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.

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