Creative Alternatives to the Stereotypical Bard

When I created my first D&D character, I briefly considered a bard but almost immediately dismissed the idea because I wasn't really comfortable with being the face of the group (I can be a bit socially awkward and didn't trust my ability to not be so in-game). So I chose a wizard, figuring that a scholarly character could be as awkward as they wanted and no one would bat an eye.

Later, when I did actually create my bard character, I was still a bit hesitant to do so because I had by then seen all the stereotypes about the horny bard who goes around seducing everything that moves (up to and including dragons) and watched Scanlan in The Legend of Vox Machina. Nothing wrong with a character like that, but that just wasn't something I was interested in role-playing. My friends then kindly pointed out that I was being an idiot and told me that a) I was basically a bard in real life and that b) the College of Lore exists.

Turns out that if you take a second to look beyond the surface, there are a ton of different subclasses that mean you can make a bard be practically anything you want, from a musician or a storyteller to a spy or a pirate. Really, there's a way to make a bard be practically anything you want with the right subclass and backstory. Here are some examples:

1. The Storyteller (College of Lore)

Imagine a bard who isn't necessarily a performer but is instead a historian, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and retelling lost myths. They prefer ballads and stories to songs and theatre and are a walking library of ancient knowledge. This type of bard could seek out ancient wisdom or lost myths. Motivated by knowledge, they could also be a conspiracy theorist (and be right!). You could create a writer who prefers to stay in the shadows and write novels based on the adventures they have. The options are endless.

2. The Spirit Medium (College of Spirits)

With the College of Spirits, you could create a bard that's a spirit medium, complete with a crystal ball or Ouija board. You would allow spirits to tell their own tales through you, channelling their voices from Beyond. Who said that talking to the dead was only for necromancers? You could also be a fortune teller, using tarot cards and palm readings to manifest prophecies and illusions.

3. The Pirate (College of Swords)

   
   

If you've always wanted to be a pirate, look no further than the College of Swords. Sure, you could play as a Swashbuckler rogue to be a pirate, but College of Swords gives you the versatility of being a bard. A bard's natural charisma and bardic inspiration, for starters, can go a long way towards motivating your crew to greater heights. Plus, there are sea shanties. You can have all the fun of being a master of the seas, without the necessity of being a pirate, if that is your preference. A College of Swords bard could be a master duellist, like Zorro, or something more like one of the Three Musketeers.

4. The Spy (College of Whispers)

   
   

If you've always wanted to be James Bond, then the College of Whispers bard might be for you. This may get a bit closer to the lustful bard trope if you're going full James Bond, but it's obviously not a requirement in order to play the sub-class. You could have your College of Whispers bard be less the dashing spy and more of a Game of Thrones Varys-type character, amassing a network of informants, allowing you to pull strings from the shadows.

5. The Smooth Talker (College of Eloquence)

   
   

The College of Eloquence is for bards who want to be able to talk their way out of anything (more so than other bards, that is). Have you ever wanted to be Deadpool (the 'Merc With the Mouth') or Loki (the 'Silvertongue')? This subclass leans into the bard's basest skills - charisma - and kicks it up a notch. You get to be the one to talk your way into and out of trouble, land the most withering one-liners, and inspire those around you with just your words.

6. The Dancer (College of Dance)

   
   

Have you seen the new Jumanji films? You know, the ones with the 'dance-fighting'? That's one option if you choose to be a College of Dance bard. You might not think dancing is that useful in combat, but it does involve athletic and acrobatics skills. Think Rasputin in The King's Man, with all of his spinning and kicking - that's what I picture when I think of a College of Dance bard in combat. Of course, dance could also be used as a distraction or to inspire.

Your Backstory Makes Your Bard Yours

And really, it doesn't matter what subclass you choose when it comes to making a bard your own. The subclass matters in terms of what skills you want your character to have, but you can make a College of Swords bard act like Scanlan and have a College of Eloquence bard be shy. You can take any bard build and make it unique with your backstory.

My bard, a College of Lore bard, is a storyteller. She wants to be involved in adventures so she can write the next great epic story that's told by generations of bards in the future. She's also technically the face of the party, but because she's more of a writer than really eloquent, I roleplay her as a bit awkward (I essentially have to build reasons for awkwardness into each of my characters since I know in advance that it's going to happen). For performances, she needs rehearsals to get it right and, when put on the spot, she may succeed at convincing people (thank you, high charisma stats and persuasion bonuses) but because she's literally putting a little bit of magic into her words to do so - what she's actually saying and how she's saying it therefore doesn't really matter. I could just have her be charismatic since my table's DM wouldn't enforce me having to be as eloquent and charismatic as my bard, but I rather like the idea of my character overcoming a problem in-game that I have in real life that I haven't found a solution for.

Conclusion

Your class and subclass mostly influence the skills and abilities that your character has access to. What makes your character a real, fleshed-out person with history and choices for you to roleplay is the backstory. The backstory can be because of your character's class or even in spite of it (I have a necromancer who is very reluctant about her death-related powers), but it's your character's motivation, why they're out adventuring. It will determine the choices that your character makes and how they react to different situations.

If you'd like to know more about how important your character background is, listen to Episode 4 of WordLeaf Media's podcast, Finding Atoria.