The Gallant Bard - New Muse and Feats ( PF2E Compatible )
Updated: Nov 4, 2019
THE GALLANT BARD
The present article brings a new Muse for the Bard class that is designed to be an adaptation of the Gallant Bard Kit from Ad&d to Pathfinder 2E. I was motivated of doing so by the request made to me on a discussion topic on social media.
I chose the make the Gallant Bard not as an archetype or a standalone class, but as a new muse option for the Bard, as this was the best way to fit the idea of a class kit inside the PF2E current class system.
This makes for a Gallant Bard that still has high access to magic, and has many abilities that old Gallant Bard Bard from ad&d would not have, but bards overall are pretty different between editions, so my goal was to capture the essence of the old kit and bring it to PF2E Bard.
Another option of game design could be to make the Gallant Bard as a rogue or even as a fighter, but I believe that the Swashbuckler class, that will be released by Paizo in the future would be a better base class to make a Gallant Bard if you want to take a spell-less route. Yet I believe that the version with the base class of the Bard is the one that will fit the Gallant Bard the most, so that is why I chose it. (Also, it was the most obvious one!)
Gallant Bard Description:
Gallant Bards travel from one jousting tournament to another, In search of romance and purity. Always looking for pretty company to exert its charms on, as well as innocents to protect.
They travel looking for opportunities to show off their skills and their charm, but are often more interested in impressing their choices for romance then really winning at the jousting tournaments.
Born out of romance and freedom, the gallant bard is a wanderer and a believer in true love and moral purity, always looking to protect the innocent, the children and the ones that can’t defend themselves.
For a Gallant Bard, happiness is the goal of life, and doing what makes one happy, and does not deprive others from happiness, is their way of living.
Often mistaken for paladins or cavaliers, as they dress and act much like heroic warriors of legends, their motivations are different, as they are not interested in gold, blood lust, slaying monsters or even destroying evil. Their true goal is to protect beauty, innocence and love, and chase romance and happiness on their way.
They train and take part of combat tournaments, and are proficient with many different weapons and armors, but they are there more to perform and show his charm the crowds then to win the fights, so they often end up losing to the best fighters and paladins. Yet still, they often end victorious on the matters of love, gaining the hearts of the crowd, which often cause their competitors to become jealous of them.
Always on the road, from one place to another, in searching for new romances and experiences and to be part in more heroic journeys, they will adventure for romantic causes. Promises to romantic interests, fighting to save defenseless people or to protect children are often what set into motion a Gallant Bard to take on the journeys of adventuring.
The Gallant Bard offers a new choice of Muse for the Bard, and a group of new talents and options for the class.
The Muse
Gallant Muse: Your muse is romance, love, and purity. If it is a creature, it might be a good natured fey or a nymph; if a deity, it might be a God(dess) of Love, Purity or Beauty. As a bard with the gallant muse, you are in search of romance whenever you go, and you always choose to act as heroic as possible in any situation.
Your dedication to be a hero gives you the proficiency of armors and weapons, making you trained in all martial weapons and medium and heavy armor. Every time you would improve your proficiency on weapons because of a bard ability, you also increase the proficiency with martial weapons, the same happens for when you improve your proficiency on armors by a bard ability, where you then also increase and your proficiency In medium and heavy armors.
You become trained in the Lore (Heraldics), and you gain the Essence of Purity Feat and the Gallant Bard Code class feature.
Because you give more focus to martial prowess than other Bards, you receive 1 less spell per day of each circle of magic you can cast, and you learn only four cantrips at level 1 instead of five.
Because of this specialization, you gain Bard Weapon Expertise at level 5 instead of 11. At level 13 you increase your proficiency with those weapons, as well as all martial weapons, to Master.
The Gallant Bard Code:
You follow a code of conduct, with tenets shared by all Gallant Bards. Tenets are listed in order of importance, starting with the most important.
If a situation places two tenets in conflict, you aren’t in a no-win situation; instead, follow the more important tenet. Trying to subvert your code by creating a situation that forces a higher tenet to override a lower tenet is a violation of the gallant bard code.
If you violate your code of conduct, you lose all feats and abilities that has The Gallant Muse as a prerequisite until you demonstrate your repentance by conducting an atone ritual, but you keep any other bard abilities that don’t require this class feature.
The Code:
You must protect the innocent, the lovers, and those that can be potential romantic interests for you, and aid them in times of need (unless they are an active threat to you, your allies or other innocent or defenseless people).
You must never flee from combat until all the defenseless, and all people that can be potential romantic interest for you, have done so first.
You must never do evil willingly, such as murdering, torture or causing unjustified harm to others.
You must never try to prevent love and romance or unnecessarily destroy art and beauty.
You must never marry or make solemn vow to only love one person.
You must never overstay your welcome in any place.
You must only own what you can carry on you and on your horse.
You must always use the most impressive and expensive cloths, armor and weapons that you can.
You must not accumulate unnecessary wealth, and should spend such extra money in romances or to help the innocent. (This does not apply to your gear.)
NEW FEATS – Gallant Bard Feats
Essence of Purity - FEAT 1
Prerequisite(s) Gallant Muse
The purity of love and the romantic aspirations of the Gallant Bard make them cling to life with astonishing tenacity.
You gain 3 additional Hit Points for each Bard feat with the Gallant Muse Prerequisite you have.
A number of times per day equals to your charisma modifier, you can roll twice on a Death Saving throw and chose the best result.
Romantic Appeal - FEAT 2
Prerequisite(s) Gallant Muse
The Gallant Bard may use his charm and romantic appeal to help improve reactions during social encounters. When using a skill to improve the reaction of NPC’s, count any success as a critical success. You gain a +2 circumstantial bonus against targets that could be romantically attracted to you (DM decision). If you fail or critically fail against a target that couldn’t be romantically attracted to you, the reaction is worsened one step further, as they feel offended or becomes jealous of you.
Inner Confidence - FEAT 4
Prerequisite(s) Gallant Muse, Romantic Appeal, Able to Cast Spells of 2nd Circle of Occult Spell List.
You learn the Inner Confidence composition cantrip, which places the Gallant Bard in a peaceful and confident state of mind that improves his fighting ability.
Inner Confidence - CANTRIP 4
[Uncommon] [Bard] [Cantrip] [Composition] [Emotion] [Enchantment] [Mental]
Cast [one-action]
Duration 1 round
You make a fast display of skill with movements that are as graceful as a dance instilling yourself with self-confidence.
Choose one; Attack rolls, Damage Rolls, AC or Saving Throws. You gain a +3 status bonus to it.
Special: You can use Inspire Heroics to improve your Inner Confidence in the same manner that it is used to improve Inspire Courage. If you are successful on the Inspire Heroics Performance check you instead can choose a second different option from Attack rolls, Damage Rolls, AC or Saving Throws, and gain a +1 status bonus to it. If it is a critical success you can chose two extras instead. (On a failure you don’t expend focus points.)
Squire aid - FEAT 6
Prerequisite(s) Gallant Muse
You gain the service of a squire to help you on your journey. He is absolutely devoted to you, maintaining your equipment and helping you on your journey.
The Squire can be a level 1 fighter or level 1 bard, at your choice. He is considered a protegee of yours, and most often will not take part in combats, as he is too unexperienced for the dangers you face. It should use basic statistics for an NPC of its kind and level, and his status and control are in the hands of the DM. (The DM might advance him if he wishes or deems appropriate, but most often the Squire will not be someone that can fight alongside with the Bard. Normally a squire that becomes sufficiently skilled will leave to find its own path, but this is not a rule, and the DM should play it as it best fit the game and the story.)
The Squire provides aid the group into building camp, keeping fire, cleaning, making food, and helping with minor repair like keeping the weapons and armors.
All rolls to subsist on the wild are at +2 circumstantial bonus when the Squire is helping the group.
The Squire can aid the gallant bard in any out-of-combat actions or skill check that you are trained, but instead of the normal roll to aid you can choose to have him make a flat DC 11 roll. (He will only receive a critical success on a natural 20, and a critical failure on a natural 1.)
On all other aspects the squire will help the bard and the group as much as possible, but will try to stay out of harms way and not be a hindrance, like being captured. The DM decides in what ways he acts, but the Bard can always try to teach his squire as well as command him. If he is going to obey or not is up to the DM, but the Bard can always end his mentoring of a squire and try to find a new one that best fits his needs.
If your Squire dies or by any reason stops being your Squire, you can spend a week of downtime to find another at no cost. You can have only one Squire at a time.
Poetic charm - FEAT 8
Prerequisite(s) Gallant Muse
The Gallant Bard can direct his attention to one person that could see the Bard as a romantic interest (DM choice, but the Gallant Bard always knows if the target is valid when he tries to start using this ability). The Bard perform subtle acts of wit and charm to try to conquer the target heart. This takes 1 minute, and must include at least one poem concerning the person, and it must be able to understand the bard language.
The target them makes a Will Saving Throw against the Bard DC.
Critical Success: The target is unaffected, and its reaction to you worsen by one degree as it takes offense in your ways.
Success: The target is unaffected.
Failure: The target becomes helpful towards you, as it falls in love with you.
Critical Failure: The target becomes helpful towards you. It falls so profoundly in love with you that any further save it do against this ability from you is rolled at a -3 penalty.
This effect is not magical in its origin. If the Gallant treat the target well it will not have a determined duration, but at DM discretion the target may become more or less in love with you depending on your actions, your distance and the passage of time.
Each time the Bard abuse the target or do or ask the target to do something that the target does not feel that is appropriate, the target can roll a new save. The DM might give the target bonus based on how against the target nature and values the situation is. If the target succeeds on this save, it becomes unfriendly against the bard, and if it critically succeeds it becomes hostile. (This bonus may go as +1 for a small thing like telling the target to lie to its friends about something, to up to +10 for causing real harm to the target or someone it cares about.)
Targets that already love someone romantically or are in combat against you cannot be affected by this ability. The DM might give a bonus or penalty to the target initial saving throw depending on the circumstance and the relation you already have with the target, but most often the initial roll has neither a bonus or a penalty.
Last Words [REACTION] - FEAT 14
Prerequisite(s): Gallant Muse Trigger: You take damage that would cause you to reach 0 Hit Points. Frequency: Once per Day
You lived in romance, and you cannot die without drama, as you linger on to recite one final tragic poem when deadly wounded.
Instead of going to 0 Hit Points, you go to amount of Hit Points equals to your character level.
Roll 1d4, after you have taken that amount of turns you then take damage equal to your Character Level. (This damage cannot be reduced in any way.) If this damage would cause you to reach 0 Hit Points, you then recite your tragic poem. Everyone, including yourself, in 60 feet from you, that can hear and understand you, becomes Doomed 1 then immediately you fall unconscious and start dying as per normal rules.
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