Dudes of Hell: The Beguiling Bard

You're right Will: I really was missing out not having a bard in this universe. Obviously still a work in progress. As always, intros written to be read in this voice.

You were quite the hit during your hey day. Your act was new and refreshing. Even after your death and decline you were always cited as a visionary and responsible for advancing the art. It wasn't long before you became truly famous, influential, and most of all, rich. Your new position of privilege provided many great things to indulge in, and indulge you did. But no one can be center stage forever. At every turn there were up and coming artists trying to take away your audience with something new: It became clear that fame was a fickle mistress. So you started to spread rumors, some true, some less than true, about your competitors, propping up your raised pedestal with deceit and malintent. The joys you used to feel slipped away from you too, so you used your position once again to get you things and people you otherwise couldn't to satisfy your ever growing needs. Every tower crumbles eventually, and your tower of lies was not different. You were exposed for everything you did and said. Everything you worked for and grew to enjoy fell away, and at that point life didn't quite seem worth living.

• Where are you from?
• What were you famous for?
• What did you do to prop yourself up?
• How did you die?

Your past is behind you. Your future in Hell awaits.

• What is your goal? Why do you seek the 9th layer?
• What is your motto?

Your ability to entertain and tell a story is both your greatest strength and your greatest flaw, you alone can spin a tale worthy of telling, even in Hell.

• What story do you wish to tell most of all?

What the last question specifically is asking is not, "Whats a bomb ass story you want to know and tell to people?" but instead, "What do you want the tale of your life in Hell to be? What epic narrative are you trying to play out here?" If you were Ayn Rand, it would be the tale of the person who through hard work and determination created their lot in life and were responsible for themselves. Bernie Sanders might want to tell the tale of someone who fought against those in power and defeated the oppressive powers and created a new world where everyone could live equally. Maybe your story is that of the mad genius, an artist tortured by your brilliance who is doomed to never be happy, but leave behind a legacy of genius. Maybe its the story of someone who messed up and is now searching for redemption, knowing that you can never truly atone for your sins. Maybe its a story of someone who has fallen, but can see the top of the mountain, and will do whatever it takes to get to the top. Its up to you.

The Bard's power is to tell a story. Its also totally stolen from ideas I've read in Dungeon World and Arnold K.'s blog. Once per layer, the Bard gets to tell a story to the DM and all the other players sitting at the table. Because of the Bard's confidence, skill, expansive knowledge of stories, and the reality warping nature of Hell, this story has at least a grain of truth to it. After using their ability, the Bard's player then gets to sit down, calm down, and give the DM at least a session to think up the implications of the story and how it relates to the plot, because jesus christ I hope you don't expect me to make a whole new encounter/story arch off the seat of my pants. Now its the DM's job to figure out how to incorporate this story into the adventure: what parts were true, what parts were just rumors, and what parts are the kind of ironic half truth that the Nine Hell's love so much. By the start of the next session, the DM should have this figured out and can give the Bard the hook based off of the story they told.

Stats and shit are bardy. Some thief abilities, one or two illusionist spells/cantrips, ok thaco, decent hp.

Skills are:

Performance **

Exploitation **

Something else, I don't know man *

Alright, quick aside, is malintent really not a word, or is the red squiggly wrong? That totally seems like a word, but I've been wrong before.