Bardic Instruments

[Bad Wolf]

When you play a bard what instrument do you use, if any? Just curious for my upcoming bard.

[Seclora]

Oratory, Sing, or Dance, pretty consistently.
Although in fairness, most of my characters pick up Perform: Dance eventually.
Although, I've always wanted to take Perform: Poetry one of these days and provide a few inappropriate limericks for actual use.
.
.
Maybe a lewd sestina or two for good measure.

Edit: Consider taking Versatile Performer so you can also use all of the fun instruments and items. Lyre of building is crazy awesome in the right circumstances.

[Ephemeral_Being]

The best option is Perform (Oratory). It requires no hands, no equipment, and you can use it to trigger all of your Bardic Music effects.

You should ALSO put points into Perform (Dance). With six ranks in Perform (Dance), you can take Snowflake Wardance (Frostburn) which adds your Charisma bonus to attack/damage with Slashing weapons.

[YossarianLives]

A ukulele!

[Bad Wolf]

The best option is Perform (Oratory). It requires no hands, no equipment, and you can use it to trigger all of your Bardic Music effects.

You should ALSO put points into Perform (Dance). With six ranks in Perform (Dance), you can take Snowflake Wardance (Frostburn) which adds your Charisma bonus to attack/damage with Slashing weapons.

Yeah, but what about the flavour? Play a flute, that's bardy-ish. I'd play a violin if I could find a way to free up a hand.

[Seclora]

http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/miguel-playing-the-guitar-gif.gif

What's wrong with using both hands?

Edit: take melodic casting, use one of them Complete Scoundrel doodads and make the instrument your weapon.

[Bad Wolf]

http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/miguel-playing-the-guitar-gif.gif

What's wrong with using both hands?

You need a free hand to cast spells.

[Seclora]

You need a free hand to cast spells.

Somatic Weaponry my friend. Complete Mage I believe it was, lets you cast while holding a weapon(Edit: or item of comprable size, apparently this -was- their intent).
Not that you need one, you're a bard, other people are your best weapon anyways.

[Bad Wolf]

Somatic Weaponry my friend. Complete Mage I believe it was, lets you cast while holding a weapon(Edit: or item of comprable size, apparently this -was- their intent).
Not that you need one, you're a bard, other people are your best weapon anyways.

Thanks for the info. Now I can finally be a badass Lindsey Stirling impersonator.

[Troacctid]

You can take a hand off your instrument when you cast. Also, come on, what Bard doesn't take Melodic Casting? That's like a staple feat.

The big upside to using an instrument, as opposed to singing or dancing, is that you can use a masterwork instrument to get a +2 bonus on Perform checks and a lovely boost to your bardic music depending on the type of instrument. Lutes give you +1 to your effective level for all bardic music, which is pretty nice. A mandolin is optimal if you are using Dragonfire Inspiration, as they add an extra +1d6 dragonfire damage. Harps and lyres let you target extra creatures with fascinate, which is more useful than you might think.

Ultimately, I think Perform (String Instruments) is the superior choice. It gives you access to lutes, lyres, mandolins, and harps, all of which have useful abilities. There's admittedly a chance you'll lose your instrument and have problems using bardic music, but if that happens, it's not like you're useless, you have plenty of skills and spells to fall back on.

Personally, though, I like Perform (Sing), because it gives me an excuse to sing during the session. :smallcool:

[Inevitability]

You need a free hand to cast spells.

Thri-Kreen bard! :smalltongue:

[DrMotives]

I always wanted to play a goblin bongo drummer bard. I doubt that's very optimal though, but it's kinda not the point. Goblin bongos are the point.

[Hiro Quester]

The thing about Masterwork Lute and harp is from Complete Adventurer p. 126.

Even better, get a Masterwork Trumpet: gives+1 on inspire courage, but -2 on Save vs. fear and charm.

Or make that masterwork trumpet a horn of resilience, (part of the regalia of the hero, along with the badge of valor). When you use it to play inspire greatness bardic music the horn adds an extra 50 hit points to a recipient. Your party tank and healer will love you for that.

Plus having two pieces of the regalia lets you grant an ally +5 on a save, attack roll or skill check 1/day.

Tie the horn on a string around your neck so you can just drop it after blasting the horn.

[Troacctid]

Even better, get a Masterwork Trumpet: gives+1 on inspire courage, but -2 on Save vs. fear and charm.

That's what it did in 3.0, but in the 3.5 update, horns increase inspire courage's damage bonus by +1, but make the song persist for only 1 round after you stop playing.

[TrollCapAmerica]

What would a Masterwork Hurdy Gurdy get me?

[Troacctid]

A masterwork hurdy gurdy gives a +2 circumstance bonus on Perform checks to play it. Sadly, it has no additional effects. :smallfrown:

[Sith_Happens]

Tap shoes. Because there are very few things you might want to do that tap dancing gets in the way of doing.:smallbiggrin:

[Socratov]

Let's review our options ok?
But before we get or options we need to set some rules and requirements first:

the instrument must be mobile (so no organs), the instrument must be Bardic Music elligible (so, no dancing). Teh instrument must be able to decently complement your style (look at the masterwork instruments), the instrument must compelemnt your build (if you get DFI, get that +1 to accuracy from a masterwork Horn). We want one hand free for weaponry/casting

Now we have only my favourites left:


Oratory (great becuase you save on equipment and it always works)
Masterwork Horn (for that +to hit bonus you need for DFI)
Masterwork Alphorn (not really mobile, but if you get to perform for a complete army anyway, this is your thing, plus, the army can carry it for you)


Have fun!

[Max Caysey]

When you play a bard what instrument do you use, if any? Just curious for my upcoming bard.

I use Natural Horn. It improved the inspire courage moral bonus by 1.

[Troacctid]

Let's review our options ok?
But before we get or options we need to set some rules and requirements first:

the instrument must be mobile (so no organs), the instrument must be Bardic Music elligible (so, no dancing). Teh instrument must be able to decently complement your style (look at the masterwork instruments), the instrument must compelemnt your build (if you get DFI, get that +1 to accuracy from a masterwork Horn). We want one hand free for weaponry/casting

Now we have only my favourites left:


Oratory (great becuase you save on equipment and it always works)
Masterwork Horn (for that +to hit bonus you need for DFI)
Masterwork Alphorn (not really mobile, but if you get to perform for a complete army anyway, this is your thing, plus, the army can carry it for you)


Have fun!

Masterwork Horn increases damage, not accuracy. For accuracy, you want a mandolin.

[Malimar]

I want to make a bagpiper bard sometime.

I had a factotum who played the harmonica once (albeit generally not in combat), but everybody hated it for some reason.

[Ben Powers]

I once had a bard with a tambourine in one hand and a longsword in the other (for snowflake wardance), also had bells on his boots and the discs on the tambourine were razor sharp for a backup weapon. He got eaten by a T Rex.

[Jay R]

I make a fluff decision, not a mechanics one. All of my characters are based on some real-world or fantasy culture. If my bard is based on Welsh or Irish bards, he'll have a harp. Similarly, a Greek one would play the lyre, and a troubador would play a lute.

[Ruethgar]

Lutebow (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070314a) with a Bow Blade from Complete Scoundrel on it.

[Geddy2112]

The sterotype that a bard has to play an instrument is utter crap. Not all musicians are bards, and not all bards are musical. Bards tell stories and are usually artistic, but that takes on a LOT of forms. A bard can tell a story through just about any medium. Bards can use puppets, tambourines, dance, song, magic shows(think Las Vegas style), improve comedy, grand pianos, the skulls of enemies, edgy performance art, or just about anything else to perform and tell a story. A good bard is not limited to one single medium.

Mechanically, most instruments require hands, but many percussion instruments do not. Bells or any kind of shaker can be put on the wrists, ankles, forearms, belt, etc. You can bang you sword against a shield/armor in rythem. A particularly morbid bard could have a small xylophone made of bone that you wear on your chest, and have mallets on your weapons/wrists.

[Baroknik]

I want to make a bagpiper bard sometime.

I had a factotum who played the harmonica once (albeit generally not in combat), but everybody hated it for some reason.

Harmonica is OP making enemies fanatics and whatnot.

[Socratov]

The sterotype that a bard has to play an instrument is utter crap. Not all musicians are bards, and not all bards are musical. Bards tell stories and are usually artistic, but that takes on a LOT of forms. A bard can tell a story through just about any medium. Bards can use puppets, tambourines, dance, song, magic shows(think Las Vegas style), improve comedy, grand pianos, the skulls of enemies, edgy performance art, or just about anything else to perform and tell a story. A good bard is not limited to one single medium.

Mechanically, most instruments require hands, but many percussion instruments do not. Bells or any kind of shaker can be put on the wrists, ankles, forearms, belt, etc. You can bang you sword against a shield/armor in rythem. A particularly morbid bard could have a small xylophone made of bone that you wear on your chest, and have mallets on your weapons/wrists.

thematically you are correct, but, the PHB limits what you can use for bardic music uses. Dancing and Perform Weapons drill are specifically stated to be ineligible for using bardic music.