Bard

Bards devote their lives to the arts and although the may may be poor, it's rich in personal fulfillment.

The Bard is one of the ten classes of Hero Sims. A Bard is the cultural steward of the Kingdom: a playwright, poet, and musician rolled into one. The bard lives in the upper floor of the Tavern.

It's possible, but unconfirmed, that bards are more susceptible to the negative "Feeling Unrefined" buff from living in a kingdom with low value in Culture.

Music

Bards carry lutes and are skilled at playing songs on them. There is a wide variety of songs available, some only being unlocked for experienced bards, but even a simple song tends to please other Sims. Performing well in public will earn the bard money, although they may not earn money for performances back-to-back; a "cooldown" period is enforced through a neutral buff.

The strings of lutes, especially cheap ones, are prone to breaking after (or sometimes during) performances. A broken lute can not be played, but any bard can restring their lute for a small amount of simoles. Lutes can be bought at the Village Shoppe, some available only when certain Aspects are high enough, or found through random events.

Image	Name	Tone	Description	Notes
	Peasant's Lute	Sharp	An affordable, if cheaply made, lute for the lower classes.
	Sturdy Lute	Melodic	Solid and dependable, this lute does the job competently.
	Masterwork Lute	Rich	Carved out of the finest wood from the forests of Effenmont
	Pirate Raiding Parrrty Lute	Rich	The favored form of entertainment aboard a pirate ship since the rocking makes playing chess so difficult. It is a very challenging instrument to play, making those who are successful learn much faster on it	Village shoppe; requires Pirates & Nobles; War Effort Gauge fully aligned with Pirates
	Heavy Metal Lute	Epic!	A dark lute tempered with Adamantle, gothic death metal never sounded so good!
	Jeweled Lute of the Watcher	Divine	A legendary lute of unsurpassed beauty and craftmanship, blessed by You-Know-Who

Plays and Poems

Bards can write plays and poems at their writing desk. To pen new pieces, a bard needs to have ideas, or themes, to work with. Bards collect themes by gathering inspiration from the world around them or by asking other Sims for inspiration directly. Besides themes, a play allows the Bard to choose the costumes of the players. Once written, poems can be recited out loud and plays can be performed on a stage, once actors and/or actresses have been hired. Plays may only be performed once, while poems can be recited an infinite amount of times.

Each type of poem or play requires a different amount of themes.

• Regular Poems require 2 themes.
• Comedic Plays require 3 themes.
• Epic Poems require 3 themes.
• Tragic Plays require 4 themes.
• Legendary Plays require 5 themes.

List of Themes

Icon	Themes	Sources
	Animals and Hunting	The Forest Path
	Art	The Tavern
	Crime	The Judgement Zone, the Cave/Cemetery
	Food and Drink	The Tavern
	Foreign Lands	The Docks
	Kingdom and Royalty	The Castle, the Monarch
	Love	Anywhere, especially churches.
	Magic	The Wizard, The Wizard's Tower
	Money	The Merchant, The Market
	Nature	Anywhere outside
	Sickness and Death	The Physician, The Graveyard, The Judgement Zone
	Sky and Stars	Anywhere outside, especially at night.
	Sport	The Kingball Court
	War	The Smithy, Sometimes from the Monarch, Spy Quarters
	The Watcher	The Cathedral and Monastery, Jacoban and Peteran priests

Notes

• Epic Poem- may be written using themes: Food and Drink, War, Kingdom and Royalty (writing an Epic Poem is an achievement worth 10 achievement points)

Responsibilities

• Be Inspired by 3 People (Easy)
• Finish Writing a Play [level 1 to 9 Bards] (Easy)
• Gather Inspiration for 2 Hours (Easy)
• Pay Taxes (Easy)
• Perform a Lute Song (Easy)
• Perform a Poem (Easy)
• Practice Lute for 2 Hours (Easy)
• Write 2 Poems (Easy)
• Finish Writing a Legendary Play [level 10 Bards] (Medium)
• Perform On Board the Ship [Pirates & Nobles] (Easy)
• Write a War Poem [War + Foreign Lands themes for Pirates, War + Kingdom and Royalty for Guildsmen], followed by Read Poem to a Pirate|Guildsman [Pirates & Nobles] (Medium)

Levels

Level	Title	Abilities	Notes
1	Troubadour	Perform songs on the Lute to raise the spirits of nearby Sims, and raise a little bit of cash on the side. Compose Poems and Plays at your Archives and then perform them on the Stage! Can perform the songs "Crafthole My Home 'Tis Thee!", "Ne'er To Woohoo Again", and "The Jig Of Gentleman Jim"
2		You can perform songs on the Lute to raise the spirits of nearby Sims, and raise a little bit o cash on the side You can compose Poems and Plays at your Archives and then perform them on the Stage. New songs unlocked ("Away With Thee, Golem, Away" and "Gettin' Medieval")
3		New songs unlocked ("Lament For Mortimer" and "Round the Kingball Court We Go")
4		New songs unlocked ("Chartreusesleeves")
5	Minstrel	Can create Tragic Plays and Epic Poems New songs unlocked ("Ballad Of Sir Geoffrey")
6		New songs unlocked ("Chinchilla Chanson")
7		New songs unlocked ("Shall We Tramp To The Stocks?")
8		New songs unlocked ("A Hazy Shade Of Nightshade")
9		New songs unlocked ("Take Unto Me The Hunter")
10	Rhapsodist	Can write Legendary Plays New songs unlocked ("Winsome Whale Hearken To My Call")
	Bonus Levels	Further leveling will increase money/day and improve profession interaction success

See Also

• Tavern