Bard Talent Tree
Untold wonders and secrets exist for those skillful enough to discover them. Through cleverness, talent, and magic, these cunning few unravel the wiles of the world, becoming adept in the arts of persuasion, manipulation, and inspiration. Typically masters of one or many forms of artistry, bards possess an uncanny ability to know more than they should and use what they learn to keep themselves and their allies ever one step ahead of danger. Bards are quick-witted and captivating, and their skills might lead them down many paths, be they gamblers or jacks-of-all-trades, scholars or performers, leaders or scoundrels, or even all of the above. For bards, every day brings its own opportunities, adventures, and challenges, and only by bucking the odds, knowing the most, and being the best might they claim the treasures of each.
Core Talents
| Talent | CP | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
| Bardic Performance | 5 | Trained in Performance |
| Jack of All Trades | 5 | - |
| Vicious Mockery | 5 | - |
| Virtuoso | 100 | 190 CP of Bard Talents |
Bardic Performance
Cost: 5 Character Points
Actions: 1 per round
Prerequisite: Trained in Performance
Your training in performance can be used to manipulate those around you. Choose one of the the following Bardic Performances: Bardic Inspiration, Countersong, Fascinate and Song of Rest. You know this bardic performance and may purchase additional options with character points.
Starting a Bardic Performance is an action and must be maintained each round as an action. Changing a Bardic Performance from one effect to another requires you to stop the previous performance as a free action and start a new one as an action. A Bardic Performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralysed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking an action to maintain it each round.
Each Bardic Performance has audible components, visual components, or both.
If a Bardic Performance has audible components, the targets must be able to hear the bard for the performance to have any effect, and many such performances are language dependent (as noted in the description). A deaf bard suffers -1d to their performance check when attempting to use a Bardic Performance with an audible component. Deaf creatures are immune to bardic performances with audible components.
If a Bardic Performance has a visual component, the targets must have line of sight to the bard for the performance to have any effect. A blind bard takes a -2d penalty to their performance check when attempting to use a Bardic Performance with a visual component. Blind creatures are immune to bardic performances with visual components.
You can use this talent a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. You regain any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Jack of All Trades
Cost: 5 Character Points
You may reroll any ability check that you make that does not benefit from proficiency, but you must take the result.
Vicious Mockery
Cost: 5 Character Points
Actions: 2
You unleash a string of insults.
Choose a creature that can hear you within 60 feet and make a Performance check vs the target’s Wisdom defence. On a hit, the creature takes 1dM mental damage and suffers -1d to the next attack roll that it makes before the end of its next turn.
Virtuoso
Cost: 100 Character Points
Prerequisite: 190 CP of Bard Talents
You are the epitome of music and magic.
Your Dexterity and Charisma scores increase by 2. Your maximum for those scores also increases by 2. Additionally, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Performance left, you regain a number of uses equal to your Charisma modifier.