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Vaern
2013-01-29, 11:44 PM
The Sublime Chord prestige class allows a character to take spells from the bard and the sorcerer/wizard spell lists, with levels ranging from 4th to 9th.

There is a problem, of course. Brd 7+ spells don't exist in the books. A Sublime Chord technically has access to these theoretical spells, but there are simply none to choose from. An epic level bard who has gained spell slots above 6th via feats also encounters this problem.

Rather than becoming a slightly-less-squishy sorcerer after a certain point, I would like some ideas for spells that would allow my bard to continue feeling like a bard. After all, if my party really needed a sorcerer I could have made a sorcerer. What kind of spell effects might be appropriate to fill the legendary Brd 7/8/9 spell slots?

Brett Nortje
2013-01-29, 11:54 PM
I guess some sort of mass charm, where the people have their emotions controlled by the bard, or even a mass hyper sleep spell?

How about a charm where the bard tells the people that his singing will grant them money or something, so follow them and stuff?

and if the bard were to be able to command flying daggers around themselves, conducted by the song, it could be a hectic combat spell!

if the bard were to sing, maybe he can charm ghosts or something?

if the bard were to sing, maybe the wounds of all around him would heal mental illness? This could also cast out demons, or, encourage them!

dspeyer
2013-01-30, 01:01 AM
The magic of bards is the magic of creativity, right?

Living Creation
Bard 9
Conjuration (creation)
Components: V, S, XP
Casting time: 10 minutes

You create a nonmagical living being of up to 20hd. The creature's type must be one of humanoid, monstrous humanoid, animal, vermin or giant, as all other creature types are innately magical. Similarly, the creature's hit dice cannot include class levels that reflect innate magical talent, such as sorcerer or warlock (bard, wizard and cleric are fine, though). The creature's attributes may be anything within normal variation of its species (-7 to +8 for abilities, except intelligence of animals and vermin). You can supply the creature with any nonmagical equipment except precious metals. The creature's personality, alignment, loyalty, and goals are entirely yours to determine, except for one harmless quirk that always manages to squeeze in somehow.

XP Cost: 100 per hd

Cidolfas
2013-01-30, 11:32 AM
I have used this spells for other classes as well, but I find them appropriate for higher level bards and have even used them for certain bard variants that use full casting from the get-go (for the time being, other levels have been redacted since this is for a bard specifically). They are re-posts from a wiki I frequent, and if nothing else they can just be a few suggestions to get you started:

Sins of the Father
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Language-Dependent, Lawful, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Bard 6
Components: V, S
Casting time: 10 minutes
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One living creature
Duration: One day/level or until discharged; see text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

"Begun by blood, by blood undone." This was the snippet of wisdom imparted by this spell’s creator on his victims. Little did they know that those words would spell slow but certain doom for their future progeny for generations to come.

As all geas spells, this incantation charges the foe with a task set by the caster. In addition to not by its very nature resulting in the target’s immediate or certain death, the task set before the subject must be something they (and/or their progeny) are able to foreseeably achieve; if this is not the case, the spell's duration is instead only 1 day per caster level.

A target who is successfully geased takes 1 point of damage per Challenge Rating they possess every day that they refuse to follow orders. This damage is permanent and cannot be healed by any means; treat it as a reduction of the target’s maximum hit point total. They are also rendered sickened, but attempting to resume following orders will alleviate this effect after one hour. Because positive reinforcement is always nice, attempting to follow the task laid out by the caster also restores lost hit points at a rate of 1 per day (up to the target's normal total).

When the subject dies with the task left uncompleted, the curse of the geas is not lifted, but instead passed on to the subject’s most able child (determined by age). If none of their children are able to perform the task, the curse will continue to siblings and their children, repeating until a suitable candidate is found. If even after this winnowing the most appropriate blood relative is still a child, the spell (and the compulsion to follow the geas) is activated once they reach adulthood and will remain dormant until that time comes. Once affected, the current geas victim becomes aware of the task they are supposed to perform and their relationship to the original subject of the curse, but not any additional details beyond what instructions were imparted to the original. Changing the subject of the geas in this fashion also resets the one day per level duration, if necessary.

Rien's False Reality
Illusion (Glamer) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Bard 8
Components: S, V
Casting time: 10 minutes
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: 1 mile/level radius burst
Duration: Concentration + 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with)
Spell Resistance: See text

Everything within this spell’s area of effect appears as something they are not, appearing instead as something else that the caster desires. For example, the caster could declare that all things appear as their most polar opposites; thus an undead creature will appear as the living version of itself, lush terrain will appear razed or otherwise barren, a fiend will appear as a celestial and vice versa, etc. Spell resistance applies to creatures attempting to resist their appearance being changed by the illusion, but cannot apply to how they view other creatures or terrain successfully cloaked by the illusion. This spell can also alter the appearance of the entire landscape, making things appear as though they are not even there, although unintentional interactions with such disguised things affords an interacting creature another Will save against the illusion.

This spell affects all of the target’s senses, and upon failing their Will save the subject’s mind will rationalize what it is (or is not) experiencing. Transformed creatures look, feel, smell and even sound like the creatures they appear to be, such that the language they speak will sound to others as the automatic language of the race they are appearing to be. Unlike other illusions, true seeing is only effective if the caster of true seeing makes a successful caster level check against a DC of 10 + the caster level of Rien's false reality, otherwise the subject’s mind will interpret the illusion as real regardless of the results of true seeing.

Oath of Blood
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Language-Dependent, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Bard 8
Components: V
Casting time: 10 minutes
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One living creature
Duration: Until discharged
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell is the most powerful of geas spells, able to permanently bind the target creature to a particular task or service so long as it doesn‘t include suicide or other acts that by their very nature would result in certain death. Even if the caster of the spell dies, the subject is still bound to its effects until the service is complete, potentially even further complicating the task at hand. The spell’s effects cannot be removed by any means except the completion of the orders given or the ultimate destruction of the subject (see below). The compulsion to follow the caster’s will immediately changes the subject‘s alignment to lawful if it wasn‘t already.

Each day after falling victim to this spell, the subject must make efforts to follow the instructions provided by the spell or take 3d6 points of damage and become sickened. This damage stacks and cannot be healed by any means so long as the target lives and the task remains incomplete, but the sickening effect is lifted if the subject resumes acting towards their instructions. If the caster of the spell wishes, they may teleport the geased individual to their side once per day (as the refuge spell); the subject may make a Fortitude save using the spell’s normal DC to resist the teleportation.

Should the subject of the geas be slain, they automatically rise as a revenant, falling further under the control of the caster. At the beginning of each day, they must make a Will save (using the original DC) or become willing to follow the directions of the spell, which they perform without resistance for the next 24 hours even if the resulting actions go against their previous alignment and convictions, after which they make another save.

Eye of the Gods
Divination
Level: Bard 9
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 hour
Range: 1 mile/level
Area: Burst radius emanating from you
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

Upon casting, this potent divination gives you a instant view of everything within 1 mile of you per caster level, granting you information about the area as if you had been physically present there. Any illusions or anti-divination effects that have a lower caster level than yours are automatically pierced, and you see through magical disguises and the like as though you have the benefits of true seeing.