Bard
Starting Equipment: dagger, musical instrument
Starting Skill: see backgrounds

A: Tales, Leader
B: Boast, Lucky
C: Dabbler, Lore
D: Very Lucky, Born Leader

You get +1 Language for each Bard template you possess. These must be languages you’ve heard before. You get +1 Stealth for every 2 Bard templates you possess.

Tales: Whenever you encounter a monster for the first time, you get 50% of the XP you would get for defeating it. This only works once per monster type but allows you to gain XP as normal for defeating it.
Leader: You have a permanent +1 on reaction rolls and the morale of your retainers is increased by 1 step. You can have no less than three followers as your maximum.
Boast: You can perform in front of an audience and tell the tales of your adventure. This ability works once per adventure. Everyone who participates in the retelling gets +10% bonus XP. The party gets a +1 to reaction rolls locally for a week, month, or year, depending on the magnitude of their deeds.
Lucky: Once per day, you can reroll a d20 roll or one skill test.
Dabbler: Magic and poetry bear remarkable similarities to each other. You can cast from scrolls and spell books with one Magic Die. You can use this ability so long as the die comes up on a 1-3.
Lore: Once per session, you can declare something to be true. It has a 50% chance of being correct. If you have access to a source of lore, this increases to 80%. You may be wrong, but never catastrophically so. In addition, you can test your Intelligence once per day to remember an ancient or culturally important fact.
Very Lucky: You get an additional use of your Lucky ability per day and can give it to an ally if you could have plausibly assisted them.
Born Leader: You can have a maximum of six followers no matter your charisma and the morale of your retainers is increased by an additional step.

Skill: 1. Performer, 2. Courtesy,  3. Unusual

Performer
1. You traveled with a band of actors and pilgrims. Start with a sturdy walking stick and a good pair of shoes.
2. You were once a jester in a minor lord’s court. Start with a brightly colored hat, and some juggling balls.
3. You were a drummer in an army. Start with a sturdy drum and a rapier.
4. You are a fire breather, start with three torches, a wineskin full of fuel, and a neat trick.
5. You trained animals to perform in shows. Start with a small trained animal and a leash.
6. You are a sword swallower, start with a sword, the ability to swallow anything without gagging, and a neat trick.

Courtesy
1. You were a spy in someone else’s court before your handler mysteriously vanished. Start with 3 vials of poison and a dark cloak.
2. You are a provincial gentleman with a perchance for poetry. Check the Knight class for details.
3. A noble patron trained you on a bet. She tutored you in sewing, dancing, and poetry, while a wizard trained a woman in combat. Unsurprisingly, your noble patroness won the bet. You start with a sewing kit.
4. You worked as a scribe for a courtier until he was exiled after a scandal. You start with pen and ink and excellent handwriting.
5. You’re a former noble, disowned after a nasty mental breakdown. Start with 1d10sp, nice clothes, and nightmares.
6. You were a court poet before your lord fell ill and died. His successor did not care for your poetry. Start with 1 gp and a bitter resentment of the noble that cast you out.

Unusual
Gain the skill listed, not the “unusual” skill, which isn’t a skill anyway.
1. You were the chronicler of a small village, keeping track of their oral history until it was wiped out. Start with the “History” skill and an extensive knowledge of local history.
2. You flunked out of wizard school. Start with a minor magical trinket and a deep sense of shame. You gain the “Arcana” skill, which lets you identify magic items.
3. You aren’t from Around Here. Gain the “Foreign Parts” skill and a incompetent but extremely loyal henchman who doesn’t speak a word of the common tongue.
4. You were inspired by the stories of old and decided to seek your fortune. Start with an enormous tome and the skill “Literature.”
5. You are incredibly charming. You’ve never met someone who didn’t admire you the tiniest bit. You gain a permanent +1 on reaction rolls.
6. You were born with a severe stutter. However, it never manifested when you sang. You always speak with a slight musical lilt. Gain the skill “Public Speaking.”