Various tabletop stuff not deserving its own thread

[Acrux]

RQG:

This one has a naked fat chick. Pass.

[rusty_shackleford]

RQG:

This one has a naked fat chick. Pass.

Both of RQG's just look like generic digitalslop done in the most boring, unimaginative way possible — wow, there's just characters… standing there! And they're like… humans but with different colors and stuff!! Wow!!

[rusty_shackleford]

Settings from RPGs tend to be a lot more interesting than typical fantasy novel ones, maybe it's because they're required to flesh them out more

[WhiteShark]

Settings from RPGs tend to be a lot more interesting than typical fantasy novel ones, maybe it's because they're required to flesh them out more

Undoubtedly. Either the players will want to know how things work in order to take advantage of them, or the GM will have to know how things work in order to have things react appropriately. Anything half-baked will become apparent sooner or later.

[maidenhaver]

RQG:

This one has a naked fat chick. Pass.

Both of RQG's just look like generic digitalslop done in the most boring, unimaginative way possible — wow, there's just characters… standing there! And they're like… humans but with different colors and stuff!! Wow!!

Making art easier just made the illustrators lazier.

[rusty_shackleford]

Every time I open the AD&D books I find rules I either never read before, or completely forgot.

[WhiteShark]

My first PC, a male human fighter named Fujin (not Japanese, just something I made up on the spot when I was six years old) in 3.0, was infected with weretiger lycanthrope (tigranthrope?). When the full moon arrived, the party stuck him in a cage at night to prevent him from running amock, but his transformed presence nevertheless drove the party's animals wild and made getting any rest impossible; "The dogs are hoarse and the horses are dogged," as my dad put it. As for curing it:

An afflicted character who eats a sprig of belladonna (also called wolfsbane) within 1 hour of a lycanthrope’s attack can attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save to shake off the affliction.
[...]
A remove disease or heal spell cast by a cleric of 12th level or higher also cures the affliction, provided the character receives the spell within three days of the lycanthrope’s attack.

The only other way to remove the affliction is to cast remove curse or break enchantment on the character during one of the three days of the full moon. After receiving the spell, the character must succeed on a DC 20 Will save to break the curse (the caster knows if the spell works). If the save fails, the process must be repeated.

We didn't have any belladonna, and I'm not sure we even had a cleric; if we did, he certainly wasn't 12th level or higher. What we did have was either remove curse or break enchantment―I don't remember which―but only one casting of it available per day. Fujin failed the Will save the first two nights, and we became worried. The rules concerning the permanency of lycanthrope on the 3.5 SRD don't match my recollection, so I don't know whether it's something that changed between 3.0 and 3.5 of if it was houseruled, but what I do remember is that further failure held a risk of the condition becoming permanent, possibly even turning Fujin into an NPC. Fortunately, on the third and final night of the full moon, Fujin finally succeeded on his Will save and was cured.

[rusty_shackleford]

Magic is too useful in (A)D&D. Want to identify an item? Maybe you should take it to a specialist in that type of item? Nah, just have a level 1 MU cast identify. I know it has restrictions, but it's still much too powerful. So on and so forth.

[rusty_shackleford]

Most of Talislanta's books can be acquired entirely for free from their website, this spans multiple editions.
http://talislanta.com/talislanta-library

Talislanta is released to the world, for free, under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. You are free to download the books for your role-playing pleasure, as long as you don’t use it commercially and distibute it under the same licence terms with the respective attribution of the owner. For more information please read the Creative Commons license terms.

[Ratcatcher]

Want to identify an item?

Legend's Lore is a thing. In 2nd Ed a Bard or classes with access to said class feature can roll a % to recollect the story of the item/creator and assume its functions. Later editions of D&D/PF are even more open than that. Identifying the effects of an item, the activation word of a wand or similar, only requires a variable DC Knoweledge Arcana check. All the spell Identify does is giving you a big flat bonus (+10) on said roll assuring you'll identify a properly levelled item for your group with a 95% certainty. Bards and similar add their class level as a flat bonus to such roll, in lieu of the lost Legend's Lore ability, in some cases iirc the class feature bears the same name even now.

[DagothGeas5]

Has there ever been anything that detailed the ritual to become a lich? I know the Book of Vile Darkness, if I remember the name correctly, said something about it, but is there anything more? I personally like that it is so unspeakable it is not detailed (besides the fact the would-be-lich has to, essentially, do a leap of faith and die during the last step of the ritual, I believe by drinking some potion, and if everything worked, and even then I believe it is chance based plus modifiers, only then do they raise back up as liches).

[Ratcatcher]

Look into 2nd Ed Book of Necromancy. I have the PDF somewhere, if you cannot find it.

[UltraFan123]

Has there ever been anything that detailed the ritual to become a lich? I know the Book of Vile Darkness, if I remember the name correctly, said something about it, but is there anything more? I personally like that it is so unspeakable it is not detailed (besides the fact the would-be-lich has to, essentially, do a leap of faith and die during the last step of the ritual, I believe by drinking some potion, and if everything worked, and even then I believe it is chance based plus modifiers, only then do they raise back up as liches).

If it's about the little details about every step of the ritual, then I'm also in the dark myself, but there's a 3.5 edition class called [Dread Necromancer] which automatically transformed you into a full lich by the time you hit level 20.

There was also a prestige class called [Pale Master] which likewise transformed you into a lich once you maxed it out at 10 levels.

[DagothGeas5]

Look into 2nd Ed Book of Necromancy. I have the PDF somewhere, if you cannot find it.

I think I have that book as pdf as well, will into it!
Thank you both

Edit: @Ratcatcher is it called Book of Necromancers by any chance? With a blue (in my case violet-like) cover? https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki ... cromancers This one is one I have, but I cannot find one called Book of Necromancy in those I have collected.

[Ratcatcher]

Ah, yes. That's the one. I frequently go from memory so I often make minor mistakes like that.

[DagothGeas5]

Ah, yes. That's the one. I frequently go from memory so I often make minor mistakes like that.

It is no trouble, I thought of that one as well actually XD Thank you once more!

[rusty_shackleford]

You can find a complete catalog of all TSR books(and some WotC books) here, by the way: https://www.tsrarchive.com/

Doesn't contain the PDFs, of course. But libgen( https://libgen.is/ ) + z-lib( https://singlelogin.re/ or https://z-library.rs/ , others are fakes ) + archive.org should help.

[Rand]

[Hauberk]

Bards were always gay.

[Acrux]

Bards were always gay.

They weren't when they required specific class prerequisites and druidic training to become one.

But once they became "I'm a manifestation of how libtards want to take over this game", yeah, pretty much.

[Hauberk]

Well, @Acrux, I guess that a character who plays the fiddle while declaiming poetry about the violence he and his buddies are visiting on the local rat population (while it happens) could be considered psychotic rather than gay!

More seriously, it's an interesting, versatile class, but I have a hard time imagining that the typical bard doesn't look like someone from the "attractive men" thread, possibly because it is often played as such. The OG bard paints a different picture (as you said):

Statistics Regarding Classes: (Additions) — BARDS
by Doug Schwegman
INTRODUCTION
A Bard’s Lore percentage reflects the Bard’s knowledge of legends, magic,
etc. This is the percentage change a Bard has of telling what certain objects are,
what they do, their properties, purposes, etc. This percentage also reflects his
knowledge of locales and legends outside of the dungeon; the referee must decide
which places and legends a Bard would have a chance of knowing on the outdoor
maps. A Bard’s Lore percentage is especially accurate inside the dungeon for
reflecting a Bard’s chances of successfully delineating the properties of any
weapon (its intelligence and ego if any and its ‘pluses’ etc.) and for correctly doing
this a Bard receives additional experience points (generally 100 pts. for every point
of intelligence and ego as well as pluses to hit). Note that a Bard does not have to
draw or use the weapon to tell its intelligence, alignment, etc., since his knowledge
of the weapon comes from legends and his experience in recognizing various types
of weapons and armor, both magical and non-magical, as well as his excellent
knowledge of magical runes. When a Bard attempts to describe the purposes of an
artifact or misc. magic item his chances of success are at least halved, especially
when it comes to items that the Bard himself cannot use. Not even the highest
Bard can tell any of the books apart, and only a Master Bard will have any chance
of telling the different kinds of necklaces and scarabs apart, although almost any
Bard has a good chance of identifyiny a cursed spear of back biting or a shield of
missile attraction when he sees one.
. . . I believe it is a logical addition to the D & D scene and the one I have
composed is a hodgepodge of at least three different kinds, the norse ‘skald’, the
celtic ‘bard’, and the southern european ‘minstrel’. The skalds were often old
warriors who were a kind of self appointed historian whose duty was to record the
ancient battles, blood feuds, and deeds of exceptional prowess by setting them to
verse much like the ancient Greek poets did. Tolkien, a great Nordic scholar,
copied this style several times in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (for example Bilbo’s
chant of Earendil the Mariner). The Celts, especially in Britain, had a much more
organized structure in which the post of Barbs as official historians fell somewhere
between the Gwelfili or public recorders and the Druids who were the judges as
well as spiritual leaders. In the Celtic system Bards were trained by the Druids for
a period of almost twenty years before they assumed their duties, among which
was to follow the heroes into battle to provide an accurate account of their deeds,
as well as to act as trusted intermediaries to settle hostilities among opposing
tribes. By far the most common conception of a Bard is as a minstrel who entertained
to courts of princes and kings in France, Italy and parts of Germany in
the latter middle ages. Such a character was not as trust worthy as the Celtic or
Nordic Bards and could be compared to a combination Thief-Illusionist. These
characters were called Jongleurs by the French, from which the corrupt term
juggler and court jester are remembered today . . .
I wanted to put the Bard into perspective so that his multitudinous abilities
in Dungeons and Drageons can be explained. I have fashioned the character
more after the Celtic and Norse types than anything else, thus he is a character
who resembles a fighter more than anything else, but who knows something about
the mysterious forces of magic and is well adept with his hands, etc.
A Bard is a jack-of-all-trades in Dungeons and Dragons, he is both an
amateur thief and magic user as well as a good fighter. He is supposedly able to
extract himself from delicate situations through the use of diplomacy, but since
this does not always work he is given the innate ability to charm creatures. A Bard
has the thieving abilities of a thief one half his level rounded off to the lower level,
thus a Bard 11th level would have the abilities of a 5th level thief. Elves, Dwarves,
and Hobbits may be Bards but cannot progress beyond the 8th level (Minstrel).
Elves receive an extra 5% on their charm and lore scores and receive all the extra
benefits of an elven thief. Dwarves and Hobbits reveive only their additional
thieving benefits. A Bard may use any weapon and for purposes of hit probability
he advances in steps based on four levels like clerics. For purposes of saving
throws they are treated like clerics as well.
The percentage listed under charm on the Bard’s statistics table reflects the
percentage chance a Bard has, at each level, of mesmerizing any creature that can
hear his song. However, creatures of more than three hit dice, and men types
(Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, etc.) of 5th level or greater, have a higher resistance to
the Bard’s charm. For every hit die above three a creature, monster, etc., has, subtract
5% from a Bard’s chances of mesmerizing it. Likewise, for every level above
4th, men subtract 5% from a Bard’s chances of mesmerizing them, and a Monk
In regard to magical items, a Bard may not use any wand, staff, or rod other
than those usable by Thieves and Fighters or every class. In regard to
miscellaneous magic a Bard may use anything a Fighter or Thief may use or those
items employable by all classes. Certain miscellaneous magical items work better
in the hands of a Bard, for example a Lyre of Building negates the effects of a horn
of blasting for 12 turns and acts as if 200 men had laboured for one week when a
Bard plays it. Pipes of the Sewers will call 1-100 giant rats in 1-3 turns when a Bard
plays them. Since Bard’s are a mixture of several classes (though they belong
mainly to the class of fighters) they may benefit from many books, thus a manual
of stealthy pilfering would give a Bard ¼ of the experience points needed to reach
the next level, the proper Libram would award ½ of the experience points needed
for the next level, and a manual of Puissant Skill at Arms would award ¾ of the
points needed to gain the next level of experience. As far as damage from books
goes Bards are treated as fighters. Bards may not use fighter’s potions; however,
they may read scrolls due to their vast knowledge of magical runes. All defensive
pluses (i.e. rings of protection, etc.) subtract 5% from the Bard’s chances of
charming creatures.
Bards are basically neutral in nature though they may be lawful or chaotic. If
a Bard decides to become lawful he will lose his thieving abilities. Bards and
Druids are closely connected and since they both belong to the same sect each
must aid the other if they are in need. Bards are usually wanderers and do not like
to settle down, for this reason only a Master Bard may build a castle, other Bards
are expected to find short time employment or lodgings in return for their songs
and legends. Bards are extremely quick at picking up languages, customs, etc.,
and have a vast knowledge of cults, religions, and legends. Thus Bards are allowed
to speak as many different languages as their intelligence score. Bards are limited
to chainmail or leather armor. If a Bard chooses to wear chainmail his chances of
climbing walls and moving silently are reduced to zero. Note also that a Bard does
not receive +4 to hit from behind or X2 on damage.
subtracts 10% for every level he has attained from the Bard’s chances. Certain
monsters have an especially high resistance to the Bard’s charm, like undead, who
subtract 10% off the Bard’s chances of charming them for every hit die they Bard’s Name
possess, and Balrogs, who have a 200% resistance to the Bard’s charm. However, Rhymer
in some cases a Bard’s song may be very helpful, as in the case of the harpies’
Lyrist
Sonateer
song, which the Bard can negate by playing. Some monsters even consider a Bard Skald
to be a great treasure and many legends are told of Dragons who refused to let Racaraide
Bards stop playing their restful melodies . . . A Bard may attempt to use his Jongleur
charm once per day per level. When a Bard attempts to use his charm he rolls per- Troubador
centile dice once and all those creatures within hearing distance (app. 60 ft.), ex- Minstrel*
cept the Bard’s own party, whose adjusted charm scores are equal to or greater Muse
than the number rolled are mesmerized. While a creature is mesmerized by a Bard Lore Master
it does nothing but listen to the Bard play, however, if it is distracted (by a loud
Bard
Master Bard
noise, etc.) or if it is attacked the charm is broken. Other things affect the Bard’s Mstr. Bard 13
ability to charm; for example, if the creatures were previously enraged or if they Mstr. Bard 14
are particularly hungry, etc., the chances of charming them may be slightly Mstr. Bard 15
reduced. While a Bard has the creature mesmerized he may attempt to implant a Mstr. Bard 16
suggestion in the creature’s subconscious, these should be relatively simple Mstr. Bard 17
suggestions in the case of low intelligence creatures, the complexity of the Mstr. Bard 18
suggestion being allowed to increase with increasing intelligence of the charmed Mstr. Bard 19
Mstr. Bard 20
creature, in all cases it is wise to follow the guidelines of the third level magic Mstr, Bard 21
user’s spell ‘suggestion’ and saving throws are always applicable versus the Bard’s Mstr. Bard 22
suggestion. If a creature makes its saving throw from a Bard’s suggestion (save as Mstr. Bard 23
vs. magic) then it will immediately realize what has happened and more than likely Mstr. Bard 24
attack the party. A Bard receives experience points for charming and suggesting Mstr. Bard 25
according to the hit dice of the oppoent (treat as an assist in most cases).
11
Dice MU Spell Dist.
College 6 sides 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Charm Lore
— 1 - - - - - - - 10% 10%
Fochlucan 2 l - - - - - - 20% 20%
Fochlucan 3 l - - - - - - 30% 30%
Fochlucan 4 2 - - - - - 40% 40%
Mac-Fuirmidh 5 3 - - - - 50% 50%
Mac-Fuirmidh 6 3 1 - - - - - 60% 60%
Mac-Fuirmidh 7 4 1 - - - - - 70% 70%
Doss 8 4 2 - - - - - 80% 80%
Doss 9 4 2 - - - - - 90% 90%
Doss 10 4 2 1 - - - - 100% 100%
Canaith 1 0 + 1 4 2 1 - - - - 110% 110%
Canaith 1 0 + 2 4 2 2 - - - - 120% 120%
Canaith 1 0 + 3 4 3 2 - - - - 130% 130%
Cli 1 0 + 4 4 3 2 1 - - - 140% 140%
Cli 1 0 + 5 4 3 3 1 - - - 150% 150%
Cli 1 0 + 6 4 3 3 2 - - - 160% 160%
Anstruth 1 0 + 7 4 3 3 2 - - - 170% 170%
Anstruth 1 0 + 8 4 3 3 2 1 - - 180% 180%
Anstruth 1 0 + 9 4 4 3 2 1 - - 190% 190%
Ollamh 10+10 4 4 3 2 1 - - 200% 200%
Ollamh 10+11 4 4 4 3 2 - - 210% 210%
Ollamh 10+12 4 4 4 3 3 - - 2 2 0 % 2 2 0 %
Ollamh 10+13 4 4 4 4 3 - - 230% 230%
Ollamh 1 0 + 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 - 240% 240%
Ollamh 10+15 5 5 4 4 4 2 1 250% 250%
* Highest Level a Dwarf, Hobbit, or Elf can attain
Exp. Pts.
0
1,000
4,000
9,000
16,000
25,000
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
1,000,000
1,1OO,OOO
1,200,000
1,300,000
1,400,000
1,500,000
1,600,000
THE STRATEGIC REVIEW FEBRUARY 1976
AS a Bard progresses upwards he collects followers to follow him on his journeys,
these wayfarers often become his loyal servants. Therefore a Bard of the
degree of Fochlucan usually has two first level followers, a Bard of Mac-Fuirmidh
has one second level and two first level followers, and two second levels, a Canaith
Bard has three first, two second and one third level followers, a Bard of Cli has
three first, three second and two third level followers, a Bard of the Anstruth
degree is attended by three first level, three second level, three third level and three
fourth level followers, a Bard of the Doss degree is accompanied by two first level
followers, and a Bard of the esteemed Ollamh degree is attended by four servants
of each level from first level to sixth level. These servants do not have to be paid,
however when one dies he is never replaced, A Bard uses the following table to
determine his followers:
01-30 Bard 31-55 Druid 56-75 Fighter 76-90 Thief 91-99 Magic User
00 Roll twice ignoring 00.
These characters have +3 loyalty and their characteristics should be determined.
Note that if a Bard occurs, he himself will not have any followers. It is unnecessary
to keep track of experience points for these servants since first level servants
become second etc. as a Bard progresses through the colleges of Bard’s
To become a Bard a character must have at least an average strength and intelligence.
Below average dexterity reduces the Brd’s thieving abilities by ½. A
Bard must also have an above average charisma, for every point above 14 a Bard
adds 5% to his charming abilities.

[UltraFan123]

I just made a quick online search and it seems that this was the first bard shown in the DnD 1st edition Player Handbook written by Gygax in 1978.

Clear masculine musculature despite having a guitar on his back. At least I think that's a guitar.

[Acrux]

The Silver John stories by Manly Wade Wellman are the best representation of what a bard should be. He wanders around the Appalachians with his silver guitar fighting demons and rescuing lasses.

They can be hard to find since they are out of print but still copyrighted. "Who Fears the Devil" has the complete collection. Here's a set that several of them.
http://baencd.freedoors.org/Books/John ... ladeer.htm

Someone created music based on the stories, too.
https://archive.org/details/01-silver-john

[Finarfin]

Well, @Acrux, I guess that a character who plays the fiddle while declaiming poetry about the violence he and his buddies are visiting on the local rat population (while it happens) could be considered psychotic rather than gay!

More seriously, it's an interesting, versatile class, but I have a hard time imagining that the typical bard doesn't look like someone from the "attractive men" thread, possibly because it is often played as such. The OG bard paints a different picture (as you said):

Ahem....

They came in droves, with snarls and cries,
Orcs and goblins, doomed to die.
Their savage blades, their hollow pride,
But death’s embrace won’t be denied.

We’ll hunt them down, each twisted face,
With sharpened steel, we leave no trace.
Their blood will flood the dirt below,
And drown the screams they dared to sow.

No mercy here, no prayers to save,
We carve their fate, an open grave.
Their bones will crack, their hearts will burst,
And we will drink, to quench our thirst.

Let their mothers wail, their chiefs despair,
We'll paint the night with crimson air.
The village saved, our work complete,
Their heads will line the cold, dark street.

So sing, my friends, let madness reign,
In blood and ruin, we find our gain.
No soul is spared, no tear to shed—
For they will know, we feast on dead.

[logincrash]

Whenever people complain about the disparity between the 20 lvl martial classes and 20 lvl primary spellcaster classes, you can be cetain that they aren't adhering to the Spell Component requirements.
Does your stuffy Wizard or slick Sorcerer think he can just Fireball those pesky bandits in one turn? Well, does he carry around bat **** and smell like sulfur? No? Tough ******* luck then. He gets skewered with a spear by a low level brigand because you're a casual ******.

[Boontaker]

Whenever people complain about the disparity between the 20 lvl martial classes and 20 lvl primary spellcaster classes, you can be cetain that they aren't adhering to the Spell Component requirements.
Does your stuffy Wizard or slick Sorcerer think he can just Fireball those pesky bandits in one turn? Well, does he carry around bat **** and smell like sulfur? No? Tough ******* luck then. He gets skewered with a spear by a low level brigand because you're a casual ******.

I have seen GMs argue over spell components, although not that much. I have rarely seen GMs factor in equipment wear/tear, unless it's from a monster or magical effect.

High level play was never supposed to be about killing stronger goblins in a cave, but level 10+ fighters were supposed to be on their way to a lordship with land and troops, clerics a bishop with a temple and flock, rogues starting a guild etc...

[Boontaker]

Anyone familiar with the Savage Worlds system? Specifically with the Deadlands world setting applied? I took a look at some PDFs and it seems making a character that gets extra bennies and bonuses with bennies is probably a smart idea.

Are characters without arcane backgrounds (access to spells) in savage worlds that much worse than those that do have access? Typically in TTRPGs even minimal spell access makes you better than everyone else.

[LemonDemonGirl]

Has anyone here ever played the WoW RPG? Looks like White Wold published it.

[Rand]

Well, @Acrux, I guess that a character who plays the fiddle while declaiming poetry about the violence he and his buddies are visiting on the local rat population (while it happens) could be considered psychotic rather than gay!

More seriously, it's an interesting, versatile class, but I have a hard time imagining that the typical bard doesn't look like someone from the "attractive men" thread, possibly because it is often played as such. The OG bard paints a different picture (as you said):

► Show Spoiler

Statistics Regarding Classes: (Additions) — BARDS
by Doug Schwegman
INTRODUCTION
A Bard’s Lore percentage reflects the Bard’s knowledge of legends, magic,
etc. This is the percentage change a Bard has of telling what certain objects are,
what they do, their properties, purposes, etc. This percentage also reflects his
knowledge of locales and legends outside of the dungeon; the referee must decide
which places and legends a Bard would have a chance of knowing on the outdoor
maps. A Bard’s Lore percentage is especially accurate inside the dungeon for
reflecting a Bard’s chances of successfully delineating the properties of any
weapon (its intelligence and ego if any and its ‘pluses’ etc.) and for correctly doing
this a Bard receives additional experience points (generally 100 pts. for every point
of intelligence and ego as well as pluses to hit). Note that a Bard does not have to
draw or use the weapon to tell its intelligence, alignment, etc., since his knowledge
of the weapon comes from legends and his experience in recognizing various types
of weapons and armor, both magical and non-magical, as well as his excellent
knowledge of magical runes. When a Bard attempts to describe the purposes of an
artifact or misc. magic item his chances of success are at least halved, especially
when it comes to items that the Bard himself cannot use. Not even the highest
Bard can tell any of the books apart, and only a Master Bard will have any chance
of telling the different kinds of necklaces and scarabs apart, although almost any
Bard has a good chance of identifyiny a cursed spear of back biting or a shield of
missile attraction when he sees one.
. . . I believe it is a logical addition to the D & D scene and the one I have
composed is a hodgepodge of at least three different kinds, the norse ‘skald’, the
celtic ‘bard’, and the southern european ‘minstrel’. The skalds were often old
warriors who were a kind of self appointed historian whose duty was to record the
ancient battles, blood feuds, and deeds of exceptional prowess by setting them to
verse much like the ancient Greek poets did. Tolkien, a great Nordic scholar,
copied this style several times in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (for example Bilbo’s
chant of Earendil the Mariner). The Celts, especially in Britain, had a much more
organized structure in which the post of Barbs as official historians fell somewhere
between the Gwelfili or public recorders and the Druids who were the judges as
well as spiritual leaders. In the Celtic system Bards were trained by the Druids for
a period of almost twenty years before they assumed their duties, among which
was to follow the heroes into battle to provide an accurate account of their deeds,
as well as to act as trusted intermediaries to settle hostilities among opposing
tribes. By far the most common conception of a Bard is as a minstrel who entertained
to courts of princes and kings in France, Italy and parts of Germany in
the latter middle ages. Such a character was not as trust worthy as the Celtic or
Nordic Bards and could be compared to a combination Thief-Illusionist. These
characters were called Jongleurs by the French, from which the corrupt term
juggler and court jester are remembered today . . .
I wanted to put the Bard into perspective so that his multitudinous abilities
in Dungeons and Drageons can be explained. I have fashioned the character
more after the Celtic and Norse types than anything else, thus he is a character
who resembles a fighter more than anything else, but who knows something about
the mysterious forces of magic and is well adept with his hands, etc.
A Bard is a jack-of-all-trades in Dungeons and Dragons, he is both an
amateur thief and magic user as well as a good fighter. He is supposedly able to
extract himself from delicate situations through the use of diplomacy, but since
this does not always work he is given the innate ability to charm creatures. A Bard
has the thieving abilities of a thief one half his level rounded off to the lower level,
thus a Bard 11th level would have the abilities of a 5th level thief. Elves, Dwarves,
and Hobbits may be Bards but cannot progress beyond the 8th level (Minstrel).
Elves receive an extra 5% on their charm and lore scores and receive all the extra
benefits of an elven thief. Dwarves and Hobbits reveive only their additional
thieving benefits. A Bard may use any weapon and for purposes of hit probability
he advances in steps based on four levels like clerics. For purposes of saving
throws they are treated like clerics as well.
The percentage listed under charm on the Bard’s statistics table reflects the
percentage chance a Bard has, at each level, of mesmerizing any creature that can
hear his song. However, creatures of more than three hit dice, and men types
(Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, etc.) of 5th level or greater, have a higher resistance to
the Bard’s charm. For every hit die above three a creature, monster, etc., has, subtract
5% from a Bard’s chances of mesmerizing it. Likewise, for every level above
4th, men subtract 5% from a Bard’s chances of mesmerizing them, and a Monk
In regard to magical items, a Bard may not use any wand, staff, or rod other
than those usable by Thieves and Fighters or every class. In regard to
miscellaneous magic a Bard may use anything a Fighter or Thief may use or those
items employable by all classes. Certain miscellaneous magical items work better
in the hands of a Bard, for example a Lyre of Building negates the effects of a horn
of blasting for 12 turns and acts as if 200 men had laboured for one week when a
Bard plays it. Pipes of the Sewers will call 1-100 giant rats in 1-3 turns when a Bard
plays them. Since Bard’s are a mixture of several classes (though they belong
mainly to the class of fighters) they may benefit from many books, thus a manual
of stealthy pilfering would give a Bard ¼ of the experience points needed to reach
the next level, the proper Libram would award ½ of the experience points needed
for the next level, and a manual of Puissant Skill at Arms would award ¾ of the
points needed to gain the next level of experience. As far as damage from books
goes Bards are treated as fighters. Bards may not use fighter’s potions; however,
they may read scrolls due to their vast knowledge of magical runes. All defensive
pluses (i.e. rings of protection, etc.) subtract 5% from the Bard’s chances of
charming creatures.
Bards are basically neutral in nature though they may be lawful or chaotic. If
a Bard decides to become lawful he will lose his thieving abilities. Bards and
Druids are closely connected and since they both belong to the same sect each
must aid the other if they are in need. Bards are usually wanderers and do not like
to settle down, for this reason only a Master Bard may build a castle, other Bards
are expected to find short time employment or lodgings in return for their songs
and legends. Bards are extremely quick at picking up languages, customs, etc.,
and have a vast knowledge of cults, religions, and legends. Thus Bards are allowed
to speak as many different languages as their intelligence score. Bards are limited
to chainmail or leather armor. If a Bard chooses to wear chainmail his chances of
climbing walls and moving silently are reduced to zero. Note also that a Bard does
not receive +4 to hit from behind or X2 on damage.
subtracts 10% for every level he has attained from the Bard’s chances. Certain
monsters have an especially high resistance to the Bard’s charm, like undead, who
subtract 10% off the Bard’s chances of charming them for every hit die they Bard’s Name
possess, and Balrogs, who have a 200% resistance to the Bard’s charm. However, Rhymer
in some cases a Bard’s song may be very helpful, as in the case of the harpies’
Lyrist
Sonateer
song, which the Bard can negate by playing. Some monsters even consider a Bard Skald
to be a great treasure and many legends are told of Dragons who refused to let Racaraide
Bards stop playing their restful melodies . . . A Bard may attempt to use his Jongleur
charm once per day per level. When a Bard attempts to use his charm he rolls per- Troubador
centile dice once and all those creatures within hearing distance (app. 60 ft.), ex- Minstrel*
cept the Bard’s own party, whose adjusted charm scores are equal to or greater Muse
than the number rolled are mesmerized. While a creature is mesmerized by a Bard Lore Master
it does nothing but listen to the Bard play, however, if it is distracted (by a loud
Bard
Master Bard
noise, etc.) or if it is attacked the charm is broken. Other things affect the Bard’s Mstr. Bard 13
ability to charm; for example, if the creatures were previously enraged or if they Mstr. Bard 14
are particularly hungry, etc., the chances of charming them may be slightly Mstr. Bard 15
reduced. While a Bard has the creature mesmerized he may attempt to implant a Mstr. Bard 16
suggestion in the creature’s subconscious, these should be relatively simple Mstr. Bard 17
suggestions in the case of low intelligence creatures, the complexity of the Mstr. Bard 18
suggestion being allowed to increase with increasing intelligence of the charmed Mstr. Bard 19
Mstr. Bard 20
creature, in all cases it is wise to follow the guidelines of the third level magic Mstr, Bard 21
user’s spell ‘suggestion’ and saving throws are always applicable versus the Bard’s Mstr. Bard 22
suggestion. If a creature makes its saving throw from a Bard’s suggestion (save as Mstr. Bard 23
vs. magic) then it will immediately realize what has happened and more than likely Mstr. Bard 24
attack the party. A Bard receives experience points for charming and suggesting Mstr. Bard 25
according to the hit dice of the oppoent (treat as an assist in most cases).
11
Dice MU Spell Dist.
College 6 sides 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Charm Lore
— 1 - - - - - - - 10% 10%
Fochlucan 2 l - - - - - - 20% 20%
Fochlucan 3 l - - - - - - 30% 30%
Fochlucan 4 2 - - - - - 40% 40%
Mac-Fuirmidh 5 3 - - - - 50% 50%
Mac-Fuirmidh 6 3 1 - - - - - 60% 60%
Mac-Fuirmidh 7 4 1 - - - - - 70% 70%
Doss 8 4 2 - - - - - 80% 80%
Doss 9 4 2 - - - - - 90% 90%
Doss 10 4 2 1 - - - - 100% 100%
Canaith 1 0 + 1 4 2 1 - - - - 110% 110%
Canaith 1 0 + 2 4 2 2 - - - - 120% 120%
Canaith 1 0 + 3 4 3 2 - - - - 130% 130%
Cli 1 0 + 4 4 3 2 1 - - - 140% 140%
Cli 1 0 + 5 4 3 3 1 - - - 150% 150%
Cli 1 0 + 6 4 3 3 2 - - - 160% 160%
Anstruth 1 0 + 7 4 3 3 2 - - - 170% 170%
Anstruth 1 0 + 8 4 3 3 2 1 - - 180% 180%
Anstruth 1 0 + 9 4 4 3 2 1 - - 190% 190%
Ollamh 10+10 4 4 3 2 1 - - 200% 200%
Ollamh 10+11 4 4 4 3 2 - - 210% 210%
Ollamh 10+12 4 4 4 3 3 - - 2 2 0 % 2 2 0 %
Ollamh 10+13 4 4 4 4 3 - - 230% 230%
Ollamh 1 0 + 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 - 240% 240%
Ollamh 10+15 5 5 4 4 4 2 1 250% 250%
* Highest Level a Dwarf, Hobbit, or Elf can attain
Exp. Pts.
0
1,000
4,000
9,000
16,000
25,000
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
1,000,000
1,1OO,OOO
1,200,000
1,300,000
1,400,000
1,500,000
1,600,000
THE STRATEGIC REVIEW FEBRUARY 1976
AS a Bard progresses upwards he collects followers to follow him on his journeys,
these wayfarers often become his loyal servants. Therefore a Bard of the
degree of Fochlucan usually has two first level followers, a Bard of Mac-Fuirmidh
has one second level and two first level followers, and two second levels, a Canaith
Bard has three first, two second and one third level followers, a Bard of Cli has
three first, three second and two third level followers, a Bard of the Anstruth
degree is attended by three first level, three second level, three third level and three
fourth level followers, a Bard of the Doss degree is accompanied by two first level
followers, and a Bard of the esteemed Ollamh degree is attended by four servants
of each level from first level to sixth level. These servants do not have to be paid,
however when one dies he is never replaced, A Bard uses the following table to
determine his followers:
01-30 Bard 31-55 Druid 56-75 Fighter 76-90 Thief 91-99 Magic User
00 Roll twice ignoring 00.
These characters have +3 loyalty and their characteristics should be determined.
Note that if a Bard occurs, he himself will not have any followers. It is unnecessary
to keep track of experience points for these servants since first level servants
become second etc. as a Bard progresses through the colleges of Bard’s
To become a Bard a character must have at least an average strength and intelligence.
Below average dexterity reduces the Brd’s thieving abilities by ½. A
Bard must also have an above average charisma, for every point above 14 a Bard
adds 5% to his charming abilities.

Gygax wasn't fond of them and made playing one a pain in the *** (as he did with most things he didn't say a straight no to).

► Show Spoiler

[Boontaker]

Has anyone here ever played the WoW RPG? Looks like White Wold published it.

I looked at it years ago but my group never got into WoW the MMO, City of Heroes was the only game we played outside of TT. I believe it's Different & Dragons so it's close enough to D20 D&D that if you have played 3rd edition you can pick it up easily enough.