In this post I continue to write up the Pathfinder iconic chracters for use in the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game. Links to all of them will appear in the project page, which also contains links to the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy versions. Also, I wish the names of the two versions were a bit less similar.

Our second subject is Lem the Bard. Here he is:

By Wayne Reynolds, Copyright 2008 Paizo Publishing

You can find his full bio here, and his original Pathfinder stats can be found here. From looking at them we can see the following:

  • Lem was born a slave in the devil-worshipping nation of Cheliax. He escaped in a rather fiery fashion.

  • He hates slavery and slavers, and tends to side with the underdog in most conflicts.

  • Lem has a sling and a shortsword, both sized for a halfling, but prefers to use his magic in a fight. He mostly uses his bard song to bolster his allies, and targets particularly tough foes with hindering spells to make them easier to take down.

Here’s what he looks like in the DFRPG rules:

Lem, 250-point Halfling Bard

ST 8 {-20}1; DX 13 {60}; IQ 14 {80}; HT 12 {20}1

Damage 1d-3/1d-2; BL 6.4kg; HP 10 {4}1; Will 14 {0}; Per 14 {0}; FP 12 {0}; Basic Speed 6 {-5}; Basic Move 5 {-5}1; SM -2.

Advantages

  • Bardic Talent 4 {40}
  • Charisma 2 {10}
  • Halfling Marksmanship 2 {10}1
  • Honest Face {1}1
  • Silence 2 {10}1
  • Song of Echoes {14}
  • Song of Terror {21}
  • Voice {10}

Disadvantages

  • Charitable (12) {-15}
  • Chummy {-5}
  • Gluttony (12) {-5}1
  • Impulsiveness (12) {-10}
  • Intolerance (Slavers) {-5}
  • Kleptomania (12) {-15}1
  • Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) {-5}

Skills

  • Acrobatics (H) DX-2 {1} - 11
  • Acting (A) IQ {2} - 14
  • Carousing (E) HT {1} - 12
  • Climbing (A) DX-1 {1} - 12
  • Current Affairs (E) IQ {1} - 14
  • Detect Lies (H) IQ-2 {1} - 12
  • Diplomacy (H) IQ {1}2 - 14
  • Fast-Draw (Sword) (E) DX {1} - 13
  • Fast-Talk (A) IQ+1 {1}2 - 15
  • First Aid (E) IQ {1} - 14
  • Gesture (E) IQ {1} - 14
  • Heraldry (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
  • Interrogation (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
  • Intimidation (A) Will-1 {1} - 13
  • Merchant (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
  • Musical Composition (H) IQ+2 {1}3 - 16
  • Musical Instrument (Flute) (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
  • Observation (A) Per-1 {1} - 13
  • Performance (A) IQ+1 {1}2 - 15
  • Poetry (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
  • Propaganda (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
  • Public Speaking (A) IQ+3 {1}24 - 17
  • Savoir-Faire (E) IQ {1} - 14
  • Scrounging (E) Per {1} - 14
  • Shortsword (A) DX+2 {8} - 15
  • Singing (E) HT+4 {1}23 - 16
  • Sling (H) DX+1 {2}5 - 14
  • Stealth (A) DX {2} - 13
  • Streetwise (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
  • Throwing (A) DX+2 {2}5 - 15

Spells

All get +3 from Bardic Talent

  • Communication and Empathy:
    • Borrow Language (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Borrow Skill (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Compel Truth (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Lend Language (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Lend Skill (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Mind Reading (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Mind-Sending (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Persuasion (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Sense Emotion (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Sense Foes (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Truthsayer (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
  • Mind Control:
    • Bravery (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Daze (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Fear (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Foolishness (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Loyalty (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Mass Daze (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Mass Sleep (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Sleep (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16

Equipment

$867.0, 9.78kg. Light Encumbrance.

  • Clothing [Torso, Limbs]: $50, 1kg.
  • Shortsword [Torso]: Provides 4 FP as a power item. Reach 1; Damage 1d-2 cut or imp. $400, 1kg.
  • Sling [Torso]: Acc 0; Range 48/80; Damage 1d-2 pi. $20, 0.25kg.
  • Small Pouch [Torso]: Holds 1.5kg. $10, 0.1kg.
  • 8 x Sling Bullets [Pouch]: $8, 0.25kg.
  • 3 x Nageteppo, Smoke [Pouch]: $120, 0.3kg.
  • Personal Basics [Pouch]: $5, 0.5kg.
  • Flute [Torso]: $40, 0.5kg.
  • Backpack, Small [Torso]: Holds 20kg of gear. $60, 1.5kg;
  • Blanket [Backpack]: $20, 2kg.
  • Lantern [Backpack]: 2m radius, burns for 24 hours on a full charge. $20, 1kg.
  • Oil, 500ml [Backpack]: Good for 1 lantern charge. $20, 1kg.
  • 2x Rations [Backpack]: $4, 0.5kg.
  • Scroll Belt [Backpack]: Holds up to 20 scrolls and protects them from the elements. $75, 0.5kg.
  • Rope, 1cm, 10m [Backpack]: Supports 150kg. $5, 0.75kg.
  • Wineskin [Backpack]: Holds 4L of liquid. $10, 0.125kg.
  • $133 in coin.

Design Notes

I find that this new iteration of Lem doesn’t match the original d20 stats quite as closely as the first one, despite still being a very serviceable DFRPG bard. Let’s take a look at what changed to see why.

Changes from the First Iteration

You can see the original version here. As I said above, this iteration is a bit less faithful to the d20 stats than the first, and the main reason for this is that the Alarum song is not in the DFRPG. That’s the song that bolsters your allies in combat, matching the effect of the basic d20 Bard Song power. In its place, he gets the Song of Terror and the Song of Echoes. This means that his general tactics stay the same, but now he focuses on scaring away his enemies rather than strengthening his allies.

There are several other changes, but they’re more beneficial. Lem now has a few more skills, and his musical skills in particular are higher because the Musical Ability advantage has been rolled into Bardic Talent. His Terror spell was removed because the Terror Song already does the same thing a bit better.

The other big change here is in his equipment. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy had detailed rules for under-sized gear to fit smaller races, and those are absent from the DFRPG. This means that all of Lem’s gear is human-sized or, in the case of his clothing, has the same cost and weight as the human sized version.

The good news is that his weapons do the more damage, though since he still has ST 8 his songs and spells are still a better option. The bad news is that he’s carrying a lot more weight and is at Light Encumbrance by default. And since even basic enchantments cost a lot more, he loses the Fortify enchantment in his clothes.

  1. Part of or modified by Halfling racial template. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  2. +2 from Voice ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. +4 from Bardic Talent ↩ ↩2

  4. +2 from Charisma ↩

  5. +2 from Halfling Marksmanship ↩ ↩2