© Square Enix, Final Fantasy The After Years

Bards are storytellers, performers and charlatans. Masters of music, people, and social situations, they recount tales long past, calling upon an arcane force powered by their stories and songs.

A Note

This version of bard is depreciated and not intended for use.

Role: Bards are sustained support and utility casters with a variety of verses and choruses to allow them to push their party through long engagements

Alignment: Bards can be of any alignment. Chaotic bards often perform impromptu pieces of music, while Lawful bards commonly stick to carefully structured haikus or stories.

Hit Die: D8

Starting Wealth: 3d6 × 10 gp (average 105 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills

The bard’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks Per Level: 6 + Int modifier

Table: Bard

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

A bard is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the longsword, rapier, sap, shortsword, shortbow, and whip. Bards are also proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields).

Limit Break

At 1st level, a Bard gains the ability to use limit breaks. At the start of each day the Bard chooses Daredevil or Spoony (A bard unique Limit Break Mode) as his limit break mode. If the Bard chooses Spoony, he may make use of Daredevil’s generic limit breaks When a Bard's use a limit break, they may use a limit break from their chosen mode or the following limit break, unique to them:

Song of Vengeance (Su): For each stack of limit break spent, the bard and all allies within 30 feet gain the Bard's level as a untyped bonus to all attack and damage rolls for one round per stack spent. While this is active, the Bard cannot gain any charges of limit break. In addition, the Bard gains 1 verse in their pool for each charge. Activating Song of Vengeance is a swift action.

*Spoony:* Whenever the bard casts a Verse, the bard gains 1 point towards his limit break gauge. Casting a Chorus grants a number of points in the limit break gauge equal to the Verses spent. In addition, the Bard gains 1 point of limit break whenever he is not subjected to any attacks for a round of combat. Verses used outside of combat do not charge the limit break gauge.

Spellweaving (Su)

Bards are masters of a unique source of power, known as the Weave. This arcane force is accessed through stories, song and voice, channeled into sacred words and blended together to create effects akin to traditional magic. Bards use the Spellweaving system, which is broken down into two parts. Verses and Choruses. Spellweaving requires verbal or somatic components, usually performance with an instrument or singing.

Verses are small, cantrip-esque abilities that can be used in combat, as a move action unless otherwise specified. A bard begins with 3 Verses, and can learn more as they level up, as seen on Table: Bard

Choruses are more powerful effects that require a number of Verses to be performed before the Chorus can be performed as a standard action unless otherwise specified. A Bard begins with 2 level 1 verses, and learns more as they level up, as seen on Table: Bard. To learn a Chorus, the Bard must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + 2 x The Chorus’ level (12 for level 1, 14 for level 2 and so on, up to 22 for level 6).

Choruses can only be performed in combat. A bard can store a number of verses in combat equal to the highest Verses requirement in their known Choruses. Each time a Bard levels up, they can swap out 1 verse and 1 chorus they know to learn a different verse and chorus in its place, in addition to any new verses or choruses gained via levelling up. The highest level of Chorus learnable is shown on Table: Bard.

A bard expends a number of verses equal to the cost of a chorus, and keeps any left over verses in his store. Verses can be used outside of combat, but do not get stored.
Spellweaving provokes Attacks of Opportunity as normal spellcasting does.

When being targeted by a Dispel or similar effect, Verses have an effective spell level of 0, and use Chorus Level as Effective Spell Level for Choruses.

Verses stored at the end of combat are lost.

Becoming dazed, stunned, or unconscious also causes all Verses to be lost.
Spellweaving is not subject to Arcane Spell Failure from armour, but cannot be used if the Bard is not proficient in the armour he is wearing.

In addition, a bard may perform a number of verses or choruses in a full action, as if making a full attack, using his bard level as his BAB. He also gains one extra verse or chorus doing so. Thus, at level 6, the bard can perform three verses or choruses in a full action.

Spellweaving counts as spellcasting and Bard levels count as caster levels for the purpose of item crafting feats. Verses and Choruses cannot be made into wands, scrolls or potions.

Verses and Choruses can be found here

Bardic Knowledge (Ex)

A bard adds half his class level (minimum 1) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.

Battle Tempo (Su)

At 1st level, Each time the Bard performs a Chorus, the bard grants one ally within 30 feet a morale bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to their charisma modifier, for a number of rounds equal to the number of verses spent. If the Bard casts another Chorus while this buff is active, it immediately ends. This applies for one round when the Bard perform a Verse. The bonus to damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.

Well Versed (Ex)

At 2nd level, the bard becomes resistant to the bardic performance of others, and to sonic effects in general. The bard gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made against sonic, and language-dependent effects. This bonus also applies to any effect from other’s Spellweaving on the bard.

Versatile Performance (Ex)

At 2nd level, a bard can choose one type of Perform skill. He can use his bonus in that skill in place of his bonus in associated skills. When substituting in this way, the bard uses his total Perform skill bonus, including class skill bonus, in place of its associated skill’s bonus, whether or not he has ranks in that skill or if it is a class skill. At 6th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the bard can select an additional type of Perform to substitute.

The types of Perform and their associated skills are: Act (Bluff, Disguise), Comedy (Bluff, Intimidate), Dance (Acrobatics, Fly), Keyboard Instruments (Diplomacy, Intimidate), Oratory (Diplomacy, Sense Motive), Percussion (Handle Animal, Intimidate), Sing (Bluff, Sense Motive), String (Bluff, Diplomacy), and Wind (Diplomacy, Handle Animal).

Bardic Talents

At 2nd level and every two levels afterwards, the Bard may choose a Bardic Talent. These alter or improve class features, or unlock new features to use.

The list of Bardic Talents can be found here

Armored Performer

At 3rd level, Bards gain proficiency in medium armour

Preemptive Verse (Ex)

At 4th level, the Bard begins combat with 1 verse already cast in their stored verses. If the bard has a Chorus that requires specific verses, the Bard can act as if one of those verses was already cast.

Lore Master (Ex)

At 5th level, the bard becomes a master of lore and can take 10 on any Knowledge skill check that he has ranks in. A bard can choose not to take 10 and can instead roll normally. In addition, once per day, the bard can take 20 on any Knowledge skill check as a standard action. He can use this ability one additional time per day for every six levels he possesses beyond 5th, to a maximum of three times per day at 17th level.

Life Sustenance Tempo (Su)

At 7th level, in place of granting a buff via Battle Tempo, the Bard can heal an ally for an amount equal to his Charisma modifier. If Battle Tempo is used this way, the buff granted does not expire if the buff’s target is also the target of Life Sustenance Tempo. Choruses used to trigger this heal multiply the healing by the number of verses spent

Twin Tempo (Su)

At 8th level, the Bard no longer ends the first buff from Battle Tempo if a second Chorus is cast during the first Battle Tempo’s duration. Instead, he can sustain two Battle Tempo buffs at any one time. Targeting the same ally increases the duration, if it is larger than the current duration.

Flow of The Song (Su)

At 9th level, each time the bard uses Battle Tempo or Life Sustenance Tempo, the bonus or healing given increase by +2 if the target differs from the last target of either class feature. This doubles to +4 at level 18

Earshredding Ballad (Su)

At 12th level, The Bard’s sheer force of will causes even Verses to potentially wound a foe.

Whenever the Bard performs a Verse, an enemy within 30 feet must make a Will save (DC 10 + CHA + ½ Bard level) or take 1d6 sonic damage.

Whenever the Bard performs a Chorus, the same effect happens, except the damage is a number of D6 equal to the Chorus’ cost.

Battle Verse (Ex)

At 13th level, for a number of times per day equal to 3 + their charisma modifier, the Bard can perform a Battle Verse. The Bard may make an attack action at a target, and also perform a verse at the same target, as long as both the attack and the verse are in range. Battle verse requires a standard action to use regardless of Verse performance time, and cannot be used alongside a swift action verse.

Let’s Put On A Show! (Ex)

At 15th level, the Bard’s allies can cooperate, even unwillingly, in his verses and choruses. A number of times per day equal to 3 + his charisma modifier, the Bard can use an ally within 30 feet as the source of the bard’s verse or chorus, determining range, effects and anything else from that allies square.

Triad Tempo (Su)

At 16th level, the Bard can now sustain three buffs from Battle Tempo, and can give two buffs per performing a Chorus, although the two targets must be within 10 feet of one another.

A Killer Show (Ex)

At 19th level, when using Let’s Put On A Show!, the Bard can spend multiple uses of Let’s Put On A Show! To use an ally within 30 feet as the source of their verse or chorus. For each use spent, they can then select a further ally. The last ally picked is then used as per Let’s Put On A Show. For each ally in the chain, apply one trigger of Earshredding Ballad to an enemy within 30 feet of them, depending on verse or chorus performance. The bard themself does not apply Earshredding ballad using this.

A True Aficionado (Ex)

The Bard’s power of performance wows all. At 20th level, Any feature that triggers alongside a Chorus now triggers for all viable targets within the range, not just one. Battle Tempo has no cap on how many buffs it can sustain.

Archetypes