I once saw a YouTube comment with a really cool idea. This person played a Japanese based bard. Whenever they used bardic inspiration, they wrote a haiku and gave it to the player. I think there are plenty of cool ways to make non-musical bards.
Song and music is the easiest to pull off - remember a turn is just 6 seconds so you can't really inspire people in combat by making a sculpture or painting the Mona Lisa. Orating poems, giving a short but rousing speech, stand up comedy style jokes etc are all plausible alternatives. For out of combat situations then yes, using other art forms is completely viable. I have seen performance art, acrobatic style demonstrations, clown and mime acts etc.
I had the idea a while back to be a Bard who inspired through dad jokes, since I'm always making them at the table anyway. As a matter of fact, I'm in a campaign with an Eloquence Bard now. I think going to adopt that. Unsettling Words will be a dad joke that is so bad, the target facepalms, letting its guard down.
Just like everyone else here, bards can absolutely have their muse not song/music related. My first bard was a story teller and in the same campaign we had another bard who was a chef.
dance is a very common alternative to song that showed up even in 2nd edition when the Bard was most heavily wrapped up in musical performances for their powers. With multiple kit's that would now be considered subclasses based around it in some ways and elements of that are still found in things like the Valor Bard and the Swords Bard.
I am interested in a bard that the magic comes through dance. Is It possible?
I once saw a YouTube comment with a really cool idea. This person played a Japanese based bard. Whenever they used bardic inspiration, they wrote a haiku and gave it to the player. I think there are plenty of cool ways to make non-musical bards.
What am I supposed to do with a signature?
Egg
Imo a bard can be any kind of artist who inspires people... Could be a storyteller, a dancer, a writer, a poet.. Whatever your heart desires :)
Any kind of performance. A public speaker inspiring a crowd, an actor, a grandiose personality.
Bards don't need to be musically based. It's just another medium used to perform.
"No pity, no remorse, no fear!"
Song and music is the easiest to pull off - remember a turn is just 6 seconds so you can't really inspire people in combat by making a sculpture or painting the Mona Lisa. Orating poems, giving a short but rousing speech, stand up comedy style jokes etc are all plausible alternatives. For out of combat situations then yes, using other art forms is completely viable. I have seen performance art, acrobatic style demonstrations, clown and mime acts etc.
I had the idea a while back to be a Bard who inspired through dad jokes, since I'm always making them at the table anyway. As a matter of fact, I'm in a campaign with an Eloquence Bard now. I think going to adopt that. Unsettling Words will be a dad joke that is so bad, the target facepalms, letting its guard down.
Bard (College of the Masterchef) casts Viscious Mockery:
Just like everyone else here, bards can absolutely have their muse not song/music related. My first bard was a story teller and in the same campaign we had another bard who was a chef.
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How about a Bard of Creation, whose performance is in making Origami. Could be very flavourful
College of Swords... that's basically dancing, with pointy stuff in your hands.
I like making Lore or Eloquence bards who are just really good at public speaking, so I would say that they don't need to be musically inclined
dance is a very common alternative to song that showed up even in 2nd edition when the Bard was most heavily wrapped up in musical performances for their powers. With multiple kit's that would now be considered subclasses based around it in some ways and elements of that are still found in things like the Valor Bard and the Swords Bard.
College of Whispers Bard who's an actor and who sounds like Vincent Price. Have him read Poe for inspiration.
"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality."
Confuse the enemy and your team while providing them "impetus" to end the fight. :)