Bard Base

Bard Base Spell Circle 900s • 1000s • 1100s Circle Potency Semi Sphere Alignment Elemental/Mental Hybrid Relevant Stats Aura Available To Bards Associated Circles Minor Elemental

Bard Base Spells Holding Song (1001) Attack Vibration Chant (1002) Attack Fortitude Song (1003) Defensive Purification Song (1004) Utility Lullabye (1005) Attack Song of Luck (1006) Utility Kai's Triumph Song (1007) Offensive Stunning Shout (1008) Attack Sonic Shield Song (1009) Utility Song of Valor (1010) Defensive Song of Peace (1011) Utility Sonic Weapon Song (1012) Utility Song of Unravelling (1013) Attack Sonic Armor (1014) Utility Song of Depression (1015) Attack Song of Rage (1016) Attack Song of Noise (1017) Utility Song of Power (1018) Utility Song of Mirrors (1019) Defensive Traveler's Song (1020) Utility Singing Sword Song (1025) Utility Song of Sonic Disruption (1030) Attack Song of Tonis (1035) Defensive Troubadour's Rally (1040) Utility

The Bard Base spell circle is unique in that the magic is actually manipulated through a bard's singing. Consequently, all bardic magic is sung as opposed to cast. Bardic vocals manifest as a hybrid of both mental and elemental spheres, which is also a unique blend. Spells in this circle consist of a variety of offensive, defensive, and utility purposes all designed around the needs of a bard. Bard Base casting strength and target defense relies on a character's Aura bonus.

Spellsongs come in two functional varieties: instant and continuous. Spellsongs that work instantly function identically to other magic spells: the Bard must first prepare then spell and then cast it, or the Bard may incant it. Spellsongs that work continuously behave unlike most other spells and have no fixed duration; instead, they are added to the Bard's sung medley and will renew automatically at a fixed interval of time. This can happen even in areas where spells may not normally be cast, which may require the Bard to strategically force an early medley renewal ahead of entering an antimagic room.

Renewing Continuous Songs

Spellsongs do not simply consume mana once per initiation as most other spells. They cost the regular initial expenditure of mana, and then a renewal cost upon expiration in order to keep the magic going. The length of your renew cycle is given by the following formula:

• 120 seconds
• +4 per level 1-25
• +3 per level 26-50
• +2 per level 51-75
• +1 per level 76+
• +Logic Bonus
• +Influence Bonus * 3
• +Mental Lore, Telepathy Ranks * 2

• SING STATUS or SONG STATUS displays which songs are currently being sung, an approximation of their remaining duration, and the current renewal cost.
• RENEW ALL will renew all of the songs at once. This causes the medley renewal period to immediately end and renew for all songs, excepting offensive songs noted below.
• RENEW {spell#} will renew an individual song. At the end of the medley renewal period, all spellsongs will still renew as usual, excepting offensive songs noted below.
• STOP SINGING to cease all spellsongs.
• STOP [SINGING] {spell#} to cease a specific song. (Use of "singing" is optional; "stop fortitude" suffices to cause Fortitude Song (1003) to be removed from the Bard's medley.)

Note that the offensive songs require manual renewal, but when the medley renewal occurs, these offensive spellsongs will all stop completely. (Until that renewal, they will be displayed as in your medley, with Song Status. However, they will NOT be included in the calculated renewal mana cost, nor count towards Multi-Song Penalty.) You will no longer be able to renew the Song, but must re-start it at the full mana cost. These songs are:

• Holding Song (1001)
• Song of Unravelling (1013)
• Song of Depression (1015)
• Song of Rage (1016)
• Song of Sonic Disruption (1030)

Note also that Unravel has a unique, particularly short duration--not more than 20s and possibly as little as 15s--the first 3s of which are eaten up by the original casting time.

• Failure to activate a renewal during that time will cause the spell to end, and you will have to re-cast at full mana cost.
• Should your medley as a whole renew during an active Unravel, then Unravel's benefit will also end at the renewal, and you will have to re-cast at full mana cost. However, you are still considered to have the Song active, so you will have to either 'stop unravel' or wait out its duration before that re-cast is possible. Unravel is the ONLY Song which behaves in this way.

Multi-Song Penalty

Singing more than three spellsongs at a time results in an increased renewal cost. The increase is 12 per song beyond the first, modified by your Bard Base ranks, Discipline bonus and Logic bonus, to a minimum of zero.

Renewal Period

All factors adding to the renewal period have been determined, either through investigation or through GameMaster revelation. The sum of all factors is the duration of renewable spellsongs.

Factor	Type	Duration (seconds)	Notes
Being a Bard	Base	120	minimum
Influence	Stat bonus	3	per point
Logic		1
1-25	Level	4	per level
26-50		3
51-75		2
76-100		1
Mental Lore, Telepathy	Skill	2	per rank

Enhancements by Rank

Bard Base casting strength (CS)

+1 CS for each rank up to and including the bard's level.

+0.75 CS for ranks level+1 through level+20.

+0.50 CS for ranks level+21 through level+60.

+0.25 CS for ranks level+61 through level+100.

+0.125 CS for ranks level+101 and greater.

Holding Song (1001)

Affects one additional target for every 7 ranks after the first.

Song of Luck (1006)

Additional ranks increase the chance for this song to aid the Bard (but not non-bard party members) at a rate of 1% for every three songs known. +1 to mana cost per four songs known after 1006. Renewal cost is half the mana cost.

Kai's Triumph Song (1007)

This song gives +1 AS for each song known after the seventh, until it reaches +20 AS when seventeen songs are known. Once nineteen songs are known, this song also affords the Bard's party increased health recovery; +1 to mana cost and renewal cost for each additional point of AS.

Sonic Equipment songs (Sonic Shield Song (1009), Sonic Blade Song (1012), Sonic Armor Song (1014))

Sonic equipment begins at a bonus of +10 (+15 for armor) and gains +1 for every two songs known, up to a maximum of +35 at 50 songs known (or 40 songs known for armor).

Song of Valor (1010)

+1 DS per two songs known after 1010; +1 mana cost for every 2 additional DS; +1 renewal cost for every 5 additional DS.

Song of Unravelling (1013)

Increased song knowledge increases the amount of mana drained by each use of this song.

Sonic Armor (1014)

Sonic Armor's heat, cold, and electrical resistances will improve with training in Bard Base.

Song of Mirrors (1019)

+1 Dodging rank per two songs (+1/2) known after 1019; +1 to mana cost per five songs known after 1019; +1 to renewal cost per ten songs known after 1019.

Singing Sword (1025)

Additional songs known add to the animated weapon's AS.

Limitations

When using a runestaff, either one summoned with Sonic Weapon Song or a more normal version, the flares occur ONLY for

• single-target spells, to include the single-target version of Disruption (1030) as well as spells that will have none of their normal effect (Vibration Chant (1002) against a target with neither weapon nor shield, say), and
• only with the CAST and INCANT verbs, but not with RENEW.

Resources

• Saved posts
• Bard Spellsong RP guide