Everyman Minis: Unchained Bard Masterpieces

This installment of the Everyman Minis-series clocks in at 7 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page introduction (including a glyph key that denotes descriptors), 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 2 pages of new bardic masterpieces for the unchained bard, so let’s take a look!

We begin with two different level 1 masterpieces – Song of the People’s Revolt is performed with percussion, song or wind instruments. This one is a 60 ft.-spread and nets all affected allies a teamwork feat you possess; accompaniment allows for the granting of multiple ones. Triple Time also can be performed with these three, and nets allies in a 60-ft.-radius gain scaling bonuses to all movement speeds.

There are three new third level masterpieces. Endless Waltz, for dance and string, has a range of 30 ft. and nets an ally scaling fast healing, and also boosts healing of the ally and the bard. Pageant of the Peacock is associated with acting and dancing regarding muses, and affects a 60 ft.-spread. It allows you to better impersonate folks of higher standing, may be maintained indefinitely, and allows you to sacrifice spell slots to gain skill bonuses for skills that’ll help you maintain the ruse. The Rheumy Refrain is mind-affecting and has acting and singing as muses; it can affect a target with a phantom illness that is properly codified as a disease effect.

3 bardic masterpieces that are unlocked at 7^th level can be found – the Lullaby of the Ancient ties into the fantastic Everyman Minis: Sleeping Rules and imposes the drowsy condition or renders targets asleep. This is a mind-affecting compulsion. Requiem for the Fallen Heroes is universal as far as muses are concerned, and is a mind-affecting emotion glamer. The masterpiece affects a 60 ft.-spread. One target perceives their allies dragged to the pits, and thus, this interrupts teamwork feats, flanking, etc. and make the target behave as though alone. Song of the Stone Bearers triples the carrying capacity of the affected allies within 60 ft. It’s associated with Percussion, singing and wind instruments, muse-wise.

The pdf also contains two different 11^th level bardic masterpieces: The House of Imaginary Walls is associated with the muses of acting and comedy and lets you pantomime invisible walls. It’s pure evil! Exterminate!!! Kidding aside, the masterpiece nets you basically wall of force-like terrain control. And no, it’s not illusory – it’s mind-affecting. The Legato Piece of the Planar bargain is available for all muses, and lets you choose a plane or demiplane and call a random outsider, unless you can provide a token of a specific outsider. Called targets are indifferent, and you basically strike a planar ally-ish deal. Finally, there is the 15^th level masterpiece, the Aria of the Drifting Soul, with the muse (here not properly bolded) being keyboard and singing. It has a 90 ft.-range and affects the target with reverse gravity.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good on a formal and rules language level. Layout adheres to Everyman gaming’s two-column full-color standard, and the full-color artwork provided is neat. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none.

David N. Ross’ bardic masterpieces herein are interesting in plenty of instances, and they certainly are useful; the rules are precise and play well with the unchained bard. At the same time, the masterpieces herein left me less excited than I hoped I’d be – quite a few just offer a tweak on classic spells or abilities, and imho, it’d have been nice to see them do a bit more unique things. As such, my final verdict will clock in at 4 stars.

You can get these masterpieces here on OBS!

Missed the Unchained Bard? You can find it here on OBS!

Endzeitgeist out.

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