Bard

Most cultures and races have bards.

Dwarven bards

Dwarves have a strong bardic cultures, especially the mountain dwarves when it comes to preserving their history. Even among hill dwarves, it is expected of a dwarven bard to be able to recite a few stories of the great heroes of their homeworld Dreugh.

Mountain dwarf bards favor drums and other percussion instruments while hill dwarfs like to learn music from other cultures to bring back home and share with the friends and families.

Feytouched bards

Feytouched bards are known for their enchanting and intoxicating singing. They favor simple musical instruments made from natural sources.

Samhach feytouched bards tend to take the Path of Lore, as they see history in a cyclical fashion, and consider a strong understanding of the past is also a strong understanding of the future.

Genasi bards

The land of Yorr are in constant conflict and genasi are either great leaders or on the run from being murdered by one. Genasi bards usually choose the Path of Valor, to help inspire their forces in battle.

Genasi bards specialize in musical instruments that are harmonious with their elemental side. Earth genasi favor percussion, air genasis favor woodwind, water favor stringed, and fire favor brass.

Gnome bards

Tinker gnomes are fascinated with knowledge and bards of their ilk will often choose the Path of Lore. They will play overtly complicated musical instruments that often breakdown and need repair.

Their forest gnome cousins favor simple musical instruments like reed pipes or xylophones made from sticks.

Goliath bards

It is unheard of goliath pursuing a bardic profession. It is counter intuitive to their culture. A goliath bard would be an outsider that learned his or her skills from somewhere else.

Halfling bards

Halflings love music. Stout halflings have over a 100 holidays a year and music and dance are integral to their culture. Lightfoot halflings are constantly on the road it would be unheard of to start an expedition without a bard to help pass the time.

Human bards

Among human cultures, the type of musical instruments played are generally a reflection of the technology and magic of the region. Bards from the west will have training and access to apparati involving strange magic, while bards from the east have a tradition in electric powered devices.

A Bard that chooses the Path of Lore often hails from a regions that emphasises knowledge over combat. These regions are Immeria and Espora in the west, Canton to the South, Achea to the east, and Vindr in the center.

Along the Trader’s Strait is a small rocky kingdom in Vindr called Skaldinavia that is famous for its bardic traditions. The capital city, Kennivik, possesses the largest bardic school on Aedra. There is a tradition in the region of great leaders and military commanders travelling to Kennivik to receive a name after accomplishing a great deed.

Kindred bards

The kindred have different tastes in music than other races. This could be due to difference in auditory ranges they enjoy, or that their hearts beat at a different rhythm.

This isn’t to say they don’t enjoy music, but it will often take on different tone, more primal in nature.

• Capra enjoy music that sounds of the wind sporadically interrupted by a loud crack.
• Avi prefer loud high pitched calls.
• Zorri love to congregate and make harmonious yipping sounds broken by chaotic babel.
• Felis favor slinky dances with low bass growls
• Traszee love the sounds of the rain and their bards are skilled percussionists that simulate it.

Altered Class Feature

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6+2 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per bard level after 1st.

Barbarian

Barbarians commonly hail from the regions of Achea, Aka’akar, Goeth, the Hun Archipelago, Numina, Ost, and Ostborea.

In Vindr is a region of uncivilized territory known as the Favon Wilds where four barbarian tribes still manage to keep back the encroachments of civilization. These tribes are the Primit, Falsic, Rotti, and Serpensi.

Races that favor the barbarian class are humans, kindred, and goliath. Kindred often take the Path of the Totem Warrior, choosing an animal similar to their own essence.

There are innumerable reasons why a barbarian would find themselves in civilized land. A player choosing to play a barbarian should choose an appropriate backstory that explains how and why their barbarian now travels distant lands far from their home.

Altered Class Feature

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10+2 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per barbarian level after 1st.