Coolest spellcasting focus for a Bard?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

We kinda let that one slide in my groups and I'd love to throw it in for flavor.

Somehow all our motions are tied up in the somatic. For some characters I always describe Eldritch Blast as looking like Iron Man shooting the beams from his hands. Thunderwave has the big push or clap. Counterspell has a simple "no-no" side to side motion of the finger or wiggle of the nose depending on the character. Hellish rebuke has these cool angry red eyes.

What kind of neat spell casting focus do you all use for a Bard? Best I have come up with is a Byzantine Lyra or Rebec Bow (think violin but older).

A pick similar to those used on a guitar may be abusing the situation a bit too much. Help. I'd rather not imagine my character carrying a lyre into combat lol.

[Desteplo]

I let one of my players play a bard from college of satire (UA) he chose a slide whistle as his focus. He brought one to the table and just threw the spell card onto the person he targeted

[Captn_Flounder]

A Gibson EB0 1961 Edition.

Rock n Roll, baby!

[Asmotherion]

Look up Shinkyoku Sokai Polyphonica, Phoron's Bike

Wile it's very setting dependent, and probably not going to be avalable, that's the most bad@ss example of a Bard Spellcasting Focus I can think off.

An Axe moded Chord Indtrument also seems practical and cool; It doesn't need to be optimised for battle; make it do d4 or d6 damage (since you will be making extra effort not to brake any chords). It's less a means to Arm you in battle, and more a means to give you a cool looking spellcasting focus.

Edit: Here is what I could come up with with some google-fu:


https://i.pinimg.com/originals/41/32/46/41324619463aa7bd8c2086e0cceb3b36.jpg



https://slm-assets2.secondlife.com/assets/5902002/view_large/artist%20gladiator_053.jpg?1342141583



https://i.pinimg.com/236x/24/b7/49/24b7491906b023414c360a253c50d4a2.jpg



https://www.musicskanner.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/b.c.-rich-warlock-one.jpg

Wile all of them are Electric Instruments, there is no reason their technology could not be replicated through minor Magic in a high magic world. They also seem like the Ideal Focus for an Adventuring Performer who may also need to occasionaly defend himself.

[JakOfAllTirades]

Flaming bagpipes of doom

[Joe the Rat]

Flaming bagpipes of doom

Indeed. Though with my players, playing bagpipes just makes you one of the crowd.



I've always liked the idea of a drumcaster, though that can be unwieldy in the skirmish-level action most adventurers operate at.

[KorvinStarmast]

A kazoo (https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=A613052fe62b6f6073345b95c068edd63&w=248&h=186&c=7&o=5&dpr=1.4&pid=1.7) makes for a fine focus.

[Crgaston]

Jaw harp.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oecQDr9B6KU

[The Jack]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/13/mar/bl2.jpg

[smcmike]

Instead of imagining bards as rock and roll stars, you can imagine them as middle school basketball coaches, and give them a whistle on a lanyard. This actually works WAY better with most of their spells and abilities:

Vicious Mockery/Cutting Words: people like to go Shakespearean with this, but who delivers sicker burns than a middle school gym teacher? Nobody, that’s who.

Inspiration: “LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO, PICK IT UP LADIES.”

Song of Rest: “Clear eyes, Full heart, Can’t Lose”

[Grear Bylls]

I made a gnome Bard who created an arcane mechanical keyboard. I designed him as the hype man for another character I made, in case someone new joined our group. The character he hypes up is my wrestling barbarian, with things like eye of the tiger, the final countdown, "Are you ready, for the main event?!", and whenever, the rage begins, "LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!", causing epic effects with minor (noise) and major illusion (lasers) and pyrotechnics (explosions), especially on side quests to obtain Title Belts of Giant Strength.


I can post the custom mini a made for him, if you guys know how to add images. (I'm still relatively new to this site)

[Aett_Thorn]

Instead of imagining bards as rock and roll stars, you can imagine them as middle school basketball coaches, and give them a whistle on a lanyard. This actually works WAY better with most of their spells and abilities:

Vicious Mockery/Cutting Words: people like to go Shakespearean with this, but who delivers sicker burns than a middle school gym teacher? Nobody, that’s who.

Inspiration: “LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO, PICK IT UP LADIES.”

Song of Rest: “Clear eyes, Full heart, Can’t Lose”

You have no idea how much I am in love with this idea.

[Zanthy1]

I once made a bard who was a standup comic, his focus was a microphone. However, since those don't exist in the fantasy world he was in, he carried an old fashioned bull horn, which I roleplayed by cupping my hands and shouting very closely to other player' ears. the novelty wore off after the first or second time....he didn't die for a while though lol.

[A Fat Dragon]

I had a friend who made a Goliath Bard once, and had his focus (and weapon, he was a Valor Bard) be a piano. He just carried it one his back, and it combat, smashed it down on somebody, and started playing.

[Zanthy1]

Instead of imagining bards as rock and roll stars, you can imagine them as middle school basketball coaches, and give them a whistle on a lanyard. This actually works WAY better with most of their spells and abilities:

Vicious Mockery/Cutting Words: people like to go Shakespearean with this, but who delivers sicker burns than a middle school gym teacher? Nobody, that’s who.

Inspiration: “LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO, PICK IT UP LADIES.”

Song of Rest: “Clear eyes, Full heart, Can’t Lose”

So I am totally going to build this type of bard character, would you say he should be a human? and if human, which feat? and what bard college? (idk which one would best represent a community college....)

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

For a multiclassed bard/sorcerer I'm using a fiddle with a wand as the bow so I can have access to an arcane focus for both Bard and Warlock spells.


So I am totally going to build this type of bard character, would you say he should be a human? and if human, which feat? and what bard college? (idk which one would best represent a community college....)

You could do Lore and constantly tell stories about Willis Reed's triumphant return to the count in the NBA Finals and Pete Gray playing in Major League Baseball with one arm back in the days when men were men.

[Sigreid]

Cow bell or triangle.

[Sinefrid]

I've been on a Monster Hunter kick recently and it has come with a desire to play a hunting horn bard. Imagine a massive horn big enogh to function as a maul, as in the 2d6 bludgeoning heavy weapon. You hit the dragon with it and in the same motion start playing him the song of your people.

Works best for a strength based valor bard.

[smcmike]

So I am totally going to build this type of bard character, would you say he should be a human? and if human, which feat? and what bard college? (idk which one would best represent a community college....)

Hah, yes, pick your local community college for subclass, or the Athletics Dept. In terms of game role, your a 100% support character - a coach stays on the sidelines unless he has no choice. Probably Lore, I guess. For feats, you want Inspiring Leader, and Charisma, but I’m not sure what else. Ritual Caster could give you a clipboard of useful plays and a mascot/familiar. Alert or Observant are both useful and fit well enough with the theme. Tavern Brawler is less useful, but it does make you proficient at throwing whatever happens to be at hand at people, which is a CLASSIC coach move.

[Zanthy1]

Hah, yes, pick your local community college for subclass, or the Athletics Dept. In terms of game role, your a 100% support character - a coach stays on the sidelines unless he has no choice. Probably Lore, I guess. For feats, you want Inspiring Leader, and Charisma, but I’m not sure what else. Ritual Caster could give you a clipboard of useful plays and a mascot/familiar. Alert or Observant are both useful and fit well enough with the theme. Tavern Brawler is less useful, but it does make you proficient at throwing whatever happens to be at hand at people, which is a CLASSIC coach move.

I love it. I made him and, though I only gave him a 10 str, have him using a longsword because "rapiers are a nancy boys weapon, this is a man's weapon."

[Grear Bylls]

I love it. I made him and, though I only gave him a 10 str, have him using a longsword because "rapiers are a nancy boys weapon, this is a man's weapon."

Sounds epic. What spells did you give? I think Heroism, Longstrider, Detect Magic (Cheating), and Bane would all be thematic, if not really good. Be sure to pick up deafness at some point

[nickl_2000]

Sounds epic. What spells did you give? I think Heroism, Longstrider, Detect Magic (Cheating), and Bane would all be thematic, if not really good. Be sure to pick up deafness at some point

Inspiring Leader is a requirement for this character build. No one gives an inspiring pep talk like the coach

You need Healing Word as a spell - "It's just a scratch, get up and walk it off you nancy!"
Enhance Ability - "Work harder, you can do better than that!"
Fear - Everyone is afraid of the gym teacher
Compulsion - Force them to climb the rope


etc

[Zanthy1]

Sounds epic. What spells did you give? I think Heroism, Longstrider, Detect Magic (Cheating), and Bane would all be thematic, if not really good. Be sure to pick up deafness at some point

Heroism: obvious coaching to victory
Longstrider: more coaching
healing word: its just a scratch
tasha's hideous laughter: for when someone really messes up the rope climb

Inspiring leader feat of course

[sir_argo]

Cow bell or triangle.

What this bard needs is more cowbell.

[Naanomi]

I have a friend playing a Mountain Dwarf Bard, his breastplate doubles as a steel drum

[Aembrosia]

A fistful of disorganized loose sheet music.

[Aaron Underhand]

Cow bell or triangle.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x64iyhl?retry

[Akolyte01]

I haven't gotten to play this character yet, but he will be a vaguely witch doctor inspired lore bard who weaves spells through continuous chanting and war dancing (think something like the haka). His spell focus is a rattle

I also find the idea of a hill billy bard with a mouth harp to be hilarious

[JNAProductions]

This left-handed bass.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/flcl/images/e/e2/Flcl04.jpg

Why? Because it can cut bullets in half and has a built-in shotgun.

FLCL was a weird show.

[Pex]

Air Guitar and caveat the character must be able to use that somatic component for any spell.

[Ganymede]

Why not a conductor's wand?

The violin sample from The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony could play every time you cast a spell with it.