Bard Songs

The Bard has a series of additional Faith uses:

Ditty Ob2

• Timing: normal for Faith
• Success: Open end one test
• Failure: +1 Ob to next faith test
• Flavour: the bard sings a little ditty, usually a small uplifting song

Melody Ob3

• Timing: 2 actions (can be contiguous with Fight actions)
• Success: +1D to one skill, the skill choice can be switched via two actions. You must continue performing the melody in order for people to keep the bonus you grant.
• Failure: The opposition leader (usually the GM) picks someone (usually you, but often the person with the best number in the skill you picked) to make a Steel test
• Flavour: the bard plays a melody over the conflict

Shanty Ob4

• Timing: 60 actions, plus the duration of the task
• Success: The members of the song get +1D * +3D (Margin of Success) to any one stat, skill, or attribute
• Failure: The task gains +1Ob
• Flavour: A group of people begin singing a shanty together, the Bard leading, and everyone gets the bonus toward completing that task (each person may pick one thing, and yes, people do sing My Seargant Major for healing together).
• Bonus: Members of the Shanty may Help the sea shanty, every 5D of Sing gives +1D to the Faith roll.

Dirge Ob 6

• Timing: 3000 actions
• Success: Render an area or corpse unable to contain daemons, fae, or spirits. A being with a Will greater than the Bard's Faith may instead make a Steel test, rather than be banished back to their home.
• Failure: Any being attempting to possess or enter the area may do so automatically.
• Flavour: The bard sings a low mournful song, supplicating the dying, and giving a funeral. This is often accompanied by a funeral from a cleric or priest.

War Chant Ob 5 or Ob 9

• Timing: 1000 fight actions, and must be ongoing
• Success: The Weapons on your side become spirit weapons, or with the higher level, Grey (note: Not shifted one shade lighter)
• Failure: If armour ever completely negates a hit from the weapons of one of your side, roll a DoF, on a 1, that weapon breaks. In Range and Cover and War,
• Flavour: The Bard must hold a banner high and lead the group, chanting loudly, and all who can hear him are empowered.
• Bonus: The Bard may be assisted by a Piper, Drumer, and Bugler, each of those may use their Musical Instrument skill to Help this action.

Dance Battle Ob4*6

• Timing: 2 actions
• Success: The targets (the Ob is 3+Number of Targets, maximum 3) must script Dance until they can win a Dance vs Will test, with the Bard rolling Dance. The Bard must script Dance once in the exchange to keep up with the conflict.
• Failure: The Bard must script Dance a number of times equal to the target's Will (if multiple targets, use the highest Will).
• Flavour: The Bard screams a challenge which one is compelled to accept. The Bard begins to Dance and complicated and intricate hypnotic dance, dangerous on the battlefield, but the targets begin to follow his steps, until they can snap free.

Homefires Ob 3

• Timing: 100 actions
• Success: The bard defends the area, causing anyone with hostile intents to the bard and their companions to receive +1 Ob on their next openly hostile action. The area defends is a number of Paces equal to twice the Bard's Faith exponent.
• Failure: The flames are not considered safe, grant Persona points to the first person to take hostile action against the area, they receive a number of Persona points equal to the margin of failure.
• Flavour: The bard lights a fire in the location, and by the light of the fire, tells stories of the place. Either singing a song or telling a story of home.

Spout Lore Ob 5

• Timing: 1 song
• Success: The Bard tells the story of success. This is generally a method of answering questions * but sometimes it is a quest that can be performed. A common example would be the background on an artifact, a weakness of a creature, or the quest to perform in order to heal a mystical disease.
• Failure: The bard leaves out a critical detail. For example, that speaking to a faerie will cause the quest to fail, that the Hydra's heads can be stopped with fire, but not that it's blood goes up like oil and so to avoid getting it on you, or that the ancient spellbook is buried in Shinei Mavet, but not the skeletal guardian.
• Flavour: The bard just tells a story.

Instructive Lessons Ob Variable

• Timing: 500 actions
• Success: The Bard creates a story which, when written down, can be used as an instructive text (pg 38 BWG, under Written Instructions). The Ob is based on the skill type, the base is Ob2. +1 for Artist or School of Thought. +2 for a Medicine or Military skill. +4 for a Sorcerous or Special Skill. Teaching a Fighting Art's technique requires Ob3+the number of techniques before it in the Art. The lesson lasts one practice cycle, unless someone meets the same Ob on a Write roll to record it into a book.
• Failure: The text fails spectacularly, using it to learn makes the time to practice the skill doubled.
• Flavour: The bard begins to recite a song or story. These are similar in nature and style to an Elven skillsong in that they are a series of rote actions and behaviours and mnemonics. Using these can help someone learn a skill.