SagaBorn 1.5 Stats

Hit Die: d6

Class Abilities: INT, CHA

For some individuals with the talent, music and song become powerful and innately magical. These spellsingers can affect minds, summon “spirits,” and in special places, even pierce the veil between Atheles and the Navirim. Their songs can put both the performer and an audience into a magical state of mind. 

Bards do not have to carry around spellbooks or memorize spells like luminar mages do. In Atheles, it is said the world was sung into existence: music is creation, and creation is music. A bard simply taps into this process of creation on a smaller scale. 

Bards are particularly potent at hypnotic sorts of magic—the sorts of things that work on the perceptions of others. Skilled bards spend a lifetime studying the audience and intuitively learning the various psychologies of people. Most bards begin as minstrels, finding it easiest to tap into their magic while playing an instrument and singing. As their power grows, some have been known to cast magic over a crowd with just a story, a whistled tune, a dance, or even by performing a role. It is said that in times of old, with years of experience and practice, some great bards could even put themselves into a magical, creative, state of mind without actually performing out loud.

Starting Spells known at level 1
Spells	2

Bard Level	Mana per Day
1st	0
2nd	0
3rd	1
4th	2
5th	6
6th	9
7th	11
8th	14

 

Mana Pool Table 2: Mana Bonus (Based on INT vs. Spellcaster Level)

INT Score	Level of Spellcaster
	1-2	3-4	5-6	7-8
+1	1	1	1	1
+2	1	4	4	4
+3	1	4	9	9
+4	1	4	9	16
+5	2	5	10	17
+6	2	8	13	20

For more on Mana and Magic, please see the chapter on Magic.

 

Level	Base Attack Bonus (BAB)	Class Bonus	Spell Memory	Bard Base Mana	Level Bonus*
1st	+1	Bardic Knowledge, Elemental Type,  Elemental Focus, Energy Burst, Perform Talent, Spell Memory, Spell Sight, Starting Spells	4	0	Starting HD (Max), 1st Legacy Item, 10 Skill Points, 2 Talent Points
2nd	+2	+1 to Touch AC vs Spells, Mage Lore	6	0	+1 HD, +1 HP, +1 Skill
3rd	+3	1 Talent Point	8	1	+1 HD, +1 Skill, 1 Talent
4th	+4	+1 to Touch AC vs Spells, Survival +2, Soothing Song	10	2	+1 HD, 2nd Legacy Item, +1 Ability, +1 Skill
5th	+5	1 Talent Point	12	6	+1 HD, +1 Skill
6th	+6	+1 to Touch AC vs Spells, Hymn of Horror	13	9	+1 HD, +1 Skill, 1 Talent Point
7th	+7	1 Talent Point	16	11	+1 HD, +1 Skill, 3rd Legacy Item
8th	+8	+1 to Touch AC vs Spells, Inspire Greatness	17	14	+1 HD, +1 Skill, 1 Talent Point, +1 Ability

*Level dependent, not class dependent. These skills are completely independent of Class Feature.

 

Level 1

Bardic Knowledge: A bard adds their Bard Class Level to all Knowledge checks.

Elemental Type: A bard chooses one type of energy that they can infuse into elemental spells. They choose from: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, Electricity

Elemental Focus: Elemental focus is a magical ability that targets an object to become a bonded focus between the spellcaster and the element. It takes a free action to cast and the target must be an object touched. Element focus counts as a spell for detection, dispels, and other abilities; but does not count against a bard or wylder’s spell memory.

The spellcaster pulls energy from themselves to create a focus for elemental magic. While natural elements may be available, elemental focuses allow for a spellcaster to bond with the element and allow for it to be shaped into spells. Effects to the body due to creating the foci have no detriment to the spellcasters, instead just describing how it feels to create them. A spellcaster can only have 1 focus active per 2 spellcaster levels. 

Fire

Focus: a burnable item or a piece of metal

The spellcasters body cools as they transfer heat into the focus item, their body dropping a few degrees for 10 minutes. Flammable items burst into flame while metal becomes hot for the duration of the spell. Flammable objects burn the standard amount of time and metal stays hot for 1 hour per spellcaster level.

Water

Focus: A jar or small container

The spellcaster fills a vessel with spit, sweat, or blood to create a focus causing them to feel dehydrated for 10 minutes. The water focus lasts for 1 hour per caster level.

Water (Ice)

Focus A metal bar

The spellcaster’s body warms as they transfer heat from the focus item, their body rising a few degrees for 10 minutes. The ice focus lasts 1 hour per level.

Air

Focus: A jar or container

The spellcaster exhales air into a vessel as a focus. This causes them to be short of breath for 10 minutes. The air focus lasts for 1 hour per caster level.

Electricity

Focus: A copper wire bound upon itself creating a twisted loop

The spellcaster imbues the wire with electricity from their body causing their heart to skip beats for the next 10 minutes. The electrical focus lasts 1 hour per caster level.

Earth 

Focus: A jar or container filled with soil, or a rock, stone, or gem.

The spellcaster imbues the earth with part of themselves, which may be saliva, breath, blood, or spirit. The spellcaster feels numb for 10 minutes after imbuing the focus.The earth focus lasts 1 hour per spellcaster level.

Energy Burst: The bard fires a small orb of energy (caster’s focus) at the target. They must succeed on a magic attack to hit the target. The orb deals 1d4 +1 points of chosen energy damage (Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, Electricity – requires active elemental focus). This ability gains in power and adds 1d4 +1 damage per 2 caster levels. Range 40 ft.

Perform Talent: The Bard is skilled in poetry and song, history and verse, and can play at least one musical instrument. The Bard can use the Persuasion skill to distract, encourage, or enchant others. Each round the Bard may use a Heroic Action (if resisted Persuasion vs Awareness) to grant a +2 or -2 to one d20 roll of an affected creature.

Spell Memory: Unable to record spells in a spellbook, wylders are limited to a number of spells they can know at a given time. This is based on class, level, and ability modifier. A wylder can commit a number of spells to memory equal to their Spell Memory Allotment for a given spell level plus their primary ability modifier modifier. 

Spell Memory Allotment

Bard Level	Allowed Spells in Memory
		1	4
2	6
3	8
4	10
5	12
6	13
7	16
8	17

Spell Sight: A bard can use Spell Sight to memorize a spell that they hear or witness being cast. It is detailed further in the chapter on Magic.

Starting Spells: A bard gets started spells according to the Starting Spell Chart.

Level 2

Mage Lore: Roll 2d20 when making a Knowledge or Spellcraft check to know about magical history, lore, or effects.

Level 4

Soothing Song: A bard can heal all those who hear their performance, for 1d8+4 HP, by performing for one uninterrupted hour. If interrupted, the spellsong fails, but the bard can continue to attempt the spellsong until successful.

Level 6

Hymn of Horror: Bards can use their performance to foster a sense of growing dread in their enemies, causing them to become Shaken. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30’ and able to see and hear the bard’s performance. The effect persists for as long as the enemy is within 30’ and the bard continues their performance. This performance cannot cause a creature to become Frightened or Panicked, even if the targets are already Shaken from another effect. Hymn of Horror is a mind-affecting fear effect, and it relies on audible and visual components.

Level 8

Inspire Greatness: Bard inspires greatness in a single target (self or other) within 30’. Move action to start, free action each round to maintain. Effect lasts 5 rounds after Bard stops singing. Target gains 2d20 on Attack Rolls and +1d8 Damage on a successful hit.

Sagaborn 1.0 Stats

Hit Die: d8

Class Abilities: DEX, CHA

For some individuals with the talent, music and song become powerful and innately magical. These spellsingers can affect minds, summon “spirits,” and in special places, even pierce the veil between Atheles and the Navirim. Their songs can put both the performer and an audience into a magical state of mind.

Bards do not have to carry around spellbooks or memorize spells like luminar mages do. In Atheles, it is said the world was sung into existence: music is creation, and creation is music. A bard simply taps into this process of creation on a smaller scale.

Bards are particularly potent at hypnotic sorts of magic—the sorts of things that work on the perceptions of others. Skilled bards spend a lifetime studying the audience and intuitively learning the various psychologies of people. Most bards begin as minstrels, finding it easiest to tap into their magic while playing an instrument and singing. As their power grows, some have been known to cast magic over a crowd with just a story, a whistled tune, a dance, or even by performing a role. It is said that in times of old, with years of experience and practice, some great bards could even put themselves into a magical, creative, state of mind without actually performing out loud.

 

Level	Base Attack Bonus (BAB)	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Class Feature	Level Bonus*
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Bardic Knowledge, Perform Talent, Bardic Music: Countersong, Fascinate (1 person), Distract, Inspire Courage (+1)	1st Legacy Item, 10 Skill Points to start, 2 Talent Points
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Spell Sight	+1 HP, +1 Skill Point
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Soothing Song once per day,	Resistance +1, +1 Skill Point, 1 Talent Point
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Fascinate (2 people)	+1 Ability Point, +1 Skill Point, 2nd Legacy Item
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Inspire Courage (+2)	Natural Armor +1, +1 Skill Point
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Suggestion	Resistance +2, +1 Skill Point, 1 Talent Point
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Fascinate (3 people)	Natural Armor +1, +1 Skill Point, 3rd Legacy Item
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+6	Hymn of Horror, Inspire Greatness	+1 Ability Point, +1 Skill Point, 1 Talent Point

*Level dependent, not class dependent. These skills are completely independent of Class Feature.

 

Starting Spells known at level 1
0 Mana Spells	2

 

Spell Memory Allotment

Bard Level	Allowed Spells in Memory
		1	4
2	6
3	8
4	10
5	12
6	13
7	16
8	17

 

Bard Level	Mana per Day
1st	0
2nd	0
3rd	1
4th	2
5th	6
6th	9
7th	11
8th	14

 

Bardic Knowledge: A bard can make a special bardic knowledge check with a bonus equal to their bard level + Intelligence modifier to see whether they know some relevant information about local notable people, legendary items, or noteworthy places. (If the bard has 3 or more ranks in Knowledge, they gain a +2 bonus on this check.)

 

A successful bardic knowledge check will not reveal the powers of a magic item but might give a hint as to its general function. A bard cannot take 10 or take 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random.

 

DC	Type of Knowledge
10	Common, known by at least a substantial minority of the local population.
20	Uncommon but available, known by only a few people.
25	Obscure, known by few, hard to come by.
30	Extremely obscure, known by very few, possibly forgotten by most who once knew it, possibly known only by those who don’t understand the significance of the knowledge.

 

Perform Talent: Bards automatically get the Perform talent.

 

Bardic Music:

 

Once per day per bard level, bards can perform songs or poetics to produce magical effects on those around them (usually including themselves, if desired). While these abilities fall under the category of bardic music and the descriptions discuss singing or playing instruments, they can all be activated by reciting poetry, chanting, singing lyrical songs, singing melodies, whistling, playing an instrument, or playing an instrument in combination with some spoken performance. Each ability requires a minimum bard level.

 

Starting a bardic music effect is a standard action. Some bardic music abilities require concentration, which means the bard must take a standard action each round to maintain the ability. Even while using bardic music that doesn’t require concentration, a bard cannot cast spells, activate magic items by spell completion (such as scrolls), spell trigger (such as wands), or command word. Just as for casting a spell with a verbal component, a deaf bard has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use bardic music. If they fail, the attempt still counts against their daily limit.

 

Countersong: A bard can use their music or poetics to counter magical effects that depend on sound (but not spells that simply have verbal components). Each round of the countersong, they make a Perform check. Any creature within 30’ of the bard (including the bard) affected by a sonic or language-dependent magical attack can use the bard’s Perform check result in place of their own saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the countersong is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous sonic or language-dependent magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it hears the countersong, but it must use the bard’s Perform check result for the save. Countersong has no effect against effects that don’t allow saves. The bard can keep up the countersong for 10 rounds.

 

Fascinate: Bards can use their music or poetics to cause one or more creatures to become Fascinated with them. Each target creature must be within 90’, able to see and hear the bard, and able to pay attention to them. The bard must also be able to see the creature. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working. For every three levels a bard attains beyond 1st, they can target one additional creature with a single use of this ability.

 

To use the ability, a bard makes a Heroic Action vs. the target’s Will save. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and listens to the song, taking no other actions, for as long as the bard continues to play and concentrate. If any distraction occurs—such as combat, someone yelling, or physical contact—the spell is broken. Any obvious threat—like someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the target—automatically breaks the effect. Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.

 

Distract: A bard can use their performance to counter magic effects that depend on sight. Each round of the distraction, they make a Persuasion (CHA) skill check. Any creature within 30’ of the bard (including the bard) affected by an illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack can use the bard’s Persuasion check result in place of its own saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Persuasion skill check proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the distraction is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it sees the distraction, but it must use the bard’s Perform skill check result for the save. Distraction does not work on effects that don’t allow saves.

 

Inspire Courage: Bards can use song or poetics to inspire courage in their allies (including themselves), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the bard sing. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the bard sing and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability.

 

Spell Sight: A bard can use Spell Sight to memorize a spell that they hear or witness being cast. It is detailed further in the chapter on Magic.

 

Soothing Song: A bard can heal all those who hear their performance, for 1d8+4 HP, by performing for one uninterrupted hour. If interrupted, the spellsong fails, but the bard can continue to attempt the spellsong until successful.

 

Suggestion: A bard can make a Suggestion (as the spell) to a creature they have already Fascinated. Using this ability does not break the bard’s concentration on the Fascinate effect, nor does it allow a second saving throw against the Fascinate effect.

 

Making a Suggestion doesn’t count against a bard’s daily limit on bardic music performances. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + ½ bard’s level + bard’s CHA modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature (but see Mass Suggestion, below). Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language dependent ability.

 

Hymn of Horror: Bards can use their performance to foster a sense of growing dread in their enemies, causing them to become Shaken. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30’ and able to see and hear the bard’s performance. The effect persists for as long as the enemy is within 30’ and the bard continues their performance. This performance cannot cause a creature to become Frightened or Panicked, even if the targets are already Shaken from another effect. Hymn of Horror is a mind-affecting fear effect, and it relies on audible and visual components.

Inspire Greatness: Bards can use music or poetics to inspire greatness in themselves or a single willing ally within 30’, granting them extra fighting capability. To inspire greatness, a bard must sing and an ally must hear them sing. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the bard sing and for 5 rounds thereafter. A creature inspired with greatness gains 12 bonus Hit Points, a +2 bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves. Inspire Greatness is a mind-affecting ability.