Humming as she traces her fingers over an ancient monument in a long-forgotten ruin, an elf in rugged leathers finds knowledge springing into her mind, conjured forth by her song—knowledge of the people who constructed the monument and the mythic saga it depicts.
A stern human warrior bangs his sword rhythmically against his scale mail, setting the tempo for his war chant and exhorting his companions to bravery and heroism. His song fortifies and emboldens them.
Laughing as she tunes her cittern, a hin weaves her subtle musical influence over the assembled nobles, ensuring that her companions’ words will be well received.
Minstrels are masters of artistry who use powerful performances to influence others. They weave the Words of Creation through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, and manipulate minds.
Music and Magic
Minstrels say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. Minstrels pluck and manipulate these echoes as they weave them into their music and magic.
Rhythm, melody, harmony, and words, in the hands of a minstrel, are not just vibrations of air, they are the means to tap into the hidden power that lies untapped in every rock, stream, and living creature, and even in the air itself. Discovering the power hidden in music requires meticulous practice and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack.
Learning from Experience
True minstrels are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a minstrel. A depth of knowledge, experience, talent, and a level of dedication set minstrels apart from their fellows. Minstrels have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do most things well.
A minstrel’s life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore, telling stories, and living on the gratitude of audiences, much like any other entertainer. Only rarely do minstrels settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new languages and skills to experience, and new discoveries beyond the horizon-makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn, practice a variety of language and skills, enter long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Minstrels love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A minstrel who can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal experience earns renown among other minstrels. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many minstrels take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.
Creating a Minstrel
Minstrels thrive on stories, whether those stories are true or not. Your character’s background and motivations are not as important as the stories that he or she tells about them. Perhaps you had a secure and mundane childhood. There’s no good story to be told about that, so you might paint yourself as an orphan raised by a hag in a dismal swamp. Or your childhood might be worthy of a story.
Did you serve an apprenticeship, studying under a master, following the more experienced minstrel until you were ready to strike out on your own? Or did you attend a school where you studied minstrel lore and practiced your music? Perhaps you were a young runaway or orphan, befriended by a wandering minstrel who became your mentor. Or you might have been a spoiled noble child tutored by a master. Perhaps you stumbled into the clutches of a hag, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost?
Archetypes
Choose an archetype, which grants you features.
Bards are artists first and foremost, practicing song, drama, or poetry. Sagas of great heroes are part of a bard’s repertoire, and most bards follow the example of many fables and become skilled in a variety of fields. A bard’s artistic ability, knowledge of lore, and musical talent might are widely respected, particularly among the world’s rulers.
Health
Aptitudes
You are capable with Performance, Streetwise, and six skills, one of which must be Weapons. You cannot be capable with martial weapons and cannot be proficient with any weapon.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
Any simple weapon
A dagger
(a) a diplomat’s pack (b) an entertainer’s pack
any musical instrument
Specialties
The way the minstrel is gregarious. Minstrels seek each other out to swap songs and stories, boast of their accomplishments, and share their knowledge.
Choose a Specialty
Choose a specialty, which grants you features.
Glamorous minstrels have mastered their craft in the vibrant realm of the Feywild or under the tutelage of someone who dwelled there. Tutored by satyrs, eladrin, and other fey, these minstrels learn to delight and captivate others.
Glamorous minstrels are regarded with a mixture of awe and fear. Their performances are the stuff of legend. These minstrels are so eloquent that a speech or song that one of them performs can cause captors to release the minstrels unharmed and can lull a furious dragon into complacency. The same music that allows them to quell beasts can also bend minds. Villainous minstrels can leech off a community for weeks, misusing their music to turn their hosts into thralls. Heroic minstrels instead use this power to gladden the downtrodden and undermine oppressors.
The Bard
| Level | Aptitude Bonus | Features | Developments | Mana | Mana Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | Second Wind, Words of Power | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2nd | +1 | Feat (1), Font of Inspiration (1), Melody, Performance (1/rest) | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 3rd | +1 | Abilities Increase (1), Skilled (1) | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 4th | +1 | Feat (2) | 8 | 6 | 1 |
| 5th | +2 | Font of Inspiration (2), Melody, Skilled (2), Extra Action, Focused Concentration | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| 6th | +2 | Feat (3), Resilient | 12 | 9 | 2 |
| 7th | +2 | Performance (2/rest), Abilities Increase (2), Skilled (3) | 14 | 11 | 2 |
| 8th | +2 | Feat (4) | 16 | 12 | 2 |
| 9th | +3 | Font of Inspiration (3), Skilled (4) | 18 | 14 | 3 |
| 10th | +3 | Feat (5), Resilient | 20 | 15 | 3 |
| 11th | +3 | Abilities Increase (3), Skilled (5) | 22 | 17 | 3 |
| 12th | +3 | Feat (6) | 24 | 18 | 3 |
| 13th | +4 | Font of Inspiration (4), Melody, Skilled (6) | 26 | 20 | 4 |
| 14th | +4 | Feat (7) | 28 | 21 | 4 |
| 15th | +4 | Abilities Increase (4), Skilled (7) | 30 | 23 | 4 |
| 16th | +4 | Feat (8) | 32 | 24 | 4 |
| 17th | +5 | Font of Inspiration (5), Performance (3/rest), Skilled (8), Burst of Inspiration, Crescendo | 34 | 26 | 5 |
| 18th | +5 | Feat (9) | 36 | 27 | 5 |
| 19th | +5 | Abilities Increase (5), Skilled (9) | 38 | 29 | 5 |
| 20th | +5 | Feat (10) | 40 | 30 | 5 |
Features
Second Wind
1stYou have a limited well of energy that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. As an action, you can spend up to half your Health Dice (minimum 1). For each Health Die spent in this way, roll the die and add your Constitution. You can decide to spend an additional Health Die after each roll. You regain health equal to the total.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Words of Power
1stYou draw upon the Words of Creation, weaving them over melodies to inspire allies, demoralize foes, and manipulate minds.
Power source
You can learn spells from themes you know in the Music power source.
Themes
You know one theme of your choice and the Charm theme.
Developments
You gain two developments as shown on the Developments column of the Bard table. A development grants one of the following options:
- Learn two cantrips from themes you know in your power source.
- Learn a new spell from a theme you know in your power source. The spell must cost equal to, or less than, your mana limit. If the spell costs 2 or more mana, you must know a number of feats or spells from the spell’s theme equal to the spell’s mana cost minus 1.
- You can use two developments to learn a new theme. If it is from your power source, you learn a cantrip from it.
When you gain a level, you gain additional developments as shown on the Developments column of the Bard table and you can
- Choose a cantrip you know and replace it with another cantrip from a theme you know. You cannot replace a cantrip if you would then know zero cantrips from that theme.
- Choose a spell that costs 1 or more mana and replace it with another spell that costs 1 or more mana from a theme you know, following the restrictions above.
Starting Spells
You know two cantrips and three spells of your choice from the themes you know.
Mana
The Bard table shows how much mana you have to cast spells. To cast a spell, you must expend mana based on the spell’s cost.
You regain half your total mana when you finish a short rest and all expended mana when you finish a long rest.
Mana Limit
There is a limit on the amount of mana you can spend to cast a spell. The limit is based on your level, as shown on the Mana Limit column of the Bard table.
High mana spells
Spells using 4 or 5 mana are particularly taxing to cast. Once you cast a spell using 4 mana, you can’t cast another spell using 4 mana until you finish a short or long rest and once you cast a spell using 5 mana, you can’t cast another spell using 5 mana until you finish a long rest.
Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your spellssince your pour your heart and soul into your performances. You use your charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. The Performance skill describes how to cast a spell.
A feat represents an area of expertise that gives a character special aptitudes. It embodies training, experience, and abilities beyond what a class provides.
You gain a feat of your choice from the general feats or from a theme you know.
You gain additional feats at 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th level.
When you gain a level, you can choose one of the feats you know and replace it with another feat that you could have learned when the replaced feat was chosen.
You can inspire heroism with your words and music. You can provide inspiration in two different ways:
- As a reaction, which you use when a creature other than you within 10 meters who can see or hear you makes a skill check or a saving throw, you can inspire it. The creature makes the roll with advantage. You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur. If the roll already has advantage or disadvantage, you cannot apply another instance of advantage or disadvantage and you must use this before the roll to cancel out any advantage or disadvantage.
- You can orate or perform soothing music during a short rest to help revitalize your wounded allies. Any friendly creature (including you) who can hear you and who regains health at the end of the short rest regains an extra 1d6 + your Charisma health.
Once you use provide inspiration, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
You can provide inspiration twice between rests starting at 5th level, three times between rests starting at 9th level, four times between rests starting at 13th level, and five times between rests starting at 17th level.
You can play or sing a melody to inspire creatures around you. You start with three Melodies.
Once at the start of your turn, you can start playing or singing a melody you know which lasts for 1 minute or until you play or sing another melody, you stop playing or singing (no action required), or you are incapacitated or otherwise prevented from playing or singing. Melodies affect creatures within 5 meters of you who can hear you.
You learn an additional effect at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level.
Starting at 13th level, creatures within 10 meters are affected by your melodies and you can play or sing an additional melody, combining the melodies into one harmonious melody. You can start multiple melodies at the same time, though you can only switch one melody for another melody at a time
Abating Aria
Each friendly creature (including you) gains a Soak equal to half your Charisma or their Soak increases by half your Charisma.
Avoiding Anthem
Prerequisites: cannot be used with hindering hymn
Each friendly creature (including you) gains a bonus to Defense and Reflex saving throws equal to half your Charisma.
Bellowing Ballad
Each friendly creature (including you) gains a bonus to their damage rolls equal to your Charisma. If the damage applies to multiple targets, the creature dealing the damage chooses one target to deal the damage to.
Demoralizing Dirge
Each hostile creature has a penalty to their Will saving throws equal to half your Charisma.
Echoing Ensemble
Each friendly creature (including you) can use an additional reaction in each round in combat which can only be used to make an opportunity attack.
Hindering Hymn
Prerequisites: cannot be used with avoiding anthem
Each hostile creature has a penalty to skill checks as well as saving throws to maintain concentration equal to half your Charisma.
Immobilizing Inflection
Each hostile creature has its speed reduced by a number of meters equal to half your Charisma, to a minimum of 2 meters.
Leaden Lyric
Prerequisites: cannot be used with precision piece
Each hostile creature has a penalty to Defense and Reflex saving throws equal to half your Charisma.
Mobilizing Measure
Each friendly creature (including you) has its speed increased by a number of meters equal to half your Charisma.
Precision Piece
Prerequisites: cannot be used with leaden lyric
Each friendly creature (including you) has a bonus to their attacks equal to half your Charisma.
Tranquil Trill
Each friendly creature (including you) gains a bonus to Will saving throws equal to half your Charisma and gains temporary health equal to their Aptitude Bonus at the start of each of their turn.
Minstrels develop performances to entertain and amaze through stirring words or music. You start with three Performances.
When you use your Performance, choose which effect to create. You must then finish a short or long rest before using your Performance again.
Some Performance effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect, the Difficulty is 9 + your Aptitude Bonus + your Charisma.
You learn an additional effect at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level. Beginning at 7th level, you can use your Performance twice between rests, and beginning at 17th level, you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses.
Commanding Performance
Prerequisites: You know the charm or fear theme
As two actions, you take on an appearance of unearthly beauty for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. When you use this feature—and once on on each of your turns thereafter as an action—you can produce the effect of a command spell.
Control Sound
Prerequisites: You know the deceit theme
You can produce the effect of the control sound spell
Cursing Strike
Prerequisites: You know the fate theme
You can produce the effect of the cursing strike spell
Cutting Words
Prerequisites: You know the deceit or fear theme
You can produce the effect of the cutting words spell
Danse Macabre
Prerequisites: You know the undeath theme
At the beginning of each of your turns, an undead creature of your choice within 5 meters of you who can hear you must succeed on a Will saving throw or do as you command. A creature whose challenge is more than half your level automatically succeeds on this saving throw. You can specify a simple and general course of action, such as “Attack that creature,” “Run over there,” or “Fetch that object.” If the creature takes damage, the effect immediately ends.
Dissonant Chord
Prerequisites: You know the madness theme
You can produce the effect of the dissonant whispers spell.
Dreadful Strike
Prerequisites: You know the fear theme
You can produce the effect of the dreadful strike spell
Emboldening Performance
Prerequisites: You know the courage theme
As an action, you can use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. When you start the performance you can allow a charmed or frightened creature within 5 meters of you to reroll the saving throw that is causing the condition. During your performance, you and any friendly creatures within 5 meters of you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit. You can maintain the performance as an action, lasting up to 1 minute or until you are incapacitated.
Enthralling Performance
Prerequisites: You know the charm theme
If you perform for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to inspire wonder in your audience by singing, reciting a poem, or dancing. At the end of the performance, choose a number of humanoids within 10 meters of you who watched and listened to all of it, up to a number equal to your Charisma. Each target must succeed on a Will saving throw against your spell save Difficulty or be charmed by you. While charmed in this way, the target idolizes you, it speaks glowingly of you to anyone who talks to it, and it hinders anyone who opposes you, although it avoids violence unless it was already inclined to fight on your behalf. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour, if it takes any damage, if you attack it, or if it witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies.
If a target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to charm it.
Fascinate
Prerequisites: You know the charm theme
You can produce the effect of the hypnotize spell. You can augment it further by expending mana.
Frightful Presence
Prerequisites: You know the fear theme
You can produce the effect of the frightful presence spell
Inspiring Performance
Prerequisites: You know the courage theme
As an action, choose one creature other than yourself within 10 meters of you who can hear you. That creature gains Inspiration. Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can use the Inspiration. As normal, a creature can have only one Inspiration at a time.
Invigorating Chant
Prerequisites: You know the courage theme
As an action, you can cause one creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters of you you to gain temporary health equal to 1d10 + your Charisma and it can immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed, without provoking opportunity attacks.
Luring Song
Prerequisites: You know the charm theme
As two actions, you sing a luring song. Every creature within 100 meters of you that can hear the song must succeed on a Will saving throw or be charmed by you. You can maintain the performance as an action, lasting up to 1 minute or until you are incapacitated.
While charmed in this way, a target is incapacitated and ignores the songs of other creatures. If the charmed creature is more than 1 meter away from you, the target must move on its turn toward you by the most direct route. The creature doesn’t move into obviously dangerous ground, such as a fire or a pit. A creature can repeat the saving throw when it takes damage, someone uses an action to snap them out of it, and at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Majestic Misdirection
Prerequisites: You know the charm, deceit, fate, or luck theme
As an action, you can assume a majestic presence for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. For the duration, whenever any creature tries to attack you for the first time on a turn, the attacker must make a Will saving throw against your spell save Difficulty. On a failure, it can’t attack you on this turn, and it must choose a new target for its attack or the attack is wasted. On a success, it can attack you on this turn.
Serendipity
Prerequisites: You know the luck theme
As a reaction, which you use when you fail a skill check or a saving throw, you can reroll the skill check or saving throw.
Rousing Overture
Prerequisites: You know the courage theme
As a reaction, which you use when you roll initiative, you play an overture that rouses allies, stirring them into action. Each friendly creature (including you) 5 meters can use their reaction to move up to half their speed.
Thunderous Performance
Prerequisites: You know the storm theme
You can produce the effect of the thunderwave spell.
Words of Terror
Prerequisites: You know the fear theme
You learn to infuse innocent-seeming words to inspire terror.
If you speak to a humanoid alone for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to seed paranoia in its mind. At the end of the conversation, the target must succeed on a Will saving throw against your spell save Difficulty or be frightened of you or another creature of your choice. The target is frightened in this way for 1 hour, until it is attacked or damaged, or until it witnesses its allies being attacked or damaged.
If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to frighten it.
Increase two abilities of your choice by 1 and one of your lowest two abilities by 1. If multiple abilities are tied for one of your lowest abilities, you can choose any of them. As normal, you can’t increase an ability above 5 using this feature.
Increase your abilities again at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th level.
Choose a skill to become capable with. At 5th level or higher, you can become proficient if you choose a skill you are already capable with.
At 3rd level you also choose a Weapons skill to improve.
At 5th level you choose four skills to improve instead of one and also choose a Weapons skill to improve.
At 7th level you also choose a Weapons skill to improve.
You cannot be capable with martial weapons and cannot be proficient with any weapon.
Extra Action
5thReminder
There are some limits for what can be done with two actions. See Actions in combat section.
You can use two actions on your turn instead of one.
Focused Concentration
5thIf you fail a saving throw to maintain your concentration on a spell, you can use your reaction to reroll the saving throw.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Choose Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throws to become capable with, or proficient if you are already capable.
Choose another saving throw at 10th level.
Burst of Inspiration
17thWhen you use your Font of Inspiration feature, you can allow creatures of your choice within 5 meters of the creature to gain 1 Inspiration which lasts until the end of their next turn.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Crescendo
17thWhen you start playing or singing a melody you can start all of the melodies you know.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.