That could be interesting if you could only use lines from a book or a play. You could maybe pull a book out everytime you want to speak just character fluff.
I used a kenku bard as an NPC in my last campaign. It was great to have him just perform covers at the local inn, and to impersonate party members to eachother :D
for impersonating people i'm leaning towards a changeling mastermind rogue for 3 levels then bard. you can use master of intrigue to mimic there speech patterns and accents and with changeling you get to determine the sound of your voice so it seems great for impersonations. then he learns bardic stuff because he doesn't want to stay in one place indefinitely as he will eventually be found out and it is easier for a bard to strike out and start in a new place as they are traveling a lot anyways
i'm playing a kenku bard right now! she likes to create her own "originals" by "remixing" different sounds and melodies she's heard. I went college of glamor for narrative flavor and bc her personality matched it, but she ended up being built perfectly for utilities and espionage stuff
Aren't we also ignoring a bit the "X-factoresque" quality of a kenku bard's performance when one song comes out with a perfect, beautiful, soaring soprano of a human female diva nailing an aria, and the next piece is the deep, thundering bass of an intoxicated dwarf butchering a war march?
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"You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?" -Death
I played as a Kenku Bard named Richard Ironpipes and I would sing one word and apply them to a button and then make nonsensical songs. It’s hard but can be very rewarding.
Kind of necroing this post...but, instead of Bumblebee, you're more like the Predator (from the original movie) who can mimic...but in a creepy way?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
#OpenD&D #ORC
"...or you can find the secret tunnel that leads to the Vault of Dickish DM which is filled with 10,000,000 copper coins and a 5,000 pound solid gold statue of a middle finger that is too big to fit through the door."
Kenku used to be a thief, wanted to steal stuff from a temple, but then heard the pipe organ. He's a Bard now.
He completed the greatest heist of all. He stole their music.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
The Lyrebird(which, like the Kenku can Imitate various Sounds; albeit The Lyrebird does it to attract mates) OR The Drongo(Which, Like the Kenku, Also Mimics the sounds of other animals; However, The Drongo mainly does this to steal Food for its OWN Survival)
I Like the Idea of a Chaotic Neutral Kenku Bard who's a bit of a prankster & has a Flare for Showmanship & love of attention; And I Think Drongo would be a Great name. . .
I introduced a Kenku bard as an NPC in a recent campaign. I stole this idea from somewhere, but he plays a string-less lute and just makes all the sounds himself with his mouth. He goes by "Strum" and he styles the feathers on his head into a big feathery pompadour. When he does talk it's mostly in movie quotes... whatever I think will make the players laugh.
I remember when I did the most gut wrenching thing for the players and DM. It was with my Kenku Sorcerer, master romantic/seducer. He seduced a human rogue, a Dryad (barely), and almost a dragon (a 29 on a DC 30). He had a relationship with the rogue and got an ooc nickname because of the romantic seduction with his gf. But that's not the gut wrenching part. It was during when they imprisoned our Tabaxi Monk. I decided to have a "say" to deceive the evil people there that I was "with" them. I wrote out 300 word speech that no one was expecting, and seemed totally in character (was so believable, I didn't have to roll deception or persuasion). Ooc everyone was shocked, DM included. Even though it was a split party, the players would have killed mine given the chance and knowledge of this in character. It was the only time, so far in 2 years (at date of posting), I have gotten this reaction out of my fellow players and/or DM.
I dont understand. If he can mimic everyone then he should be able to compose as well. He is not an idiot, he can take words or sentences from another and add them with some other sentences to create a new set of poetry. I am also looking at a kenku as a bard and the only problem I see is he cant play any blowing instrument because of the beak.
That's right, he can MIMIC anything he hears. Kenku can't "speak" using their own voice (I would say kenku have no voice of their own). They "speak" by repeating words and phrases used by others (Think Bumblebee from the Transformers movies.). In theory, a kenku could listen to someone read an entire dictionary, and could construct sentences one word at a time, but that isn't really a good idea. Most fantasy worlds probably wouldn't have anything like a comprehensive dictionary as we know them, and besides that is boring. It would also be the wrong way to play such a character.
As for which instruments a kenku bard might play, any stringed or percussive instrument is completely usable. So, the lute, lyre, drums, harp, viol, etc are fine. I think they might also be able to play the bagpipes, perhaps with modification to the mouthpiece.
Also, kenku can write things down. While you don't have to write anything down for a composition, it does require creativity. It depends on what your DM allows. I personally think a kenku bard WOULD compose new music, and would likely add all manner of non-music pieces (the sound of thunder, the ring of an anvil, the roar of a lion or tiger) to their works.
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Just a old, crazy Dungeon Master building a realm one brick at a time...
I actually play a bard like this! Their name is "Haila" (shortened from Hyena Laugh due to the sound they make when they're amused) and they're a peacock Glamour Bard.
Their backstory is that they were an outcast who would end up appearing to watch the traveling minstrels and performers from various theatre troupes that would end up visiting Waterdeep. One day after one of the shows, the head of one of the groups found them on the stage mimicking the show they had seen earlier that day. The theatre troupe took them in and they became the ultimate understudy, never having any leading roles themselves but able to take over any role if necessary, and with a very basic ability to improv by stitching together words and phrases. They have the Eldritch Adept feat for the Mask of Many Faces invocation to cast Disguise Self at will, and they use a combination of class features and illusion magic to perform one man (bird?) shows on street corners and bring in quite a lot of gold for themselves when not actually performing in a play. Their Vicious Mockery is Shakespeare quotes and they love to transform into different characters in battle to confuse the enemy.
More than once they've ended up shutting down entire encounters before they began by Disguising Self as a enemy guard, heading into the barracks, and casting Hypnotic Pattern before the rest of the party rushes in to take out anyone who wasn't instantly incapacitated. My favorite feat with them so far has been tackling a Mindflayer off a platform for both of us to fall into the mouth of a summoned Wyrm, Misty Stepping out of the thing's jaws, then Commanding it to "bite." Bye bye Mindflayer!
When they turn into a T-Rex with Polymorph, they keep the peacock colors on the feathers. And that's how the party ended up riding a dinosaur through the streets trying to capture a mage...
I dont understand. If he can mimic everyone then he should be able to compose as well. He is not an idiot, he can take words or sentences from another and add them with some other sentences to create a new set of poetry. I am also looking at a kenku as a bard and the only problem I see is he cant play any blowing instrument because of the beak.
That's right, he can MIMIC anything he hears. Kenku can't "speak" using their own voice (I would say kenku have no voice of their own). They "speak" by repeating words and phrases used by others (Think Bumblebee from the Transformers movies.). In theory, a kenku could listen to someone read an entire dictionary, and could construct sentences one word at a time, but that isn't really a good idea. Most fantasy worlds probably wouldn't have anything like a comprehensive dictionary as we know them, and besides that is boring. It would also be the wrong way to play such a character.
That is debatable. I say this because the Kenku are supposed to lack creativity as part of their curse. Could one that is cursed with the inability to be creative have the creativity required to pick and choose words out of that "recitation of the entire dictionary" in order to form them into coherent sentences? Or would they, instead, only be able to recite the entire dictionary in the voice of the person who read it to them, every word and definition in the same order it was read to them?
I think it's much easier for gameplay purposes to approach roleplaying a Kenku from the point of view that they have been around for a while and have heard a multitude of people saying a plethora of things prior to the start of the adventure. As a PC this means that it doesn't matter what the situation is, you can ad-lib something that is said in someone else's voice unless the situation calls for something that requires very specific context.
For example, in a campaign I was part of while playing a Kenku my character had been snuck into an establishment owned by the rest of the party - this is how he was introduced. He was lounging in one of the other PC's rooms when they returned. This was my character's first session with the group and, as a result, I didn't have any specific lines as one would gather over the course of an adventure or two. As the PC who owned the room opened the door and entered, my Kenku in a shrill, female voice belted out "Who are you? And how did you get in my room?" which ended up catching the PC by surprise, causing him quickly backpedal and close the door as he had a "Wait a minute..." moment.
The point is that even though I didn't have anything my character had heard since his introduction to the campaign, as he was being introduced, I simply ad-libbed something that fit the situation as it's something that my character could have feasibly heard someone say over the course of his life unto that point. Of course, I also kept notes on things that the rest of the PCs actually said so that I could mess with them in social situations. Kenku are an amazing opportunity for ad-libbing and spontaneity, though that spontaneity is somewhat curbed by what they may realistically have been able to see or hear in day-to-day life, bolstered of course by their backstory.
That could be interesting if you could only use lines from a book or a play. You could maybe pull a book out everytime you want to speak just character fluff.
Mimicking your party members' actions could be an interesting way to roleplay the bard's Jack of All Trades.
I used a kenku bard as an NPC in my last campaign. It was great to have him just perform covers at the local inn, and to impersonate party members to eachother :D
Dub step Kenku bard
Not a kenku bard, but a kenku assistant to a bard. They travel the world looking for exotic/rare sounds to enhance the Bard's storytelling
Hmmmm, a Kenku Bard with Alter Self could be an amazing spy or assassin with a unique archetype outside of what people normally do.
for impersonating people i'm leaning towards a changeling mastermind rogue for 3 levels then bard. you can use master of intrigue to mimic there speech patterns and accents and with changeling you get to determine the sound of your voice so it seems great for impersonations. then he learns bardic stuff because he doesn't want to stay in one place indefinitely as he will eventually be found out and it is easier for a bard to strike out and start in a new place as they are traveling a lot anyways
i'm playing a kenku bard right now! she likes to create her own "originals" by "remixing" different sounds and melodies she's heard. I went college of glamor for narrative flavor and bc her personality matched it, but she ended up being built perfectly for utilities and espionage stuff
Aren't we also ignoring a bit the "X-factoresque" quality of a kenku bard's performance when one song comes out with a perfect, beautiful, soaring soprano of a human female diva nailing an aria, and the next piece is the deep, thundering bass of an intoxicated dwarf butchering a war march?
"You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?" -Death
Two Words:
Sound Board
I played as a Kenku Bard named Richard Ironpipes and I would sing one word and apply them to a button and then make nonsensical songs. It’s hard but can be very rewarding.
Kind of necroing this post...but, instead of Bumblebee, you're more like the Predator (from the original movie) who can mimic...but in a creepy way?
#OpenD&D #ORC
"...or you can find the secret tunnel that leads to the Vault of Dickish DM which is filled with 10,000,000 copper coins and a 5,000 pound solid gold statue of a middle finger that is too big to fit through the door."
Kenku used to be a thief, wanted to steal stuff from a temple, but then heard the pipe organ. He's a Bard now.
He completed the greatest heist of all. He stole their music.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
A Kenku as a Bard. . .
I Have an Idea;
How about Basing one off of either:
The Lyrebird(which, like the Kenku can Imitate various Sounds; albeit The Lyrebird does it to attract mates) OR The Drongo(Which, Like the Kenku, Also Mimics the sounds of other animals; However, The Drongo mainly does this to steal Food for its OWN Survival)
I Like the Idea of a Chaotic Neutral Kenku Bard who's a bit of a prankster & has a Flare for Showmanship & love of attention; And I Think Drongo would be a Great name. . .
I introduced a Kenku bard as an NPC in a recent campaign. I stole this idea from somewhere, but he plays a string-less lute and just makes all the sounds himself with his mouth. He goes by "Strum" and he styles the feathers on his head into a big feathery pompadour. When he does talk it's mostly in movie quotes... whatever I think will make the players laugh.
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I remember when I did the most gut wrenching thing for the players and DM. It was with my Kenku Sorcerer, master romantic/seducer. He seduced a human rogue, a Dryad (barely), and almost a dragon (a 29 on a DC 30). He had a relationship with the rogue and got an ooc nickname because of the romantic seduction with his gf. But that's not the gut wrenching part. It was during when they imprisoned our Tabaxi Monk. I decided to have a "say" to deceive the evil people there that I was "with" them. I wrote out 300 word speech that no one was expecting, and seemed totally in character (was so believable, I didn't have to roll deception or persuasion). Ooc everyone was shocked, DM included. Even though it was a split party, the players would have killed mine given the chance and knowledge of this in character. It was the only time, so far in 2 years (at date of posting), I have gotten this reaction out of my fellow players and/or DM.
That's right, he can MIMIC anything he hears. Kenku can't "speak" using their own voice (I would say kenku have no voice of their own). They "speak" by repeating words and phrases used by others (Think Bumblebee from the Transformers movies.). In theory, a kenku could listen to someone read an entire dictionary, and could construct sentences one word at a time, but that isn't really a good idea. Most fantasy worlds probably wouldn't have anything like a comprehensive dictionary as we know them, and besides that is boring. It would also be the wrong way to play such a character.
As for which instruments a kenku bard might play, any stringed or percussive instrument is completely usable. So, the lute, lyre, drums, harp, viol, etc are fine. I think they might also be able to play the bagpipes, perhaps with modification to the mouthpiece.
Also, kenku can write things down. While you don't have to write anything down for a composition, it does require creativity. It depends on what your DM allows. I personally think a kenku bard WOULD compose new music, and would likely add all manner of non-music pieces (the sound of thunder, the ring of an anvil, the roar of a lion or tiger) to their works.
Just a old, crazy Dungeon Master building a realm one brick at a time...
I actually play a bard like this! Their name is "Haila" (shortened from Hyena Laugh due to the sound they make when they're amused) and they're a peacock Glamour Bard.
Their backstory is that they were an outcast who would end up appearing to watch the traveling minstrels and performers from various theatre troupes that would end up visiting Waterdeep. One day after one of the shows, the head of one of the groups found them on the stage mimicking the show they had seen earlier that day. The theatre troupe took them in and they became the ultimate understudy, never having any leading roles themselves but able to take over any role if necessary, and with a very basic ability to improv by stitching together words and phrases. They have the Eldritch Adept feat for the Mask of Many Faces invocation to cast Disguise Self at will, and they use a combination of class features and illusion magic to perform one man (bird?) shows on street corners and bring in quite a lot of gold for themselves when not actually performing in a play. Their Vicious Mockery is Shakespeare quotes and they love to transform into different characters in battle to confuse the enemy.
More than once they've ended up shutting down entire encounters before they began by Disguising Self as a enemy guard, heading into the barracks, and casting Hypnotic Pattern before the rest of the party rushes in to take out anyone who wasn't instantly incapacitated. My favorite feat with them so far has been tackling a Mindflayer off a platform for both of us to fall into the mouth of a summoned Wyrm, Misty Stepping out of the thing's jaws, then Commanding it to "bite." Bye bye Mindflayer!
When they turn into a T-Rex with Polymorph, they keep the peacock colors on the feathers. And that's how the party ended up riding a dinosaur through the streets trying to capture a mage...
That is debatable. I say this because the Kenku are supposed to lack creativity as part of their curse. Could one that is cursed with the inability to be creative have the creativity required to pick and choose words out of that "recitation of the entire dictionary" in order to form them into coherent sentences? Or would they, instead, only be able to recite the entire dictionary in the voice of the person who read it to them, every word and definition in the same order it was read to them?
I think it's much easier for gameplay purposes to approach roleplaying a Kenku from the point of view that they have been around for a while and have heard a multitude of people saying a plethora of things prior to the start of the adventure. As a PC this means that it doesn't matter what the situation is, you can ad-lib something that is said in someone else's voice unless the situation calls for something that requires very specific context.
For example, in a campaign I was part of while playing a Kenku my character had been snuck into an establishment owned by the rest of the party - this is how he was introduced. He was lounging in one of the other PC's rooms when they returned. This was my character's first session with the group and, as a result, I didn't have any specific lines as one would gather over the course of an adventure or two. As the PC who owned the room opened the door and entered, my Kenku in a shrill, female voice belted out "Who are you? And how did you get in my room?" which ended up catching the PC by surprise, causing him quickly backpedal and close the door as he had a "Wait a minute..." moment.
The point is that even though I didn't have anything my character had heard since his introduction to the campaign, as he was being introduced, I simply ad-libbed something that fit the situation as it's something that my character could have feasibly heard someone say over the course of his life unto that point. Of course, I also kept notes on things that the rest of the PCs actually said so that I could mess with them in social situations. Kenku are an amazing opportunity for ad-libbing and spontaneity, though that spontaneity is somewhat curbed by what they may realistically have been able to see or hear in day-to-day life, bolstered of course by their backstory.