I am working on what I call, for now, a Dwaven Inquisitor. He’s a whispers bard who, when working for his clan, interrogating enemies and finding out secret threats to his clan (external and internal). A Mountain Dwarf focused on intimidation, persuasion, to get the information he needs. Maybe chanting/singing dirges while wading through his enemies and using insults to rile his foes. And using psychic blades and his trusty axe to dispatch them. And using spells to manipulate And control.
The LARPer: A Lore Bard who pretends to be a different class, only taking Secrets from one spell list, wearing clothes and armor appropriate to that class, RPing that class, etc. Their life is the art. He gives inspiration by RPing the class at the person (if RPing fighter, barking orders at them; a druid, complimenting how in accord with nature they are; a cleric, offering a blessing etc)
The Court Bard: A Lawful Neutral bard who believes that integrity, clarity, and proportion are where beauty are found, and that these are best found in Law and Stability. This is why he defends people who live in castles, and finds people who eat in taverns distasteful. His mission is to investigate rumors of unrest turning to thoughts of rebellion, and see if there is something real in the complaint, or not so that proper steps can be taken.
The Cyrano de Bergerac: A Whisper or Eloquence bard who makes his money by using Message to its utmost. He hears what is said, and feeds lines to reply. He might even use this on both sides of a conversation. He navigates social scenes well because he has everyone's secrets. He also uses Mage Hand to make sure his client has the flowers at the ready, or to pick locks or pockets or plant incriminating evidence.
The Samuel Johnson: A subtle moralist and serious scholar. Probably an Eloquence or Lore Bard. Everything that is encountered is discovered to have a moral (viscous mockery, bardic inspiration, etc), whether a goblin raid or a lock that the rogue is having trouble with. (This requires more than a little effort on the part of the player to be fun for everyone. It requires that the player has a wide knowledge of wisdom literature and moral philosophy, and be comfortable enough with it to be playful with it--Even though the character isn't playing with it, the player is.)
I’m boutta have a glamour bard who is the stereotypical flirty type, but instead of music he draws. He has an eidetic memory too, Wich makes his art really good.
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she/it pronouns
I watch. I wait. I listen. I like roleplaying games. Avid fan of messed up homebrew and horror rpgs. Lancer>dnd5e, go read Kill Six Billion Demons. I will shoot you with my transgenderification beam pew pew
I’m boutta have a glamour bard who is the stereotypical flirty type, but instead of music he draws. He has an eidetic memory too, Wich makes his art really good.
Oh, are you, now?
Well then, I just happen to have constructed a homebrew subclass for bards more into visual arts, if you're not attached to the Glamour college and would be interested in something different:
I’d love to use it, but it doesn’t really fit him well. He does, like, sketches in the heat of battle as his inspiration thing. Plus, his fey charm (I’m I pushing a homebrew feykind race look it up it’s called magicat *cough* shameless plug *cough* lends) lends itself to glamour.
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she/it pronouns
I watch. I wait. I listen. I like roleplaying games. Avid fan of messed up homebrew and horror rpgs. Lancer>dnd5e, go read Kill Six Billion Demons. I will shoot you with my transgenderification beam pew pew
Active artwork and a fey background; yeah, that makes more sense for Glamour. (Also, fair is fair: I'll be sure to look up that homebrew subclass race!)
I watch. I wait. I listen. I like roleplaying games. Avid fan of messed up homebrew and horror rpgs. Lancer>dnd5e, go read Kill Six Billion Demons. I will shoot you with my transgenderification beam pew pew
I used to play a Loremaster bard who's "performance" was chanting and reciting ancient myths and legends. He was more akin to a sage in some ways. He wasn't a flashy singing-in-the-tavern bard. He was a remind-the-king advisor bard, or a stories-'round-the-campfire bard.
I also played a bard one time who was a pirate. The jack-of-all-trades aspect of the bard worked very well for that.
Maybe not super-original but it's been fun: trying out a Whispers Bard through L5 (he was a diplomat/spy), then a Rogue dip for 3 levels (he was banished & now hangs out with a surly Hexblade Warlock) to see how Arcane Trickery might work, and if I can stack Sneak Attack on Psychic Blades. Maybe a bit much for a guy who's on the downslope of his career, but if any old dog can learn new tricks, it's a Bard, right? Oh and his BG is Charlatan; his only scheme is swiping others' styles and material, amalgamating them into his own. A multiclassing magpie.
Had an idea for a tiefling bard named Folly (in keeping with the tiefling "virtue" names)
"Folly" is another word for "mistake" or "weakness", which would normally indicate a bad thing, or his tiefling disposition.
He actually considers the name a mark of pride...countless people fear mistakes; embarrassment, or fear of failure.
Folly, however, has made many mistakes...and they always make him better. And so, he has no regrets.
He's a flexible character who I sometimes bounce between Bard or Warlock...recently I've taken a shine to the "Charlatan" background, and want to try the new "College of Spirits" Bard.
Giving Folly a deck of marked cards, he gives phony-bologna fortunes to people...though secretly, he dabbles in necromancy as a means to commune with a departed soul he lost...his one "folly"...so the "College of Spirits" works wonders.
I'm planning on an Eloquence Bard that is specifically an epic poet. So his craft would be artful narration. In combat, he narrates the battle and uses his abilities to shape the narrative outcome he desires. So he essentially speaks the results into existence.
I'm planning on an Eloquence Bard that is specifically an epic poet. So his craft would be artful narration. In combat, he narrates the battle and uses his abilities to shape the narrative outcome he desires. So he essentially speaks the results into existence.
I haven't tried it yet but I'm hoping to be able to, after a few rounds of calling out to my enemies what I'm doing, occasionally roll a deception check to call out something other than what I'm doing to trick them into a more compromising position.
In my current main campaign I'm playing Habard Ashery, a Tiefling College of Lore Bard who's more of a con artist than a musician (though he still has a flute he can play if he needs to). He has the Charlatan background, and he's more about grifting and tricking, so his cantrips are Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, and Prestidigitation, and he has a few mainstays like Disguise Self and Invisibility.
But he also spells themed around his infernal ancestry as his main source of magic, such as Dissonant Whispers, and I took Magic Initiate (Warlock) to take Create Bonfire (renamed as "Habard Ashery's Burning Sensation" because Create Bonfire is such a weak name) and Hex, and will be taking more fire spells via Magical Secrets to go with the Flames of Plethegos feat later.
Dunno how "unusual" a concept that is; mechanically he's a run of the mill Bard in many ways, though he does have a level in Rogue for the extra expertise, basic sneak attack damage and thieves' cant.
Next level with my bard, I will most likely be taking the College of Spirits, it looks really interesting thematically and a perfect match for the character I am playing in that game - A Yuan-ti Rakdos cultist that specialises in performance art - High wire, trapeze type acrobatics, or working the audience with story telling, song, music and dance when she is not doing her act so that the circus pick-pockets can do their thing.
It's your game, so please don't let me rain on your parade, but also check with your DM before you play a Yuan-Ti on Ravnica. If you follow the Magic lore, they don't exist there.
I've got a half-elf whispers bard with one level of barbarian for a base and war caster to make it really hard for him to go down or lose concentration.
His half-fey ancestry and barbarian rage make him really unstable and he uses his charisma-fueled spells to pass on the psychic torture to others. His favorite move so far has been trapping enemies in iron maidens in a phantasmal force and skewering them.
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I am working on what I call, for now, a Dwaven Inquisitor. He’s a whispers bard who, when working for his clan, interrogating enemies and finding out secret threats to his clan (external and internal). A Mountain Dwarf focused on intimidation, persuasion, to get the information he needs. Maybe chanting/singing dirges while wading through his enemies and using insults to rile his foes. And using psychic blades and his trusty axe to dispatch them. And using spells to manipulate And control.
4 types
The LARPer: A Lore Bard who pretends to be a different class, only taking Secrets from one spell list, wearing clothes and armor appropriate to that class, RPing that class, etc. Their life is the art. He gives inspiration by RPing the class at the person (if RPing fighter, barking orders at them; a druid, complimenting how in accord with nature they are; a cleric, offering a blessing etc)
The Court Bard: A Lawful Neutral bard who believes that integrity, clarity, and proportion are where beauty are found, and that these are best found in Law and Stability. This is why he defends people who live in castles, and finds people who eat in taverns distasteful. His mission is to investigate rumors of unrest turning to thoughts of rebellion, and see if there is something real in the complaint, or not so that proper steps can be taken.
The Cyrano de Bergerac: A Whisper or Eloquence bard who makes his money by using Message to its utmost. He hears what is said, and feeds lines to reply. He might even use this on both sides of a conversation. He navigates social scenes well because he has everyone's secrets. He also uses Mage Hand to make sure his client has the flowers at the ready, or to pick locks or pockets or plant incriminating evidence.
The Samuel Johnson: A subtle moralist and serious scholar. Probably an Eloquence or Lore Bard. Everything that is encountered is discovered to have a moral (viscous mockery, bardic inspiration, etc), whether a goblin raid or a lock that the rogue is having trouble with. (This requires more than a little effort on the part of the player to be fun for everyone. It requires that the player has a wide knowledge of wisdom literature and moral philosophy, and be comfortable enough with it to be playful with it--Even though the character isn't playing with it, the player is.)
I’m boutta have a glamour bard who is the stereotypical flirty type, but instead of music he draws. He has an eidetic memory too, Wich makes his art really good.
she/it pronouns
I watch. I wait. I listen. I like roleplaying games. Avid fan of messed up homebrew and horror rpgs. Lancer>dnd5e, go read Kill Six Billion Demons. I will shoot you with my transgenderification beam pew pew
Oh, are you, now?
Well then, I just happen to have constructed a homebrew subclass for bards more into visual arts, if you're not attached to the Glamour college and would be interested in something different:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subclasses/448769-college-of-art
If you try it out, I'd appreciate any feedback you might have.
*cough* shameless plug *cough*
Whistler
Titus - V. Human Battle Master Fighter 3 - [Pic] - [Pic2] - [Traits] - in Shadowglass
Locke - V. Human Shadow Monk 3 / Undead Warlock 2 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in FOW - DMless West Marches
Flèche - V. Human Swords Bard 10 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in The Scarlet Mist
Sterling - V. Human Bard 1 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
I’d love to use it, but it doesn’t really fit him well. He does, like, sketches in the heat of battle as his inspiration thing. Plus, his fey charm (I’m I pushing a homebrew feykind race look it up it’s called magicat *cough* shameless plug *cough* lends) lends itself to glamour.
she/it pronouns
I watch. I wait. I listen. I like roleplaying games. Avid fan of messed up homebrew and horror rpgs. Lancer>dnd5e, go read Kill Six Billion Demons. I will shoot you with my transgenderification beam pew pew
Active artwork and a fey background; yeah, that makes more sense for Glamour. (Also, fair is fair: I'll be sure to look up that homebrew
subclassrace!)Whistler
Titus - V. Human Battle Master Fighter 3 - [Pic] - [Pic2] - [Traits] - in Shadowglass
Locke - V. Human Shadow Monk 3 / Undead Warlock 2 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in FOW - DMless West Marches
Flèche - V. Human Swords Bard 10 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in The Scarlet Mist
Sterling - V. Human Bard 1 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
(It’s a race)
she/it pronouns
I watch. I wait. I listen. I like roleplaying games. Avid fan of messed up homebrew and horror rpgs. Lancer>dnd5e, go read Kill Six Billion Demons. I will shoot you with my transgenderification beam pew pew
I used to play a Loremaster bard who's "performance" was chanting and reciting ancient myths and legends. He was more akin to a sage in some ways. He wasn't a flashy singing-in-the-tavern bard. He was a remind-the-king advisor bard, or a stories-'round-the-campfire bard.
I also played a bard one time who was a pirate. The jack-of-all-trades aspect of the bard worked very well for that.
Maybe not super-original but it's been fun: trying out a Whispers Bard through L5 (he was a diplomat/spy), then a Rogue dip for 3 levels (he was banished & now hangs out with a surly Hexblade Warlock) to see how Arcane Trickery might work, and if I can stack Sneak Attack on Psychic Blades. Maybe a bit much for a guy who's on the downslope of his career, but if any old dog can learn new tricks, it's a Bard, right? Oh and his BG is Charlatan; his only scheme is swiping others' styles and material, amalgamating them into his own. A multiclassing magpie.
Had an idea for a tiefling bard named Folly (in keeping with the tiefling "virtue" names)
"Folly" is another word for "mistake" or "weakness", which would normally indicate a bad thing, or his tiefling disposition.
He actually considers the name a mark of pride...countless people fear mistakes; embarrassment, or fear of failure.
Folly, however, has made many mistakes...and they always make him better. And so, he has no regrets.
He's a flexible character who I sometimes bounce between Bard or Warlock...recently I've taken a shine to the "Charlatan" background, and want to try the new "College of Spirits" Bard.
Giving Folly a deck of marked cards, he gives phony-bologna fortunes to people...though secretly, he dabbles in necromancy as a means to commune with a departed soul he lost...his one "folly"...so the "College of Spirits" works wonders.
A bard who has low charisma, but uses with wisdom or intelligence for spellcasting.
I'm planning on an Eloquence Bard that is specifically an epic poet. So his craft would be artful narration. In combat, he narrates the battle and uses his abilities to shape the narrative outcome he desires. So he essentially speaks the results into existence.
This is a very cool idea.
Whistler
Titus - V. Human Battle Master Fighter 3 - [Pic] - [Pic2] - [Traits] - in Shadowglass
Locke - V. Human Shadow Monk 3 / Undead Warlock 2 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in FOW - DMless West Marches
Flèche - V. Human Swords Bard 10 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in The Scarlet Mist
Sterling - V. Human Bard 1 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
I haven't tried it yet but I'm hoping to be able to, after a few rounds of calling out to my enemies what I'm doing, occasionally roll a deception check to call out something other than what I'm doing to trick them into a more compromising position.
I love this! "I'm sorry that you can't hit a curve ball, because you're gonna see it again right now."
In my current main campaign I'm playing Habard Ashery, a Tiefling College of Lore Bard who's more of a con artist than a musician (though he still has a flute he can play if he needs to). He has the Charlatan background, and he's more about grifting and tricking, so his cantrips are Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, and Prestidigitation, and he has a few mainstays like Disguise Self and Invisibility.
But he also spells themed around his infernal ancestry as his main source of magic, such as Dissonant Whispers, and I took Magic Initiate (Warlock) to take Create Bonfire (renamed as "Habard Ashery's Burning Sensation" because Create Bonfire is such a weak name) and Hex, and will be taking more fire spells via Magical Secrets to go with the Flames of Plethegos feat later.
Dunno how "unusual" a concept that is; mechanically he's a run of the mill Bard in many ways, though he does have a level in Rogue for the extra expertise, basic sneak attack damage and thieves' cant.
Characters: Bullette, Chortle, Dracarys Noir, Edward Merryspell, Habard Ashery, Legion, Peregrine
My Homebrew: Feats | Items | Monsters | Spells | Subclasses | Races
Guides: Creating Sub-Races Using Trait Options
WIP (feedback needed): Blood Mage, Chromatic Sorcerers, Summoner, Trickster Domain, Unlucky, Way of the Daoist (Drunken Master), Weapon Smith
Please don't reply to my posts unless you've read what they actually say.
Next level with my bard, I will most likely be taking the College of Spirits, it looks really interesting thematically and a perfect match for the character I am playing in that game - A Yuan-ti Rakdos cultist that specialises in performance art - High wire, trapeze type acrobatics, or working the audience with story telling, song, music and dance when she is not doing her act so that the circus pick-pockets can do their thing.
It's your game, so please don't let me rain on your parade, but also check with your DM before you play a Yuan-Ti on Ravnica. If you follow the Magic lore, they don't exist there.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
The character is currently in play, and based in Forgotten Realms.
I've got a half-elf whispers bard with one level of barbarian for a base and war caster to make it really hard for him to go down or lose concentration.
His half-fey ancestry and barbarian rage make him really unstable and he uses his charisma-fueled spells to pass on the psychic torture to others. His favorite move so far has been trapping enemies in iron maidens in a phantasmal force and skewering them.