Bard

Humming as she traces her fingers over an ancient monument in a long-forgotten ruin, an elezen in rugged leathers strums her harp in remembrance of the souls of the dead who reside there, and smiles as peace wells up from the crumbling land.

A stern roegadyn warrior stands before the assembly, tossing his careful notes to the floor. He speaks not from memory, but from passion, as his magic pours forth inspiration from the fire in his voice.

Laughing as she tunes her cittern, a lalafell weaves her subtle magic over the assembled nobles, ensuring that her companions' words will be well received.

Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves their aether through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds, create illusions, and even heal wounds.

A Song of Creation¶

In the world of Hydaelyn, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but a way to weave aether into the very fabric of Eorzea. With song, speech, and spell, a bard can summon power from a deeper vein of the Aetherial Sea and weave a new pattern into the weft and warp of their everyday reality.

However, the path of a bard is one of soulful discovery. Though a fellow bard may learn the songs of eld, it is up to each bard to find a personal and powerful way to retell them. These songs can be taught to anyone through word of mouth, but each bard may understand them differently and in so doing, sing them slightly differently and give them newfound power. Without the work of the soul, old battlesongs may just be that - songs sung by an old bard, containing only his own power.

Slings and Arrows¶

When folks think of a bard, they conjure images of a minstrel wandering the realm, performing at banquets and in alehouses for the pleasure of king and commoner alike. But the bards of Eorzea are born from a battle-hardened archer — one who sings her songs in the heat of combat to inspire her comrades to ever greater feats of martial prowess. In addition to songs and magic, some Eorzean bards are masters of the bow, weaving the borrowed aether of her allies into an archer's storm that bombards the battlefield with the rain of a thousand arrows.

Revival of Song¶

Bards have not been a part of the fabric of Eorzean life for over a century: between wars, a soldier has no need for weapons, and so the tools of the mighty Song became merely instruments of entertainment.

That is, until the Calamity. Now with the realm interrupted and the old stories becoming relevant again, bards have begun to resurface into Eorzean culture once more.

Adjustments¶

In addition to the base qualities of the class in the Player's Handbook, bards in Eorzea have the following adjustments.

Colleges¶

You may select from the following colleges:

College Flavors¶

We suggest the following adjustments to the flavors of the existing Colleges to mesh better within the world of Hydaelyn.

College of Bows¶

At 3rd level, you may select College of Bows as your Bardic College.

All bards come from a background of archery in Eorzea, but bow bards have specialized in the art of the bow to the point where their very combat is a performance. Bow Bards are trick shots, masters who use their bows and arrows to awe and amaze the crowd.

They've earned the nickname "Trick Shooters" due to the feats of precision and accuracy they perform, being able to shoot an arrow in the head of a distant foe, or a bird midflight, or even shooting many targets at once — all with a bullseye. Though a particularly flamboyant Trick Shooter can look like a circus act, don't underestimate their technique: each arrow loosed is even deadlier when coming from their bow.

Bonus Proficiencies¶

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons.

If you're proficient with a simple or martial weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Bardic Shot¶

At 3rd level, if a ranged weapon attack that you make as part of the attack action hits a creature, you can use one of the following Bardic Shot options of your choice. You can use only one type of Bardic Shot option per turn. If there is a DC required for your Bardic Shot option the DC is the same as your spell save DC.

Disarming Shot. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. The creature must then succeed on a Strength saving throw or drop 1 held object of your choice and have that object be pushed 10 feet away from you.

Forceful Shot. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. The creature must then succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you.

Menacing Shot. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Pinning Shot. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to pin the target, immobilizing it for a moment. You add the bardic inspiration die to the attack's damage
roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the target's speed
is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn.

Trip Shot. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. The creature must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Extra Attack¶

At 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Master's Shot¶

At 14th level, whenever you use a Bardic Shot option, you can roll a d6 and use it instead of expending a Bardic Inspiration die.

College of Glamour¶

The power of the Glamour Prism is a powerful one, and a rarity in Eorzea. Available only to the rich and powerful, Glamour Prisms allow you to alter the appearance of your clothing at will. Bards who have mastered the power of Glamour have learned how to utilize it to its fullest, using just the right combination of illusion and charm to gain the admiration of those around them.

Glamour Bards are regarded with a mixture of awe and fear. Their magic that allows them to both quell beasts and bend minds, planting suggestions through drama and flair. And all from the secrets unlocked from these tiny little prisms!

Glamour Prisms¶

For a writeup of Glamour Prisms, see Appendix B at the back of this resource.

College of Eloquence¶

The College of Eloquence has its home in Old Sharlayan, among the scholars, orators, and debaters in the academy. These bards focus not on musical performance but oratory performance, using their skills with words to convince their foes of their own inadequacy and their friends of their own supremacy. No one can match their skill with words!

Source¶

College of Bows by Jakef217. College of the Skysinger by /u/SilentSoren in the FFXIV D&D Classes & Races Compendium.