Bard (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

Bards work magic through performance, using one or more performing arts, such as acting, music, song, or dance. Mostly used to charm and influence, a masterful bard can calm the waves and enchant death itself. Bards may be known as orphics, troubadours, thespians, and by a myriad of titles for performers.

Touchstones: Ariel (The Little Mermaid, 1989), Giselle (Enchanted, 2007), Rapunzel (Tangled, 2010), Miguel (Coco, 2017).

Trauma Condition—Turbulence

You must use a performing art to activate your powers, which may attract attention but can be disguised as a part of a mundane performance. It is hard to tell when you are using powers or not. As an bard your first power must be the Animal, Flux, Illusion, Life, Mind, Order, or Time power. These are marked in yellow on the power list below. When gaining further powers you can select any bard power you wish.

Special Abilities

1. Epic By performing for 5 minutes with an audience of scale appropriate to your tier (p 221) you reduce the stress cost of a power or Ritual you use by two. You can use occult Ritual to summon a supernatural effect or being. You gain no rituals and cannot research new rituals.
2. Influence: You may expend your Special Armor to push or resist consequences of Resolve actions.
3. Inspiration: Two times per score you can assist a teammate without paying stress or even being there as long as they saw you perform this week. Tell us what performance inspired them. You can take this ability again to gain two additional uses.
4. Listener: When you gather info using Consort, Study, or Survey you get +1d. Successfully gathering info for a score gives +1d to the engagement roll for that operation.
5. Social Butterfly: You never roll less than 2d indulging in vice. You may pick which dice result to use to reduce stress. For example, if you rolled a 2 and a 5 you could choose to reduce your stress by either 2 or 5. Your crew also benefits from this if they indulge with you; they can use your vice and provider but roll using their own attributes, with a minimum of 2 dice.
6. Star: You gain increased effect when performing in front of an audience. You gain an additional xp trigger: Perform for an audience with scale based on tier (p 221). If your crew helped you, also mark crew xp. Gain +2 stash during payoff if you succeeded at this during the score. You know all kinds of performance. If detail is desired, select a number of performance arts equal to the sum of your action ratings in Consort, Finesse, and Sway.
7. Tete-a-tete: Push a Resolve action to do one of the following: Attract everyone's attention—get a scene alone with someone—escape a location.
8. Powers: Air, Animal, Barrier, Darkness, Death, Earth, Electricity, Fire, Ice, Flux, Illusion, Kinesis, Life, Light, Metal, Mind, Order, Plant, Space, Time, and Water.

Strangers in the Night

˄ ˅ Celest, an bard.

˄ ˅ Haia, a mysterious heir.

˄ ˅ Kalli, an adventurous fan.

˄ ˅ Tam Tam, a crafter.

˄ ˅ Yagatan, an impressario.

Inventory

☐,☐,☐ Fine Bottle of Wine.

◯ Memento.

☐ Music Sheet.

◯ Stagewear.

• Fine Bottle of Wine ☐: A rare vintage from your personal collection, potent both in its alcohol and its ability to impress. Desirable to most people and tends to loosen tunges.
• Memento ◯: A small personal item reminding you of your goals and passions. Reduces the stress cost of a power by one once per score, used after making the action roll. Playbook.
• Scroll ☐: Allows one use of a power on the list of bard powers that you do not know. Playbook.
• Stagewear ◯: Fancy and provocative stage kit. Allows you to push any resolve action roll (not just powers) at the cost of only one stress. You must carry no more than a light load and cannot use armor. Playbook

XP

• Every time you roll a desperate action, mark xp in that action's attribute.

At the end of each session, for each item below, mark 1 xp (in your playbook or an attribute) or 2 xp if that item occurred multiple times.

• You addressed a challenge using powers or charm.
• You expressed your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background.
• You struggled with issues from your vice or traumas during the session.

Starting Actions

Consort 1

Sway 2

4 points by choice, no higher than 2 in any one.