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ReplyWhat I thought would be interested would be to survey Bards and see to the extent these archetypes resonant with current players.
Source: Bardic Life (https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Bardic_Life_(book))
Archetypes:
| The Historian |
| History is this Bard's life. She has studied it extensively, but most importantly, she will tell you about it; either through her storytelling or through her songs. This Bard's work is rich in Elanthian history, and therefore plays a vital role in our society. Listeners can't help but learn a bit more about the world they reside in after she's taken her bow. |
| The Warrior |
| This Bard is wise in the way of battle. Many people believe that Bards know nothing about fighting and such, but little do they know that all Bards have a bit of the Warrior in them. Fraught with a violent history, Bards have learned the ways of weapons in order to save themselves from persecution; the Warrior Bard takes this a step further and thrives on it. When she does stop hunting long enough for an ale and a song or two, her music is ripe with tales of battle, and the heroes that war has made. |
| The Jester |
| The Jester lives to entertain his audiences, whether it's by telling jokes, singing a bawdy tune or performing backflips for his audience. He can't resist making a joke out of everyday occurrences, and will make up ditties on the spot in order to coax a smile or three from the people around him. Although not cruel in nature, almost nothing is too sacred for a humorous twist for this Bard. |
| The Romantic |
| Songs of lost love, unrequited love, first love or any other kind of love pour forth from this Bard. Anything that has to do with the affairs of the heart can be the Romantic Bard's subject. Often called upon to sing and perform at weddings because of the poignant nature of their work, they are also popular at the local taverns, where sad songs and ale go hand in hand. They tend to be sensitive in nature, only hunting when required and spending most of their time perfecting their craft. |
| The Wanderer |
| The Wanderer is the explorer of the Bards. Always restless, he is uncomfortable with staying in one place for any length of time. Quick to follow the urge to move on, he tends to spend a lot of time alone unless he can find someone who shares his wanderlust and is willing to leave for the next town on the spur of the moment. The Wanderer's performances are filled with the wonders of nature and the lay of the lands. He will often sing odes to the cities he has visited, or perhaps his favorite tavern. He may tell stories of why the river runs or of how the mountains came to be... but all are sure to entertain his audience. |
| The Performer |
| Although most Bards perform (such is the way of a Bard) the Performer relishes the opportunity to do so. Great thought and care are given to the presentation and content of her performance, all geared towards the enjoyment of her audience. In fact, this Bard rarely needs a formal stage -- she gives performances as a matter of course in her daily life. Usually melodramatic in nature and always entertaining, the Performer lives to be the center of attention. |
| The Connoisseur |
| This Bard is the jack of all trades of Bards. Drawing from all the other aspects, the Connoisseur can be heard telling the history of the Guild, hunting with zest, singing an amusing tune or two, crooning a love song, roaming the countryside or just giving her all in a performance. Although not with the depth that can be found in those that have chosen to concentrate on a single aspect of the Bardic life. This Bard is happy knowing a little of a lot of things, never really specializing her talents in any one direction. |
Says something about early roleplaying of Bards that Jester, Romantic, and Performer are split out.
Source: Remembering the Bardic Voice, Volume I (https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Remembering_the_Bardic_Voice,_Volume_I_(book))
Hey, what would it take to get another volume of this? We only have the first and fourth released.
I'm cutting this down for space.
| The Dancing of The Flames |
| Aptly called The Dancing of the Flames, this is a much more perilous tradition than the mere lighting of a candle. After several people were seriously burned by falling amongst the burning oil lanterns, towns that practice this celebration required that the 'Dancer' be a Guilded Bard or Gypsy trained in the ways of dancing. Very few have been burned since these regulations came to pass, since both group's inherent gifts and training lent them a nimbleness that few others possess. |
This seems cool but I've never seen much of an in-game reference to it beyond the Volume. Is this ever performed in-game? Are there other holidays and ceremonies where Bards play a role? Festival items that mention The Dancing of the Flames?
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Story Circles
Bardic participation in story circles is not an essential requirement, but one that almost universally accepted without question. Having learned the old ballads from their fellow guild members, we can always be counted upon to provide another story or epic even into the early hours before dawn breaks upon a weary group of revelers. Always welcome are our new tales from foreign lands, and our seemingly never-ending supply of exotic drinks that some bring with them to these gatherings.
Keep in mind, however, that traditional tales can vary from town to town, valley to valley. Names get misspelled, switched, places forgotten and substituted for others, and often parts are misunderstood. It is the responsibility of the Bard in these instances to provide the 'true tale,' the one closest to the events that had originally taken place and was preserved in the Bardic lore. This isn't always greeted with enthusiasm, but rare is the group that doesn't listen in with curiosity when a Bard says, 'This is what really took place.'
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Roleplaying as a part of performance. I think some race groups meeting involve this, the Rakash used to when I participated.
Source: Remembering the Bardic Voice, Volume IV (https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Remembering_the_Bardic_Voice,_Volume_IV_(book))
This one had some odd ones ...
| Standard Bearing |
| The standard bearers of an army do just what the title describes -- they bear the pennants, flags and standards for the ruler or cause that they represent. More than this, they also are responsible for improving and holding high the morale of their comrades in arms. To this end I have heard, even sung on occasion, stirring renditions of national anthems, battle hymns, and even one or two rousing rounds of "The Tavernkeep and His Lady" to keep the laughter flowing among the squads. Well into the night while the camp prepares for a scant few hours of rest one can usually find a bard or two instilling some much-needed confidence into the troops. |
| However, the role of a bardic standard bearer is not one limited to boosting soldier morale during the late hours of night. The bard must continue to do so even during the long days of battle, rousing the troops not only with song and ballad but with magic as well. The simplest of enchantes, when raising the strength of an entire army, can turn the tide of a war. However, this power must be tempered with wisdom as well. Should the bards of opposing armies not use their full repertoire of enchantes and instead sing the most aggressive ones at their disposal, the results can be cataclysmic. In this manner the infamous "Rage of the Clans" gained its name, for in the midst of a clan war armed with bards on both sides, such bloodshed was seen that was unheard of for centuries before. There were no winners in that battle, so total was the loss to both lands. Perhaps a better name for it might have been "Blood of the Clans," for that is one that it truly earned. |
This seemed to be trying to take the idea of Bards as a support-role and scaling it up for an entire army and thinking about what role that would look like.
| Herbalist |
| Without the empathic gifts of a guilded healer, one must rely on knowledge and skill in their stead. Seek out the extensive libraries inside each of your guildhalls or, whenever possible, those of your kindred who have already devoted their time to the alchemical arts. From these people and tomes you can learn ways to heal wounds in ways that may rival the speed of empathic healers, and do not depend on one's own strength and endurance to work. Such tinctures and salves made in this manner may also be passed on to others, and a single jar can save the wounds of many from infection, rather than one. |
| This is not to say that a bard's magic can be of no help when they seek to aid another. For the steadfast herbalist the simplest of Lilt's can be used to speed an entire infirmary on its way to recovery, easing the pain of wounds to the point where the patient's own relaxed posture can better aid their own healing. Such work is tireless and thankless, and the sight of so many wounds has driven many a stir-crazy bard to abandon their playing in favor of attempting to tend to the wounds on their own, but this is folly. A simple set of bones in one hand, and a bottle of healing unguent in the other can work wonders if the bard has the patience to utilize them. |
More of a stretch. We have one healing spell, but we're weak on healing in magic by design. We're survival tertiary so the Outdoorsmanship for foraging isn't a focus. Sure Alchemy is a Lore skill but Empaths, even outside of magic, have always been presented as the herbalists, alchemists, etc. Just an odd one.
So in summary:
* Lore, Non-Performance *
The Historian
* Lore, Performance *
The Jester
The Romantic
The Performer
Dancing of the Flames
Story Circles
* Combat *
The Warrior
The Standard Bearer
* Other *
The Wanderer
The Connoisseur
The Herbalist
Here are some areas I think are missing:
The Luthier/Craftsman (Instrument making, this being on hold until the crafting system gets here, if ever.)
The Courtier (Some sort of combination of linguistics, historian, spy, etc. Not sure if this really fits, but seems like something throwing out as an idea.)
Others that I'm less sure how to define:
The Wanderer + The Historian: The Geographer? The Explorer? (Thinking the Cartographer title?)
Bardic manipulation of Air and Water: The Navigator?
The Art Historian/Art Critic (Borrowing from Raven's Court and the titles)
Some sort of Archaeologist, Curator (Borrowing from the titles, since these are Lore-focused professions).
The Standard Bearer is a neat way to put a Bardic spin on battle and combat. Are there other ideas?
Here's a challenge. Take away Tactics, where the the idea of a Battle Bard is defined, and Performance, which is clearly a relevant Bard skill, and Crafting, which has a link to instrument creation and makes sense, are there aspects to Appraisal and Scholarship that introduce archetypes for Bards? Either existing systems or things that could fit through roleplaying?
