The Bard, Ranger, and Druid

AI Art by @nightcafestudio

How would I create three iconic classes in Barebones Fantasy, the bard, ranger, and the druid? Since it is so easy to create skills and mirror spellcasting abilities, it is simple to mod the rules to support new classes. Others can be done through combinations of existing skills.

The Bard

• Primary Skill: Thief
• Secondary Skill: Bard, level 1

I would only do a primary spellcasting skill for "full casters," such as a wizard since this gives two spells per level. For half-casters, I would always do spellcaster as a secondary and have them be the one spell per level type of class.

Bards are strange, and this is the case where you would want to base them off a spellcasting scholar class but tweak the abilities a little to match the flavor:

• Diplomat (as a scholar)
• Performer (as a scholar but for a musical career path)
• Musical History (as a scholar, but for music and knowing songs)
• Entertain: Like the scout's animal handling, but for people (befriend, calm, agitate, or implant suggestion). That implant suggestion replaces train animals, which helps make a crowd believe a mayor is corrupt and all sorts of tomfoolery.

My first spell pick is obvious, charm. My second and third-level picks would be the aid spell and heal. Buying a level of warrior skill after the first adventure would be recommended. The big thing here is they are close to being a scholar, but with spells. But scholars still have their "historian" and "ask the referee" powers, and bards do not. This feels balanced since scholars are still the primary information source in the game, whereas bards are spellcasters with a social skill set.

Once you create an entire class, yes, you could pick bard as a primary if you wanted to, if singing was your primary thing. You become more like a caster, but that is your choice. My interpretation here is more the traditional B/X bard with fewer spells than a wizard and still specializing as a thief.

If you picked scholar skill and bard, no problem, only diplomat stacks and make that a +10 per level. You are now a professor of music, maestro.

The Ranger

• Primary Skill: Scout
• Secondary Skill: Spellcaster, level 1

This is a spellcasting ranger, so again, one spell per level. I would probably do a summon spell at level one for an animal companion, followed by an entangle spell and offensive strike for a powered bow shot. Buying a level of warrior skill after the first adventure would be recommended.

This is nothing more than a spellcasting scout, so the game already does spell-rangers well.

The Druid

• Primary Skill: Cleric, level 1
• Secondary Skill: Scout

I would make the druid a full caster for 2 spells a level and put scout in the secondary slot. Most games treat druids as full casters. I would flavor the cleric abilities to be more nature-based. I would not make a dedicated Druid skill unless I had to, and it feels like worshipping nature is the same as worshipping a god or divine power. It is just nature, so a cleric is the best choice. Animal handling, navigation, survival, and tracking ability come from the scout skill.

Again, the game covers you well here, and I feel the bard skill is the only missing skill in the rules. Bard could technically be considered a variant of the scholar skill, with less information and more entertaining - plus spells.