I've always wondered this and the books just say basically "words". But that's not even an answer.
Some classes harness arcane energy, tapping into some innate or learned connection to the weave or whatever, the font of arcane energy. other classes tap into divine magic, something more fundamental and foundational to the creation of the universe, the same source as that empowers the gods.
But bards just strum a lute.
If I had a gripe about 5e it is that bards are spellcasters, have full spell casting progression, and no one seems to be able to explain why they even have magic at all.
So, what's the deal? Where do bard's magics come from??
In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers.
In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers.
While it may change in One D&D, currently 5th Edition doesn't make any significant difference between divine or arcane magic as far as mortal spellcasting is concerned.
They use sound and words to manipulate the weave of reality - as do wizards, as do clerics, as do druids, as do the gods themselves. And it can be more than words like dancing. Or in game mechanic terms they've learned the Somatic and Verbal components for casting spells.
The idea that sound has power isn't exactly limited to D&D, either. The Words of Power or the Power of Song have even been real world concepts before. And to some extent, it's proven to be a bit real in physics (with the right sound frequencies you can do quite a lot of wacky things from moving stuff, detecting things, and even shattering or disintegrating things. And less physically, entire nations have risen and fallen by the choices of words from charismatic leaders. Words allowed complicated ideas to be passed around easily so as a species we could develop language, society, civilisation and knowledge to change or destroy this world.
Whether the words are written to exchange ideas, spoken to sway minds, whether the sound itself is used for sonic vibrations to affect molecules and energy, or as music to convey emotions in a way that transcends language barriers -- Words and sounds are powerful. This is a fact. Not just of D&D, it is a fact of reality.
So why you think words having power with a more magical twist in a D&D game is somehow lacking is beyond me.
But, ultimately, words - sounds - and 'it's magic' will be the answer. You may not like it or find it insufficient - but it nevertheless remain the answer.
If you need more or something different - feel free to change or make it up as you see fit in your games. But if you're looking at 'official' answers - it has been provided.
While it may change in One D&D, currently 5th Edition doesn't make any significant difference between divine or arcane magic as far as mortal spellcasting is concerned.
I'm asking what the source is, in the lore. There is arcane magic. There is divine magic. They have sources.
They use sound and words to manipulate the weave of reality - as do wizards, as do clerics, as do druids, as do the gods themselves. And it can be more than words like dancing. Or in game mechanic terms they've learned the Somatic and Verbal components for casting spells.
Okay. That's the 'how' of their spellcasting. Not the 'where' does it come from of their spellcasting. Source.
The idea that sound has power isn't exactly limited to D&D, either. The Words of Power or the Power of Song have even been real world concepts before. And to some extent, it's proven to be a bit real in physics (with the right sound frequencies you can do quite a lot of wacky things from moving stuff, detecting things, and even shattering or disintegrating things. And less physically, entire nations have risen and fallen by the choices of words from charismatic leaders. Words allowed complicated ideas to be passed around easily so as a species we could develop language, society, civilisation and knowledge to change or destroy this world.
Whether the words are written to exchange ideas, spoken to sway minds, whether the sound itself is used for sonic vibrations to affect molecules and energy, or as music to convey emotions in a way that transcends language barriers -- Words and sounds are powerful. This is a fact. Not just of D&D, it is a fact of reality.
Yes yes. We all know spells have verbal, somatic, and material components. This is just more on the 'how' of spellcasting.
So why you think words having power with a more magical twist in a D&D game is somehow lacking is beyond me.
Yeah it is.
But, ultimately, words - sounds - and 'it's magic' will be the answer. You may not like it or find it insufficient - but it nevertheless remain the answer.
Yes, the words, sounds, are the keys to accessing the magic.>>>> But what is that magic? <<<< ie what is the source. You're not actually answering the question and just hyperfocusing on something that wasn't asked and seemingly getting ticked off about it.
If you need more or something different - feel free to change or make it up as you see fit in your games. But if you're looking at 'official' answers - it has been provided.
Eh. You're answering a question. Just not my question.
There is no defined source. It just is. The Weave. Mystara. Whatever. Magic just is. Bards, like any other caster, can tap into it.
As for LORE - there is NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIVINE SOURCE OR ARCANE SOURCE IN 5TH EDITION. Magic is just magic. Bards and wizards just learn it, sorcs can innately use it, clerics have gods give it to them, warlocks have patrons that gift it to them, but all of it is still just magic. Some spellcast in different ways (the "how") but the "source" - is just magic.
I don't know how to make that clear any more. Previous edition had a difference, i understand, but this one doesn't.
There is no defined source. It just is. The Weave. Mystara. Whatever. Magic just is. Bards, like any other caster, can tap into it.
As for LORE - there is NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIVINE SOURCE OR ARCANE SOURCE IN 5TH EDITION. Magic is just magic. Bards and wizards just learn it, sorcs can innately use it, clerics have gods give it to them, warlocks have patrons that gift it to them, but all of it is still just magic. Some spellcast in different ways (the "how") but the "source" - is just magic.
I don't know how to make that clear any more. Previous edition had a difference, i understand, but this one doesn't.
Okay, you're using a lot of words to say: There is no answer.
As a student of arcane magic, you have a spellbook containing spells that show the first glimmerings of your true power.
and
As a conduit for divine power, you can cast cleric spells.
But Bard is silent on the source.
Those are descriptions not definitions. There is no functional difference between them. In 5th "divine" just means a God is granting you power. Arcane means you access it yourself. But magic itself is the same - the weave of reality, the will of Mystara. This is why wizards can, in fact, learn and prepare spells like Cure Wounds - it's harder and so on, but you can do it officially with something like strixhaven background or an eberron mark. Sorcs can be born with it. Etc.. Because spells - magic - isn't tied to any source. Divine and Arcane are descriptions - they're the "how", not the "what". They're methods of access, not sources.
If you're asking if Bard is divine or arcane method - arcane. They learned it, much like a wizard did, except they're way to casting is more from the soul than the mind and they channel magic through words, sounds or dance. Again, this is only a method - not a source.
So if we can move past the confusion on source versus method, we can get to the answer: Magic. It's the same source as any other being that does magic of any kind - magic is the source.
As a student of arcane magic, you have a spellbook containing spells that show the first glimmerings of your true power.
and
As a conduit for divine power, you can cast cleric spells.
But Bard is silent on the source.
Those are descriptions not definitions. There is no functional difference between them. In 5th "divine" just means a God is granting you power. Arcane means you access it yourself.
Ok you just said there is no difference and then went on to exactly explain the difference. Divine magic is magic of the gods, arcane magic isn't. They have different sources!
But magic itself is the same - the weave of reality, the will of Mystara.
In forgotten realms, yes, Mystara created the weave of magic. The weave is arcane magic and could be said to be its source.
Do bards tap into the weave? Their descriptions don't say that they do. If they did that'd be an answer to the question I'm asking here. Wizards, again, despite your claim to the contrary, explicitly describes where they get their magic from:
"Drawing on the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos, wizards cast spells of explosive fire, arcing lightning, subtle deception, and brute-force mind control."
No such text is listed for the Bards. So where is their source of magic? They're not divine spellcasters, they don't get it from the gods. They're not drawing it from the weave, or are they and the books just don't say as much? Where are they getting their magic from??
This is why wizards can, in fact, learn and prepare spells like Cure Wounds - it's harder and so on, but you can do it officially with something like strixhaven background or an eberron mark. Sorcs can be born with it. Etc.. Because spells - magic - isn't tied to any source. Divine and Arcane are descriptions - they're the "how", not the "what". They're methods of access, not sources.
No you have that backwards. How: Verbal, Somatic, and Material Components performed while expending the appropriate spell slot as an Action/BA/Reaction. That's "How".
"Words" is the verbal component of a spell. Not the source of the magic.
If you're asking if Bard is divine or arcane method - arcane. They learned it, much like a wizard did, except they're way to casting is more from the soul than the mind and they channel magic through words, sounds or dance. Again, this is only a method - not a source.
If they're arcane spellcasters who access the weave... then the weave is their source of magic. But then why does nothing say that is what they do or how they access it? I'd be happy with any answer. Maybe it is divine and it is granted by some god of poetry. Great. or maybe it is arcane and they accidentally stumbled their way into the right sounds and phrases to tap the weave? Great. But there is no official answer to this question as far as I can tell. Bard magic comes from nowhere. That's problematic and feels like they just shouldn't exist.
So if we can move past the confusion on source versus method, we can get to the answer: Magic. It's the same source as any other being that does magic of any kind - magic is the source.
I'm not the one confused. Magic isn't the source of magic. This is like if I asked the source of your city's water, and you just kept insisting the source of your tap water was "Just water, it is all just water". Like, okay. So, you just don't know where it comes from then? That's fine man, I don't know either that's why I'm asking!
I think people are getting confused and a little testy is because it doesn't really matter. In 5E there isn't something that makes one immune or resistant to Arcane or Divine magic, so there will and are cases where the "Source" you're hung up on isn't specifically listed. Simply because it doesn't matter.
To expand, it appears any time Divine magic is referred to, it involves a God, and many Bards can be Agnostic, so that kind of, by proxy, eliminates Divine. It seems their magic falls under more actual written text and guidelines that tie to Arcane. Manipulation of magical essence flowing about the world. If it mattered in any way, there would be something to more clearly state what the source was, but since it doesn't it was ignored.
You've been provided with theories and logic to try and explain where it SEEMS the magic is sourced from, yet get a bit hostile because there isn't anything to clearly state such. Snipe hunt.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Talk to your Players.Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
I think people are getting confused and a little testy is because it doesn't really matter.
This is invalidating. If it didn't matter, I wouldn't ask. If it doesn't matter, to them, they could just ignore the question, instead of trying to convince me that my question doesn't matter.
In 5E there isn't something that makes one immune or resistant to Arcane or Divine magic, so there will and are cases where the "Source" you're hung up on isn't specifically listed. Simply because it doesn't matter.
Ok. So in a world where magic is real and gods and dragons and demons have a hand on the pulse of mortals. Where someone's magic comes from "doesn't matter"?
So whether it is granted to you by the god of undeath or a demon lord or you studied it from a scroll. these different sources mean nothing to no one and ain't a single person going to react to you differently regardless where you magic comes from? The guy granted unholy power by the god of war is viewed just the same as the guy who gets his magic from communing with nature spirits?
Of course it matters. Where you get your magic from in a world like that would be absolutely critical to how people perceive you. And what we know of your character by what powers you're willing to expose yourself to. A divine spellcaster and an arcane spellcaster are not the same person. They've done different things to get access to their magics. They have different sources and that could have all kinds of far reaching implications.
You might not care what the answer to my question is. But saying my question doesn't matter isn't cool. I'm not asking on the rules and mechanics forum. Narrative fluff is perfectly within the realm of valid topics here.
To expand, it appears any time Divine magic is referred to, it involves a God, and many Bards can be Agnostic, so that kind of, by proxy, eliminates Divine. It seems their magic falls under more actual written text and guidelines that tie to Arcane. Manipulation of magical essence flowing about the world. If it mattered in any way, there would be something to more clearly state what the source was, but since it doesn't it was ignored.
The biggest issue I have with this is that if they were tapping into the weave the same as wizards etc, then why do they have an entirely different spell list? If the words they spoke were some intuitive means of harnessing that same energy then it'd be the same or very very similar lists. Sorc and Wiz are similar, in this way. Even warlock is sorta similar. But the differences between them make sense when you apply the filter of how the source flows to them, respectively. But you could largely characterize sorcerer list as a pared down wizard list and warlock as a very pared down one, both with a few flavorful additions sprinkled back in. But for Bards it is just a totally different list. They have spells from just all over the place, like a scattershot of cleric spells and druid spells and wizard spells.
Where does the source of that magic come from? Magic that is simultaneously both divine yet also arcane? Or, is it they tap into more than one source when it suits them, like a hybrid caster? How is it that the lore is silent on this issue? How could no one in any realm just not know from where bards are empowered with magic??
You've been provided with theories and logic to try and explain where it SEEMS the magic is sourced from, yet get a bit hostile because there isn't anything to clearly state such. Snipe hunt.
I don't mean to sound hostile if I do. I'm just not fond of people telling me my question "doesn't matter", and to not ask it. I've already expressed that I've exhausted my search for an answer to the question myself, and that it has been bothering me for years that nowhere seems to be an answer to this fairly straightforward question, and that it is peculiar and strange that it remains forever unanswered. I did sorta hope someone might have some obscure answer for it though.
The "doesn't matter" reply is mechanically speaking. From a mechanics and game rules, it doesn't matter if it's arcane or divine, just that it's magic. If there were effects or immunities and such for divine magic or arcane magic specifically, then it would need to be defined, but since there isn't any such mechanic requiring it, hey apparently haven't bothered. It's a theoretical question that apparently you're free to decide in your worlds.
I wasn't attempting to negate your curiosity of the question, merely bringing it from a rules and guidelines perspective. Sadly, it appears nothing official seems to exist to satisfy that curiosity.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Talk to your Players.Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers.
So if they're using the magic of the gods at the dawn of creation... that'd be divine magic.
But they're not divine casters.
All that says is "words" is their magic. That's not an answer.
I agree that they are not divine casters, but I disagree that the quoted passage doesn't answer your question. It says "In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain." I interpret that to mean that song and speech are, in themselves, a source of magic that bards are trained to be able to access. Neither divine nor arcane, it's a completely separate source. Think about how certain songs can make you feel happy, or sad or even angry (anything by Five Finger Death Punch is a Fireball-casting spell if I ever heard one). Or how a good poem can make you feel (The Raven, Invictus) or an inspiring speech (Teddy Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena"). If you've ever laughed or cried at a movie...there is power in words and music.
An alternate way to view it is that all spell casters tap into the same source - the more generalized "magic" - they just use different means to do it. To use the water analogy from another post, they all access the same water source (city water) but can only get it from a specific point: some get their water from the kitchen sink, others from the garden hose, maybe others from a pump, another uses the bathtub. Same source but different ways of getting it.
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
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What exactly is the source of bardic magic?
I've always wondered this and the books just say basically "words". But that's not even an answer.
Some classes harness arcane energy, tapping into some innate or learned connection to the weave or whatever, the font of arcane energy. other classes tap into divine magic, something more fundamental and foundational to the creation of the universe, the same source as that empowers the gods.
But bards just strum a lute.
If I had a gripe about 5e it is that bards are spellcasters, have full spell casting progression, and no one seems to be able to explain why they even have magic at all.
So, what's the deal? Where do bard's magics come from??
I got quotes!
https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/bard#MusicandMagic
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So if they're using the magic of the gods at the dawn of creation... that'd be divine magic.
But they're not divine casters.
All that says is "words" is their magic. That's not an answer.
I got quotes!
While it may change in One D&D, currently 5th Edition doesn't make any significant difference between divine or arcane magic as far as mortal spellcasting is concerned.
They use sound and words to manipulate the weave of reality - as do wizards, as do clerics, as do druids, as do the gods themselves. And it can be more than words like dancing. Or in game mechanic terms they've learned the Somatic and Verbal components for casting spells.
The idea that sound has power isn't exactly limited to D&D, either. The Words of Power or the Power of Song have even been real world concepts before. And to some extent, it's proven to be a bit real in physics (with the right sound frequencies you can do quite a lot of wacky things from moving stuff, detecting things, and even shattering or disintegrating things. And less physically, entire nations have risen and fallen by the choices of words from charismatic leaders. Words allowed complicated ideas to be passed around easily so as a species we could develop language, society, civilisation and knowledge to change or destroy this world.
Whether the words are written to exchange ideas, spoken to sway minds, whether the sound itself is used for sonic vibrations to affect molecules and energy, or as music to convey emotions in a way that transcends language barriers -- Words and sounds are powerful. This is a fact. Not just of D&D, it is a fact of reality.
So why you think words having power with a more magical twist in a D&D game is somehow lacking is beyond me.
But, ultimately, words - sounds - and 'it's magic' will be the answer. You may not like it or find it insufficient - but it nevertheless remain the answer.
If you need more or something different - feel free to change or make it up as you see fit in your games. But if you're looking at 'official' answers - it has been provided.
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Spells | Magic Items | Feats
Need help with Homebrew? Check out this FAQ/Guide thread by IamSposta
See My Youtube Videos for Tips & Tricks using D&D Beyond
I'm asking what the source is, in the lore. There is arcane magic. There is divine magic. They have sources.
Okay. That's the 'how' of their spellcasting. Not the 'where' does it come from of their spellcasting. Source.
Yes yes. We all know spells have verbal, somatic, and material components. This is just more on the 'how' of spellcasting.
Yeah it is.
Yes, the words, sounds, are the keys to accessing the magic.>>>> But what is that magic? <<<< ie what is the source. You're not actually answering the question and just hyperfocusing on something that wasn't asked and seemingly getting ticked off about it.
Eh. You're answering a question. Just not my question.
I got quotes!
The source is .. MAGIC.
There is no defined source. It just is. The Weave. Mystara. Whatever. Magic just is. Bards, like any other caster, can tap into it.
As for LORE - there is NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIVINE SOURCE OR ARCANE SOURCE IN 5TH EDITION. Magic is just magic. Bards and wizards just learn it, sorcs can innately use it, clerics have gods give it to them, warlocks have patrons that gift it to them, but all of it is still just magic. Some spellcast in different ways (the "how") but the "source" - is just magic.
I don't know how to make that clear any more. Previous edition had a difference, i understand, but this one doesn't.
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Spells | Magic Items | Feats
Need help with Homebrew? Check out this FAQ/Guide thread by IamSposta
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Okay, you're using a lot of words to say: There is no answer.
That's my issue! There is no answer.
I got quotes!
Oh and, sources absolutely are defined in 5e. EG:
and
But Bard is silent on the source.
I got quotes!
Those are descriptions not definitions. There is no functional difference between them. In 5th "divine" just means a God is granting you power. Arcane means you access it yourself. But magic itself is the same - the weave of reality, the will of Mystara. This is why wizards can, in fact, learn and prepare spells like Cure Wounds - it's harder and so on, but you can do it officially with something like strixhaven background or an eberron mark. Sorcs can be born with it. Etc.. Because spells - magic - isn't tied to any source. Divine and Arcane are descriptions - they're the "how", not the "what". They're methods of access, not sources.
If you're asking if Bard is divine or arcane method - arcane. They learned it, much like a wizard did, except they're way to casting is more from the soul than the mind and they channel magic through words, sounds or dance. Again, this is only a method - not a source.
So if we can move past the confusion on source versus method, we can get to the answer: Magic. It's the same source as any other being that does magic of any kind - magic is the source.
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Spells | Magic Items | Feats
Need help with Homebrew? Check out this FAQ/Guide thread by IamSposta
See My Youtube Videos for Tips & Tricks using D&D Beyond
Ok you just said there is no difference and then went on to exactly explain the difference. Divine magic is magic of the gods, arcane magic isn't. They have different sources!
In forgotten realms, yes, Mystara created the weave of magic. The weave is arcane magic and could be said to be its source.
Do bards tap into the weave? Their descriptions don't say that they do. If they did that'd be an answer to the question I'm asking here. Wizards, again, despite your claim to the contrary, explicitly describes where they get their magic from:
"Drawing on the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos, wizards cast spells of explosive fire, arcing lightning, subtle deception, and brute-force mind control."
No such text is listed for the Bards. So where is their source of magic? They're not divine spellcasters, they don't get it from the gods. They're not drawing it from the weave, or are they and the books just don't say as much? Where are they getting their magic from??
No you have that backwards. How: Verbal, Somatic, and Material Components performed while expending the appropriate spell slot as an Action/BA/Reaction. That's "How".
"Words" is the verbal component of a spell. Not the source of the magic.
If they're arcane spellcasters who access the weave... then the weave is their source of magic. But then why does nothing say that is what they do or how they access it? I'd be happy with any answer. Maybe it is divine and it is granted by some god of poetry. Great. or maybe it is arcane and they accidentally stumbled their way into the right sounds and phrases to tap the weave? Great. But there is no official answer to this question as far as I can tell. Bard magic comes from nowhere. That's problematic and feels like they just shouldn't exist.
I'm not the one confused. Magic isn't the source of magic. This is like if I asked the source of your city's water, and you just kept insisting the source of your tap water was "Just water, it is all just water". Like, okay. So, you just don't know where it comes from then? That's fine man, I don't know either that's why I'm asking!
I got quotes!
I think people are getting confused and a little testy is because it doesn't really matter. In 5E there isn't something that makes one immune or resistant to Arcane or Divine magic, so there will and are cases where the "Source" you're hung up on isn't specifically listed. Simply because it doesn't matter.
To expand, it appears any time Divine magic is referred to, it involves a God, and many Bards can be Agnostic, so that kind of, by proxy, eliminates Divine. It seems their magic falls under more actual written text and guidelines that tie to Arcane. Manipulation of magical essence flowing about the world. If it mattered in any way, there would be something to more clearly state what the source was, but since it doesn't it was ignored.
You've been provided with theories and logic to try and explain where it SEEMS the magic is sourced from, yet get a bit hostile because there isn't anything to clearly state such. Snipe hunt.
Talk to your Players. Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
This is invalidating. If it didn't matter, I wouldn't ask. If it doesn't matter, to them, they could just ignore the question, instead of trying to convince me that my question doesn't matter.
Ok. So in a world where magic is real and gods and dragons and demons have a hand on the pulse of mortals. Where someone's magic comes from "doesn't matter"?
So whether it is granted to you by the god of undeath or a demon lord or you studied it from a scroll. these different sources mean nothing to no one and ain't a single person going to react to you differently regardless where you magic comes from? The guy granted unholy power by the god of war is viewed just the same as the guy who gets his magic from communing with nature spirits?
Of course it matters. Where you get your magic from in a world like that would be absolutely critical to how people perceive you. And what we know of your character by what powers you're willing to expose yourself to. A divine spellcaster and an arcane spellcaster are not the same person. They've done different things to get access to their magics. They have different sources and that could have all kinds of far reaching implications.
You might not care what the answer to my question is. But saying my question doesn't matter isn't cool. I'm not asking on the rules and mechanics forum. Narrative fluff is perfectly within the realm of valid topics here.
The biggest issue I have with this is that if they were tapping into the weave the same as wizards etc, then why do they have an entirely different spell list? If the words they spoke were some intuitive means of harnessing that same energy then it'd be the same or very very similar lists. Sorc and Wiz are similar, in this way. Even warlock is sorta similar. But the differences between them make sense when you apply the filter of how the source flows to them, respectively. But you could largely characterize sorcerer list as a pared down wizard list and warlock as a very pared down one, both with a few flavorful additions sprinkled back in. But for Bards it is just a totally different list. They have spells from just all over the place, like a scattershot of cleric spells and druid spells and wizard spells.
Where does the source of that magic come from? Magic that is simultaneously both divine yet also arcane? Or, is it they tap into more than one source when it suits them, like a hybrid caster? How is it that the lore is silent on this issue? How could no one in any realm just not know from where bards are empowered with magic??
I don't mean to sound hostile if I do. I'm just not fond of people telling me my question "doesn't matter", and to not ask it. I've already expressed that I've exhausted my search for an answer to the question myself, and that it has been bothering me for years that nowhere seems to be an answer to this fairly straightforward question, and that it is peculiar and strange that it remains forever unanswered. I did sorta hope someone might have some obscure answer for it though.
I got quotes!
The "doesn't matter" reply is mechanically speaking. From a mechanics and game rules, it doesn't matter if it's arcane or divine, just that it's magic. If there were effects or immunities and such for divine magic or arcane magic specifically, then it would need to be defined, but since there isn't any such mechanic requiring it, hey apparently haven't bothered. It's a theoretical question that apparently you're free to decide in your worlds.
I wasn't attempting to negate your curiosity of the question, merely bringing it from a rules and guidelines perspective. Sadly, it appears nothing official seems to exist to satisfy that curiosity.
Talk to your Players. Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
I agree that they are not divine casters, but I disagree that the quoted passage doesn't answer your question. It says "In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain." I interpret that to mean that song and speech are, in themselves, a source of magic that bards are trained to be able to access. Neither divine nor arcane, it's a completely separate source. Think about how certain songs can make you feel happy, or sad or even angry (anything by Five Finger Death Punch is a Fireball-casting spell if I ever heard one). Or how a good poem can make you feel (The Raven, Invictus) or an inspiring speech (Teddy Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena"). If you've ever laughed or cried at a movie...there is power in words and music.
An alternate way to view it is that all spell casters tap into the same source - the more generalized "magic" - they just use different means to do it. To use the water analogy from another post, they all access the same water source (city water) but can only get it from a specific point: some get their water from the kitchen sink, others from the garden hose, maybe others from a pump, another uses the bathtub. Same source but different ways of getting it.
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."