Karnallian Bard Magic Overview

Karnallian Bard Magic Overview

The Bards of Karnalle have developed their own offshoot of magic from traditional spellcasting known as Performance. It leans more towards the selfless white magic type, but its practitioners are not always good people by default unlike the majority of white magic users. The difference between Performance and casting spells is that Mages enforce their will through specific magic words, whereas Bards enforce their will through playful rhymes, poems and songs.

There are no specific Bard songs, and the effect of the magic is directly tied to the Bard's improvisational ability. The more creative their performance is, the more power it has. Karnallian Sages have studied why specific songs can't be passed down similar to actual spells can, and they've come to the conclusion that it has something to do with Performance being a very situational form of magic which draws its power heavily from personal emotions. A Bard singing a healing song to his dying lover will not have have the same weight behind it if some different Bard performed the same song for their friend during combat.

Spellsongs are a form of mental magic meant to affect the mood, perception and morale of anyone who hears them. The power depends on the mana used, the skill of the Bard and the quality of their performance. Specialized instruments built out of mana conductive woods or metals serve in place of wands or staves, allowing the Bard to channel their mana and amplify the effects of their performance.

Learning the way of Bardic Performance is done through any of the prestigious Bard colleges found in most major cities in Karnalle. Here, potential Bards go through a four year or more program and study the arts to stuff as much creativity into themselves as possible. Learning how to do the actual magic part is important, but so is reading literature, poems and studying music so that their minds are full of material to draw influences from when it matters most.

For the most part, Bards train themselves to be skilled in all branches of Spellsongs. There are schools of thought that focus primarily on creating healer Bards, but it's mostly seen as a waste of potential to forgo all the other types of effects Bards can perform.

Performance Types

Rhymes produce quick, small effects that don't last very long but can be stacked in quick succession. A minimum of two sentences in a row are necessary for a rhyme to be cast.

Poems are medium strength and more dramatic. They have to perform these as if they were theatre acting, featuring dynamic movements and fitting vocal inflections.

Spellsongs are the strongest type, but take the longest to cast and are very obvious. The effect only takes place after the song is fully completed, and while there's no specific length that a spellsong has to be sung for, they're generally stronger the longer it is provided the Bard doesn't mess up the longer it goes on. When spellsongs are cast the Bard creates magical floating musical notes around them as a side effect. These notes dance and twirl about in the air until the spellsong is completed, where they then fly off to their target and burst into glittery fireworks on contact. Dodging them is not possible as long as the target heard the full spellsong.

Limitations

One of the biggest drawbacks of Bard magic is that the intended target of a performance or Spellsong needs to be able to understand the language that is being spoken in order for there to be an effect. Spellsongs and performances are like an advanced form of hypnosis, so if the target doesn't know what's going on then there's no point. Bards are heavily encouraged to learn as many languages as they can during their time at Bard College and it's required that they graduate with fluency in at least one other besides the common tongue.

This applies to monsters as well. A good deal of monsters are smart enough to understand the common tongue, but plenty of them don't and are thus immune to debuffs. If Bards intend on frequently engaging in combat scenarios, it's suggested during college that they study up on Karnalle's monsters and learn what can and cannot be affected by performance.

Another obvious drawback is that it doesn't work on those who are deaf or currently cannot hear the Bard. Similarly, if the target has high enough willpower they can overcome the mental effects of a performance or Spellsong.

Bards have to have precise control over their magic if they intend to target a single person instead of everyone in the surrounding area.

Common Uses

Inspiration

Bards can perform with the intention of motivating their comrades in any situation. Does the Mage need a bonus to their spellcasting? Sing a song about how skilled they are at magic. Does the Rogue need to not be seen? Sing about how stealthy they are. Any natural ability can be boosted by a skilled Bard.

Buffs and Debuffs

As a support class, Bards take great pride in manipulating the flow of battle by applying buffs and debuffs to their allies and enemies alike. The buffs are different than Inspiration, which focuses on boosting a singular action. Buffs are more universal and can be applied to the entire party at once. Speed, strength, defense, magic resistance, etc. Performances can also be targeted towards their enemies to lower these same qualities.

Status Effects

Bards can sing harmful mental status effects onto their enemies, the most common of which being sleep. Paralysis is also an option, as is confusion, rage and depression. At very high levels, Bards are almost comparable to illusionists as they can manipulate the senses of their target, suggesting things that aren't there and making them appear real. Anything status effect that would require external stimuli is a no-go. Bards can't magically poison or inflict burns on something with words, after all. They might be able to convince a target that they feel like they're burning or poisoned, though.

Spotlight

By singing a provocative song about themselves or someone else, Bards can draw aggro towards that person. Works on enemies as well.

Healing

A core skill of the Bard is their ability to inspire their friends' bodies to accelerate their natural healing. This is not comparable to a full-on White Mage, but it's more than serviceable to heal medium level damage. Bones can be fixed, partially-damaged organs regenerated, sicknesses cured, but stuff like regrowing limbs or other miracles is off the table.

Charm

All Bards have high charisma and can enhance this with magical Performance seduction if need be. Not all Bards are promiscuous, but enough of them are for this stereotype to have a good reason for existing.