Bard
Those who become bards are truly the most charismatic members of all the realms. Members of this class are masters of captivation and may specialize in any of a variety of performance types, including: singing, playing musical instruments, weaving tales, or telling jokes. Whether performing to an audience or speaking to an individual, bards will excel. There are many schools and guilds where members of this profession come together to bond and train, but there is a fair amount of ego within those of the bardic persuasion. While they may be the most likely to bring people together, a bard of ill temper can just as easily tear a party apart.
When you or an ally Close to you makes a Presence roll and either succeeds with Fear or fails, spend three Hope to negate that roll’s consequences by intervening.
Once per session as your party prepares to enter a dangerous or difficult situation, describe how you rally them and give yourself and each of your allies a d6 Rally die. Anyone with a Rally die can spend it to roll it, adding the result to an action roll, reaction roll, or damage roll, or clearing Stress equal to the Rally die result.
At the end of each session, all unspent Rally dice are cleared. The Rally die you distribute increases to 1d8 at level 5.
Play the Troubadour if you want to play music to bolster your allies.
Troubadour
Foundation
Spellcast: Presence
When you take this Foundation, describe what instrument you are practiced in. You can use an action to perform each song once per long rest:
Bard
Play the Wordsmith if you want to be persuasive and powerful using clever wordplay.
Wordsmith
Foundation
Spellcast: Presence
Heart of a Poet: When speaking to a person you’re trying to impress, persuade, or offend, you can spend Hope and add 1d4 to the action roll against them.
Rousing Speech: Once per long rest, you can use an action to give a heartfelt, inspiring speech. All allies who can hear you clear two Stress.
Bard
Wordsmith
Specialization
You know your moving words can boost the morale of the group. Once per session, when you use your skills as a linguist to encourage or exhort an ally, you can do one of the following:
Bard
Answer the following background questions or make your own.
Who from your community taught you to have such confidence in yourself?
You were in love once. Who was it with, and how did they hurt you?
You’ve always looked up to another bard. Who are they and why do you idolize them?
What made you realize we were going to be such good friends?
What do I do that annoys you?
Why do you grab my hand at night?
At level 2, take an additional Experience and increase your Proficiency by +1.
Choose two available options from the list below and mark them.
Then increase your Severe Damage Threshold by +2 and choose new Domain Deck card at your Level or lower.
At Level 5, take an additional Experience and clear all marks on Character Traits. Then increase your Proficiency by +1
Choose two from the list below or any unmarked from the previous tier and mark them.
Increase your Damage Thresholds: Major by +1 and Severe by +3. Then choose a new Domain Deck card at your Level or lower.
At Level 8, take an additional Experience and clear all marks on Character Traits. Then increase your Proficiency by +1
Choose two from the list below or any unmarked from the previous tier and mark them.
Increase your Damage Thresholds: Major by +2 and Severe by +4. Then choose a new Domain Deck card at your Level or lower.