The Drill Sergeant Bard

Demons roared, towering nearly to the ceiling, their corrupt bodies rippling with flexing coils of muscle. The very air around them felt thick and cloying, their smoking breath snuffing life and courage from any who would stand before them. Sword arms drooped, and those who stood before the malformed horrors went white as they took a step back. Behind those who faced the demons a whip snapped like lightning, the crack loud as thunder. Darbon Rogg howled at them, his voice a storm at their backs.

"Fill your hearts, and steady your hands!" the orcish taskmaster roared, his bellow replacing the fear of the demons before them with fear of the devil behind them. "The first one to turn away will face far worse than anything hell could vomit up this day!"

You call that a Will save? My granny bumps higher numbers than that before tea time!

Not Your Average Luter

Bards are one of the most flexible classes in the game, and they can fill a wide variety of roles. They can fight, they can sling spells, but most importantly they are the ones who can put steel in their comrades' spines, and fire in their hearts. But all too often they're thought of as fragile dilettantes, or simple scholars who have no aptitude for the dangers of the field.

And that may be true for some bards... but not for the drill sergeant.

The sergeant (or the bulldozer, for those who prefer a less militarized term) is a creature of harsh inspiration. Bellowing battle cries that pour adrenaline into their companions' veins, they are the ones who ensure coordination, tactics, and increased efficiency in a battle. They possess the tactical acumen to shout a monster's weakness to the wizard so they can launch the proper spells, and it's their words that banish fear from the fighter's heart, and help steady the trapsmith's hands while they try to disable the improvised explosives lining the hall you need to get through.

Support your party, and they'll get the job done.

On the one hand, it's perfectly possible to just play a standard bard and to make this concept part of your character flavor. On the other hand, there are some tweaks you can make to really bring the concept home.

If you're a 5th edition player, then the obvious choice here is a College of Swords bard or the College of Valor, and to focus your spell selection on things that boost your allies when it comes to attack, damage, saves, temporary hit points, and all that goodness.

If you're a Pathfinder player, I'd highly recommend the Arcane Duelist bard archetype. Basically a proto-magus, you lose out on bardic knowledge, fascinate, and a lot of other stuff, but you gain the ability to use your Intimidate roll in place of Will saves against fear for yourself and the party (and that is going to get ridiculous in a big damn hurry). You can also add magic properties to weapons you wield, and if you go high enough level, to the weapons of your allies. When you add in feats like Combat Advice (which allows you to take a move action to grant an ally a +2 to attack against a target you can see), or when you use Bodyguard (use attacks of opportunity to grant AC bonuses to allies) with some of the advice I put in Aid Another in Pathfinder is More Useful Than You Think, you'll end up with a character who may not do a lot of damage on their own, but who will end up turning the party into a well-oiled machine when battle is joined.

Additional Reading

For those who like this concept, but who aren't sure where to start with constructing the background, flavor, and other aspects, I'd recommend checking out some of my following collections that should be able to get your imagination properly fired up.

- 100 Fantasy Battle Cries (And Their Histories): If you need something that's tightly woven into your bulldozer's history and training that goes along with your Perform (Oratory) checks, this list has you covered!

- 100 Knightly Orders: If you need someone who brings the full terror of a knightly commander to the field, these orders definitely have you covered. For those who'd prefer something a little grittier, though, you should also take a look at 100 Random Mercenary Companies, as well as 100 Gangs For Your Urban Campaigns. There's a little something for every taste, there.

- 100 Fantasy Bands: While more for traditional bards, this list does have several bands made up of military choirs and bands that could make for an ideal place to draw a drill sergeant from.

And in addition to all of that, don't forget to stop in and take a look at my 5 Tips For Playing Better Bards, which is over in my 5 Tips archive!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a dungeon master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Chaplain (A Badass Bard You Might Mistake For A Cleric)

We, as RPG lovers, have a habit of putting our characters in rigidly defined boxes when we don't actually have to. I've talked about this before in What's In A Name: How Your Character's Class is Ruining Your Creativity, and this week I'd like to point out something that might spark a big idea in some players' minds.

That idea is that, just because someone is a priest, that doesn't mean the character has to be a cleric.

Though some, obviously, still are.

What Are You Talking About?

You know how in every low-level game the party runs to the nearest church of a good-aligned deity to seek help when they've been cursed or crippled? How many times has the DM shaken his head, and informed you that despite the attendance of several members of the holy order, none of them has the power to invoke the divine (read: they all have NPC classes, and there is no one in the church with cleric levels). The implication, of course, is that while there are a lot of faithful conducting services, ministering to the community, and helping to spread the word of the divine, characters with the skills and powers of PC clerics are relatively few and far between. Not only that, but if one possesses that dedication to magic and holy obedience, they're likely to move up the ranks quite quickly, making them more likely to be found in capital cities instead of border towns beset by goblins.

Put another way, a major religion has a lot of different people who are serving a god or goddess in a unique way, using the skills they have. Fighters may be swords of the faith, as I mentioned in 10 Backgrounds For Your Martial Characters, while rangers could act as pilgrimage guides, and monks would make ideal keepers of the faith's libraries and lore. Religion is an institution, and there are a lot of different jobs that need to be done.

The Chaplain

Chaplains are priests who are attached to any private entity, but they're mostly thought of as priests who minister to soldiers. They provide spiritual guidance, perform important rites, and they fulfill a necessary role in any army who has them. A chaplain with a commanding presence, whose sermons demand attention, and whose knowledge of the divine is great enough to answer even difficult questions, would be a boon to any church reaching out to the warriors of the world. A chaplain whose booming battle cries could drive warriors on into the breach, removing fear and strengthening their sword arms, and whose magic can heal his allies while wrecking havoc on his foes, is the sort of priest no army would want to be without.

Also, a strategic application of Use Magic Device.

 

So what's the point of the concept? To defy expectations, of course!

Picture the introduction at the table. The party sees a broad-shouldered half-orc with a commanding presence, a prominently displayed holy symbol, light armor, and a military bearing. He introduces himself as Chaplain Grimm, and when pressed about his experience and allegiances refers to himself as a servant of a god of nobility, battle and war. Maybe some players assume that means he's a cleric. Maybe they don't. However, the point is that creating someone who is affiliated with a religion, but who has a different role than other players assume, is a good way to stop people from thinking they know what you can and can't do. At the very least, you have brought a badass bard to the table, and your role as encyclopedia and party-booster is not going to be any less valued than it would normally be. However, by not presenting with what most players assume to be typical bardic trappings, you're going to make them actually react to your character, rather than their perceptions of your mechanics.

Also, recommendations. Perform (Oratory) is a great way to bring your boosts to the battlefield. This is especially true if you want to literally shout down an enemy spellcaster like some kind of crazed exorcist/drill sergeant when you use countersong. You may also want to consider increasing your ability to help the party by boosting your aid another bonus. For help on that, check out Aid Another in Pathfinder is More Powerful Than You Think.

Additionally, you should check out 5 Tips For Playing Better Bards if you're looking for inspiration!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a dungeon master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!