwarves can become Chanters
and they are limited to 15th level in advance- Miner, Weaponsmith.
ment. Weapon Proficiencies: Chanters often use
Description: Many times have other races
attempted to analyze the phenomenal success their weapons to beat upon an instrument, a
of the dwarven race; their uncanny ability to rock, or even the ground. Because of this,
survive incredible hardship, their dogged na- they generallybecome proficient only in blunt
ture, the immense amount of work they per- weapons or stick-like weapons.
form, and their successfulmilitary campaigns.
Always the analysis comes up short. The following weapons are available to
Much of the success of the dwarven race Chanters: club, flails (all),maces (all), javelin,
can be attributed to their Chanters. Through- morning star, quarterstaff, sling, spear, staff
out the ages, these special dwarves have sling, and the warhammer.
passed along the secrets of their kind. They
have learned the many mining, forging, Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonuses: Crowd
marching, and war chants of their elders. Oth- Working, Musical Instrument, Chanting,
er races dismiss these chants as simple enter- Spellcraft. Suggested: Ancient History, Ap-
tainment, but it is the power of the dwarven praising, Armorer, Blacksmithing, Cobbling,
Chanter that has built the steel in the dwarven Craft Instrument, Engineering, Gem Cutting,
spine. If a skilled Chanter is present, dwarves Languages (ancient), Languages (modern),
can mine through solid granite for months
without growing bored or lax. Lteoryca, lSHtoinsteomrya,sMonirnyi,nWg,eMapoounnstmaiintheienrgin.g, Pot-
Some chants are purely vocal, but many re-
quire the use of a percussion instrument to Armor/Equipment: Chanters can wear any
armor except for plate; plate mail, bronze
plate, field plate, and full plate are all forbid-
den. They cannot employ shields.

Special Benefits:
Counter Chant: Like all dwarven demi-
bards, dwarven Chanters gain the counter
spell ability defined earlier. In order to
counter a spell, a Chanter must voice the
proper counter chant.

54 Chapter Three

In addition to the typical counter spell abili- by a percussion instrument.
ty, Chanters can actually "attack certain Timing chants by Chanters increase speed
spells. A Chanter can walk up to a wall of
or production by 5% per level of the Chanter.
force (assuming he has previously learned the A top-level (15th) Chanter can get 75% more
spell), begin counter chanting, and if he suc- work out of a group than it would normally
ceeds with his "chance to learn spells" roll, he produce.
actually cancels the entire spell for a number
of rounds equal to his level. If the roll is equal Of course, such rapid work does take a
to or less than the dwarf's level, the cancel- physical toll, even if the mind is willing. Each
lation is permanent. hour that a person works under the effects of a
timing chant, he must roll a Constitution
War Chant: Dwarven war chants are leg- check. A failed check results in the loss of ld4
endary. There is nothing quite so powerful hit points. This damage is temporary and is
and terrifying as watching a mass of heavily recoverable at the rate of 1 point per hour of
armed and grim-looking dwarves advancing rest or sleep. Anyone reduced to 0 hit points
and chanting. Their deep voices, all booming in this way falls over from exhaustion; death
in unison, often destroy enemy morale and results unless a Constitution check succeeds.
put fear into the heart of many a brave foe.
Trance: Obviously, if a mining crew's
When a Chanter starts a war chant, he can Chanter falls over from lack of sleep or ex-
affect up to ten dwarves per level or one non- haustion, the timing chant will cease. For this

dwarf per level. To be affected, the recipients reason, Chanters have learned to place them-
must join in the chant (it doesn't matter if they selves into a self-induced trance. This takes
have ever heard it or not). After Id10 rounds Id10 turns of uninterrupted meditation, dur-
of chanting, the power of the chant begins to ing which the Chanter grumbles the words to
some ancient meditative script. Once in a
take effect. A chantingband gains a +1bonus trance state, the Chanter will begin some set
activity: chanting, combat, marching, work-
to initiative, a +2 bonus to resist surprise,
and a +2 bonus to all morale checks. Those ing, studying, etc.
combating a chanting group suffer a -1 ini- The trance state causes the Chanter to shut
tiative penalty and a -2 penalty to all morale
checks. The bonuses for a member of the down all of his being (mind and body) that is
Chanter's party last for as long as both the in- not needed for the activity at hand. An en-
dividual and the Chanter are chanting; the tranced Chanter can maintain this set activity
until a predetermined circumstance occurs.
penalties for the opponents last as long as the For example, the Chanter may have said to
Chanter keeps up the chant. himself, "Awake when there are no more gob-
lins on the field of battle,'' "Awake when we
Timing Chant: The real power of the reach the Kingdom of Thorbardin," or
Chanter is the numerous timing chants he "Awake after 1,000strikes of the great drum.''
knows. These chants function similarly to war
chants in that they take Idlo rounds to take Trances are not lightly entered, as they are
effect, and last while both the Chanter and af- very dangerous to the character. During a
fected are chanting. But the results are quite trance state, the Chanter does not drink, eat,
different. rest, or sleep. Every time that one of these ac-
tivities should normally occur, the entranced
There are four common timing chants: one Chanter must roll a Constitution check. A
each for mining, forging, marching, and gen- failed check results in the loss of hit points:
eral labor. The purpose of each chant is to in- Id8 for drink, ld3 for food, ld4 for rest, and
Id8 for sleep. Furthermore, the only known
crease productivity, soothe the mind, prevent
boredom, stave off sleep, and support re-
solve. All timing chants must be accompanied

Demi-, Multi-, and Dual-Classed Bards 55

way to interrupt a trance before the predeter- Elven Minstrel
mined circumstance occurs is to reduce the Specialty: Elven Spell Singer.
Chanter to 0 hit points (Le., knock him un-
conscious or kill him).

Damage resulting from food and water dep-
rivation must be healed as if it were combat
damage, but damage resulting from lack of
rest or sleep is temporary and can be regained
at the rate of 1point per hour of rest or sleep.
If reduced to 0 hit points by sleep or rest depri-
vation, the entranced Chanter falls uncon-
scious; death results unless a Constitution
check succeeds. However, if all damage is a re-
sult of food and water deprivation, the Chant-
er dies regardless of the check result.

Special Hindrances:Like all dwarven demi-
bards, Chanters do not gain the bards spell
abilities. Nor do they gain the 10th-levelbard
ability to use any written magical item.

-

Role: Within elven society, Minstrels are re- spells through their music.
garded as nobles. Minstrel groups perform Minstrels cannot cast spells in the typical
during annual festivals for the enjoyment of
all, and kings invite them to dine in exchange manner. When a spell calls for a somatic com-
for an evening's song. Outside their own cul-
ture, elven Minstrels are looked upon with en- ponent, they must play an instrument. Like-
vy, distrust, and some fear. wise, they must sing when a spell requires a
verbal component.
Elven Minstrels occasionally adventure out
into the world. Some seek life-experience to Material components must be carried on
heighten the quality of their music. Others the Minstrel's person in a specially prepared
simply wander, relishing the sensation of free- bag (made from deer leather). The Minstrel
need not reach into the bag or manipulate the
dom that inspires their songs. A few Minstrels material components. When the spell is cast,
seek to purge themselves of some impure act the components simply vanish from within
or event. the bag. If the bag does not contain the

Secondary Skills: Minstrels train to be great required components, the spell does not
musicians all their lives. They do not spend function.
the time necessary to learn a secondary skill.
Not all instruments can be used for spell
Thus, Minstrels have no secondary skills. singing. First of all, if a spell requires a verbal
Weapon Proficiencies: Elven Minstrels are component (singing), only those instruments
that leave the Minstrel's mouth free can be
limited to the following weapon proficiencies: used. This eliminates most of the wind instru-
blowgun, bow (any), dagger, dart, hand axe, ments. If the spell requires a somatic compo-
javelin, knife, quarterstaff, sling, spear, staff nent, the instrument must support numerous,
sling, long and short swords, and the trident. complex hand manipulations (asis true of any
stringed instrument). This eliminates gongs,
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonuses: Musi- cymbals, drums, and most of the percussion
cal Instrument, Reading/Writing, Singing, family. Thus, elven Minstrels typically carry
Spellcraft. Suggested: Ancient History, Artis- stringed instruments. Keyboard instruments
tic Ability, Craft Instrument, Etiquette, Her-
would work but are generally too bulky to
aldry, Local History, Poetry. carry around.
Armor/Equipment: Minstrels can wear only
Spells that normally emanate from the cast-
leather armor, padded armor, or elven chain er's hands instead radiate from the spell sing-
mail. Even studded leather is considered too er's instrument. Thus, burning hands
harsh for a Minstrel to don. produces its 120-degreearc of flame from the
instrument (and not the Minstrel's hands).
Special Benefits:
Spell singing is in all other ways just like
+2SpseacviianlgRthersoiswtanbcoen:uEs lavgeaninMstianlsltmrealsgigcaailnefa- typical spell casting.

fects based on music. If the attack does not al- Influence Reactions: This ability works just
low a saving throw, they receive a normal like the True Bards ability of the same name.
saving throw, anyway.
However, a Minstrel can sing or play an in-
Spell Singing: Minstrels are some of the few strument in an attempt to influence reactions.
beings still in existence who know the ancient And, if the Minstrel does both, he can adjust
art of spell singing. Some sages claim that the reactions by two levels instead of the typi-
magic was originally released into the Prime cal one. This is not cumulativewith the crowd
Material plane by an ancient master musician. working proficiency or the bards reputation.
These sages maintain that music is the true
catalyst for ultimate sorcery. Whether this is Counter Song: The last special benefit of
true or not, it is a fact that elven Minstrels cast the Minstrel is identical to the True Bards

Demi-, Multi-, a n d Dual-Classed Bards 57

.i

counter song ability in every way. ventions are death traps that injure more
Special Hindrances: Without an instru- gnomes than they help.

ment, Minstrels cannot cast spells that require Professors are eccentric gnomes who love
somatic components. to tinker with things: chemicals, gears, pul-
leys, magic, and so on. For a Professor, gain-
Gnome Professor ing knowledge for its own sake is wasteful.
Only when it is being used to develop "things
Specialty: Lecturer. of consequence" is knowledge worthwhile.
Qualifications:The standard qualifications Professors often say, "If the textbooks don't
for Intelligence and Charisma are switched for make sense, throw 'em away and approach
gnome Professors(Le.,they must have a mini- the problem experimentally.''
mum Intelligence of 15 and Charisma of 13).
Prime Requisites also change to Intelligence Above all, Professors feel that they have an
and Charisma. Only gnomes can become Pro- obligation to educate the ignorant and pro-
fessors, and they can advance up to 15thlevel. vide them with mechanical wonders to help el-
Description: Professors are an odd sort; evate their standard of living.
other races have a hard time decidingwhether
these strange gnomes are geniuses or fools. Role: Professors are held in high regard
Half of their speeches and inventions seem within gnome society. Every gnome loves to
revolutionary. The rest of their speeches sit in on one of their frequent lectures or to
sound like endlessbabbling, and most their in- have a Professor over for tea. Yet, when Pro-
fessorsget that odd glint in their eyes and start
exnerimenting, even their brethren know to

58 Chapter Three

run for their little lives. True Bards ability of the same name.
Adventuring Professors are often intense Profess: All Professors give frequent

and fanatically greedy for knowledge. Those speeches to anyone who will listen. Although
this can be entertaining and occasionally edu-
who are dangerous threats to other gnomes cational, such lectures have little direct impact
are actively encouraged to go out and help upon play. However, if a Professor is able to
"educate" the other races. But there are certain examine a situation and evaluate it, he some-
Professors who truly possess some small times comes up with a great plan. The act of
spark of genius within them. These Professors revealing such a plan is known as "professing:'
often realize the potential knowledge and
practical experience that adventuring can pro- When a Professor examines a given situa-
vide, and they set out to explore the world. tion for Id10 rounds, he is able to determine

Secondary Skills: Professors can have any several good plans to deal with the situation.
secondary skill. If the Professor communicates (professes)this
information to his comrades, and they heed
Weapon Proficiencies: Professors are very the information, certain benefits result.
eccentric and love complex devices with mul-
After professing a course of action, the Pro-
tiple moving parts. This personality trait is ev- fessor player is able to hand out a number of
ident 'in the type of weapons they select. bonuses equal to the Professor's level. These
Professors can become proficient in the fol- bonuses can be applied to any die roll (prior to
lowing weapons: arquebus, blowgun, bow, the roll) that the Professor designates, as long
as the affected individual is following the Pro-
crossbow, harpoon, mancatcher, scourge, fessor's suggested course of action. (If the roll
sling, staff sling, and whip. is being made on percentage dice, the bonus is
5%, otherwise a +1 bonus results).
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonuses: An-
cient History, Languages (ancient), Languages As an example, imagine that an adventur-
(modern), ReadingIWriting. Suggested: Agri- ing party has spied through a keyhole into a
culture, Animal Lore, Appraising, Astrology, room. The gnome Professor, Nowtal, asks if
Brewing, Cooking, Direction Sense, Engineer- he can have a look. After examining the orc-
ing, Etiquette, Fire-Building, Gem Cutting, infested room for six rounds (a6 was rolled on
Heraldry, Herbalism, Local History, Musical the Idlo), Nowtal comes up with a plan. The
Instrument, Navigation, Religion, Rope Use, player then role-plays his character, inform-
Spellcraft, Weather Sense, Whistling/Hum- ing the other players of the plan: 'Torcan, you
ming. slip around to the side door and jump into the
room in an attempt to startle the orcs, then
Armor/Equipment: Professors are not over- Larcon Heavy-Hand can charge the main
ly concerned about the practicality of wearing door in hopes of breaking it down for a sur-
good armor. They tend to wear something prise rear attack. During the commotion,
comfortable unless they are experimenting Lefty will slip over to that chest and attempt
with armor functionality. to make away with any interestingcontents."

Professorswear only leather, studded leath- As the party proceeds with the plan, Now-

er, or padded armor on a regular basis. How- tal's player hands out a +1bonus on Torcan's
ever, each month, a Professor can experiment
attempt to surprise the orcs. He also boosts
with one type of armor (evenshields)for up to Larcon's bend bars attempt (to increase his
chance to break down the bolted door by
Id10 days. When experimenting and wearing 5%).Since Nowtal is only 3rd level, he has
only one more bonus to hand out. He could
other armor, the Professor suffers a +1 Ar-
mor Class penalty and loses all Dexterity de-

fense adjustments.
Special Benefits:
Legend Lore: This ability is exactly like the

.
Demi-, Multi-, a n d Dual-Classed Bards 5 9

use it to improve Larcon or Torcan's attack Ability Table, in the DMG. Since Prafessors
roll, increase damage, etc. Instead he gives it approach traps from a purely mechanical

to the thief, Lefty. However, Lefty's player has standpoint, they receive no racial, Dexterity,
decided to backstab an orc instead of dashing
over to the chest. Thus, the DM rules that or armor adjustments to this roll.
Lefty isn't following the Professor's plan and This same percentage chance can be used to
Nowtal's player will have to use his last bonus
somewhere else. Just then, an orc shaman help solve other mechanical p r o b h - m u c h
casts a fireball from a necklace of missiles and
the last bonus is used to help Larcon with his like having a "mechanical proficikncyl' For ex-
saving throw.
ample, if the party comes upon a futuristic de-
Note that these bonuses last only for one die vice, such as steam-driven bellows, the
roll. These single bonuses cannot be combined Professor can examine it in an attempt to un-
into a +2 (10%)or better bonus. derstand how it works. If the roll succeeds,
the DM should inform the player
Mechanically Inclined: Of all known de- character understands the device.
vices, Professors love those with multiple role-playing, the player can then tell the
moving parts more than any other. of the party how to operate it.

Since Professors are mechanically inclined, Invention: A Professor's most u9$tz1ability,
they can find and remove traps. The chance to and his most dangerous, is that of invention.
succeed at this progresses just as the "find/re- Professors love to invent odd gadgetsl such as
move traps" skill on Table 19: Thief Average sword hilts with screw-on blades that can be
used as short, long, broad, bastard, or two-
handed swords. Another invention might be a

wagon pulled by draft horses located in the
center of the wagon. This protects the animals

from attack and allows the teamster to feed
them as they walk.

A Professor's chance to succeed with an in-
vention is based upon his "mechmiical profi-
ciency" (see previous paragraphs). Fmm that
base chance, the DM must assess the daiculty
of an invention and apply a modjfier (usually

in therangeof -25% to +25%).If theproper

tools, raw materials, and time are available, a
successful roll indicates that the inwention
works. If the roll is below the Professor's
level, the invention is a great success. How-
ever, if the roll fails, the invention either has
some major flaw or is a total flop. If the failed
roll is a 95% or higher, the failureresuitsin an

injury, as determined by the Dungeon Master.

A roll of 100 indicates that a fatality results

unless the victim rolls a successful saving

throw vs. paralyzation.
Special Hindrances: Unlike typical bards,

gnomes are not eligible to learn and cast spells
from any school of magic. Instead, they are

restricted to the spell selection available to

60 Chapter Three

I aren't reclusive- they are simply maintainin;:

illusionists. This is further explainedin the "I1 their unique link with nature.
lusion" note found earlier in the "Demi-Bard Secondary Skills: Farmer, Forester, Fisher,
section.
Leather Worker, Tailor/Weaver, Trapper/
Halfllng Whistler Furrier (but see below).

Specialty: Wanderer. Weapon Proficiencies: Like all halflings,
Qualifications:Whistlers must have a Wis- Whistlers love missile weapons, particularly
dom of 13 or better. However, qualifying In- those that can be thrown. At least half of a
telligence is lowered to 10.Prime requisites for Whistler's weapons must be types that can be
Whistlers are Wisdom and Charisma. hurled.
Halflings are the only race able to become
Whistlers. They are limited to 15th level. Whistlerscan select from among the follow-
Description: Much like dwarven Chanters, ing weapons: blowgun, short bow (either
halfling Whistlers are the unheralded heroes type), club, light crossbow, dagger, dart,
of the halfling race. Halflings belong to the footman's mace, hand axe, harpoon, javelin,
general category of nature-sensitive races and knife, quarterstaff, sling, spear, staff sling,
professions. Because halflings hate to kill for- short sword, or war hammer.
est animalsfor food or butcher farm pets, they
live by using their knack for agriculture. In addition to these, Whistlers can take a
Their success is largely due to the existence special weapon proficiency: rock pitching. All
of halfling Whistlers. Although almost any halflings are skilled at pitching rocks, but
halfling can whistle up a tune, true Whistlers Whistlers are especially renowned. A "good
are extremely rare. Each halfling community rock can be pitched with the exact same effect
has but one or two. as a dart, except that a Whistler gains a +1
Whistlersare extremely attuned to the natu-
ral environment about them. In particular, damage bonus if he hits.
they love forest animals and all types of plant Of course, rocks cause blunt damage (not
life. The very tunes of a skilled Whistler can
help a garden overcome drought or blight. puncture damage as do darts). Only good
Whistlers can also communicate with birds to rocks that are specially selected by the Whis-
help prevent insect swarms from wiping out a
village's food supply. tler gain the above advantage. If just any old
When Whistlers aren't tending gardens and rock is being pitched, damage is reduced to 1
crops, they can be found performing for the (plusany Strengthadjustment)and long range
locals. Nearly every day, a comfortablecrowd becomes 3 (not 4). Good rocks have been
forms in some grassy section of the commu- worn round in swift rivers. Most rubble, cave
nity for an evening's entertainment. Some just rocks, and the broken rocks found in old
sit on the grass and listen to the Whistlers' dungeons are not good rocks. Whistlers usu-
tunes, while others dance about, laugh, and ally carry a supply of 2d4 good rocks (thrown
make merry. rocks that hit their targets can be recovered;
Role: Whistlers are an odd mix of a farmer, those that miss are lost).
forest wanderer, and entertainer. Although
they are loved by everyone in the community, Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonuses: Agri-
most of them seem a bit reclusive, often living culture, Dancing, Spellcraft, Whistling
on the edge of town or even in a small burrow Humming. Suggested: Animal Lore
Astrology, Brewing, Cooking, Crowd Work-
ing, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Fishing,

Herbalism, Hunting, Leatherworking, Moun-
taineering, Musical Instrument, Poetry, Rope
Use, Singing, Set Snares, Survival, Swim-
ming, Tracking, Weather Sense.

Demi-, Multi-, a n d Dual-Classed Bards 61

1
I

II

I

--

Whistlers generally use fishing, hunting, set squirrel and learn that it has a lot of nuts hid-
snares, and other such skills for the benefit of den in a nearby oak tree. Whistling with a
nature. They learn these skills so they can bird might enable the Whistler to learn if it has
seen any large monsters (but not if it has seen
scare game away from sport hunters, spring five ettin or other specific information).
snares and traps set by greedy furriers, and so
on. Using nature when necessary is accept- Whistlers often find a forest friend that
able, but it should never be abused. A Whis- accompanies them on some of their less dan-
gerous adventures. Ferrets and foxes are par-
tler will resort to hunting and fishing only if ticularly fond of adventuring with Whistlers.
there is no other way to avoid starvation.
Stormwhistle: The phrase "whistle up a
Armor/Equipment: Whistlers wear only storm" was coined when a ranger once wit-
padded armor. They don't like the thought of nessed a halfling (actually a Whistler) stand-
wearing leather armor, as some animal had to ing out in the middle of a drought-struck
die for it, and they find other types of armor potato field. To the ranger's amazement, the
too restricting and unnatural. little fellow stuck his hands into his pockets
and starting whistling. Puzzled, the ranger
Special Benefits: crouched behind a large birch and watched.
Influence Reactions: Although Whistlers An hour later, the sky had clouded over and it
use a different form of music, namely whis- started to rain. After the rain was coming
tling and humming, their ability to influence down quite heavily, the ranger glimpsed a sat-
reactions functions exactly like the True Bards isfied-looking halfling strolling away.

ability of the same name. It is true that halflings can't cast wizard
Counter Tune:As noted earlier in the demi- spells. However, Whistlersare able to cast cer-
tain clerical spells. They do not receive these
human bard section, halfling demi-bards spells like clerics. In fact, the source of these
don't cast spells. Rather, they gain a special spells is somewhat of a mystery. Most Whis-
counter spell ability. Whistlers implement this tlers agree that they are granted by Mother
ability by humming or whistling the proper Nature herself.
counter tune. A counter tune must be whistled
to counter a spell that has a verbal compo- In any event, Whistlers gain the ability to
nent; otherwise, the counter tune must be cast each of the following spells once per day.
hummed. The usual components for these spells are ig-
nored; the Whistler need only whistle to cast
Counter tune functions just like counter the spell. Whistlersgain the following spells at
spell in all other ways. the listed levels:

Chattering: Whistling is a wonderful way 1st level: pass without trace
to express one's mood, but Whistlers take this 3rd level: obscurement
form of basic communicationa bit further. By 5th level: plant growth
"chattering," a process of whistling, trilling, 7th level: speak with plants
and emitting an occasional squeak, Whistlers 9th level: control winds
are able to communicate. They can carry on 11th level: weather summoning
complex conversations with other chatterers 13th level: control weather
and are even able to communicate with some 15th level: entangle
animals.
Special Hindrances: As with all halfling
Whistlers can communicate with any natu- demi-bards, Whistlers do not gain the bard
rally occurring animal that can squeak, chirp, ability to cast wizard spells, nor do they gain
or whistle. Such communication is on a fun-
damental level. Basic information can be ex-
changed, as well as mood, feelings, etc. For
example, a Whistler could chatter with a

6 2 Chapter Three

I

I, L

the 10th-level bard ability to use any written Dual-Classed Bards
magical item.
Only humans can be dual-classed. Dual-
Multi-Classed Bards classed humans can use any kit that the
Dungeon Master allows in his campaign.
As noted in Chapter 3 of the Player's Hand-
book under the discussion of multi-class bene- In order to switch from the bard to another
fits and restrictions, no multi-classed bards character class, the character must have a 15
combination were listed. Now that this book or better in both Dexterity and Charisma and
is out, it is time to introduce bard multi-class a 17or better in the prime requisite of the new
combinations. Note that multi-class options class.
are not open to human characters.
If the character is of another class and wish
All of the standard demihuman races and es to pick up the bard class, he must have a 15
their allowable bard multi-classes are listed or better in the prime requisite of his other
below. For added flavor, multi-class combina- class and a 17 or better in both Dexterity and
tions have been defined for specifickits. If the
kits are not used in your campaign, only those
combinations that include the True Bard can
be used.

Entries such as "FighterjChanter * Skald
are a shorthand way of saying "Fighter/

Chanter or Fighter/Skald."

Dwarf
Fighter/Chanter * Skald

Elf
Mage/ Minstrel
Thief /Gypsy

Gnome
Illusionist/Professor
Thief /Professor * Jongleur

Half-Elf
Fighter/True * Blade * Gallant * Skald
Ranger/True * Meistersinger
MageILoremaster * Riddlemaster
Cleric/True
Druid/Meistersinger
Thief/True * Gypsy * Jongleur * Thespian

Halfling
Thief /Jongleur

%. Demil, Multi-, and Dual-Classed Bards 6 3

Proficiencies

Following their jack-of-all-trades reputation, actor must portray a particularly difficult
bards can learn proficiencies from the general, character or is attempting an "ad lib" role
rogue, warrior, and wizard proficiency (i.e.,a nonrehearsed role or on short notice).
groups. Only those proficiencies in the priest
group cost an additional slot to gain. How- Chanting
ever, because most proficienciesfall into more
than one group, a lot of proficiencies listed in The character is an accomplished chanter
the priest group are also available to the bard and can use this ability to help fellow workers
under another group. In fact, of all the profi- or soldiers keep pace. Proficiency checks are
ciencies listed in Chapter 5 of the Player's used to determine the effectiveness of the
Handbook, only one, healing, is not in one of chanting.
the bards proficiency groups. Thus only heal-
ing requires the bard to spend an additional On a successful proficiency check, those
slot to acquire (three total). who can hear the chanter become slightly
hypnotized by the rhythmic sound, causing
Compiled Proficiencies the time spent on arduous, repetitive tasks to
pass quickly. The DM can, at his option, ad-
The following table has been compiled in just results for forced marching, rowing, dig-
order to assist bard players in selecting their ging, and other such tasks accordingly.
nonweapon proficiencies. Bold-faced profi-
ciencies are new proficiencies found only in Table 1 4 NONWEAPON PROFICIENCIES
this book. They are expanded upon later.
Proficiency Slots Relevant
Italicized proficiencies require the player to Req'd. Ability Mod.
record a specific topic or area that the profi- Acting
ciency covers. For example, the survival pro- Agriculture 1 Cha -1
ficiency must be specified for a particular 1 Int +O
environment (e.g., arctic, woodland, desert,
steppe, mountain, or tropical). If woodland is Animal Training- 1 Wis +O
Appraising
c"hSousrevniv, atlh(eWporoodfilcainedn)c."yEiaschtoadbdeitrieocnoarldperdofais- 1 Int +O

ciency slot used can either improve the profi- Bowyer/Fletcher 1 Dex -1
ciency for a specific topic or it can be used to Brewing
gain another topic, such as "Survival (Wood- 1 Int +O

land, Steppe)." Cobbling 1 Dex +O
Cooking 1 Int +O
New ProHciencies Craft Instrument 2 Dex -2
T '.
Acting 1'

Acting enables a character to skillfullypor-
tray various roles. Acting is most often used
as a form of entertainment; it can also be use-
ful in aiding a disguise. If both acting and dis-
guise are known, the proficiency check for
either is made with a +1bonus.

Proficiency checks are required only if the

64 Chapter Four

c

nt instrument. These times assume that the
craftsman is spending 10hours a day working
Those who take this proficiency must speci- on the instrument. If craftsman tools (cost 25
fy whether they are skilled at crafting wind, gp, weight 5 pounds) are not available, all
stringed, percussion, or keyboard instru- times are doubled.
ments. It takes an additional proficiency slot
to gain one of the other skills. Three addition- The quality of an instrument is determined
al slots allow the character to take the title by a final proficiency check. Failure results in
"master craftsman" as he i s able to craft in- an instrument of poor quality, while success
struments of all forms. indicates good quality. A natural 20 indicates
that the instrument is nonfunctional, while a
A craftsman must buy materials equal to a natural 1results in a masterpiece worth twice
the normal value.
quarter of the instrument's sale value. It then
takes ld6 days to craft a wind or percussion Simple repairs take only ld4 hours and re-
instrument, 2d8 days to form a stringed in-

Proficiency Slots Relevant Proficiency Slots Relevant
Req'd. Ability Mod. Req'd. Ability Mod.
Direction Sense Reading/ Writing
Disguise 1 Wis +1 Religion 1 Ink +1
Endurance 1 Cha -1 Riding. Airborne 1 Wis +O
2 Con +O 2 Wis - 2

Wis -1 Seamanship 1 Dex +l

Forgery 1 Dex -1 Seamstress/Tailor 1 Dex -1
Gam&
1 Cha +O Set Snares 1 Dex -1%

Int
Str

Leatherworking 1 Int +O Weaponsmithing 3 IPtt -3
Local History Weather Sense 1 Wis -1
Mining 1 Cha +O Weaving 1 Int -1
Whistling/Humming 1 Dex +2
Poetry 2 Wis -3
Pottery
Reading Lips *Healing is not within a bards proficiency

1 Int -2 group, thus it takes three slots to learn instead

1 Dex -2 of two as listed in the Player's Handbook.

2 Int -2
< v* *

~l Proficiencies 65

quire no proficiency check unless the proper with this proficiency is a true master whistler
tools are not available. However, repairing se- and hummer.
vere damage requires Id8 hours and a check is
mandatory for success. It is so easy to learn a new tune to whistle or
hum that characters with this proficiency can
Crowd Working
learn numerous tunes. In fact, if a proficiency
Almost every bard is familiarwith the ways
of a crowd. However, those who take crowd check is made, a whistler or hummer knows
working learn all the tricks of the trade. Such any particular tune in question. In addition, a
bards are skilled at observing crowds and ad- character with both this proficiency and the
justing their performances accordingly. animal lore proficiency can mimic any bird
call he has heard.
Any bard who is using a special ability to
adjust the encounter reactions of a crowd However, most adventurers do not take
(e.g., influence reactions) can make a crowd whistling just for the entertainment value. In-
working proficiency check. If this check is stead, they are looking for its uses in com-
successful, the bard can alter the reactions of munication. This communication is possible
the crowd by two levels instead of the typical only among those who know this proficiency.
one. If both characters succeed with their profi-
ciency checks, a singleconcept can be commu-
If the bard or his group is soliciting money nicated. Someexamples are "Go around to the
from a crowd, a successful proficiency check side door," "I hear them coming," "Slowly
indicates that the bard is particularly appeal- reach out now, the guard doesn't see you."
ing and the crowd willingly donates twice as
much money as it normally would (or condi-
tions improve one category if using the per-
formance rules earlier in this handbook).

Poetry

Proficiency in poetry includes the skills of
reciting poetry and judging its quality. It also
indicates that the character has a repertoire of
poems memorized for recital at any time. No
proficiency check is required for a normal
recital.

If the character can read and write, original
poems can be written. A successful proficien-
cy check indicates that the poem is of above
average quality.

Whistling/Humming

Almost anyone can whistle or hum. Those
who take this proficiency are exceptional
whistlers and hummers. They can produce
tunes as captivating as most songs. A person

'i

1

CHAPTER I

b

If Bard Abilities

This section examines most of the core bards from noie I or some game into noie L.
common abilities. These include pick pockets, Exchange: Exchange enables a bard to reach
detect noise, climb walls, read languages, and into a pile of coins and remove more than
the bards 10th-level ability to use any written he places there or to drop in a gold but re-
magical item. move a platinum.
Slit: Slitting is the art of cutting through
The first four of these abilities are collec- straps or cutting holes in bags, garments,
tively known as a bards "thief skills," as they purses, pouches, etc., without being
mimic the thief skills of the same name. As noticed.
stated in the PZuyer's Handbook under the sec-
tion on the thief class, thief skills cannot be Most of these pick pockets functions can be
raised above 95%, no matter what modifiers reversed. So doing requires a successful pick
are applied. pockets roll. An example follows.

Pick Pockets While enjoying a fancy dinner party, the
bard, Rembam, may wish to frame the good
The ability to pick pockets extends far be- cleric Baldwin as a thief. To do so he might un-
yond reaching into a victim's coat pocket and do Madam Morgava's necklace, lift it from
removing its contents. It has many other appli- her, then drop it in Baldwin's pocket (this
cations, as listed below. Some of these applica- process requires three pick pockets rolls).
tions can be reversed and are indicated below.
For example, "Redo" is the opposite of "Undo." Later Rembam could alter the topic of dis-
cussion to that of jewelry, causing Madam
Undo/Redo: A bard can untie, unstring, Morgava to notice her missing necklace. As
unclasp, unbuckle, unbutton, etc., an item soon as a large stir is made, Rembam might
without being noticed. exclaim, "I noticed the good cleric here was
Palm/Place: Palming enables a bards hand doting over your person earlier. Perhaps we
to be held naturally while looking empty, should ask him to empty his pockets."
but it actually contains some item: cards, a
dagger, a scroll, silverware, coins (up to 10 Success/Failure/Detectiom If a bard rolls
equal to or below his pick pockets score, he
+ Mevel), gems (up to 5 + Mevel), etc.
succeeds in the attempt. If he rolls above his
Lift/Drop: Lifting is the art of removing pick pockets score, he fails. However, success
small items from others' pockets, sleeves, and failure are separate from being detected.
girdles, packs, etc., without the victims A bards attempt to lift a gem from a mer-
noticing. chant's pocket might be detected regardless of
Strip/Garb: If a bard removes any accessi- whether the bard succeeds in his attempt.
ble item (smallor large)from a sleepingper-
son (swords, boots, hat, and so on)without Detection is determined by subtracting
waking the victim, he is stripping items three times the victim's (or observes's) level
from the victim. from 100.If the bards roll is equal to or above
Sleight of Hand: This is a general category this number, his attempt is detected (regard-
that enables a bard to transfer an item from less of the attempt's success or failure).
one hand to another, make the item seem
alive, make it vanish and reappear, cause it Detect Noise
to appear behind another's ear, and so on.
Adjust Items: This skill enables a bard to Bards are attentive to every sound or noise,
make subtle adjustments without being no- no matter how small or seemingly insignifi-
ticed. For example, a bard could slip a peg cant, including faint sounds that most others
miss.

ilI l

The rules listed in the Player's Handbook Table 15: DETECT NOISE MODIFIERS

under the thief and bard classes (as well as in (Optional)

the DUNGEON MASTER Guide under "Lis-

tening" in Chapter 15)state that a listener may Situation Modifier

attempt to pick up faint sounds any time he Distance (indoor/outdoor)* +IU%
wants, simply by standing still and listening Up to 5 feet/yards
for one round. Any head gear (hat, helmet, Up to 25 feet/yards -

etc.) must be removed and there cannot be Up to 50 feet/yards -10%

any noise in the immediate vicinity (i.e.,party Up to 100feet/yards -25%

members must be quiet). The check is made Up to 150 feet/yards --5705%%
secretly by the Dungeon Master. Success Up to 200 feet/yards -100%
means that the listener picks up some noise. Up to 300 feet/yards

Additional checks can be made in which the Ear Covering

listener can attempt to discern one of the fol- Cap -10%
Scarf /Cloth -10%
lowing (per check): Hat -25%
- *beings Leather helmet -50%
number Metal helmet
of - 75%
Sound Obstructions
race Closed door -50%
Ear pressed to door -20%
nature of beings Bend in corridor -10%
Curtains -15%
exact direction
Sound Volume -25-%
movement Whisper
l'ersonal C0~versation +lo%
bits of conversation Speaking to an audience

distance to beings

Once a check fails, no more information
can be gained unless conditions chan"ge con-
siderably (and favoralb-l,v),..

If you would like to add greater detail to
vour character's chance to hear noise, con-
&derusing Table 15.

Shouting +25%

Climb Walls Yelling +50%

There is an entire section in the Player's *Distancesare measured in feet indoors and
Handbook devoted to this skill. It is found in in yards outdoors.

Chapter 14:Time and Movement. It is impor- than others, but they can climb even the most
difficult surfaces without the aid of special
tant to note that bards perform just like
thieves when it to climbing walls. hY
climbing walls comment that applies to gear (calledfree climbing). Rogues are the on-
ly characters who can climb rough, smooth,
thieves also applies to bards. For example, in and very smooth surfaces without the use of
the Player's Handbook, thieves are given a ropes Or Other equipment. And they are the
number of special climbing benefits, which all
only characters able to climb very smooth sur-
apply to bards as well. faces when they are slightly slippery.

Mountaineering Proficiency: Every profi- *This bonus applies when the character
ciency slot spent on mountaineering (includ- can brace his feet against the wall and use
ing the initial slot) increases a bards climb the rope to assist in the climb.
walls score by 10%.The bard is not required
to use climbing gear in order to gain this bene- **Thispenalty is cumulativefor each en-
fit. It is a permanent increasethat applies in all cumbrance category worse than unencum-
situations. bered (e.g.,a moderately encumbered bard
would suffer a -10% penalty).
Table 16: CLIMBING MODIFIERS
***The armor adjustments to a bards
Situation Modifier climb walls percentage, given on Tables 9
Miscellaneous and 10 in the "Creation" section, apply to
Rope and wall* +55% bards performing free climbs (i.e.,climbs in
Encumbrance** -5% which pitons, rope, and so on aren't used,
Climber below half hp -10% which is the norm for rogues). When a bard
uses climbing tools, he is performing an as-
Rappelling down a surface +50% sisted climb. Assisted climbers suffer less
Bottom of rope is held +30% severe armor penalties, as ropes can be
Bottom of rope is not held coiled about and attached to their armor,
and they are able to lean out from the wall
Surface condition +40% more, making the bulkiness of their armor
Abundant handholds (brush, +25% less significant.

trees, ledges) -25% The "Assisted Bonus" column can be
Sloped inward -40% used by players who want to record only
Slightly slippery (wet or their free climbing percentage ( i .e., their
climbing walls score has been adjusted as
crumbling) per Table 9 or 10in the "Creation" section).
Slippery (icy, slimy) The "Total Modifier" column lists the result
of combining the armor penalty with the
Assisted Climbs (Using Climbing Tools)* * * assisted climb bonus.

Assisted Total As an example, studded leather normally
causes a -30% climbing penalty. If tools
Armor Type Bonus Modifier are used, a bonus of 25% is added, making
No Armor**** the penalty for assisted climbing in studded
Leather Armor - +lo%
leather only -5%.
--
** **Includessmall magical items such as
Padded Armor +25% -5%
rings, bracers, cloaks, but no large or bulky
Scale Mail +30% -15% devices.
Hide Armor +25% -5%
Chain Mail -15% Climbing Checks: A climbing check must
+lo% be made any time a bard tries to climb more
than 10 feet. According to the Player's
Plate Mail +45% -50% Handbook (Chapter 14: Time and Move-
Bronze Plate +45% -50% ment), an initial check is made to see if the
Field Plate +45% -50% bard is able to even attempt the climb. If
+45% -50% this check fails, the wall is too difficult and
Full Plate another attempt can be made only if the
bards chance to succeed increases (i.e., a

rope is tossed down) or he moves to a signifi- he would fall 30 feet (10feet down to the plmn
cantly different new location (half a mile or plus the 20 feet of slack)and suffer 3d6 points
more along a cliff). of damage (the DM might decide to allow a
saving throw vs. paralyzation for half dam-
Another check is not required unless the age, since the rope takes up some of the
bard climbs more than 100 feet or takes more shock).
than a turn (ten rounds) to climb. The reason
for this is that the first check assumes that the Pitons and spikes are not completely reli-
bard is scouting out the wall (or cliff), picking able and pull out 15% of the time.

the best route. If the check is successful, he has Characterscan also rope themselves togeth;
er. If a roped character falls, any character di-
found such a route and can climb the surface rectly tied to him must immediately roll a
safely. climbing check. Success stops the fall, failure

Optional Rule: It should take one turn to -means that they are both falling. If more than
scout out a surface. If the surface cannot be
seen or scouted for some reason, the bard one person is falling, a 10% penalty results
must simply start climbing and hope for the for every falling character in addition to the
best. In such cases, a climb walls check is first one (e.g., if three characters are falling
made; if it fails, the bard falls. To determine the penalty would be -20%).
how high he had climbed, roll a percentile die
and that is the fraction of the climb that had Climbing Rates: To determine how fast a
been completed before the fall. bard climbs, look for the type of surface and
the surface condition on the following table.
For example, if Aldwin is adventuring in a Multiply the resulting number by the charac-
large underground cavern and decides to ter's current movement rate. That is the num-
climb a wall, he spends a turn examining what ber of feet per round the bard can travel in any
he can see (say 15 feet in torch light). He then direction (up, down, sideways, or diagonal).
rolls his climb walls check. If successful, he This rate is twice as fast as nonrogues can
sees an obvious route and can climb up to 15 travel.
feet without mishap. If he decides to climb the
other 50 feet of this 65-foot-high wall, he must Table 17:BARD CLIMBING RATES
roll a second check (it is impossibleto scout in
the middle of a climb). He rolls and fails; now Type of Surface Dry Slightly Slippery
the DM rolls a percentile of 98. Aldwin almost Verysmooth 1/2 Slippery -
reaches the top before he falls. The DM de-
Smooth, cracked 1 1/4 1/2
cides that the damage should be 6d6 as Al- 2/3 1/2
Rounh 2
dwin essentially falls 60 feet. i

Falling: As always, falling damage is ld6 Sloping wall 6 4 n
per 10 feet. A fall of 40 feet causes 4d6 Rope and wall 2
damage. Rappelling 4 10

If a climber is climbing assisted (using in
tools), he cannot fall clear to the ground. If pi-
tons or spikes are being driven into a wall and Combat While Climbing: Combat is both
difficult and dangerous while climbing. Spells
rope is attached between them and a climber, can be cast only if the bard is in a steady,
the climber will fall only until the slack be- braced position. If the spell has a material
tween him and the piton is taken up.

Thus, if the climber attaches 20 feet of rope
to the piton, climbs 10feet up, and then falls,

1 Bard Abilities 7 1

component, the bard must have one hand spell read magic; and the 10th-levelbard abili-
free. Somatic components require the use of ty to use any written magical item. Each has
both hands (Le., the bard must be able to its own specific functions, but the various uses
steady himself with rope and legs alone). overlap.

The following additional adjustments occur The thief ability to read languages enables
while climbing: any rogue, including the bard subclass, to at-
tempt to read any material (other languages,
Dexterity and shield Armor Class bonuses maps, ideograms, etc.)that the character isn't
are lost. proficient in reading. This skill does not en-
Most attacks against a climber are made able a thief to read writings that others can
with the +2 rear attack bonus. read only by using a read magic spell (i.e.,
Climbers suffer a -2 penalty to attack, magical writings cannot be read with the read
damage, and saving rolls. languages ability). The thief's ability to read
Attacking from above results in a +2 at- languages does not impart the ability to write
tack roll bonus and attacking from below or speak a language.
results in a -2 attack roll penalty. These
two adjustments apply to climbers and All three of the language-oriented proficien-
nonclimbers alike. cies require the player to record a specific lan-
Two-handed weapons are rarely usable by guage when the proficiency is first learned.
climbers. Additional proficiency slots can be spent to
If struck for any amount of damage while gain additional languages, which must also be
climbing, an immediate climbing check specified and recorded. Characters automati-

must be rolled. A free-climbing character cally succeed when using these three profi-
ciencies (ie., no proficiency check is rolled)
falls if this roll fails, while an assisted under most circumstances. Only when the
climber loses his balance for a round (he proficiency is used in extreme cases, such as
can't attack, suffers an additional -2 pen- reading a very old document or speaking odd
alty to saving throws, and opponents gain dialects, is a proficiency check rolled.
an additional +2 bonus to their attack
rolls). The proficiency reading/writing enables a
character to both read and write a specific
All adjustments are cumulative. Thus, an language-no proficiency check is rolled and
there is no need to roll against read languages.
ogre standing atop a cliff gains a +6 to attack
Only a "modern" language can be selected as
if Aldwin has lost his balance on his assisted the topic of this proficiency, and only if the
climb ( +2 because Aldwin is below the ogre, character already knows how to speak the
language. (A modern language is any lan-
+2 because Aldwin's back is exposed as he is guage that is currently being used in the char-
acter's known campaign world. If a language
facing the cliff, and +2 because he is off is not modern, it is always "ancient.")
balance).
The modern languages proficiency enables
Reading, Writing, and Speaking
a character to speak a specific language, but
This section clarifies the differences and not read or write it.
similarities between the multiple ways in
which a bard can attempt to read, write, and Ancient languages is a unique proficiency
speak languages. In particular the following that combines the functions of the above two
will be examined: the thief ability read lan- proficiencies with respect to ancient lan-
guages; the proficiencies of reading/writing, guages. When an ancient language is specified
ancient languages, and modern languages; the for this proficiency, the player must decide

72 Chapter Five

whether the character is fluent in the language I.
(knows how to speak it) or if the character is
literate in the language (can read and write bard does not exactly understand
the effects of an item until he first uses it. Up
it)-both are not immediately gained. If both until that time, he has only a vague idea as to
the item‘s general use (e.g., the bard might
skills are desired, an additional proficiency know that a flame strike scroll contains an of-
slot must be spent on the same language. fensive fire spell). He must read the scroll and
activate its magic to learn the exact nature of
The spell read magic enables a caster to the scroll.
read, but not write or speak, any writing that
is magical. It doesn’t matter what language it Note that at 10th level the bard can ignore
is written in or who wrote it, only that it is class restrictions for all magical items of a
magical. Once read, the caster can read it at written nature.

any later time without the use of the spell. If
the writing isn’t magical, this spell has abso-

lutely no effect.
The bards 10th-level ability to use any writ-

ten magical item (with a 15%chance of using
it incorrectly) is a very special case. By the
10th level, bards have finally learned enough
magical symbols and signs that they are able
to puzzle through them without the use of
read magic, read languages, or any other aid.

ICHAPTER
I
6 Magic

Spell Books components. He must always resort to music.
Only one of the three musical mediums (sing-
Unlike wizards, bards do not engage in the ing, poetry, or instrumental) works for any
systematic study of magic or the pursuit of particular bard (until 10th level). Demi-bards
specific spells. In spite of this, most bards pick have different options available to them. The
up some magical knowledge in the course of musical options for bards and demi-bards are
their travels. However, understanding the given in Table 18.
meaning of a spell is a difficult task. Spell
books are not filled with lines of neatly writ- Table 18:
ten text. Instead, they contain arcane formu-
lae, strange symbols, notes, comments, odd VERBAL COMPONENT SUBSTITUTES
runes, etc. Understanding them is difficult, as
spells aren't "read like normal writing; they Kit Musical Substitute
are "solved like complex mathematical equa- True Singing or Instrumental*
tions, and impressed upon the mind by an act Blade Poetry
of will. Charlatan Singing
Gallant Poetry
Only those able to cast spells can attempt to Instrumental
unlock their secrets and tap the energies need- GYPSY Instrumental
ed to cast them. The only way to do this is for Herald Poetry, Singing, or
the spellcaster to successfully roll under his Jester Instrumental*
"chance to learn spells" score, which is a func- Poetry
tion of Intelligence. Once understood, no fur- Jongleur Instrumental
ther attempts to solve a given spell need to be Loremaster Instrumental
made as long as the spell book is available for Meistersinger Poetry
study. Note that a spellcaster cannot under- Riddlemaster Singing
stand a spell of a level higher than he can cur- Skald Singing
rently cast. Thespian
Chanting
Musical Components Demi-Bards Special* *
Chanter Whistling or Instrumental*
Most bards are almost magically skilled at Minstrel Whistling
some form of musical expression. If you are Professor
seeking a way to more closely incorporate this Whistler
talent with a bards magical abilities, you may
want to consider the option of using music as *Thebard must select only one of these op-
the verbal component to spells. Then, instead tions. This choice is binding and cannot be al-
of speaking arcane words to invoke a spell, tered at a later time.
the bard sings a song, recitespoetry, or plays a
**Minstrelsare a sDecial case. Refer to their
th all optional rules, you
must first obtain your Dungeon Master's ap-
proval. If this option is taken, a bard can per-
form some form of music in place of a spell's
verbal component. However, once this option
is agreed upon for your bard, he can no longer
speak words to cast spells requiring verbal

74 Chapter Six



New Spells Duration: 10rounds + 1round/level

Alter Instrument Casting Time: 1
Area of Effect: Special
(Alteration) Saving Throw: None

Level: 1 When this spell is cast, an invisible bubble
Range: Touch springsinto existence. It can either be centered
Components: V, S on and mobile with the caster or cast on an
Duration: 1turn/level area. The mobile bubble has a radius of 10
Casting Time: 1 feet, while the area bubble has a radius of 5
Area of Effect: 1instrhment feet per caster level. The bubble has only one
Saving Throw: None effect: sound can’t pass through it. Thus
sound generated within the bubble can’t be
By using this spell, the caster can transform heard by those on the outside and vice versa.
one musical instrument into another of similar
size and equal value. Any hand-held instru- Bards often use this spell to enhance the
ment can be altered into any other hand-held quality and effect of their performances. It al-
instrument. However, in order to obtain a so functions nicely when a bard wishes to use
large instrument, such as a base harp, organ, one of his talents in a dungeon or other limited
or any other instrument that is too large or setting in which noise is sure to draw unwant-
heavy to be easily carried, the spellcastermust ed attention.
start with an equally large instrument.
Besides its entertainment functions, sound
In any event, the value of the new instru- bubble is also useful in many of the same situ-
ment is identical to the original. A golden re- ations in which silence is used.
corder will generate a silver plated lute, a
child’s drum will generate a nonfunctional The material component of the spell is a
lyre, etc. blown egg shell or a soap bubble.

Bards use this spell to save both money and Silence 15‘ Radius
equipment carried. It is a lot cheaper to buy a
single instrument and alter it when another is (Alteration)
needed than to buy every instrument that
might be required. This also saves a lot of Lcvel: 2
space in one’s backpack. Range: 60 yards
Components: V, S
If the instrument the bard wishes to alter is Duration: 2 rounds/level
being carried or played by another character, Casting Time: 5
a successful attack roll against the opponent‘s
Armor Class must be made in order to touch prevails in the affected area. All sound is
the instrument. stopped: conversation is impossible, spells
with verbal components cannot be cast, and
Sound Bubble no noise issues from or enters the area. The
spell can be cast into the air or upon an object,
(Abjuration, Evocation)

Level: 1

bile object or creature. The spell lasts two cast, the mouths knowledge is set and will
rounds for each level of the experience of the never change. Thus, if a bard is extremely an-
caster. If the spell is centered on a creature, the gry at Tarnak when he casts an improved
effect then radiates from the creature and magic mouth, the mouth will remain in a state
moves as it moves. An unwilling creature re- of anger, even if the bard and Tarnak have rec-
ceives a saving throw vs. spell. If successful, onciled.
the spell effect is centered about one foot be-
hind the position of the creature at the instant Instant Audience
of casting (the effect does not move with the
creature in this case). This spell provides a de- (Conjuration)
fense against sound-based attacks, such as
harpy singing, a horn of bzasting, etc. Level: 3
Range: 30 yards
Improved Magic Mouth
Components: V, S, M
(Alteration)
Duration: Up to 4 hours
Level: 3 Casting Time: 2
Range: 10 yards Area of Effect: 1room or area within range
Components: V, S, M Saving Throw: None
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 3 When this spell is cast, audience members
Area of Effect: 1object are magically conjured. Each round ld4 peo-
Saving Throw: None ple enter the room or area in a normal man-
ner. (They actually appear just outside the
This spell works in all ways like the 2nd- room when no one is looking.) This continues
level wizard spell magic mouth, except as fol- for a number of rounds equal to the caster's
lows. level.

When this spell is cast, the mouth is en- The audience contains a combination of
dowed with the bards current knowledge, In- races, gender, and social class appropriate to
telligence, and personality. When the the occasion.
predetermined event occurs that activates the
mouth, it converses as if the bard were actu- Instant audience members act in every way
ally there. For example, the mouth might say, like any other members of the audience. They
'Who goes there?" and wait for a reply. If the walk around during intermission, talk, eat
visitors announce their names, it could go on snacks, and so on. However, they always
to say, "Tarnak, please proceed to the music evade questions about their past, their histo-
room, while the rest wait in the sitting room." ry, or current events, as they have no past, no
history, and have no idea as to what is going
The mouth lasts until the conversation is on in the world outside of the room.
over.
Instant audience members are strictly non-
Although the mouth can be set to activate combative and never attack or cast spells (al-
due to a visual stimulus (i.e.,activate if any- though they can be bullies or braggarts if that
one wearing a green feather approaches the is appropriate). If one suffers even a single
castle gate), once triggered, it reacts only to point of damage, he instantly vanishes along
sounds and speech. Also note that the mouth with all of his items (includingitems no longer
and the bard are not linked in any way. Once on his body, such as clothes that he hung in
the linen closet).

Once the performance ends, instant audi-

Magic 77

ence members leave in an appropriate manner command words function normally.
and vanish as soon as they are out of view. Anyone passing through the wall suffers

If the audience is treated in an inappropriate Id8 points of damage and is permanently
way (as determined by the DM), the spell in- deafened unless he rolls a successful saving
stantly ends. For example, an audience could throw vs. spell. Deafened creatures suffer a
be summoned to watch a combat, but if the -1 penalty to surprise rolls, a +1 penalty to
audience is used as a human shield, it van- their initiative rolls, and they are 20% likely
ishes. to miscast spells with a verbal component.

The material componentsare a small collec- A silence 15’ radius spell cast by a higher
tion of the items carried by the appropriate level caster specifically for this purpose will
audience (a gold coin, a piece of fine fabric, a dispel the wall; the wall otherwisedestroys all
snuff box, etc.). These are tossed into a bag silence spells that come into contact with it.
that contains at least one live mouse. The
mouse is not destroyed, but vanishes during The material component is a piece of slate
the spell to reappear somewhere in the room and a finger nail clipping.
after the spell ends.
Conjure Cabinet
Wall of Sound
(Conjuration)
(Evocation)
Level: 4
Level: 3 Range: 10feet
Range: 60 yards Components: V, S
Components: V, S, M Duration: 1round/level
Casting Time: 4
Duration: Concentration + 1round/level Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: None
Casting Time: 3
Area of Effect: Special This is a very special spell created specifi-
Saving Throw: None cally for the bard class. Before this spellcan be
used, the bard must have a special cabinet
The wall of sound spell brings forth an im- made. It must be of the highest quality, worth
mobile, shimmering curtain of violently dis- at least 1,000gold pieces. It can be any size up
turbed air. The wall is made up of a number of to 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep by 8 feet high.
lO’x10’ sections equal to the caster’s level.
These sections can be arranged as desired as Once the cabinet is made, this spell must be
long as the resulting wall all lies in one plane cast upon it and the cabinet must be named.
(i.e.,it must be flat) that stands up vertically. At any later date, the bard can cast this spell
and the cabinet temporarily teleports to the
One side of the wall, selected by the caster, bards current location. The cabinet carries
produces a voluminous roar that completely with it any contents that are of a performing
disrupts all communication, command nature usable by the bard. (For example, it
words, verbal spell components, and any oth- might contain musical instruments, cleaning
er form of organized sound within 30 feet. In tools, a playing stool, etc., for a True Bard. It
addition, those within 10feet are deafened for might be lined with throwing daggers, rapiers
ld4 turns if they fail a saving throw vs. spell. [for sword swallowing], and blindfolds for a
Blade).
On the other side of the wall, a loud roar
can be heard, but communication is possible When the cabinet teleports to the bard, a
by shouting, and verbal components and

percentile die must be rolled. On a 01-04, it the gourd to function. Every time the gourd is
appears 2d20 feet in the air and falls, destroy- used, one of these seeds vanishes. When the
ing itself (but its contents are recoverable).On last seed vanishes, the gourd becomes a non-
a roll of 99-00, it teleports into the ground and
is destroyed. Otherwise, it is safe. magical item.
Harp of Healing: When this magical harp is
The cabinet remains for the duration of the
spell or until the bard speaks the cabinet’s played within 10feet of wounded creatures, it
name. It then teleports safely back to its pre-
vious location, along with any carried items heals each creature by one point per hour of
of a performing nature usable by the bard. playing. However, once the music stops or a
new player takes over, further playing is use-
A bard may have only one such cabinet at a less unless new wounds are received.
time. The teleport will not carry the cabinet to
another plane. If items of a nonperformingna- After eight hours of continuous playing, a
ture are left in the cabinet, then the cabinet bard must begin to make successful Constitu-
will not teleport. tion rolls once an hour or he misplays the harp
and healing ends.
Magical Items
Horn of Amplification: This horn is not
As is the nature of bards, they meddle in hollow as one would expect. Rather, it is solid
everything, including magical items created and resembles the horn of a rhinoceros. It is
by the great wizards of past and present. Be- used by touching its base to the forehead. It
low you will find a list of new magical items, magically attaches and conveys its special
old magical items, and new ways to use old power. At this time, the one wearing the horn
magical items. has his voice amplified from two to ten times
in volume. The exact increase is up to the
New Magical Items character using the horn. The horn has no
other function. It can be removed by anyone
Case of Compression: When empty, this who lightly pulls on it.
musical instrument case appears as any other
such case. However, when touched to any in- This horn increases the range of all songs,
strument normally carried in a case, it trans- jokes, rhymes, and other forms of verbal com-
forms so that it perfectly fits the instrument. munication proportionately (e.g.,an amplifi-
When the case is closed with the instrument cation of five increases the range by five times
inside, it shrinks until it easily fits in the palm the normal distance).
of the hand. The reduced case weighs only a
pound. When the case is opened, it returns it- The character can also yell. A yell causes
self and its instrument to full size. 2d10 points of damage to everyone except the
user within a range of 5 feet times the amplifi-
About 10% of these cases are cursed; such cation (e.g.,setting 2 has a 10-foot range, set-
cases devour the instrument 25% of the time. ting 5 has a 25-foot range, etc.). A successful
saving throw vs. petrification reduces damage
Gourd of Travel: By shaking this gourd and by half. Only one yell per encounter can be
saying the command word, the bard is able to attempted.
teleport himself and one other to any known
place. A gourd of travel does not allow for Each time the horn is used, there is a 170
travel between planes.
chance that it permanently affixes to the user‘s
A gourd of travel has Idlo seeds within it, forehead and loses all magical ability. It can
which produce the rattling sound that causes then be used as a weapon for head butts, caus-
ing ld3 points of damage. However, the oddi-
ty of having a horn growing from the
character’shead results in a -2 Charisma pen-
alty. A wish must be used to remove the horn.

it Magic 79

I

Horn of Baubles: When this instrument is Dloo Save Bonus
blown, one 5’x5’x5’ cube of useless baubles +1
spews out of it per level of the blower. Al- 01-40
41-60 +2
though this is usually rather comical, it can be 61-75
dangerous in a limited space. 76-90 +3
91-95 +4
The instrument can be safely blown once 96-00 +5
every hour. If blown more frequently, there is +1,5’ radius

a 10% cumulative chance that the horn back- If no saving throw IS usually allowed, the
fires, sucking the blower into it and spewing
him out as a collection of useless baubles. It is periapt provides a normal saving throw vs.
impossible to resurrect or reincarnate a crea- spell against the sound. A periapt of proof
ture in this state, although a wish can be used against sound affects all hostile sounds, in-
to recover the victim. cluding harpy singing, sirens, screams or

Lyre of Wounding: This cursed item ap- shrieks that cause damage or fear, all musical
pears normal in every way until it is first
played. When the musician’s fingers strike its influences (including bard abilities), spells
strings, they sever the tips of his fingers. Roll
ld6 for the number of fingers that the musi- that rely upon verbal communication to affect
their victims (e.g., command, suggestion,
cian loses: 1-4 = the number of lost fingers, 5 etc.),and so on. However, the periapt has no
= all fingers and the thumb, and 6 = escaped effect upon communication, such as, ”Kill
unscathed. Each finger lost causes I& points that stupid bardf ,“ verbal components for
of damage, but the musician should not be spells, magical item command words, or any
lowered below 1 hit point due to lost fingers.
other sound that does not directly affect the
Each lost finger causes the musician’s profi- individual who has the periapt.
ciency at playing musical instruments to suf-
fer a penalty of -2. Other proficiencies and Pick of Strumming: This magical pick en-
activities requiring manual dexterity are like- ables the user to play any stringed instrument
wise reduced, at the DM‘sdiscretion. Lost dig-
its can be regenerated magically. that is normally plucked with fingers or a
pick. This includes harps, lutes, mandolins,
As with cursed swords, whenever the musi-
cian decides to play, the lyre leaps into his etc. The person grasping the pick can play any
hands; magically altering the form of the in- song he has ever heard. The picks magic is so
strument does not abate its curse.
great that all functions of the instrument are
Periapt of Proof Against Sound: This small
periapt is indistinguishable from other gems. instantly mastered. Thus, the bard automati-
The character who has this periapt gains extra cally knows the proper grips to use on the
resistance to any sound-based attack or influ- lute, how to hold the harp, how to adjust the
ence. If a saving throw is normally allowed, strings of the mandolin, etc. His skill level ri-
the periapt provides an extra bonus to the sav- vals that of a master musician proficient in the
ing throw. The level of the bonus depends
upon the quality of the periapt, as follows: instrument’s use.
Also, a bard who uses this pick to play the

lyre of wounding does not suffer any severed

fingers.

Recorder of Recording: This recorder has
two magical functions. If, after a song is

played on it, the bard says, ”Play it again
when X happens,” the recorder will magically
play the entire song over again any time con-
dition X occurs (e.g., ’When Tarnak comes
within 20 feet.”).

80 Chapter Six

The other magical function is activated by Potions
speaking the word, "record," before playing a Philter of Glibness
song. At any later time, the bard can say, Philter of Stammering and Stuttering
"play back," and the recorder produces all Ventriloquism
sounds that it recorded within 30 feet during Rods
the song. Furthermore, these sounds are Beguiling
played back as if the recorder hadn't been Rulership
making any noise at the time. Splendor

The recorder does not reproduce special MiscellaneousMagic (Noninstrumental)
sound-based attacks of any sort. Boots of Dancing
Helm of Comprehending Languages and
Zither of Speed This zither appears to be a
normal musical instrument. However, if it is Reading Magic
played in a rapid tempo and the musician Sheet of Smallness
says, "Adagietto," all allies within 30 feet are Tome of Leadership and Influence
affected as if under the influence of a haste
spell. MiscellaneousMagic (Musical Instruments)
Chime of Hunger
If the zither is played slowly and "Adagissi- Chime of Interruption
mo" is spoken, all foes within 30 feet are af- Chime of Opening
fected as if under a slow spell (no saving Drums of Deafening
throw). The effects last as long as the bard Drums of Panic
concentrates upon the music or until he plays Harp of Charming
the zither at a moderate tempo and says, "An- Harp of Discord
dante." If he moves, defends himself, suffers Horn of Blasting
damage, rolls for a saving throw, or performs Horn of Bubbles
any other action, his concentration is broken. Horn of Collapsing
Horn of Fog
A zither of speed functions only once per Horn of Goodness (Evil)
day. Furthermore, for every successive day in Horn of Valhalla
a row that its magic is used, there is a 10% Lyre of Building
cumulative chance that one of its strings Pipes of Haunting
breaks, rendering the item useless unless it can Pipes of Pain
be repaired. Pipes of Sounding
Pipes of the Sewers
Old Magical Items
Weapons and Armor
The following magical items are all located Armor of Command
in the DUNGEON MASTER Guide; they are Elven Chain Mail
particularly suited to or favored by bards. Sword of Dancing
Italicized entries are cursed or are items that
bards find particularly distaste New Twists on Old Items

(Optional Rules)

This optional section contains suggested
special effects that occur when various bard

IU'I kits use the instruments and other magical

I

Magic 81

items listed above. All of these suggestionsare only if the bard in question is proficient with
optional, but will make for a lot of added fla- the particular instrument.
vor and fun in your campaign.
Chime of Hunger: When struck by a bard,
Because bards are so musically inclined, this chime's cursed powers radiate out 60 feet
their understanding of all musical instru-
ments, including magical items, is such that + 10 feet per level of the bard.
they gain certain special benefits. This is also
true of several other magical items that are Chime of Interruption: When this is used by
specially related to bards. a bard, affected spellcasters must roll their
saving throws with a -1 penalty per three
Elven Minstrels: Because these special demi- levels of the bard. Elven Minstrels disrupt any
bards understand the union of magic and mu- spell that they can themselves cast.
sic better than anyone, they gain a special
benefit. Any time a hazardous magical effect Chime of Opening: Bards can attempt to
based on music occurs, an elven Minstrel destroy locks, lids, doors, valves, and portals
gains a +2 bonus to the saving throw. Success with this chime (in addition to its normal
indicates that the hazardous effect is avoided. functions). The chance to destroy is equal to
If no saving throw is allowed, this allows one 5% per level of the bard. Thus a 6th-level
at the normal chance for success. bard would have a 30% chance to destroy
such an item. The maximum chance is 95%.
Philter of Glibness: If a Charlatan imbibes Of course, if the bard doesn't want to destroy
this potion, even detect lie will have only a the item, he can use the chime normally.
5% chance to note any "stretching of the
truth." Drums of Deafening: These drums are a
pair of kettle drums, but bards can invoke the
Philter of Stammering and Stuttering: This magic in each drum separately. If the left drum
potion functions as a philter of glibness or per- is struck, it causes those within 10 feet to be
suasiveness when imbibed by a Jester and has stunned for 2d4 rounds. If the right drum is
no ill effects. struck, it causes all within 70 feet to be perma-
nently deafened (a heal spell or similar magic
Boots of Dancing: These boots have no ef- is needed to regain hearing). Dwarven Chant-
fect upon a Jester. ers can double all areas of effect.

Helm of Comprehending Languages and Drums of Panic: If these drums are struck
Reading Magic: When worn by a bard, this by a bard, the radius of the inner "safe zone"
helm grants the ability to understand 95% of can be reduced to any desired measurement.
strange writings and 90% of magical writings.
If the bard is 10th level or higher, the chance -Affected creatures suffer a saving throw pen-
to understand magical writings rises to 95%.
alty of 1penalty per three levelsof the bard.
Tome of Leadership and Influence: When Harp of Charming: Once per turn a bard is
this is read by a bard, the character increases
by one level. His experience points become able to cause the harp to cast a command spell
equal to the minimum required to attain the as a caster equal to the bards level.
new level.
Harp of Discord Unfortunately for bards,
Unless stated otherwise, the followingnotes their greater musical talents cause the effects
apply only to bard kits that have Musical In- of this instrument to last for 2d4 + 2 rounds af-
strument listed as a bonus proficiency. Those ter the music stops. Jesters cause the effect to
kits that have Musical Instrument listed as a last for 2d4 turns.
suggested proficiency are also affected, but
Horn of Blasting: Bards are better able to
play this instrument, so that there is only a
5% cumulative chance per day that the horn
will explode. Furthermore, the listed "2% cu-
mulative chance of the instrument self-de-

82 Chapter Six

structing" is reduced to 1%. from a ram or similar siege item This works

Horn of Bubbles: Bards are actually able to once per day for every three levels ofthe bard.
use this cursed magical item to their advantage
(once they determine what the horn is). When When the lyre is used to p e r f mwork, a bard
properly blown by a bard, the horn emits a
cone of bubbles 30 feet long with a 30-foot di- is able to achieve the work of 100 men + 10
ameter end. Anyone caught in the bubbles is
men per level of the bard, If a bard should
effectively blinded for 2dlO rounds unless he
rolls a successM saving throw vs. breath happen to fail the false chord check, a saving
weapon. However, there is a 5% chance that
the horn backfires and sucks the bard through throw vs. paralyzation is also dowed. Suc-

it, emitting him as a mass of bubbles. Once all cess indicates that the bard recovered from his

of the bubbles pop (taking 2d1O rounds), the mistake without mishap.
bard is irrevocably dead. Jesters have only a
1%chance of being turned to bubbles. P i p of Hamti- When these powerful

Horn of Collapsing: Bards have only a 5% pipes are blown by a bard, those who fail their
chance of sounding the horn improperly.
Dwarven Chanters never use this instrument saving throws vs. spell are affectedas if sub-
improperly once they know the command
ject to a #eur spell. Those who succeed on the
word.
Horn of Fog: When this horn is blown, roll still suffer the -2 penalty to morale

bards are able to create the typical fog, or they checks and a -1penalty to surprise rolls. The
can create a region of magical rain. Rain can
be very useful as a source of water, to put out bard can choose to use the p i p normally.
fires, or to fill the bottom of a room with
water. The rain will accumulate 1 inch of Pipes of Pain: Because of the musical
water per round in a 10-foot square.
of bards, all within 60 feet are subject to the
Horn of Goodness(Evil):Unfortunately for
magic of these pipes when by a bard.
many bards, sounding this instrument might
produce an alignment change. There is a 50% Saving throws are rolled with a -1 penalty
chance that the bard becomes neutral evil,
otherwise he becomes neutral good. If the per three levels of the bard.
bard is already one of these two alignments,
the horn functions normally. summon rats even if he is in
pletely devoid of rats. Meistershgers can se-
Horn of the Tritons: Bards are able to lect whether giant or normid ra&arrive, and
sound this horn even though it isn't normally
usable by rogues. Meistersingers and halfling have a + l o % bonus to any c o n t d rolls.
Whistlers are able to use this magical horn
twice per day. Armorof Command Bardswearing this ar-

Horn of Valhalla: At 5th level bards can mor are able to speak one camnand a day
sound the brass horn, at 10th level the bronze
horn, and at 15th level the iron horn. Skalds with the effects of the first level priest spell,
can play any of these horns without penalty.
command.
Lyre of Building: A bard can negate the ef- Sword of Dancing: Bards c i ~ nrelease a
fects of a horn of blasting, a disintegrate spell,
or the effect of up to three rounds of attack sword of dancing on any round in which its
plus isn't a 1(e.g., round 2,3,4,6,7,8,etc.).

Blades of 5th level or higher can release the
weapon after the first round; it will fight on its
own for a number of rounds equal to the

Blade's level before returning for one round.

i

ICHAPTER
I
7 Music

Throughout History different pitch, but soon the added lines were
taking on a form of their own, becoming a
This section contains a short, nonfantasy melody in their own right. This development
look at the history of music from the Dark was immeasurably enhanced when a system
Ages through the Renaissance period. This ex- for writing down music developed around
amination concentrates upon western culture, A.D. 900.
which is the primary basis for the AD&D@
game. Around A D . 1100, examples of written mu-
sic begin appearing outside the Christian
Music was not always the sophisticated church. Songsand danceswere written by and
production that we of the 20th century are performed by public entertainers (like many
used to hearing. Although it has played a part of the bard kits included in this book). From
in the life of the human race since before re- the mid-14th century on, secular music was
corded history, modern music took many being composed and performed by profes-
years to develop. sional musicians. However, such profession-
alswere mainly employed by the church and a
Before the time of the Christian church, mu- few nobles.
sic was rarely written down. With such sparse
information, it is hard to decipher what the At the same time, music began to take on a
songs of the ancients were like. However, it is more complicated form. Accompaniments
likely that they were very simplerhythms that and advanced multiple melodies (polyphon-
were pounded out with sticks or simple per- ics) were being used. This spurred an in-
cussion instruments. creased demand for public entertainment and
noblemen began taking a major interest in
Eventually reeds or caneswere used to form music. It became a matter of honor and pride
the first woodwinds and a new musical sound for a nobleman to support a professional mu-
emerged. But we still don't know what the sician at his court.
music of this early era sounded like.
During the Renaissance, the cry for secular
It wasn't until the 800s that music was being music increased dramatically, with master
regularly recorded in western civilizations. compositions appearing around A.D. 1500.
Even then, it was only the monks of the Chris- These compositions included both instrumen-
tian church who were writing it down. Thus, tal and vocal parts. Yet, even then, most com-
our records of these early songs are somewhat posers wrote primarily for the church or
slanted. Music throughout most of the Dark wealthy noblemen.
Ages (up until A.D. 1100)consisted mainly of
simple tunes that were played or sung in uni- Music continued to evolve through the ba-
son, thus they were pure melody (Le., no ac- roque period (A.D. 1600-1750), classical peri-
companiment). They were primarily used od (A.D. 1750-1827), and on into the modern
either to help pass time during work or to sing era, but these are beyond the scope of the
during religious ceremonies. AD&D@game.

This Dark Age music was based on the mo- instruments
dal scale, as opposed to the keyed scale of
modern times. Dark Age music was likely Most bards would not be caught dead with-
out at least one musical instrument upon their
borrowed from the Greeks and Romans. Al- person.or near at hand. Many of their special
abilities rely upon the use of an instrument.
though simple, it could be very elegant and Instruments are also used as status symbols,
beautifully expressive. trade symbols, and as part of the bards per-

Near the end of the Dark Ages, musicians
were combining several melodic lines. At first
this was performed by mirroring a tune at a

sonal garb. Some instruments take on a life of grouped appropriately into an indented out-
their own, gaining more fame than the bards
who play them. line format. A number in parenthesis appears

Musical instruments are very rare, expen- after each level that contains subentries. This
sive, and complicated devices. Only a master is the number of proficiency slots that must be
craftsmen would even think of constructing a spent in order to gain proficiency in all instru-
lyre or heralds trumpet, let alone a pipe or- ments indented beneath that level. For exam-
gan. Bards not only understand how these ple, for five proficiency slots, a character can
rare and complex devices work, they can use become proficient in all wind instruments; for
them to produce beautiful sounds. By simply only three slots he can limit himself to becom-
working the strings and keys of these devices, ing proficient in all instruments in the flute
bards can bring a crowd to tears or have them family. Those instruments that don't have a
leaping for joy (all this without even using number next to them cost a single slot to gain.
their kit's special benefits).
Note that proficiency in an instrument or
Most bardic colleges agree that the instru- category includes not only those instruments
ments of the time should be divide into four listed, but any others in his campaign world
general categories: wind, stringed, percus- that fall into the same category. Thus, if a
sion, and keyboard. Common instruments bard spends two slots to gain proficiency in
within each of these categoriesfollow in Table bagpipes, he isn't limited to just the dudy and
20 (as well as an "Other" category for several zampogna. He knows how to play any bag-
instruments that do not fall into the four gen- pipe that exists in his campaign world.
eral categories). After each instrument is a
one-letter code that identifies the time period Cost and Weight
during which this instrument was developed
and used; these periods coincide with the fol- Note that some category names, such as
lowing dates. "Bagpipes," are also the names of specific in-
struments. These categories have a gold piece
Table 19:ERAS cost and weight in pounds listed next to them
so you can buy the instrument of that name.
Code Era Time Span However, purchasing a generic bagpipe does
not mean that you have both a dudy and
A Ancient World prior to A.D. 450 zampogna-you have only a generic bagpipe.

D Dark Ages A.D. 450-1100

M Middle Ages A.D. 1100-1450

R Renaissance A.D. 1450-1600

I

I

Musical Proficiency

There are now well over 50 musical instn Music 85
ments for bard players to choose from. Al-
though such a large selection is nice, players
might wonder if they have to spend a profi-
ciency slot for each instrument they wish their
bards to master. Fortunately, the answer is

"no."

The instruments in Table 20 have been bro-
b ken down into convenient categ

I

1)

Table tO:MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Era Cost Wt Era LOSC vvc
Code (gp) (lb)
Instrument Instrument
Posthorn
Wind (5) Slide R 40 3
- Using holes or reeds (4) Straight
M 80 5
Bagpipes (2) Nonmetal horns (LJ
D 80 8 Alphorn M 30 3
Dudy Animal horn
Zampogna D 75 8 Conch shells A - __
D 85 8 Hunting horns D 50
Lur
Clarinet/Oboe family (3) A - - Side horn A52

Aulos R 35 2 Trombone family (2) A52
Sackbut
Hautboy M 30 2 D 10 *
Stringed (5)
Serpent R 50 3 - Struck or plucked (4) A5

Shawm family (2) A-- Dulcimers (2) A 10
Cimbalom
Crumhorn M 20 1 Cimbal
Psaltery
Curtall M 25 1 Santouri

Rackett M 20 1 Guitar family (3)
Balalaika
Shawm D 15 1
Shamisen
Tibia A 25 2 Sitar
Double-necked (1)
Flute family (3) A-- M 55
Fipple flute (2) A-- Chitarrone M 55
Bamboo pipe A51 Theorbo
Cornett Mandoline (mandolin) M 65 13
Double fipple M 10 1
Flageolet M 20 1 Harp family (2) M 60 15
Nose flute AEolian harp
Recorder (1) D 15 1 Clarsach D--
Gemshorn M51 Lyre (1) R 35
Whistle flute (1) D 10 1 Crwth
Penny A52 Tallharpa M 4C
A 5 .5
Pipe M 5 .5 M 40 3
Transverse flute (2) R 65 12
D 3 .5 R 45 6
Ocarina A-- M 55
A 15 1 D 35 4
R 40 5
Mouth Organ family (3) A--
Harmonica A 5 .5 D 35
M 40 4
Khen A52 R--
Panpipes A53 R 65 8
Sheng A53 R 70 8
Syrinx A52 M 40 5

- Using tubes and lips (4) A 75 8
A 12 6
HornlTmmpet family (3) A - - A 50
3
Metal horns (2) M-- A 40 5
D 35 4
Coiled M 65 5
D 65
Fanfare M 35 4

Heralding M 35, 4

Y

Instrument Era Cost Wt Instrument Era cost Wt
Code (gp) (lb) Code (gp) (lb)
Zither family (2) Cymbals
GWNUl A 40 12 Chimes D 20 4
Koto A 35 12 Gong (1)
A 35 15 M 30 5
Tam-tam
- Bowed (4) D-- Triangle D 20 35
Fiddle (2) D 30 4
Short-necked (1) Clappers (1) D 20 35
Lirica M 30 4 Bones D 51
Castanets
Spiked D 25 3 Claves --

Hurdy gurdy (2) M 80 8 11
Organistrum M 85 7 21
Rota M80 6
11

Rebec (2) D 55 5 Rattle (1) 32
Lira da braccio 8 Gourds
Lira da gamba M 65 8 Sistrum 22
R 65 6
Lyra A 10 4
D 55
Wooden Special Effects (2) A

Clogs -.5

Scraper

Tromba marina D 15 7 Stamping stick z.
Viol
M 70 8 Wooden block A

Violin (2) R 65 4 Xylophone family (2) -
Kit R 85 2
Glokenspiel M 80 25
Percussion (5) Metallophone
Wooden X.ylop-h D 95 35
- With membranes (4)
60 20
Drums (3)
Bongos A-- Keyboard (5) 500 150
Cylinder drums (2) Clavichord (2)
D63
Chansgo Harpsichord (3) 300 90
Friction drums (2) A 20 15 C1avecin 275 85
Gong drum A 25 10 Clavicembalo 300 90
Kettledrums (2) A 10 5 Spinet 275 85
A 35 40 Virginals 300 85
Nakers A 30 30
Tom-tom Organ (3) --
Side drums (2) M 35 25 Hydraulis
Tabor D 30 30 Positive organ 250 100
Slit drum Pipe orga 350 120
Talking drums (2) A 15 15 1200 500

M 20 15 Other (3)
Jew's harp
A 40 80 Kazoo
A 30 20 Nightingale

Tambourine (1) A52 5 .5
3 .5
Tambourinedeprovence D 5 2 25 2
54
- Without membranes (4)
Chime family (3) A--
Bells A 25 3

88 Chapter Seven

Clapper bell (8”) Pellet bell (4“) Castinets (3”) Tambrine (1 2”)

1 Temple bell

with subsidiary bells
as clappers (24”)

Gourd rattle (24”)

Gourd rattle (1 2 ” )

Sistrum (1 8”)

Dulcimer (hackbrett)
and beaters (24“)

Pipe orga Hunting horn,

ry & silver (24”)

Music 89

Celtic harp (36”) Lyra (30”) Lyre (30“) Zither (30”)

Short-necked Upright board
zither (30”)
Mandolin (20”) fiddle & bow (30”)

Spike fiddle
& bow (30”)

AEolian Harp (20”) Lute (30”) Samisen& bone Balalaika (36”)
dectrum (36”)

-1 <A. Y 8
Conch shell (1 2”)
Bagpipe (30”)

Pan pipe (1 2

Double fipple
flute (1 5”)

Racket (24”
,#

,Fanfaretrumpet (36”)

nunring hom, brass (24”)

AIphom (1 3’) Sackbutt (42”) Lur (42
Music 91

Glossary of Musical Instruments called clappers. They have existed for thou-
sands of years in all parts of world (as spoons,
The followingsection describessome of the bones, etc.).
aforementioned musical instruments.
Clarsach:An ancient small harp of the Scot-
AEolian harp: Named after the Greek god tish highlands.
of winds, this instrument is played by the
wind. AEolian harps resemble flat boxes with Clavecin: French harpsichord.
strings. Claves: When these short, round sticks of
hardwood are used, the hollow of one's hand
Alphorn: An alphorn is a 6-to l2-foot-long, acts as a resonating cavity for sound amplifi-
"J"-shaped, Swiss horn used to call cattle, cation.
among other things. Clavicembalo: This is the Italian harpsi-
chord and is often abbreviated as "cembalo."
Bagpipe: This ancient instrument was used The word derives from latin "c1avis"-a key,
throughout the world: Rome, Northumber- and "cembalo"-a dulcimer, which describes
land, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, France, Ita- the instrument-it's a keyed dulcimer.
ly, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Poland, Clavichord: This keyboard instrument is
Russia, Greece, Persia, China, India, and the small, often just an oblong box placed on the
Balkan countries. table. It can have its own legs and stand on the
floor, but this was a later development. Sound
Balalaika: This is a three-string Russian tri- is made when a small piece of metal hits a
angular guitar. It comes in various sizes, the string, producing a soft, quiet tone.
largest resting upon the ground when played. Clogs: Wooden shoes.
Cornett:The cornett (not cornet) is a wood-
Bells: These are sometimes attached to wind with a cupped mouthpiece (likethat of a
clothing to accentuate rhythm in dance. trumpet) that comes in three sizes: treble,
small treble, and tenor. It is shaped either as a
Bones: A simple instrument in which two straight tube or as a tube curved like an S.
pieces of bone are clacked together. Crumhorn: This double-reed woodwind
comes in all sizes: trebles, tenors, and basses.
Castanets: This Spanish instrument consists Cymbals: These are brass dishes that are
of two small, hollow-shaped pieces of wood. slammed together.
Castanets are worn on the finger and thumb. Drums: Drums have existed for thousands
Like bones, they are clacked together. of years. The many types have one thing in
common: a skin or membrane stretched tight-
Cembalo: This was the old Italian name for ly over some kind of hollow vessel. The mem-
dulcimer (but it was later used to refer to the brane is beaten with sticks or the hands.
harpsichord). The exception is the friction drum, which
has its skin pierced by a stick or string that is
Chitarrone: This double-necked lute is very rubbed or pulled, causing the skin to vibrate.
large, often six feet long, and has 20 wires. It Kettledrums are metal bowls with parch-
was also called the Roman theorbo. ment stretched over them.
Side drums are wooden or metal cylinders
Citole:This instrument was invented in Ita- with skin over each end. The lower end has
ly. It has a flat body, a short neck, four brass string or gut, called snares, stretched over it
or steel strings, and is plucked with a quill. By that causes the drum to rattle when it is
1550 this was known as the cittern. beaten.

Cittern: A member of the guitar family, the

cittern is shaped like a fig, with a flat back,
fretted fingerboard, and wire strings (usually
four pairs). It is a descendant of the Medieval
citole. The bass cittern is also called the pan-
dora.

Clappers: Two pieces of hard material
(wood, bone, metal, etc.) struck together are

92 Chapter Seven

1 I

I Bass drums are very large, double-headed corder made of chamois or goat horn.
drums from two to three feet in diameter and
of equal length. Gittern: A medieval guitar.
Glokenspiel: This originated in Germany
Gong drums are like bass drums but they and was used in war bands.
have only one head (membrane). Gong: A gong is a large metal plate that is
struck with a mallet.
Bongos are two small drums that sit side by Harmonica: This instrument originated in
side. Asia and China around 1100B.C.
Harp: The harp is an ancient instrument. It
Tom-toms are small Oriental drums with consists of a sound box near the player and
pigskin heads stretched over a bowl-shaped numerous stringsthat are each plucked to pro-
shell. duce a specific tone.
Harpsichord: This is much like a keyboard-
Cyfinder drums are a type of base drum ed psaltery in that its keys cause the string to
that is beaten at both ends. be plucked.
Horns: Horns have existed all over the
The changgo is a Korean two-headed lap world throughout recorded history. The earli-
drum. est form was the animal horn or large sea
shell. Most are end-blown, but some side-
Talking drums are used to send messages. blown horns exist. Metal horns arose in the
Slit drums can be made by hollowing out i 14th century and were made of brass, copper,
tree or log through a long narrow slit. The and occasionally silver. They were slender
wood is then beaten to produce the sound. tubes 6 to 12 feet long, often coiled in several
Dulcimer: Used in Hungary, Rumania, and circles with a flared bell.
Czechoslovakia, the dulcimer is a shallow Hurdy gurdy This mechanical instrument
closed box over which are strung wires that resembles a viola with a handle to crank.
are struck with a wooden hammer. In Hunga- Crankingit causes a wheel to revolve under its
ry and Rumania this is called a cimbalom, and four to six strings like an endless bow. A small
in Greece, a santouri. keyboard is used to silence certain strings.
Fanfare trumpet: This is often hung with a Jew's harp: This instrument is called a
heraldic banner and used for state and cer- feugdtromp (childs trumpet) by the Dutch. It
emonial purposes. has no connection to the Jewish religion. It is a
Fiddle: There are two types of fiddles: folk bottle-shaped wire frame with metal tongue
(or spiked) fiddles and medieval fiddles. A held in teeth, allowing the mouth cavity to al-
spiked fiddle is a type of bowed lute and either ter the sound it produces.
has a long neck (typical of Africa, Asia, and Kazoo: Although considered a humorous
the Middle East) or a short neck as found in instrument today. the kazoo is of ancient
Europe. Most spiked fiddles have one to three
origin.
strings. Kit: A small violin.
Medieval fiddles were replaced by the viol Koto: The most famous Japanese instru-

family and usually had three to five strings ment is the 13-stringedJapanesezither known
with both flat and rounded backs. as the koto. The instrument is played on the
ground or while resting on a low table.
Fipple flute: This type of flute is held verti-
cally and is winded from the end. Lira da braccio, lira da gamba: These are
Italian stringed instruments. The lira da brac-
Flute: There are two types of flutes: the ver-
tically winded fipple flute and the horizontal- cio has seven stringsand is played like a violin.
ly held transverse flute. The transverse is
made of wood or metal stopped at one end.

The player blows in a side hole, with notes
made by closing holes along the flute's body.

Gemshorn: This is an ancient type of re-

Music 9 3

I 1

I frets. It usually has three pronounced ridges,
making it easy to identify.
rI
The lira da gamba is a bass instrument held Panpipes: Panpipes are simply a set of whis-
between the knees and has 11 to 16 strings. tle-flutes supposedly invented by the god Pan.

Lur: The lur is an ancient trumpet of Scandi- Posthorn: A posthorn was used to an-
navian origin. It is made in pairs twisting in nounce the arrival of a mail coach. Most were
opposite directions to resemble horns or the straight, although a few were coiled.
tusks of an animal.
Psaltery: This type of dulcimer has a square
Lute: The lute is of Persian-Arabian origin or triangular box over which are strings. *Itis
and came to Europe at the time of the Cru- held on the lap or against the chest and
sades. The body resembles a pear split length- plucked.
wise. Thus, it has a curved back, a flat belly,
and a fretted neck. It ranges in size from the Rackett:This is an early double-reed wood-
large chitarrone and theorbo to the small wind.

mandora. Rattle: A rattle can be made of a gourd,
Lyre: The lyre has existed since 3000 B.C. It clay, wood, or leather, and it is filled with pel-
lets.
has four components: a sound box, two arms,
and a crossbar. Strings run from the cross bar Rebec: This is the stringed ancestor of the
down across the sound box. violin family. The rebec evolved from the
Arabian fiddle but has a rounded back, unlike
Mandoline or mandolin: A lute-shaped, the fiddle. The body is pear shaped and has
small stringed instrument. three strings. The rebec is played on the shoul-
der or against the chest.
Metallophone: This resembles a xylo-
phone, but it has metal bars that are beaten Recorder: Also known as the English flute,
with small hammers. the recorder is blown at the end. It has eight
holes with which to alter the produced sound.
Nakers: These are small kettledrums of
Arabian origin that came west during the Cru- Sansa: The sansa is African in origin and
sades. They are made of metal or wooden has a metal or cane tongue attached to a
bowls covered with skin and are used in pairs wooden board or box. It is also called the
like bongos. thumb piano.

Nightingale: This toy whistle of glass is Scrapec When you scrape a stick over a se-
lowered into water to emit a bubbling sound ries of notches in wood or bone, you have a
not unlike the nightingale ( L e . , the bird). basic scraper.

Ocarina: This vessel flute is globular or Serpent: This woodwind is shaped like a
pear-shaped with a mouthpiece on one side
and holes cut in its body. The holes are opened pronounced S.
and closed with the fingers.
Shamisen (samisen): This Japanese long-
Organ: An organ has pipes connected to a necked lute has a square wooden body. Its
wind supply that is controlled by a keyboard. belly and bottom are made of cat skin and it
There are two types of organ pipes: flue pipes has frets with three strings that are plucked
and reed pipes. Flue pipes produce sound like hard.
a whistle-flute. Reed pipes contain a thin strip
of metal that vibrates. Organ pipes range Shawm: This early double-reed is an out-
from lengths of a few inches to 64 feet. door instrument that produces a loud buzzing
sound.
If an organ is keyed with the hands it is
called a "manual," if played with the feet it is a Sheng: This is a Chinese mouth organ.
"pedal boards." Sistrum: The sistrum is an open, U-shaped
rattle that contains metal discs or other ob-
Pandora or Bandora: This is the bass cit- jects that rattle when shaken.
tern; it has a flat back with wire strings and

Sitar: This three- to seven-stringed Indian Triangle: A triangle is a steel bar bent into a
lute was invented in Persia. triangle that is struck with a metal rod.

Stamping stick:One of the oldest known in- Trumpet: The Medieval trumpet was non-
struments is the stamping stick. It is simply a valved and was played from the side or end.
length of hollow wood or bamboo that is
beaten on the ground. It was often used to Violin: This instrument evolved from the
beat grain or other food into pulp while pro- fiddle, rebec, and lira da braccio.
viding simple music during work.
Viols and Viol family: These instruments
Tabor: This early side (snare) drum is usu- produce a soft sound; they resemble violins.
However, their shoulders slope, their backs
ally slung from the waist. Smaller versions are flat, their sound holes are C-shaped, they
have broader necks, and they have six strings,
can be played with just the left hand while the not four.
bard plays a small whistle flute in the other
hand. Wood block A Chinese percussion instru-
ment made of a hollow wooden block that is
Tambourine: The tambourine likely origi- struck with a stick.
nated in Rome. It is a shallow wooden hoop
Zither: The zither has a flat box that is
parchment stretched over a frame that is strung with strings of metal or gut. It is
struck with knuckles or rubbed with the plucked while resting on a table.
thumb. The hoop has imbedded metal plates
that jingle when shaken. Xylophone: This consists of hardwood
blocks that are hit with a mallet.
Tam-tam: Bronze gong of Chinese origin.
Theorbo: A double-necked instrument.

n

Glossary of Sound (rhythm).
Frequency: Sound wave crests per second,
Although a degreein music isn't required to
play a bard character, it often increases real- which determines pitch.
ism if such players know a few basics. This Intonation: A performer's accuracywith re-
way they can role-play their characters with
an air of authority, understanding, and au- spect to pitch.
thenticity. For this reason, a few common Measure or bar: The base groupingof beats
terms associated with many forms of music
are defined below. By briefly studying this (usually there are 2, 3, or 4 beats per mea-
mini-glossary, you can breathe some new life sure).
into the vocabulary of your bard.
Melody: A group of musical tones in se-
Fundamentals of Music quence making up a meaningful whole.

Accent: To stress or emphasize a note. Meter:The number of beats per measure and
the type of note that defines a beat. Common
Type Stressed b y meters are 2/2(twobeats based on half notes),
2/4 (two beats based on quarter notes), 3/4~
Dynamic Volume (three beats based on quarter notes), and 414

Tonic Pitch (fourbeats based on quarter notes).
Motion: The musical pattern created by
Agogic Value (see Value)
successive notes. The motion might rise and
Beat: Unit of measure that sets the tempo. fall smoothly or jump around.

Pitch: The highness or lowness of a musical
tone. Pitch is determined by a note's frequen-

Beats are measured by tapping one's foot, the CY-

stroke of the conductor's baton, etc. Range: The entire series of notes (fromlow-

Compass: The range of a voice or instru- est to highest) that a voice or instrument can

ment. produce.

Dynamics: The gradations of loudness or Rhythm: The movement of musical tones

softnesswith which music is performed. with respect to time. Rhythm combines the as-

Term Meaning pects of tempo (speed) and value (length of

Pianissimo very soft notes).

Piano soft Style: The manner in which music is treat-

Mezzo piano moderately soft ed. A few of the numerous stylistic directives

Mezzo forte moderately loud and their meanings are listed below.

Forte loud Style Meaning

Fortissimo very loud Affabile smoothly and graceful

Forte piano loud, then soft Affettuoso tenderly with feeling

Sforzando, sforzato sharply accented Agilmente lightly and smoothly

Forzando, forzato sharply accented Agitato restlessly, in an excited

Crescendo gradually louder manner

Decrescendo gradually softer Angstlich fearfully, in an anxious

Diminuendo gradually softer manner

Animato lively, in a spirited

Form: Musical structure and how the musi- manner
cal elements are put together. The basic ele-
ments are individualpitches (notes),how they Appasionato with intense feeling
sound together (harmony), and how much
time they take up in relation to one another Brillante in a showy, brilliant

manner

Brusco abruptly, with harsh Arrangement: Rewriting of a composition
accents
for a new medium (instrument, voice, group).

Tempo: The speed at which a piece is played Concert: A public performance of music

or sung. other than opera or church music.

Tempos Order of Speed Conducting: The art of directing a group oi

Adagissimo Very slow musical performers.
Largo
Conservatoryor College:A school that spe-

Lento cializes in musical instruction.

Adagio Debut: First public performance of a musi-

Adagietto cian.

Andante or Moderato Moderate Encore: Audience’s appeal for an additional

Andantino performance.

Allegretto Movement: A major section in a song.

Allegro Notation: A system for writing down music

Presto Very fast using notes.

Changing Musical Groups:
Tempos
Allentando Group Composition:
Ritardando
Rallentando Meaning Group Components
Allargando Slow down
Gradually slow down Band Brass, woodwind, &
Rubato Gradually slow down
Accelerando Slow down and play percussion
Calcando louder
Choir Group of singers
Free tempo
Gradually speed up Chorus Large choir having more
Speed up
than one singer per part

Ensemble Any group of performers

Orchestra Stringed, brass, woodwind,

and percussion

Tone: Any sound of definite pitch. Also re- Group Size:

fers to the quality of sound. Name Number of voices
Solo or instruments
Value: The duration of a note. Recital 1
Duet lor2
Voice Range: Range of voice. Each bard can Trio 2
Quartet 3
be classified as one of the following: Quintet
Sextet 4
Voice Range Septet 5
Octet 6
Soprano Highest female range Nonet
7
Mezzo soprano Mid female range 8
9
Alto Lowest female range,

highest male range

Tenor High male range

Baritone Mid male range

Bass Lowest male range

Volume: Loudness. Part: The music written for a single type of
instrument.
Common Musical Terms
Passage: Any short section of a musical
Accompaniment:Musical material that sup- composition.

ports the main melody or voice-part . Score: The written notes to be performed
by all instruments or voices.

I

1 Music 97

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Tuning:Adjusting an instrument so it pro- sung in honor of a holiday (e.g., Lhristmas
duces the proper sounds.
songs).
Musical ltems Chant: Usually refers to the music of

Baton: The slender stick used by conductors churches.
to direct a performance. Fa-la: An English song sung in nonsense syl-

Metronome: A device that produces regu- lables (e.g.,falala, fa la la).
larly timed beats. Fanfare: A tune used to announce some-

Mute: A device that muffles the sound of an one's arrival, the start of a parade, the start of
instrument. a jousting tournament, etc.

Plectrum General name for any device used Folk music: Music that is learned by
to pluck the strings of a musical instrument. of mouth.

Podium: Raised platform on which the con- Hymn: Any song that expresses praise or
ductor stands. love of a deity.

Types of Songs Improvisation: Composing a song or theme
as it is being performed.
Air de COUE A short song of several stanzas
Jig: A lively dance.
for one or more voices accompanied by lute or Lai: A form of music and poetry developed
harpsichord. in France in the 13th Century.
Lament: A composition that mourns some-
Anthem: A short choral piece based on a re- one's death.
ligious text or source. Lullaby A cradle song used by mothers to
lull their babies to sleep.
Arabesque: A short imaginative piece. Lyric: Means "songlike." Often used to de-
Aria: An elaborate solo song generally with scribe instrumental pieces that are short and
expressive.
instrumental accompaniment. Medley: A group of familiar tunes played
Arioso: A style of recitative that is more one after another and loosely linked together.
National anthem: A song adopted by a
song-like and expressive than ordinary recita- kingdom as its official song.
tive. Ode: A musical setting of a poem written in
honor of a person or special occasion.
Aubade: A piece of instrumental music Opera: A play in which the characters sing
played in the morning as opposed to the sere- rather than speak.
nade, which is played in the evening. Parody An exaggerated imitation of a com-
position, often to make fun of it.
Ayre: An English solo song accompanied by Program music: A general term for music
the lute, theorbo, or bass viol (and occasional- that tells a story.
ly by two singers). Psalm: A musical composition based on the
text from the book of Psalms.
Bagatelle: A short piece for a keyboard in- Recitative: A style of singing that closely re-
sembles speech, with little change in pitch and
strument.
Ballad A solo song that tells a story in sim- rhythm.
Round: A vocal composition with three or
ple verse. The same music is repeated for each
more parts that enter one after another, re-
stanza. peating the same words (e.g., canons and

Bandinerie: A fast, dancelike piece. fugues).
Canon or Fugue: A musical composition in

which a melody in one voice-part is imitated
by other voice-parts that are slightly offset
(e.g., row, row, row your boat).

Carol, Noel, or Weihnachtslied: A song

98 Chapter Seven

Serenade: A love song sung auring the eve- When e'en the wreaths in which I dress thee,
ning below a beloveds window. Are sadly mixed, half flowers, half chains?

Shanty:A work song sung by sailors to help Skye Boat Song (Scottish ballad)
keep time during jobs that require teamwork.
1.Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar
Swan song A term used for a person's final Thunder clouds rend the air;
work before his death. Baffled our foe's stand on the shore,
Follow they will not dare.
Sample ! S
Y 2. Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep,
Ocean's a royal bed;
The followmg are a few sample songs to Rock'd in the deep, Flora will keep
whet your appetite. If you would like to write watch by your weary head.
your own songs for your bard to sing, it is
suggested that you get a book of old, tradi- 3.Many's the lad fought on th
tional folk songs, and replace existing words Well the claymore could wield
with those of your own choosing. When the night came, silently lay
Dead on Culloden's field.
Bonnie George Campbell (Scottish ballad)
4. Burn'd our homes, exile and death
1. Hie upon Hielands, and laigh upon Tay, Scatter the loyal men;
Bonnie George Campbell rode out on a day. Yet, e'er the sword cool in the sheath,
He saddled, he bridled, and gallant rode he, Charlie will come again.
And hame cam his guid horse, but never cam he.
Chorus:
2. Out cam his mother, dear, greeting fu sair, Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
And out cam his bonnie bryde, rivingher hair. "Onward!" the sailors cry.
The meadow lies green, the corn is unshorn, "Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye!"
But bonnie George Campbell will never return.
The Minstrel Boy (Irish so
3. Saddled and bridled and booted rode he,
A plume in his helmet, a sword at his knee. 1.The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
But toom cam his saddle, all bloody to see, In the ranks of death you'll find him;

Oh, hame cam his guid horse, but never cam he! His father's sword he has girded on,

My Gentle Harp (Irish love song) And his wild harp slung behind him.
"Land of song!" said the warrior bard,
1.My gentle harp, once more I waken "Though all the world betrays thee,
the sweetness of thy slumbring strain, One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
In tears our last farewell was taken, One faithful harp shall praise thee."
And now in tears we meet again.
Yet even then while peace was singing 2. The minstrel fell, but the foeman's chain
Her halcyon song o'er land and sea, Could not bring that proud soul under;
Though joy and hope to others bringing, The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again,
She only brought new tears to thee. For he tore its chords a sunder;
And said, "No chain shall sully thee,
2. Then who can ask for notes of pleasure, Thou soul of love and bravery
My drooping harp, from chords like thine? Thy songs were made for the pure and free,
Alas, the larks gay morning measure They shall never sound in slavery."
As ill would suit the swan's decline.
Or how shall I, who love, who bless thee,
Invoke thy breath for freedom's strains,

I Music 99