Crawl! New Class Challenge! Brainstorm (and class proposals)

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bizarrojoe
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Re: Crawl! New Class Challenge! Brainstorm (and class propos

Post by bizarrojoe »

Some brainstorms on bards:

Skillful Performances: Like Mighty Deeds, bards can use a spearate performance die to enhance skill checks realted to personality. Prior to making the skill check, the PC would declare the effect they wish to invoke: boosting morale, taunting an adversary, intimidating foes, seduction, bluffing, negotiating, calming, or entertaining. A successful performance would result in an extraordinary effect, which would be agreed upon by the Judge just like with Mighty Deeds. The performance die could also be applied to combat: After a successful attack, the bard can make a secondary skill check to see if they can intimidate, scare, or otherwise negatively affect their enemy's ability to fight effectively. Conversely, fumbling on such performance rolls can result in opposite effects. Just imagine what would happen with a fumbled bluff or seduction attempt!

Illusion Spells: Bards, at 2nd level, begin to tap into the arcane forces around them to enhance their abilities. All of these spells require spell checks, are modified by performance, and are subject to corruption and misfire just like with Wizards. Some spell ideas:
2nd Level: Magical Mystery Tour - same idea as rolling the performance die, but with much more powerful results (greater number of people affected, longer lasting effects, etc). At this level, bards don't necessarily understand how magic works, but they know that they can feel something that they can channel into their creativity.
3rd Level: Invisibility, Perceive Reality (detect magic, detect illusion, detect invisibility, etc), Phantasm (create basic non-corporeal illusions). The idea here is that bards begin to understand the magical forces around them.
4th Level: Alter Self, Bend Reality (teleportation, telekinesis), Warp Mind (hypnotize, charm, affect memory). At this level, bards can do more than see the veil between thought and reality; they can manipulate it as well.
5th Level: Break Will, Dream Walk, Manifest Thought. Bards at this level can mix fantasy and reality; to them their stories are as real as those that they are shared with.

Personality Burn: Bards can burn personality and luck. However, personality can recharge at the same rate that luck recharges for halflings or thieves.
Spell Burn: Bards can burn personality, strength, stamina, or agility to enhance spell checks. However, they can only choose a maximum of two, and performance must be one of them. Stats recharge just as with Wizards. I'm not sure if this is overkill, but the idea I had is that Bards would put a great deal of physicality into their performance to make sure it works spectacularly.

Anyway, that's all I have for now. Your ideas are welcome!
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beermotor
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Re: Crawl! New Class Challenge! Brainstorm (and class propos

Post by beermotor »

Am I the only person who hates bards? Original 1e AD&D bards were ridiculous, and 3e just made them worse, f/m-u/t generalists with tons of skills. I'm not particularly well versed in Appendix N literature, but are there any such bards present in those books?

When I think of a bard, I think of the viking skald, i.e., just a dude who happens to write poetry, most likely about swinging his sword.
bizarrojoe
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Re: Crawl! New Class Challenge! Brainstorm (and class propos

Post by bizarrojoe »

beermotor wrote:Am I the only person who hates bards? Original 1e AD&D bards were ridiculous, and 3e just made them worse, f/m-u/t generalists with tons of skills. I'm not particularly well versed in Appendix N literature, but are there any such bards present in those books?

When I think of a bard, I think of the viking skald, i.e., just a dude who happens to write poetry, most likely about swinging his sword.
LOL I don't know why I love bards. I think it has something to do with me really enjoying Bard's Tale on the PC as a kid. Plus I played a high-level bard in a 4e campaign not too long ago, and I found him to be really fun to game with. I put everything I had into boosting his Diplomacy skill, and there was nothing he couldn't talk his way out of!

But it's a good question whether there are Appendix N sources out there that actually include the bard. I agree that most systems don't implement them too well. Personally, I like the idea of a class that represents the storyteller, the entertainer, the non-violent adventuring thrill-seeker. So my designs for adapting the bard for DCC focus on the use of imagination and performance skills.
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sheriffharry
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Re: Crawl! New Class Challenge! Brainstorm (and class propos

Post by sheriffharry »

My Gnome is ready!! (600 words, I guess that's about right, right?)

Is the class-selection poll coming ??

:mrgreen:
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reverenddak
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Re: Crawl! New Class Challenge! Brainstorm (and class propos

Post by reverenddak »

sheriffharry wrote:My Gnome is ready!! (600 words, I guess that's about right, right?)

Is the class-selection poll coming ??

:mrgreen:
Yes! Possibly today...
Reverend Dakota Jesus Ultimak, S.S.M.o.t.S.M.S., D.M.

(Dungeon) Master In Chief of Crawl! fanzine. - http://www.crawlfanzine.com/

"[...] there is no doubt that Dungeons and Dragons and its imitators are right out of the pit of hell." - William Schnoebelen, Straight talk on Dungeons & Dragons
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reverenddak
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Re: Crawl! New Class Challenge! Brainstorm (and class propos

Post by reverenddak »

Reverend Dakota Jesus Ultimak, S.S.M.o.t.S.M.S., D.M.

(Dungeon) Master In Chief of Crawl! fanzine. - http://www.crawlfanzine.com/

"[...] there is no doubt that Dungeons and Dragons and its imitators are right out of the pit of hell." - William Schnoebelen, Straight talk on Dungeons & Dragons
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