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Returning 35 results for 'great bards'.
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
rain from the sky in a beautiful but dangerous display. Rumors quickly spread that a crystal dragon is responsible.
3
A crystal dragon invites the greatest bards and philosophers to partake in
“the Great Dialogue” in the dragon’s mountaintop lair. But only the dragon knows that the Great Dialogue has no end, and no one can leave the lair once it has begun.
4
A crystal
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
Prismatic shards rain from the sky in a beautiful but dangerous display. Rumors quickly spread that a crystal dragon is responsible.
3
A crystal dragon invites the greatest bards and philosophers
to partake in “the Great Dialogue” in the dragon’s mountaintop lair. But only the dragon knows that the Great Dialogue has no end, and no one can leave the lair once it has begun
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
bards and philosophers to partake in “the Great Dialogue” in the dragon’s mountaintop lair. But only the dragon knows that the Great Dialogue has no end, and no one can leave the lair
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
the greatest bards and philosophers to partake in “the Great Dialogue” in the dragon’s mountaintop lair. But only the dragon knows that the Great Dialogue has no end, and no one can
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
living storehouses of history and folklore. Bards know a great deal, and they tend to be willing to share what they know, or at least barter for it. The arrival of a renowned bard is a special occasion
Bards Bards hold a special place of responsibility and respect in the Forgotten Realms. They are bearers of news, gossip, and messages in their travels from place to place, in addition to being
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
ridiculous seem sublime. Bards are preservers of ancient history, their songs and tales perpetuating the memory of great events down through time — knowledge so important that it is memorized and passed
? Ah, then what manner of music they would bring to this world!
— Fletcher Danairia, master bard
Bards bring levity during grave times; they impart wisdom to offset ignorance; and they make the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Bardic Colleges In addition to the tradition of apprenticing with a master bard, the Sword Coast has some bardic colleges where masters teach students the bardic arts. They hark back to the great
the bards, each of which is named after one of the colleges. See chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the game statistics of these magic instruments. Long ago, bards who sought the rank of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
sworn to do, or die trying. 4 Leadership. You will win a great battle that bards will sing about, and in so doing, you will become an example to inspire others. 5 Faith. You know your path is righteous
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
storytellers whose tales preserve the memory of the great heroes of the past. These Bards sing the deeds of the mighty in vaulted halls or to crowds gathered around great bonfires. They travel to witness
Bard Subclasses A Bard subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Bard levels, as specified in the subclass. Bards form loose associations, which they call colleges, to preserve
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
— even other elves — are subordinate to them in skill, significance, and sophistication. They claim the title of “high elves” with pride, and indeed their race is responsible for great, and sometimes
with other art forms, which produces the complex dance of the bladesingers as well as the enchanting music of their bards and the meticulous craftwork of their artisans. Sun elf adventurers often bring
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
, and bards and rogues certainly have a place on the plains. Outlander is a logical background, but you could easily be a bold folk hero, a dashing entertainer, or a clever charlatan. You could even be an
urchin who was stranded in a great city at a young age and adapted to hunting in this stone jungle. Surrounded by Spirits. Fey, fiends, the ghosts of ancestors; these are all part of the spirit world
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
large meeting rooms, and a small concert hall. Rumors say that this is an outpost of the secret Circle of Song, a society of bards and entertainers spread across Khorvaire; others swear that House
Thuranni and House Phiarlan regularly send talent scouts to the Golden Horn. Many aspiring musicians perform at the Horn in the hopes of being noticed by one of these organizations. The Great Hall of Aureon
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
A Bard’s Muse Naturally, every bard has a repertoire of songs and stories. Some bards are generalists who can draw from a wide range of topics for each performance, and who take pride in their
versatility. Others adopt a more personal approach to their art, driven by their attachment to a muse — a particular concept that inspires much of what those bards do in front of an audience. A bard who
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
known written copies have ever been reported. Only a privileged few non-dwarves have ever heard the Dirge in its entirety, and dwarf bards who want to perform this epic must demonstrate great skill in
Citadel Adbar In the extreme north of Faerûn, near the Cold Wood, lie the Ice Mountains. There, in the bitter cold, stands the eternal fortress of Citadel Adbar, the last great remnant of the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
the music. He represents the finished thought, the result of the process that takes an idea from conception to realization. Milil is most venerated by bards, troubadours, and other entertainers, but
hand (Deneir); rather, it stems from the fact that left-handedness is more often associated with great artistic ability and the belief that the greatest art comes from the acceptance of truth.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
completely reasonable and plausible explanation. Singing songs and strumming lutes might be fine for most bards. Who doesn’t like a rousing shanty now and then? But standing in a crowded tavern playing for
copper pieces tossed by commoners isn’t for everyone — and it certainly isn’t for bards in the Acq Inc world. The power and magic tied up in the voice of a franchise bard is meant for greater things
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
their gods, questing against the terrifying powers that threaten the land. Wizards plunder the ruins of the fallen Netherese empire, delving into secrets too dark for the light of day. Bards sing of
the World, a range of skyscraping, snow-covered peaks. These extend toward the Sword Coast, which forms the western edge of the great continent of Faerûn and stretches southward for thousands of miles
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
the Horn is an excellent opportunity for aspiring bards. University, Upper Menthis Grand Stage This stage hosts grand performances of the beloved classics of Galifar, along with more modern works that
follow classical traditions. University, Upper Menthis Great Hall of Aureon Sharn’s largest temple to the Sovereign Aureon, the Great Hall celebrates knowledge and learning. The clergy are sages and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary
to expel a dybbuk† from a corpse. The exorcist asks the characters to help in dispatch the Fiend. 9 Two bards† in the Heralds of Dust approach the characters and sing a ballad honoring the dead. If the
characters interrupt or otherwise ruin the tune, 1d4 irascible specters emerge from the walls and attack, causing the bards to flee. 10 Three skeleton farmers quietly tend to corpse-white grave
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault
. So gifted a musician was he that an admiring wizard gave Frody an instrument of the bards—a famous Canaith mandolin called Golden Axe. The mandolin’s magic served Frody well during his many
students, Wylie van Timmel, shows great promise. Sythian hatched a plan to snatch Golden Axe from Frody’s grave and give it to Wylie as a present, hoping to earn the favor and long-term financial support
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
a great many sacrifices to function. Tabaxi thieves might try to steal the jewel and bear it safely back to Maztica, perhaps trading it for the release of enslaved loved ones. Conversely, a villain
of the bards (area 48), and Unkh’s robe of scintillating colors (area 55). If, in your estimation, a player did an extraordinary job roleplaying a trickster god’s flaw, the god’s spirit might reward
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
are in the broad field of history. You might dream of using magic to contact great historical figures or your own ancestors or of recreating the mighty magic of a distant age. Skill Proficiencies
Lorehold. Bards thrive in Lorehold, and wizards (particularly those of the School of Divination) are numerous among its students. Clerics (often with the Knowledge or Light domains) are also quite common
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
kingdoms and hidden elven enclaves, assimilated populations of gnomes and halflings, and more exotic folk. A great deal of adventure is to be had in the Realms, for those willing to seek it out. The
others. News and gossip are carried between population centers by caravans and ships that bring in supplies for trade and by traveling bards and minstrels who recount (or invent) stories to inform and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
shared; these meals are a great chance to hear about local events and opportunities. Many Khoravar espouse the idea of “the bridge between,” the notion that the Khoravar are called to facilitate
communication and cooperation between members of different cultures or species. Khoravar who follow this philosophy often become bards, diplomats, mediators, or translators. Others are fascinated by their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
College of Swords Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and
entertainers have often run into trouble that makes maintaining their secret activities impossible. A blade caught stealing or engaging in vigilante justice is too great a liability for most troupes
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
afloat until he is rescued. Halflings believe in the power of luck, and they abide by a great number of superstitions that they believe bring good or ill fortune. They attribute their unusual gift to
Scholars, wizards, druids, and bards of other races have different ideas about how halflings escape peril, suggesting that by virtue of something in their nature, they occupy a special place in the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
claimed it.
2 Prismatic shards rain from the sky in a beautiful but dangerous display. Rumors quickly spread that a crystal dragon is responsible.
3 A crystal dragon invites the greatest bards
and philosophers to partake in “the Great Dialogue” in the dragon’s mountaintop lair. But only the dragon knows that the Great Dialogue has no end, and no one can leave the lair once it has begun
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Land and Circle of the Moon in equal measure. The Moonshea Circles The Ffolk of the Moonshea Isles venerate the land as the great goddess they call the Earthmother. Their circles gather around sacred
circles in the North are often allied with the Harpers, as they have common purpose, with bards and rangers serving as go-betweens. Individual Harpers can usually expect a circle to at least grant them
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
least discretion. Bards and wizards are their most prominent members. Harpers operate in small cells throughout the North. One is based in Triboar: Darathra Shendrel, the Lord Protector, belongs to the
once sheltered three great elven realms beneath its boughs. Many tribes of wood elves — and a few moon elves — still protect the ruined monuments to their golden age. Few beyond the borders of the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
sages imagine that, one day, all elves will be given this opportunity, after Corellon is satisfied by the completion of some great cosmic quest, and elves will once again be a people of unfettered form
be with. Stories of Hanali’s romantic adventures among elves and other mortals are perennial favorites when sung by elf bards and poets. In Arvandor, Hanali maintains a hidden pool called Evergold
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
. Although some of the dancing is wanton and performed for show, large-scale ring dances in the street for all ages are also popular. All the dancing ends at dusk, after which bards and minstrels perform at
deliver them to the priests of Umberlee at the Queenspire, her temple on the beach by the east entrance to the Great Harbor, at the conclusion of the festival. The last two days of Fleetswake are the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
water of the channel, its tilted surface a hopeless tangle of trash, driftwood, and filth. Scurrying sounds within the detritus suggest the presence of a great many rats.
The trash heaped here make this
a tightly sewn oilcloth — an instrument of the bards (Cli lyre) found by a cultist years before. The lyre is the cult’s greatest treasure, and has been kept as a gift for the leader that the cultists
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault
climb the outer walls but is otherwise indifferent to the goings-on in the yards below. B9: Harbor Towers Two mighty towers flank the entrance to the fortress’s harbor. A great steel chain stretches
first layer of the Nine Hells. B25: Audience Chamber Pillars of writhing flame wrought in stone hold up the vaulted ceiling of this great hall. In the center, a magnificent, gilded throne gleams like the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves
clasps an Instrument of the Bards (Ollamh harp), which she acquired in her youth. Taking the harp, plucking one of its strings, or removing the glass key from around Yemi’s neck ends the Sequester spell
resembles a baby copper dragon N17: Nakari’s Den This cave has exits to the west and east, and its walls are patterned to look like dragon scales. In the middle of the cave sits a great copper dragon. Two
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye
holy symbol of Oghma, god of knowledge and patron to bards and wizards. If the check succeeds by 3 or more, the character intuits that rededicating the shrine to Oghma could help against the zombies
interest.” The apparition swivels to look at each of you in turn. “Yes, there is great potential here. May we meet again—but until then, I have my eye on you.” The apparition then explodes into






