Dwarven Bard

Ability Requirements: Intelligence 12, Wisdom 12 and Charisma of 14
Prime Requisite: None
Hit Die: d6
Races Allowed: Dwarves, Half-Dwarves

Class Restrictions:

• Armor; dwarven bards may wear any armor up to and including chainmail. Being more militant than other bards, they are also allowed to use shields of all types.
• Weapons: Steeped in tradition, dwarven bards favor those weapons associated with their people. The dwarven bard must become proficient in battle axe, warhammer, or short sword at first level. Thereafter he is free to choose any weapon.
• Alignment: any but typically lawful
• XP: dwarven bards do not gain any experience bonuses for having high ability scores.
• Multi-Class: No

Class Abilities: In addition to being skilled poets, dwarven bards are proficient singers, chanters and musicians (receiving the Singing and Musical Instrument non-weapon proficiencies). A dwarven bard also receives the additional bonus proficiencies; Local History, Ancient History (culture/dwarven), and Reading/Writing.

Description:

It has been said that being a dwarf is a religion in itself and that dwarves only worship the gods “just in case”. But this does not mean that dwarves are not a pious people. A strong reverence for the world and for the traditions and history of their people runs deeply in the dwarven heart.

The dwarven bard is a manifestation of this reverence. Part historian, part entertainer and part spiritual leader, the dwarven bard is the soul of his race, and an ambassador to other races. He learns the vast history and legends of his people (indeed, the two are inextricably intertwined) in lyrical and poetic form, and can recite this lore from memory to great effect. In addition, the dwarven bard augments this body of work with songs, poems and stories of his own creation, with the firm hope that he might someday create something worthy of being included in the racial lore.

Unlike the dwarven Chanters, whose role is to support the dwarven workforce, and dwarven Entertainers, who help liven up their fellows’ scant leisure time, dwarven bards can be found roving the world, bringing the dwarven spirit and traditions to other folk, and bringing knowledge of the outside world to their somewhat reclusive people.

General Info:

Dwarven Bards use a six sided die (1d6) for hit point determination.

Dwarven Bards start with 2d6x10 gold pieces, 2 weapon proficiency slots and 3 non weapon proficiencies slots. After such time they receive 1 additional weapon and non-weapon proficiency slot every 4 levels. Dwarven Bards may select proficiencies from the general, rouge and cleric lists.

Additional Abilities:

Thief skills: Less of a rogue than bards of other races, the dwarven bard’s skills lean toward more mechanical matters. Rather than learning to Pick Pockets and Climb Walls, he learns to Open Locks and Find/Remove Traps instead (he does learn to Detect Noise or Read Languages like other bards). The Dwarven Bard receives 20 percentage points to be distributed amongst these abilities at first level, and gains an additional 15 points per level gained thereafter.

Dwarven Bard Abilities*
Open Locks 35%
Find/Remove Traps 35%
Detect Noises 20%
Read Languages 5%
NOTE: All base percentages for thief abilities have already been modified by race.

Bardic Abilities; The dwarven bard has all the standard bardic skills, as listed in the Player’s Handbook, including influencing reactions, inspiring allies, and countering attacks, but not including the ability to identify the purpose and function of magic items, unless such items are of dwarven origin.

Spellcasting; While most bards are busy dabbling in magic, the dwarven bard, devoid of magical ability as are all of his race, devotes his time to pondering more spiritual matters. As a result, rather than casting arcane spells, dwarven bards gain the ability to cast spells which duplicate the effects of clerical ones. The dwarven bard has major access to the All, Charm, Creation and Divination spheres; and minor access to the Combat, Guardian, Protection and Sun spheres, but no access to the Animal, Astral, Elemental, Healing, Necromantic, Plant, Summoning or Weather spheres.

Although these spells mimic clerical spells, they are not granted by a particular deity, and are instead gained through meditation and communion with the living rock of the world and with the dwarf’s ancestors, and the dwarf must be in contact with the living rock to regain spells (see Disadvantages, below). Otherwise, these spells are gained and cast in a manner similar to that of a cleric.

------------------- Bard Clerical Spell Level ------------------------

Experience Table