The Campaign: The Men, The Myths, The Legends

(Following from this post.)

From starting off as Fighters and learning the ways of war and leadership, only to abandon that path as one nears become a Lord and become a Thief instead. Then, when again on the approach to becoming a Master Thief he forsakes that path to attempt admission to the Bardic College under the direct mentorship of a Druid.

Once accepted, he not only learns the secrets of the Bardic Ways. He has full access to his skill, acumen and benefits of his lives as Fighter and Thief and, as he ascends through the colleges, he gains all the powers of a Druid of his Bard level (with modifications to spell-casting). (PHB pp. 117-118)

If Rangers are the Special Tree Service, then Bards are the 00 Agents- James Bond to the Ranger's John Rambo.

That's not hyperbole. There's an organizational requirement that needs to be met to have these badasses around.

On The Great Druid's Secret Service

The Bard is the other class in the PHB that is contingent on the presence of another class: the Druid.

While there is no other class in particular that the Bard is also contingent upon, it is obvious that the Bard has to arise from the cultures to be found in domains dominated by Druidry- the Level Titles make this implication clear.

This class also exists as a form of release valve. These are cultures that praise both might (Fighter) and guile (Thief), which can be found in the dominant animal motifs in their iconography and mythology as well as their poetic uses of language, but those that prove potent in both--but could prove destablizing to the culture's leadership if allowed to rise to power--are intended to be diverted into a valuable elite institution overseen by the Druids. That's the Bardic Colleges.

Because each Bard is a Fighter (and thus can act as a Captain) and a Thief (and thus able to move like a ninja), and then gets direct mentorship from the Druids (reflected in their acquring Druid powers and spellcasting in addition to Bardic magics), each and every Bard from 1st level is a heroic figure unto himself and carries himself such.

They could have been kings, but found the wisdom to put a more worthy man on the throne- be it a glorious warrior or a cunning mastermind. Instead, they saw the wisdom in being a hero in service to an even greater master, and as part of that heroic pursuit they come to master language and lore- and therein comes the need to be poets, orators, and musicians for an oral culture demands mastery of oral traditions.

Therefore, contrary to popular perceptions--including those propigated by mass media--when a Bard arrives one should treat it as if a living legend darkened your doorstep. As Bards command Druidic powers, and can go up to 23rd level, that can be a very long time indead- enough to become legendary purely by being alive all that time.

Playing Bond, James Bond

The Bard, as an institution, is more like the Magic-Users and the Illusionists in that they tend to become walking institutions unto themselves. This week they're training a potential warrior-king, the next a promising coinfilcher, and the week therafter rescuing a warlord from a surprise ambush before telling him about a secret route to where the evil wizard imprisons the princess- and as he does so, those that make good on that promise become characters in the tales he tells and thus become tied into the mythic panapoly of the Bard himself. Musical--Narrative--warfare is vital to a Bard's long-term success.

Yet, as all Bards are part of the Colleges, they have a loose--but solid--hierarchy and advancement is rewarded with more autonomy as well as power. Unlike academia, the Colleges are more like Intelligence agencies and your man is climbing the ranks from Field Agent to Section Chief to Station Chief to The Man Behind The Throne. This means that a Bard well-played always has an eye for the long game- the very long game.

It would be as if your chance encounter with a kindly old man when you were young proved to be you being trained by Gandalf, who would show up from time to time when you needed (not wanted, needed) him the most and he guided you to become some notable figure upon maturity, and then you come to his aid to find that so many others like you met with the same treatment so it's an army of kings that decends upon the city he bids you to rescue.

In real world terms, the Bard is an Intelligence Case Officer and those he mentors and assists are his assets as he pursues his own mission on the direction of his superiors. He calls the Rangers when he needs it, points Paladins at demons and the undead, leads the Fighter to the enemy's hidden lair to assault it, and consults with experts in technical or other minutia as needed.

There are even fewer of his ilk than there are Rangers, and the absence of Bards to a Grand Campaign is noticable because few are so individually capable as they are as well as in a position to make the most of that capability. The senior Bards of the Colleges, as soon as they are determined to exist, are to be put into play as Faction Leaders; due to the Alignment range allowed, you can get some old-school Spy vs. Spy action via Bards feuding with combinations of magical, martial, and musical warfare.

The Bard is a man that comprehends that warfare must be fought and won on belief before everything else. He is weaponized mythology manifest, but as a self-aware icon and thus an agent. In Tolkien's legendarium, this is the role of the Wizards; they perform the function that Bards have in AD&D1e.

And when Bards meet and collaborate? Especially in significant numbers? There's a reason 1st Edition Forgotten Realms had the Harpers, folks; Bards acting like Bards in a team can and do become a power unto themselves.