Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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2014 compatible.
Hi! The bard i not broken, his spells are too much all or nothing. Mine uses effects that scale the 'paralysis' effect of spells like hold person + hypnotic patterns. Instead of all or nothing effects, this class give soft debuff to opponents. More than the bard. Less flashy effects.
I designed it as a base to a modern DND- without magic and it complements my other class, The Mind Master (other post). Modern bard = Pop/Rock star!
No healing. Clerics do it better. I replace the spells of a bard by steadier buff/debuff. My design is not to redo the bard. It is not broken. I want a music concept understandable by 80+ years old elders, because this is my (part-time) job to introduce them to roleplay. So, it should be easy to understand to players and harder for DMs. Every turn you can use vicus mockery, correctly sclaed at higher levels + use a inspiration die.
Giving a die to the player is a good way to let them remember about the bardic inspiration die. Since my music is also negative, i'll rename it Influence die. A die of Influence used on an ally is a particularly successful musical effect. A negative die applied is a particularly jarring off-note.
Bard
Control and social influence class (without magic)
Class of social control and influence (nonmagical)
CLASS FEATURES
Hit Dice: 1d8 per bard level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per bard level after 1st
Proficiencies
LEVEL 1: DISTURBING PERFORMANCE
You can influence others through speech, music, or presence.
As a bonus action, you can enter a performance. This performance lasts for 1 minute and requires concentration (as if concentrating on a spell).
While performing, you choose one form of expression each turn: Speech or Music.
VICIOUS MOCKERY (SPEECH)
Action, 60 feet range
A creature you can see must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or suffer the effects below.
On a failed save:
On a successful save:
This damage increases at higher levels:
BARDIC INFLUENCE (MUSIC)
As a bonus action, you can grant a Bardic Influence die (d6) to a creature within 30 feet and establish a cognitive link with it. The duration is 1 minute. For a willing ally, the link lasts up to 1 hour if it is renewed each minute.
While the link is active:
Uses: Charisma modifier (minimum 1) + half your bard level
Recovery: Long rest
The die increases:
A creature can end the link using an action. If the link ends, the die is lost. If not renewed, the link ends after 1 minute.
An Influence die applied to an enemy may be added to your Vicious Mockery damage or other class features.
LEVEL 2: JACK OF ALL TRADES
You add half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.
LEVEL 2: SONG OF REST
During a short rest, any creature that spends Hit Dice regains an additional 1d6 hit points.
This increases to:
LEVEL 3: BARD COLLEGE
Choose a college. You gain features at 3rd level and again at 6th and 14th level.
LEVEL 3: EXPERTISE
Choose two skills. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
LEVEL 5: SOURCE OF INFLUENCE
You regain all expended uses of Bardic Influence when you finish a short or long rest.
LEVEL 5: THUNDEROUS BREAK
As an action, you create a wave of sound in a 30-foot radius centered on yourself. Each creature of your choice in the area must make a Constitution saving throw.
On a failed save:
On a successful save:
Allies automatically succeed on this saving throw.
Creatures hostile to you that have been affected by a Bardic Influence link within the last minute have disadvantage on this saving throw.
The damage increases to 2d6 at 11th level and 3d6 at 16th level.
LEVEL 6: COUNTERCHARM
As an action, you create a protective influence in a 30-foot radius centered on you. Until the end of your next turn, you and friendly creatures within the area have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed.
LEVEL 7: COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
Your Vicious Mockery ignores resistance to psychic damage.
Once per turn, when a creature within 30 feet that is linked to you fails an attack roll or saving throw, you can deal psychic damage equal to your Influence die to that creature.
LEVEL 9: STEADY RHYTHM
Once per turn, any d20 roll between 1 and 7 becomes an 8.
You may reroll any 1 or 2 on your Influence dice.
LEVEL 10: TEMPO MASTERY
Once per turn, when you apply an Influence die to a creature, you can reduce its speed by 10 feet until the end of your next turn.
LEVEL 11: TIME CONTROL
Once per turn, when a creature you can see that is linked to you takes a reaction, it must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the reaction is negated. On a success, the reaction is impaired at the DM’s discretion.
LEVEL 13: RESYNCHRONIZATION
When you make a saving throw and roll 5 or lower, you can roll a d10 and use the new result.
LEVEL 14: DOMINANT RHYTHM
When a creature linked to you misses an attack, you can use your reaction to allow an allied creature to immediately make one weapon attack against it. The ally can move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
LEVEL 15: PERFECT SYNCHRONIZATION
You can treat your Influence die as its maximum value.
Uses: Charisma modifier (minimum 1)
LEVEL 17: COLLECTIVE RESONANCE
When you use Resynchronization, one allied creature of your choice within 30 feet can also benefit from the effect until the end of your next turn.
LEVEL 18: ABSOLUTE DISSONANCE
For 1 minute, creatures linked to you cannot take reactions immediately. Any delayed actions resolve only on their turn.
LEVEL 20: MASTER OF INFLUENCE
If you have no uses of Bardic Influence remaining, you regain 2 uses when you roll initiative.
Your Influence die rolls cannot be lower than half the die’s maximum value.
For the archetypes, use the same and replace the abilities refering to magic:
LEVEL 6 KNOWLEDGE
You get a total of your charisma modifier + your bard level influence points (instead of 1/2 level)
LEVEL 14 VALOR
Whenever you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you may create an influence link, apply an influence die and use it on the same action.
As per the strenght of the class- it is comparable to a vanilla 2014 bard, based on a paradigm your DM will restrain fireball/hypnotic pattern power, and 50% of combats will have creatures with advantages vs charms or good DX/evasion or just basic skirmishing mind (not packing themselves as a phalanx to get blasted by the lore bard fireball at level 6).
This version of the class doesn't really do what I expect a bard to, and the removal of spells makes it vastly inferior to the official version. Bards, IMO, are supposed to be able to create powerful effects: strong buffs for their allies and crippling debuffs for their foes.
As I said, the bard is not broken. reskining spells is not interesting. See it like a martial class. 1d4+ cha + 1d6 damage on every turn -20% chance of being hit. a lot of dice given to allies on 1st round should be enough mathematically.
What about the feel of play ?
I didn't say anything about the bard being broken, and bards don't need to reflavor spells.
As far as feel of play goes, I can't imagine this version being as fun as official. You're losing all of your fun spells in exchange for slightly hindering enemies.
Also, most of this class's features simply don't make sense. The wording is often either confusing or incomplete. Some of them are also just weirdI'll list them in order.
Bardic Influence.
"You have advantage on your social skill checks as long as your link is active." Social skill checks with anyone? So linking to the Barbarian makes you good at decieving anyone you meet?
"This link can be broken by an action such as freeing yourself from a web spell." You can make an Athletics check to break the mental link?
". . . 0r released by any other bard ability." What does this mean?
Break (Music)
"Once per turn, within 9 m, if a linked creature has failed an attack roll or saving throw since your last turn, you can deal psychic damage equal to your Influence die." Damage to who?
RESYNCHRONIZATION
This is almost useless. Even if you're lucky enough to roll a 10, you probably aren't succeeding at this level.
Collective Resonance
How does this work? Does the ally add the 1d10 always, or only if they got a sub-5 result?
Also, I just noticed that your balance tests are assuming the DM is doing everything in his power to make you useless. Even with that, this is not comparable at all.
Why is everything in meters?
Dnd base rules has ft so idk
First, you must play your instrument. So it is obvious there is something unusual happening.
Second, the link is automatically negated after 1 minute. It is similar to a Friends-like effect: hostility-optional.
Break (Music)
Now level 7: the damage applies to the enemy with a link—the creature to which you have given a die. That die is not lethal until you use an action to transfer it to another ability or consume it as part of a reaction.
RESYNCHRONIZATION: Yes, it is still possible for low-CR monsters to remain relevant against you. Some saving throws may still succeed on a 6–9.
Collective Resonance: of course, with a roll of 5 or lower.
View this class as a martial class, not a magic one. A fighter = steady damage. tanking. surge bursts.
View this class as a martial class, not a magical one.
A fighter = steady damage, tanking, surge bursts.
This bard = steady impact, pre-3e feel design: reducing opportunity attacks and reaction-based impact (which was not a major system then), as the main form of debuff. Influence dice spam instead of Action Surge-style bursts (and don’t forget you can grant dice before combat).
Of course, I do not mean “useless”—I mean assuming roughly 50% optimal play conditions at most. A combat where everything is always optimal is as dull as a level 20 fighter fighting a squad of goblins. An army, maybe—not a squad.
updated.