Savage Bard (D&D Bard variant)

Unofficial rules compendium

UA 50

The savage bard is a warrior at heart, though his arcane powers strike fear into the enemies of his tribe. Savage bards often multiclass as barbarians to improve their combat prowess.

Alignment: A savage bard must be chaotic in alignment. A savage bard who becomes nonchaotic cannot progress in levels as a bard, though he retains all his bard abilities.

Base Save Bonuses: A savage bard has good Fortitude and Will saves, but has poor Reflex saves.

Class Skills: A savage bard loses Decipher Script and Speak Language as class skills. He adds Survival to his list of class skills.

Class Features

The savage bard has all the standard bard class features, except as noted below.

Illiteracy: A savage bard is illiterate, just as a barbarian is. An illiterate savage bard cannot use or scribe scrolls.

Spellcasting: Remove the following spells from the savage bard’s class spell list: calm emotions, comprehend languages, detect secret doors, erase, prestidigitation, read magic, sepia snake sigil, summon monster (I through VI).

Add the following spells to the savage bard’s class spell list: 1st — calm animals, detect snares and pits, endure elements, summon nature’s ally I; 2nd — bull’s strength, pass without trace, summon nature’s ally II; 3rd — snare, summon nature’s ally III; 4th — insect plague, summon nature’s ally IV; 5th — commune with nature, summon nature’s ally V; 6th — creeping doom, reincarnate, summon nature’s ally VI.