Minstrel#

Singers and blade dancers who work magic through celestial tunes, an art lost for ages and found again only in the Age of Man. A minstrel lifts the whole party with song and, later, dances through a fight with a blade in each hand.

How it plays#

A minstrel’s vocalization is a song every ten levels, each a boon for the party, from the song of strength at level 0 to the song of stars at 100. The melodies do the harm and the healing. Charisma leads and luck backs it, which makes the minstrel one of two classes built on luck, with the pickpocket.

From level 50 a minstrel dances. The dances strike, heal, put foes to sleep and raise fallen friends, and minstrels chain melodies and dances into finishers the way monks chain blows. Blade mastery gives a minstrel two blades from level 0, and a blademaster at level 100 the blade of the eternal.

Minstrels are one of the spirit and song classes. Every ability, level by level, is under Abilities.

The road to Blademaster#

A minstrel takes a new title at levels 100, 200, 300 and 400. A title can be declined; Five titles says what that means.

1. Level1
   Rank 1: Minstrel

   Your class's own name. You earned it by doing the work, and nobody has to grant it.

2. Level100
   Rank 2: Bard

   A bard may perform in any square or tavern on Sedia without a license, and keeps whatever the hat collects.

3. Level200
   Rank 3: Harlequin

   Harlequins may mock anyone in song, crowned heads included, and by an old custom of Esthar can't be punished for it while the song lasts.

4. Level300
   Rank 4: Bladesinger

   A bladesinger may wear blades at court, where everyone else gives theirs up at the door.

5. Level400
   Rank 5: Blademaster

   The last title. The Order of Scholars writes down a blademaster's songs as they're sung, and they become history whether or not it happened that way.

Where they train#

Seline Aubret found the old celestial tunes in a crate of Estharian sheet music nobody in Crecia could read, and spent ten years learning how. The songs downstairs in her hall are for anyone who pays at the door. The lessons are upstairs.

Find Seline Aubret at a music hall on the harbor in Crecia. Any trainer can take your training points, but titles are bestowed here. Where the classes train maps all fourteen.

How it shows#

None of this changes a roll. It’s how the people around you can tell what you are, if you let them.

• You hum without knowing it, and the people near you start humming the same tune.
• Your footsteps fall in rhythm, and a room’s chatter seems to keep time with them.

How minstrels see magic#

Minstrels touch every element and every seam by harmonizing their celestial tunes, an ancient art revived only lately, in the Age of Man. Every tradition, and what the scholars say underneath them.

Races that start closest#

The races whose starting scores sit nearest a minstrel’s charisma and luck. Any race can be a minstrel; the class finder and the race finder rank all of them.

Kobold Charisma 12 and luck 11, and a kobold always has a new grievance to sing about. CHA 12 · LUC 11 · AC 12 Quickling Charisma 12 and luck 11, and nobody can finish a verse faster. CHA 12 · LUC 11 · AC 7 Goblin Goblins are half a human's height, sharp-tongued and, they'll tell you, descended from the daemunai. CHA 12 · LUC 9 · AC 13 Halfling Luck 11 backs a minstrel, and halflings never run out of stories. CHA 10 · LUC 11 · AC 11

Rodes that suit#

A rode is the one path of trials a character walks from level 20. These are the ones that do the most for a minstrel; the rode finder ranks all fourteen.

Influence Charisma is a minstrel's primary score, the one every skill it uses adds. The rode takes it past where training stops. Built for it · +1 to +5 CHA Chance Luck backs a minstrel's charisma. The rode takes it past where training stops. Helps · +1 to +5 LUC Cognition A minstrel's songs keep going only as long as their willpower does. Helps · 1d4 to 1d20+10 willpower

Tradesguilds that suit#

A character belongs to two tradesguilds at most. These are the ones whose work fits a minstrel; the guild finder ranks all eleven.

Tailoring A minstrel is half performance and half costume, and a tailor never pays someone else for the second half. A natural fit · hall in Dumasque Jewelcrafting Minstrels play for the rich, and the rich buy jewelry from people they like. Works well · hall in Crecia Carpentry Minstrels play in halls, and a carpenter knows how a room carries sound. Works well · hall in Crecia

What others say#

The wrong note

Seline Aubret has found one more celestial tune, and every time it’s played in the hall the harbor goes dead calm and the gulls stop crying. She wants to know what it’s for before anyone plays it to the end.

Abilities#

A class teaches its abilities in disciplines, a handful of related abilities learned as you level. Most open at level 0 and add one every ten or twenty levels. The heroic disciplines open at level 50 and run to 100.

A cost in willpower or stamina is paid each time you use the ability. A passive works all the time, and a toggled ability stays on until you turn it off. Every ability starts at 0 efficacy and gets better with practice, as Levels explains.

VocalizationInstrumentalBardic masteryDancesBlade mastery

Vocalization#

A song every ten levels, each lifting the party: strength, speed, love, fortification, intellect, wisdom, protection, combat, nature, magic, and the stars at 100. 11 abilities, levels 0 to 100

Song Of StrengthLevel 0 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties strength by 5.

Song Of SpeedLevel 10 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties dexterity by 5.

Song Of LoveLevel 20 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties charisma by 5.

Song Of FortificationLevel 30 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties constitution by 5.

Song Of IntellectLevel 40 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties intelligence by 5.

Song Of WisdomLevel 50 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties wisdom by 5.

Song Of ProtectionLevel 60 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties armor class by 5.

Song Of CombatLevel 70 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties physical damage done 8.

Song Of NatureLevel 80 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties resistance to elements.

Song Of MagicLevel 90 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties amplitude to elements.

Song Of StarsLevel 100 · 20 willpower

Boosts parties luck by 5.

Instrumental#

Melodies of battle, wind, the cheetah, the ghost, the elements and renewal. 6 abilities, levels 0 to 50

Melody Of BattleLevel 0 · 30 willpower

Grants party 10 to hitroll to help prevent missing.

Melody Of WindLevel 10 · 30 willpower

Grants party 10 to their initiative so they have greater chance to attack first.

Melody Of The CheetahLevel 20 · 25 willpower

Enhances parties attack patterns, granting them the ability to have a second free physical attack per round.

Melody Of The GhostLevel 30 · 50 willpower

Turns party ethereal.

Melody Of The ElementsLevel 40 · 50 willpower

Elemental blast that deals 1d10 of each element to the current sector.

Melody Of RenewalLevel 50 · 30 willpower

Gives party 1d6 health per round for 4 rounds.

Bardic mastery#

From level 50, passives that make a minstrel hard to interrupt or silence, strengthen their songs and dances, and let them sing while they dance. 6 abilities, levels 50 to 100

Rhythmic AttenuationLevel 50 · Passive

50% chance to ignore interrupts and instants.

Expressive MotionLevel 60 · Passive

Increases strength of all dances by 5.

Wordless ExpressionLevel 70 · Passive

Immune to silence or mute.

Harmonizing ToneLevel 80 · Passive

Increases strength of songs and melodies by 5.

Instant ExpressionLevel 90 · Passive

No wait on affects, instant on channeling.

Synchronized MotionLevel 100 · Passive

Allows songs or melodies during a dance.

Dances#

From level 50: dances of destruction, growth, dreams, repetition, death and blades. 6 abilities, levels 50 to 100

Dance Of DestructionLevel 50 · 50 stamina

2d20 damage to single target per round.

Dance Of GrowthLevel 60 · 50 stamina

1d12 health to party per round.

Dance Of DreamsLevel 70 · 50 stamina

1d10 chance to cause sleep lasting 5 rounds per round may stack once.

Dance Of RepetitionLevel 80 · 50 stamina

1d12 chance to bring back fallen party members with 1 health per round.

Dance Of DeathLevel 90 · 50 stamina

Deal damage to enemies in the vicinity.

Dance Of BladesLevel 100 · 20 stamina

1d5 chance to repeat attack per round.

Blade mastery#

Dual wielding and ambidexterity, a harmonizing blade, a hallowed tone and blade skipping, up to the blade of the eternal at 100. 6 abilities, levels 0 to 100

Dual WieldingLevel 0 · Passive

Ability to enter combat with two weapons wielded with 1/2 damage on off-hand.

AmbidexterityLevel 20 · Passive

Removes penalty of 1/2 damage on off-hand.

Harmonizing BladeLevel 40 · Passive

Deals 10 extra damage to wounded.

Hallow ToneLevel 60 · 50 willpower

Increases all physical damage dealt by 10.

Blade SkippingLevel 80 · Passive

Gives a free attack for every successful parry.

Blade Of The EternalLevel 100 · Passive

Gives 5 extra damage to attacks dealt during a dance and melody combo.

Finishers#

Minstrels know five finishers, blows that land when the right moves are chained in the right order. Nobody writes the orders down. Your trainer shows you, or your storyteller lets you find them.

Requiem Of Embers

/#ff6a2aYour melody and dance kindle into a requiem of embers around your foe!

Lullaby Of Ruin

/#8070c0Your lullaby turns to ruin, and your foe reels from it!

War Hymn

/#e0c050Your war hymn rings out, and every blade beside you answers it against your foe!

Verse Of The Last Breath

/#80d0a0Your last verse soars: your foe withers as your companions mend!

The Last Song

/#b89ae8Your ghostly air turns and turns again, and every blade in your dance finds your foe!

Proficiencies#

What the class can wield, wear and speak from the start, and the extra attacks it learns as it levels.

Weapons

Dual wielding and all slashing

Armor

Light armor and medium armor

Languages

Common

Extra attacks

Second attack at level 20 and third attack at level 37

Combat puts these to use: weapons and extra attacks under Attacking, armor and parry, shield and dodge under Defending.

Parry

Parry blows with the weapon in your hand.

Greater Dodging

Dodge blows that would otherwise land, more often the nimbler you are.

Magical Aptitude

Grants DC 18 - INT mod chance to add 10 elemental resistance.