There are no specific location on the map where one can travel to in order to find a Bard College, rather, a Bard College exists where any number of Bards gather together to practice or discuss their trade. All across Faerun, and lands even further afield, when one is in a pub, or theatre, at a festival, or in a library where Bards have congregated you will find them, somewhere between song and biting retort, all drawn together by some magical affinity and love for their shared trade. It is this fellowship that marks the colleges, the knowledge that no matter where you are, no matter if you knew no one else around, you could simply find a fellow Bard and have a friend and ally to look after you, to have a community where no matter your background you will never be an outcast. It is for this reason that the life of the Bard Outcast is so harsh, and why so few are ever punished in such a way.
To be an Outcast among the Bards is to be shunned by all in your fellow profession, to know that you are hated by those who would have called you a friend without a second thought before, because even though not all bards know each other, all Bards know who has been caste out. It is a punishment reserved for only the gravest of offenses amongst the members of the Colleges, most often those of betrayal of one bard towards another, or the damaging of the reputation of Bards in such a way that it places them all in danger. For this reason many a member of the College of Secrets finds themselves a Outcast from the Colleges, but they are not the only ones, and all who end up in this manner must learn to adapt to their new way of life moving in secret, without the comforts derived from the mutual fellowship or the protection that comes from being counted amongst the Bards Colleges.
- Skill Proficiencies: Perception and Deception
- Tool Proficiencies: One of Disguise Kit, Thieves Tools, Or Forgery Kit
- Languages: One of any language, learned from the various people or creatures you have encountered in you exile.
- Equipment: Disguise kit, Thieves tools, or Forgery Kit; a tent, a set of travelers clothes, a memento of their life before being outcast, and 10 gp
It is a rare Bard who has offended the colleges enough to become outcast, and whether you are guilty of the crime for which you were ostracized or not, the consequences of it weigh on your mind, and its reputation precedes you no matter what land you travel in. Choose a Crime Against The Colleges that you have committed, or roll one on the Crime Against The Colleges table.
| d6 | Crime Against The Colleges |
|---|---|
| 1 | You have murdered in cold blood a fellow Bard in good standing within the Colleges, betraying the fellowship of the colledge and ostracizing yourself from it. |
| 2 | You used or attempted to use your position as an entertainer to commit an assassination and your complicity was revealed to the public generating mistrust about Bards in general. |
| 3 | You conducted yourself in such a way to perpetuate harmful cultural stereotypes about travelers, making life harder for Bards and all nomadic groups alike. |
| 4 | You corrupted your position as a Bard Diplomat, intentionally sabotaging a peace summit, resulting in the suffering of many at the hands of Bards. |
| 5 | You were responsible for the death of a great bard, a leading voice amongst the colleges, depriving all peoples, and Bards specifically, of their council and wisdom. |
| 6 | You performed so badly that you made the entire profession of performing see like a joke that anyone could do with little to no training, severely damaging the reputation and prestige of Bards in general. |
You were a member of the Bard Colleges, you know their ins and their outs as only a member of that group can, making you both an Entertainer and a Courtier and being able to use the Features of those backgrounds, however, you are no longer a member of the colleges and what more you are despised by those people who still are. For this reason, if there is a bard present you must immediately perform a deception action in order to not be recognized. If you fail than they will start acting hostile towards you and you will not be able to use either of these Features. If you succeed then you may use them normally, however if you have a critical failure at any time while doing so then your former fellows will immediately see through your deception and rouse the crowd against you, forcing you to make a hasty retreat.
Suggested Characteristics
You are deeply affected by your ostracization from the colleges, whether you show it or not, because you have lost something dear to you. Whether that loss is felt more keenly as the bond of fellowship that is now withheld from you, or simply as the convenient method of plying your trade, it has had an effect that will stay with you forever.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I long for the connection's I've lost and seek to create new ones at any opportunity. |
| 2 | The memory of lifelong friends scorn still stings and I am wont to trust easily, if at all. |
| 3 | I've never needed anyone other than myself, and I not likely to see the purpose of others for longer than a momentary usefulness. |
| 4 | I still want to do good in the world, taking any opportunity to bring comfort to those in despair, and hopefully a smile to thier face. |
| 5 | Nostalgia hounds me and I can't help relating current events to stories from the past, my own and ones i've borrowed from others. |
| 6 | I make a constant spectacle of myself, my knowledge, and my experience to make up for my own feelings of failure. |
| 7 | I try to be good at everything because I have a need for my continued existence to be validated. |
| 8 | I have lost the ability to see things as meaningful and am annoyed by those who somehow are still able to. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Self-Righteousness. No organization can judge me, I act in the interest of the greater good and the ends justify the means. (Chaotic) |
| 2 | Selfishness. I am not beholden to the laws nor the morals of man, I serve my own interests and to them alone am I bound. (Chaotic) |
| 3 | Altruism. It is the duty of even fallen Bards to bring joy to those around them. (Good) |
| 4 | Power. People dance for me like puppets in a show, and I work to pull the strings of as many as I can, by whatever means I can. (Evil) |
| 5 | Revenge. I will have satisfaction of those who have wronged me. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Redemption. I will do whatever it takes to redeem myself in the eyes of the Bard Colleges. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | There is a goal I seek more important than the Colleges, and I will continue seeking it. |
| 2 | The Bard who commited the crime for which I am accused still lives, and I seek to change that. |
| 3 | Soon after my ostracization I made an acquaintance who supported me, and for that kindness I will be eternally loyal. |
| 4 | The Council of the Bard Colleges could have offered me leniency, but they didn't, and now they will see the result. |
| 5 | I am accused of committing a crime, but it was for the wellbeing of others that I did so, and I would do it again. |
| 6 | My Mentor in the colleges was killed by a powerful Bard who framed me for the crime. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Bard colleges have wronged me by casting me into exile and I have become obsessed with taking revenge on them. |
| 2 | The Arbiters passed judgement on me, but I am haunted by the fear of retribution from those outside the Colleges, causing me to constantly be restless and paranoid. |
| 3 | My expulsion from the Colleges has left me disillusioned and I struggle to find meaning in mine and other actions. |
| 4 | Knowledge of my crimes have spread beyond just the Colleges and my reputation follows me wherever I go. |
| 5 | The faces of those who have suffered because of me come to my mind in vivid flashbacks causing powerful emotional responses. |
| 6 | I am incapable of taking responsibility for my mistakes no matter how small and always try to convince others that they were the ones at fault. |
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