48 - Troubadour - Version 3.0 A
A troubadour is a multi-talented entertainer and performer, and a well skilled troubadour may be an actor, poet, mimic and musician. The most powerful ability that a troubadour can gain is the Bardic Voice, which enables them to influence all but the deaf.
48.1 Benefits
All troubadours gain a grounding in stagecraft. They become able to size up an audience and determine what form of entertainment will be the best to perform, and how to handle interjection and ridicule.
Apprentice Abilities: Acrobatics, Acting, Dance, Juggling, Makeup, Patter, Play an Instrument, Production, Storytelling.
Journeyman Abilities: Bardic Voice, Comedy, Composition, Fire Eating, Mime, Mimicry, Poetry, Prestidigitation, Puppetry, Seek Patron, Stilt Walking, Sword Swallowing, Tight Rope walking, Ventriloquism.
Master Abilities: No abilities defined at this point, other than… But Wait,
48.2 Apprentice level abilities (rank 0 to 3)
Acrobatics (AG +0)
Acrobatics mostly involves tumbling across the ground, but also performing manoeuvres after swinging from a trapeze, rope, or bar; jumping from a springboard, or high ledge.
Acting (WP +10)
Acting Portraying fictitious personalities and devising rationales for assumed identities. Usually involves accentuated and exaggerated actions and emotions.
Dance (AG +20)
Mostly traditional, often rural dances, performed for an audience; also includes creating new dances.
Juggling (MD)
Juggling Throwing and catching objects. A juggler is able to keep up to 1 (+ 1 / Rank) items, of equal weight and size, in the air at the same time. If the items juggled are of a different size and/or weight, each difference counts as another item juggled.
Make-Up (--)
Make up using props, stage makeup, and items such as wigs, fake beards, and wax noses, a troubadour can portray a character of a different age, race, sex, or profession to their own.
Patter (--)
Talking interestingly, seemingly non-stop, either as advertising for a show or as a misdirecting part of a performance.
Play an Instrument (--)
This ability may be taken several times with different instruments. A singer is one who has play instrument (voice). A troubadour can usually play similar instruments to the ones they have chosen at (Rank / 2).
Production (--)
Play writing and turning a play into a successful production. Includes set design and sound effects. The higher the Rank, the less likely it is that a major catastrophe will befall the production through something having been forgotten or overlooked.
Storytelling (--)
Creating and reciting stories for an audience.
48.3 Journeyman level abilities (rank 4 to 7)
Bardic Voice (MA -30)
Bardic voice (see below). Note: A troubadour may not specialise in Bardic Voice.
Comedy (--)
The use of timing, inflection and language to cause merriment or laughter. Also writing both jokes and skits. Comedy may also be combined or included in many other art forms.
Composition
Fire Eating (WP +10)
Appearing to swallow and/or produce flame, usually, from the mouth. To do this, a fire eater requires a special liquid, which may be purchased from an Alchemist for a modest fee.
Mime (AG +10)
Using only the performer’s body, and its movements, to convey an idea, describe a scene, tell a tale, or entertain.
Mimicry (PC +30)
Imitating sounds and voices accurately and believably.
Poetry (MA +10)
Creating and reciting poetry, including lengthy epics running to hundreds of lines.
Prestidigitation (--)
Manipulation of small articles such as coins, eggs, or pebbles to make them move, disappear and reappear in unusual and entertaining ways. This ability also gives a bonus to the casting of all Cantrips of 2% (+ 2 / Rank).
Puppetry (MD -20)
Writing a story to be performed by puppeteers, and performing a story or play with puppets.
Seek Patron (PB +20)
The arts often need a Patron.
Stilt Walking (AG +10)
Balancing and walking on stilts of up to 50% (+ 20% / Rank) of the troubadour’s height.
Sword Swallowing (WP -10)
Controlling the mouth, tongue and throat such as to be able to allow long, rigid props to pass into the throat.
Tightrope walking (AG)
Walking, balancing, and turning on a taut raised rope, or narrow beam.
Ventriloquism (--)
The ability to speak without moving the lips and make the voice seem to come from any location up to (Rank / 2) feet away.
48.4 Master level abilities (rank 8+)
But Wait (PB -30)
At a moment when the attention of an audience would normally be lost (to something else), a success will mystical sway the audience attention back once again.
Charisma
Sooth Beast
Shape World
Summon Beast
48.5 Bardic Voice
A troubadour may use their Bardic Voice in an attempt to influence an audience. Beings who are affected will see the troubadour as their friend, and the troubadour’s words as wise and well meant.
Bardic Voice may be used, for example, to calm a lynch mob, or to begin a riot against a cruel tyrant. The troubadour begins speaking to key elements in the crowd, stirring their emotions and playing upon their beliefs and feelings. All beings to be affected must be within earshot, and capable of understanding the language used by the troubadour.
When the troubadour begins to use this ability they may enthrall up to (4 + 6 / Rank) beings, with (15 - Rank) minutes being required to work their skill. Once they have spent the required time, the troubadour makes a Check to see if they are having the desired effect. If successful,the troubadour may elect to use their voice again on the same crowd. By doing this they may double the number of beings whose attention they have captured. Using Bardic Voice is tiring, and a troubadour must expend 4 FT each time that they use this ability.
A troubadour may use their voice continuously upon a crowd until they exhaust their FT; they reach the limit of the size of audience; they fail a Bardic Voice roll; or they have doubled (Rank / 2, round down) times. The Base Chance is 50% (+ 5 /Rank), modified by the GM for the reasonableness of the troubadour’s suggestions and the audience's’ predisposition to certain actions.