#bard tips

[auntphibian]

Playing a Bard Tips!

not Scanlan but want to play a really good bard? read ahead!

so I LOVE and I mean LOVE playing bards. Bard and Paladin are my fav classes to play, but honestly I would say I’m best at bard. literally every DM I’ve played a bard under has complimented and given me special items because of how I play and I think I can give some handy tips. 

tip 1: use rhymes and this cite specifically https://www.rhymezone.com/ 

when giving bardic inspiration I always (except a few times) have a rhyme to go with it. saying “I play my lute” is fine but making little rhymes really pulls other players in. it’s also way easier than trying to write an entire song like Scanlan does, plus I can’t sing and it doesn’t take up as much time. 

tips for rhymes, find words you associate with each PC. 

look up rhymes for fighter, ranger, cleric ect. and try to make it fit. for example “he’s rather esoteric, our cleric, far from generic, and never barbaric, he’s calm even when I’m hysteric”. all of those come up when you look up Cleric. it’s a short inspiration that can fit most clerics but will make the one you’re inspiring feel good.

rhyme with names. names especially make other PCs feel good because it’s generally unique to the character. however names are hard because rarely will names fit perfectly in a rhyme, so just grab the last part. like if their name is “Zaram” you won’t find a rhyme, but you will if you look up “ram”. of if their name is something like “Garcar” pronounce it out loud and find a word that sounds like the last part. “car” is pronounced like “sar” which sounds like “Czar”, now you have a rhyme. “my friend Garcar, is a little bizarre, but careful if you Spar, because he’s a rock star”.

situations are great too. This could be based on the mission or recent RP. if you’re fighting vampires look for vampire rhymes, if you’re fighting goblins look for goblin rhymes. An RP example, in my current bard, Meku’s, game the barbarian said something like “I longingly look at the hammer” so my rhyme was “making quite the clamour, I don’t mean to yammer, but you seem enamored, you really want that hammer!”. It adds to the RP they already started and makes them feel heard. 

Tip 2: tell Jokes

I always play horny bard characters so my jokes are usually dirty jokes, but this doesn’t just apply to that. Really lots of situations call for jokes, or you can just make it a character trait they always tell jokes. This really brings RP out of people. Similar to before, look up jokes based around class, RP, or situation. A PC likes jewelry, look up jewelry jokes. Dumb blonde jokes can become dumb barbarian jokes. Fighting vampires, look up vampire jokes. Call out who you want to RP with like “my PC scoots closer to other PC and nudges them saying ‘There’s a bunch of food set out, we must be in the vampire’s casketeria!’” this will ALWAYS get a response. A groan, a “they roll their eyes”, a “they laugh”, or anything else. Now you have a dynamic set up with that other PC. 

This can happen during combat too. Spells that involve talking, like silvery bards, vicious mockery, or really any, can just have you making a joke as your spell casting. For example I like the Spirit bard subclass, in it you have different tales on a chart. So I looked up jokes based around those charts. One was “clever animal” so my joke was “people say dolphins are as smart as humans but I think they’re jumping to conclusions”. This led to the party talking about what a dolphin is and how smart they might be. It was fun, simple, and relaxed RP that made the party feel closer. 

Now jokes are hard, I suggest just stealing off the internet. You don’t have to be crazy creative with it or anything, if anything stupid jokes are more fun. However, you will have duds. There will be times where your jokes aren’t recognized and you will feel crummy. Just move on and don’t let it get you down. 

Tip 3: give gifts!

I can’t express this enough. Non-mechanical gifts do WONDERS for RP. Most of my bards make friendship bracelets for the party and this always goes down amazingly. A special card or pressed flowers, or a trinket made into a necklace, all things that will really just make the other PCs feel special. I’ve had campaigns end where the PC describes being buried with their friendship bracelet. 

Also, make a big deal of it if someone gives your PC a gift. Talk about them putting it on the desk in their room, or a special pocket. Say “thank you” in whatever way feels character appropriate. If it’s a big deal to your character say they tear up, if it’s small slap their shoulder, that sort of thing. 

I’ve never had a DM charge my PC more that a silver for these sort of gifts because they recognize that it’s good for building party cohesion. 

Tip 4: fashion

Give your bard a style. This could be a cowboy, or Gucci, or like a fool, or in Meku's case, like a spirit Halloween store. It makes them stand out as an individual but also gives other PCs something easy to work with. You make a bad joke and they say “oh quiet cowboy”. 

Speaking of cowboys, make your character wear a hat of some sort. There is so much description you can do with a hat alone. Someone casts gust, “my character holds their hat in place”. Under the frightened effect “she hides her face in her hat”. It’s also a easy target for other PCs. a rival PC might teasingly knock it off their head, one might ask to wear it, other might brush it off for you. It’s a very stylistic item that doesn’t have to be tracked or anything so it makes just randomly bringing it up easy. I’ve had other PCs start wearing the same style of hat as my PC. 

Ask other PCs to help with style. If someone mentions their character’s hair cut, say “oh my god it’s beautiful, could you style my hair”. Y’all, a hairstyle is the strongest of RP bonding things. I guess because it’s almost always visual so all PCs have thought about it. From “let me braid your hair” to “can you cut my hair” or “what products are you using” it’s amazing. It can really apply to any aspect of style but hair is just a insanely easy and simple way to build a bond between PCs. 

Lastly, have a key color. This is super important in my opinion. Give your bard a favorite color and use it OFTEN. Meku’s favorite color is purple. All her magic is described as purple, all her clothes are purple, if she’s buying an item she asks for purple, ect. It’s again super easy but a huge way to make your bard stand out within the party and seem extra charismatic. 

Tip 5: describe EVERYTHING

You don’t need to write a novel's long description or anything but every little description makes you seem more charismatic. When Meku casts dimension door I say “you see a sparkly purple door open up as she uses dimension door.” polymorph, her animals are always described as purple and sparkly. Last session had a good one, she used heat metal then fire bolt I described it as “she glares at the man, blows into her cupped hand like she’s blowing on a ember. Then removes a hand and flicks her middle finger up with a fire bolt going into his face”. It’s not super long but adds a lot of character to the bard and adds visually to a fight. It also got a few laughs because it killed the guy. 

I recommend giving your character an element or material as a theme. I’d clear it with the DM that you aren’t changing damage type, just taking creative liberty with description. If your bard is water themed, describe things like cure wounds as “a faint mist sprinkles over you and you heal for__”. Eldritch blast could be flicking water droplets off your hand. Heat metal could be boiling water, haste could be tossing them a drink. These small things really just add a lot. 

Feel open to act a fool. I’m sure a stern bard can be fun but I have the most fun playing the class clown style bard. You fail a dex check at catching something, say “I got it!! Uh.. oops” or “she puts her hat up like a shield and gets knocked on her ass”, “eats dirt” is another good description. It makes your character seem endearing and makes you seem really good at handling failure. In a weird way it makes your character cooler. A stern fighter who is gruff and strong getting knocked prone will seem embarrassing because the character is supposed to be cool and competent. A silly bard getting knocked over then making a joke as they jump back up makes it seem like nothing can affect your character. Everyone will fail at some point so being foolish with the failure just makes the character seem more charismatic. 

Tip 6: have a journal or doc 

I always make journals for my bard and bring it with me. In my spare time I’ll write down jokes or rhymes or descriptions of spells. I divide the journal up, spell descriptions in one part, jokes in another, and inspiration rhymes in another. Divide inspiration rhymes up by PC and have a general section as well. Cross out or add a checkmark when you use the joke or rhyme so you can keep track of what you’ve used already. For spell descriptions just add a brief description and have it handy for when you cast. “Mending looks like bright red thread weaving through the material and magically joining it together” then when you use it say “you see red magical thread sew the two parts of the page back together”. I forget to describe spells a lot so having the page open helps you make it fit the situation. 

Inspirations are especially important to write down. I have been playing bards consistently for the past 5 or so years on a weekly basis, but even I have a hard time coming up with a rhyme in the time it takes to get to my turn. Have back ups written down. Sometimes you’ll just need to be honest and say “I don’t have a rhyme right now, but inspiration to pc”. However you look like the best player in the world if it’s consistent. It’s not a ton of extra work but it seems like it in the moment to everyone else. And they do appreciate it. I get DM inspiration frequently because my DMs really do enjoy my silly 4-6 line rhymes. I do keep rhyme zone pulled up with my dnd beyond so I can make a spur of the moment rhyme, but most of my rhymes were thought about at work, or school, or while driving, or wherever.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Bard-aby <3 except he's only loosely a bard bc i don't subscribe to absolutes <3

rambles:

BARNABY WITH PANTS??? BLASPHEMY!!! however this is a (dnd-inspired) fantasy au so. pants! loose pants tucked into modified boots because no one can tell me No!

based off of Clown's pokemon au human Barn, it seems like he might be a bit of a jewelry guy! he was wearing rings! and had an earring! also i think Barn just looks great w/ some extra shinies, yk yk

since ties aren't really a Thing in fantasy settings, i combined the iconic pattern w/ his vest for a two-in-one. then suspenders bc they fuck severely! his belt buckle is a bone both as a nod to the pattern on his tie / house decoration, and to go along with how Wally has an apple buckle! besties stay twinning!

you can't see it but on his other side he has his pack & his smoking pipe holster, which attaches to his belt! it's very high quality leather that he spent so much money on. his pipe is important to him - he carved it himself out of wood from an important tree from his childhood, so he wants it to be properly stored & protected! he has two kinds of tobacco for it - normal, and magic tobacco that essentially allows him to cast minor spells w/ the smoke

the feathers on his hat are from Ms. Beagle! in my mind he left the farm to go adventuring on a bit of a bad note, but his mama made sure to give him a couple feathers to take with so that she'd always be close <3

he keeps his claws blunt so that he doesn't accidentally scratch people/things, and so that he can play stringed instruments without cutting the strings. while i imagine for this au he plays a wide range, he prefers Loud Handheld Instruments that allow him to sing along. so in mind he has an Accordion here! loud! jaunty! but i imagine he also keeps a recorder in his pack for when Frank needs annoying. (he did have a lute, but he broke it over someone's head in the act of defending Wally's honor)

im still trying to pin down the right balance of colors for his outfit, but! for a little au tidbit - all of his spots are the same two blues as his ears. in this im imagining that he, at a young age, learned a very basic cosmetic spell that allowed him to change his spots color to mimic Ms. Beagle's! he wanted to look like his mama! but by the time he's in his late 20s he no longer changes his spots

ohhhh i forgot to add his pockets. Oh Well

[gierosajie]

This has been sitting in my drafts for over a year now but anyway wip be upon you

[elythegardeningbard]

Bard Bloomers Tutorial ~ Part 2

[itsmyer]

[nixcraft]

Are you a content creator or a blog author who generates unique, high-quality content for a living? Have you noticed that generative AI platforms like OpenAI or CCBot use your content to train their algorithms without your consent? Don’t worry! You can block these AI crawlers from accessing your website or blog by using the robots.txt file.

Web developers must know how to add OpenAI, Google, and Common Crawl to your robots.txt to block (more like politely ask) generative AI from stealing content and profiting from it.

-> Read more: How to block AI Crawler Bots using robots.txt file

[eff-plays]

Tfw your rizz is literally 10 points higher than his so you can tell he's full of shit and also his delivery needs work but you're still gonna fuck that because he's pretty and you have bad taste 😔

[thatsbelievable]

[wild-magick-child]

Pop Culture Entities: OCs

Wanna know what a real power move is? Using your Original Characters as Pop Culture Entities. There is a lot of power in creating Servitors that will obey you and help you manifest your intent. If you have the talent, you can create an OC that is tailor-made to exactly what you need.

For example: this is one of my Skyrim OCs, Vandrylok. He is a Breton Wizard-Bard.

He has 100 in Illusion, Alchemy, Enchanting, & Speech. That means he is an expert at influencing others & creating things through artistic expression. He is a Bard with a special interest in Poetry, Painting/Drawing, & Sculpting, so he helps in creative pursuits. His power level is on par with a Dragon because he is Dragonborn. He is an Adventurer and his Mana, Health, & Stamina is off the charts, so he can handle pretty much any quest. He is the Archmage of the College of Winterhold so he is well studied and holds away over teachers. Perfect for students! Having done several loot quests, being in the Trading business, and having 100 in Speech, he is excellent in terms of making & growing money.

That being said, I am using his energies to help me get into college & get money for school. It's a process so I needed a character that could aid through the entire process.

All this to say, yes, you can 100% use OCs in PCM & PCP. As this post shows up on dashboards and is viewed, my OC will grow in power. Likes & reblogs will charge my OC to give him more energy to exist in this world. So Mote It Be /|\

[a-cool-stick]

DM tip to handle horny bards

Introduce fantasy STDs and STIs

This could be things that result in serious consequences or deal damage or they could be silly things that add a slight challenge or make for interesting roll play and the way it can be cured and how easily also depends on you

I have things like Genital Lycanthropy where you start rapidly growing hair on your genitals that won't stop unless cured and the rate of growth drastically increases during a full moon

You could have your players roll a constitution saving throw and on a fail, roll to see what they get from a list you made

Things can get very silly or very dangerous depending on what you come up with

Happy DMing

[cicadaknight]

just now finding out solas speaks in iambic pentameter and now i’m imagining josephine catching on and trying to predict his sentences.

[gateau-au-earl]

took my first dabble w writing a fanfic 😭 so if anyone has any tips i’m more than happy to hear them 👀

idk if ill actually post it (depends on if it actually goes somewhere ig) but so far its a domestic in universe phantomfam light novel adjacent plot where the servants slowly suspect seb is a demon ! i got like 1k words rn n its a great time

very self indulgent so put some wholesome ciel and servants and dadbastian interactions >e<

[lovebirdgames]

DnD/Fantasy AU! What would the boys' races be? (Cadence would be human)

Sorry for the wait! I’M GLAD YOU ASKED because I’ve been meaning to draw this forever since I’ve been obsessed with Baldur’s Gate 3 (it basically makes up my DnD knowledge)! I had their race/classes jotted down in my notes for months. Here’s what I came up with, hope you like it!

[official-williamshakespeare]

Hi, alt mine. Thou art a part of the Shakespeareverse anon. Nice to meeteth thou. Ye, mine Shakespearean art shit. Ye, I dontst careth (@is-this-shakesperean-accurate corrects me sometimes). Bye, sire. Welcome to the Shakespeareverse.

~ @shakespeare-official-account, thine loyal self-declared friend.

Thy message hath reached mine ears. Aye, I am taken aback by the myriad incarnations of myself in this vast multiverse, yet jest, in its guise of mimicry, doth hold the essence of true admiration.

Thy friendship is verily accepted.

[mytortoisegotstuckinatupperware]

fun DM idea

puns

[bhaal-battle-beer-bard]

BG3 Tav ✨My Dress Up Darling✨ Game

👠👗👛💄👑👢🧤🎩👠

I want you to play ✨Dress Up Doll✨ with my Tav 💕🎀🪄🎀💕

What would you give her to wear? 😃

Please I really wanna know how you would style my Tav 🙏🏻🤩

Saulus Tiefling Durge Bard of @judasiskariot, really in need of professional styling

"Alright Fashionistas, what do we do with this serious case? What do you got in store?"