Dungeon Fantasy Bards have a little of that “jack of all trades” vibe from certain editions of D&D. They have a bit of the thief’s sneakiness, the wizard’s magic, and the swashbuckler’s fencing. However their real strength lies elsewhere. They have special insight into a mystery that eludes most other delvers. In other words, they have social skills. And more seriously, they also have access to the powers of Bard-Song.

Bards excel in campaigns that involve heavy doses of social interaction, whether it happens in the city or inside the dungeon. In more combat-centered campaigns, they can still pull their weight against enemies with minds vulnerable to their magic, and they help immensely when selling loot back in town.

I feel this template lets bards be a little more distinct from each other than they are in D&D. You can still play a fop with poofy sleeves, a fancy feathered hat, a smallsword, and a lute, but it takes relatively few changes to move away from that.

Basic Stats

The default statline for bards is ST 11, DX 12, IQ 14, HT 11, which clearly marks them as brainy sorts. Their Basic Speed is increased to 6.00 but the secondary stats are otherwise untouched.

Advantages

Charisma is not a stat in Dungeon Fantasy, but rather just one of a large set of advantages and disadvantages that affect your social reaction modifiers. All bards start with one level of Charisma and the Voice advantage, both of which enhance social skills and give them reaction bonuses in most instances of personal interaction.

They also have two levels of Bardic Talent, the bard spellcasting trait. That lets them use a subset of wizard spells (from the Communication/Empathy, Mind Control, and Sound colleges). It’s also a prerequisite for Bard-Song powers.

They have a further 60 points to spend on customizable advantages, which include the usual stat increases plus stuff in the following categories:

  • More magic power! This means extra Bardic Talent and an Energy Reserve to help them power spells. This point pool can also be spend on any Bard-Song powers listed with the template.

  • More social power! There are more social buffs beyond Charisma and Voice, and many of them are in this list. Including, yes, a prettier physical appearance.

  • More music power! A small set of advantages that make you a better musician or performer. This makes you better at using some Bard-Song powers and can also help in social situations.

Disadvantages

There are two separate lists to choose from. The first demands you choose -15 points and contains traits that represent being some sort of extreme extrovert. You’re not just good at social interaction, you crave it. Lecherousness is in this list, for those who think bards need to be horny.

The second list asks you to choose -35 points of traits that make you a flighty and capricious creature. Are you a compulsive teller of tall tales? Do you have an actual addiction to tricking enemies in amusing ways? Or are you the sort of person whose plans are never more complex than “chaaaarge!!!”?

Skills

You favor fencing when you fight. Skill packages let you have Skill 15 with a fencing sword, or Skill 14 with that weapon and then skill 14 with either a shield, an off-hand dagger, or a cloak.

You get one ranged skill as well, either Bow or something for throwing knives or grenades.

Your standard non-combat skill package includes a lot of social skills, plus singing, one musical instrument skill of your choice, and musical composition. Your optional background skills include some rogue stuff and more situational social and adventuring skills.

Spells

You get to pick 15 wizardly spells from the Communication and Empathy, Mind Control, or Sound colleges. Your Power Talent is Bardic Talent, and its default level means your spells will start out at level 14 or 13 depending on their difficulty.

Your bard spells are considered wizardly, and you learn them as if you were a wizard. This means you must respect prerequisite chains, and your spellcasting is sensitive to local mana levels. If one of the prereq spells is outside of these colleges, you must learn it but can’t cast it. As an additional requirement, you must be able to sing to cast spells with Bardic Talent. Don’t let then silence you!

Special Bard Traits

The same Bardic Talent advantage acts as pre-requisite for Bard-Song abilities, and adds its level to any rolls required by those powers. It also boosts your Musical Composition, Singing, and Musical Instrument skills.

Bard-Song abilities have the same limitations as wizard magic: they require mana to work, they’re affected by Magic Resistance, and they can be dispelled. You also must be able to sing or play an instrument to use them, like for your spells. However unlike spells they don’t cost Fatigue Points, so you can use them as often as you like.

  • Song of Command (35 points): Win a contest of your IQ vs. your target’s Will, and you can control their mind for as long as you keep singing or playing an instrument.

  • Song of Echoes (14 points): It’s an active sonar! Use your Hearing roll to perceive your surroundings through darkness or fog, or to spot invisible enemies.

  • Song of Humiliation (4 points): This game’s equivalent of Vicious Mockery. Roll a contest of your Singing vs. the target’s Will, and if you win they’re mentally stunned! That makes it a lot easier for you or someone else to land a hit on them, and prevents them from taking action until they recover. Even better, this is a free action!

    This power only works in people who are “vulnerable to insults”, i.e, who are sapient, can understand the bard, and are not immune to mental effects. It also can only be attempted once per victim per combat. When it works it’s wonderful, however, and it’s so cheap most bards should take it.

  • Song of Sending (21 points): Lets you transmit messages over extremely long distances as if you were whispering into your recipient’s ear.

  • Song of Terror (21 points): Everyone who hears this (in combat, everyone within 16 yards) must make a Fright Check. This is the game’s “fear” roll. Failing causes mental stunning and might have nastier consequences for those who fail really badly. Note that it’s not selective, so your buddies who are not immune to fear should plug their ears.

  • Song of the Wild (18 points): The Disney Princess song. While you play it, you can communicate with animals, who answer you back in song as well. A good investment for bards heading into the wilderness, or for canny spymasters who know pigeons and rats and spiders have a lot to say.

Customization Notes

Despite the “jack of all trades” vibe, the book recommends picking a specialty and focusing on it. The suggested ones are Bard-Song powers, spellcasting, or mundane social skills. Bards are not completely useless at physical combat or stealth, but they still work best as supporting cast for those activities.

Bards are one of the classes who might have a use for spending quirk points on extra starting cash, as their chosen weapon is a sword and they might also want a nice musical instrument. However, this isn’t mandatory, as there are some cheaper alternatives for both types of item. A thrifty bard can fence with a cane and use their voice as their instrument, casting spells a capella.

Example Bard

Back in 2017 I statted up Lem iconic Pathfinder Bard for the DFRPG here. My inexperience shows a bit in that I didn’t take Song of Humiliation for him. You’re also getting a preview of the Halfling stats in his character sheet.