First I would like to point out a few things
General D&D 3rd Ed (and 3.5) Bards look nothing like 2nd or 1st Ed Bards. So maybe 3rd Ed Dark Sun Bards don’t have to look like old 2nd Ed DS Bards either. I know that there are lots of old DS fans out that that want it to be just like it used to be (don’t know whey they don’t just play 2nd Ed then – but that’s a different topic).
So for my game, Bards are pretty much straight from the book with one big change. They do not cast Arcane Spells, they get Psionics instead. Their Songs effects are backed by the powers of the mind. As for the poison use, that is saved for the Assassin PrC, that may Bards also take levels in.
another thread on the 319 rules? Sheesh....
j/k. I'd say look at what athas.org has already done on Bards as well. I really like their writeup. And it is official as well.
You could always search through this board for other 3e versions of the Bard which many, including me, came up with.
Suggestion
Originally posted by Bayushi Tai
to be honest I have looked at a lot of the Athas.Org rules and generally don't like them. Of them I really didn't like the Racial Abilitiy Modifiders and some of the classes, such as the Bard. But for those of you that do like them, great for you.
My only problem with the bard is the fact that they don't include much specific information on their poisons.
And as for the ability mods, i agree with you for a few races. Elves who run across the desert take a -2 to con? Muls have a bonus to strength that neither humans or dwarves have? In their defense, they did stay true to the original races in 2nd edition. In any event I am using a lot of their rules in my game.
I know poison use is one big thing. Would the assassin work for that?
The thought I had is that using poison is something that doesn't have to be class-specific. As such, couldn't a standard base class bard use poison anyway?
What else am I missing?
athasian bards dont have merry magic music. :p
bards are indeed similar to assassins, and most make their way performing assassinations for nobles and templars, posing as musicians. It is considered rude to turn away gift bards at the door... "You think I would send one of those kinds of bards to you? Surely you jest..."
Also, bards are often involved in webs of deciet, where one noble sends a bard as a favor for another noble... and so on and so on.
Originally posted by Dragonhelm
Okay, refresh my memory here. How is a Dark Sun bard different from a standard bard?
I know poison use is one big thing. Would the assassin work for that?
The thought I had is that using poison is something that doesn't have to be class-specific. As such, couldn't a standard base class bard use poison anyway?
What else am I missing?
Dark Sun Bards got poison use, no spells. they were more of the person you didn't trust than the person you turned to for a song in the tavern.
As for poison use, most classes can use it, can purchase it, Bards were able to MAKE it. they had a repetoire of poisons that they could make out of seemingless random stuff (hence, you lock them in a dungeon, and chances are that they could find stuff clinging to the walls and staining the floor that they could turn into a poison of some sort.
As for the Bard song abilities, these are easy to keep in. it was just the spells. Since Magic was such a no no anyway, why would Bards WANT magic. Magic users are mistrusted (how you think the Blue Age went to the Green Age and then to the Brown Age and then to the age it is present day? Defilers [SKs] raping the land with magic) and in most citystates, bad things happen to magic users because the SKs only want themselves and their templars using it. So it makes everything easier to nix magic for bards and give them poison instead.
And as for Muls having a str score where dwarves and humans did not. Muls were bred to be laborers (hence the play on their name - Mule - the original version was Mül) So when they were bred, they were given strength, inhuman stamina and endurance, sterility, and other side effects. They get the bonuses they get because thats what they were bred to do. Dark Sun doesn't have typical races who cross breed to create other typical Races. Dray, Mul, Half Giants were all altered or created races, created with specific traits in mind. yeah the Muls could work for days without rest, but they could still only lift so much, and Half Giants with their incredible strength augmented them. together, they made the perfect slaves to work on buildings and other SK slave needs.
A mul has Dwarven muscle density on a human-sized frame. Hence, they're stronger. Dwarves would be stronger than humans, were they not so short.
That's the justification. It might not stand up to perfect scientific scruiteny, but then, neither does a color changing sun.
These bards, like all things on Athas, are a bit twisted. No "tra-la-la" bards here, and that's just the way I like it.
neither does a color changing sun.
Please Flip, don't get me started. I won't be able to stop with that one . . . :D
IIRC, the Bards in 2E had a different, more potent poison table than what standard D&D worlds had. I'd love to see something like that in DS3, a nice chart showing effects, costs, and DCs to craft various athasian poisons.
Maybe something like that could be done for an Athasian bard accessory?
Also, when ToA is finalised I'll post a list of all the creature poisons that feature in the doc.
(I have a draft version of this list from before the editing started - if anyone is massively keen I can post a copy but it's pre-edits and not official).