Alignment: Any, usually nonlawful.
Hit Die: d8 (per Pathfinder)
Class Skills
The bard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x2.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special | Spells per Day | Spells Known | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | ||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Bardic music, bardic knowledge, countersong, fascinate, inspire courage +1 |
2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Inspire competence | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | 21 | — | — | — | — | |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Suggestion | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 21 | — | — | — | |
| 8th | +6/+1 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Inspire courage +2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +6/+1 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Inspire greatness | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 10th | +7/+2 | +3 | +7 | +7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 21 | — | — | |
| 11th | +8/+3 | +3 | +7 | +7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | |
| 12th | +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Song of freedom | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 21 | — | |
| 14th | +10/+5 | +4 | +9 | +9 | Inspire courage +3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — |
| 15th | +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +9 | +9 | Inspire heroics | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — |
| 16th | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 21 | |
| 17th | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| 18th | +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Mass suggestion | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 19th | +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +11 | +11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | |
| 20th | +15/+10/+5 | +6 | +12 | +12 | Inspire courage +4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A bard is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the longsword, rapier, sap, short sword, shortbow, and whip. Bards are proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields). A bard can cast bard spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, a bard wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component (most do). A multiclass bard still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
Special Abilities – Performance
Once per day per bard level, a bard can use her Special Abilities of song or poetics to produce magical effects on those around her (usually including herself, if desired).
Spells
A bard casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the bard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. Every bard spell has a verbal component (singing, reciting, or music). To learn or cast a spell, a bard must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a bard’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the bard’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a bard can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Bard. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score. When Table: Bard Spells Known indicates that the bard gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Charisma score for that spell level.
The bard’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A bard begins play knowing four 0-level spells of your choice. At most new bard levels, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Bard Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a bard knows is not affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Bard Spells Known are fixed.)
Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third bard level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a bard can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the bard “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level bard spell the bard can cast. A bard may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.
As noted above, a bard need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.
Bardic Knowledge
A bard may make a special bardic knowledge check with a bonus equal to his bard level + his Intelligence modifier to see whether he knows some relevant information about local notable people, legendary items, or noteworthy places. (If the bard has 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (history), he gains a +2 bonus on this check.)
A successful bardic knowledge check will not reveal the powers of a magic item but may give a hint as to its general function. A bard may not take 10 or take 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random.
DC Type of Knowledge
- 10 Common, known by at least a substantial minority of folks drinking at the local inn; common legends of the local population.
- 20 Uncommon but available, known by only a few people legends.
- 25 Obscure, known by few, hard to come by.
- 30 Extremely obscure, known by very few, possibly forgotten by most who once knew it, possibly known only by those who don’t understand the significance of the knowledge.