| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Mr.Lost |
Posted - 21 Sep 2004 : 21:07:11
What are the various Bardic Colleges in the Realms, and what order are bards supposed to attend them? |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| monknwildcat |
Posted - 23 Apr 2008 : 03:13:16
Gods and goddesses, I loved 1ed bards, but, for the life of me, with all the race-based level caps, could any race beside humans be 1st ed bards?
It seemed broken to me back in the day. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 22 Sep 2004 : 22:35:49
Ah, that's the other info I found parked on my HD. |
| Faraer |
Posted - 22 Sep 2004 : 20:29:19
Here's the fuller version of George's information that he posted to REALMS-L. Ed also posted more about the colleges in his thread here (3 Apr 2004). |
| IronWolf |
Posted - 22 Sep 2004 : 19:47:58
Here is additional information on Fochlucan in Silverymoon:
Foclucan |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 22 Sep 2004 : 07:03:41
My bad, it was in the 1E PHB, pages 117-119.
It was tricky to become a bard in 1E. First you had to make 5th level as a fighter. Before you hit 8th level, you had to flip and become a thief. Somewhere between 5th and 9th as a thief, you had to start studying as a druid -- but that was when you became a bard.
The bardic colleges in 1E were dependent on level of experience. It doesn't actually refer to them as schools -- it seems to treat them more like the titles that came with levels (level titles went out the window with 2E).
So, here's the levels and colleges:
1 (Probationer)
2-4 Fochlucan
5-7 Mac-Fuirmidh
8-10 Doss
11-13 Canaith
14-16 Cli
17-19 Anstruth
20-22 Ollamh
23 Manga Alumnae
Hmm, and while I was researching, George came along and said where they all were! 
Further, I just wasted all this time researching, and not thinking to check my hard drive! I've got the reply from Eric saved as a text file, and I didn't think to look for that until just now! |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 22 Sep 2004 : 05:46:17
I've dredged my way through my FR notes and came up with the following courtesy of that esteemed loremaster Eric Boyd:
Bard colleges in the Realms all slid into decline less than 300 years ago, perhaps circa the time of the Harpstar Wars (1182-1222 DR). The bardic colleges of the Realms are as follows:
Fochlucan - Silverymoon - now the site of Utrumm's Music Conservatory (Elfsong, pp.10, 111 & 171).
MacFuirmidh - Moonshaes - outside of Caer Callidyr (Elfsong, pp.15, 111 & 170)
Doss - Berdusk (Elfsong, p.175)
Canaith - near Zazesspur in Tethyr (Elfsong, p.175 [and also cut from the original draft of LOI]).
Cli - location unknown [Eric decided to place this college in Neverwinter, specifically at the site of the current temple to Oghma, the House of Knowledge]
Anstruth - Sundabar (Elfsong, pp.154 & 176)
Ollamn - Waterdeep (Elfsong, pp.206 & 215) [Also note that the City of Splendors boxed set spells this college as "Olamn"]
-- George Krashos
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| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 22 Sep 2004 : 03:07:53
Sure, I'll do that as soon as I get home. 
Of course, if you want to do traditional the 1E way of becoming a bard, then you've got a long road ahead of you!  |
| Mr.Lost |
Posted - 22 Sep 2004 : 01:54:14
Thank you, I couldn't remember which colleges there were, and since I'm coming back to D&D after a five year hiatus, its kind of hard to remember all the details of the Realms. I left all my D&D books at home when I moved, never expecting I'd need them.
But if you'd be so kind as to post them, and the order your supposed to attend it would be great. I'm playing a traditional bard, and I one of my characters top goals is to attend all the great colleges in the proper order, but for the life of me I couldn't recall it. I'm glad there are such knowledable folks on the forum. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 22 Sep 2004 : 00:38:29
I can't recall the names and locales off the top of my head, but most of them -- and at least part of the order -- were in the novel Elfsong.
I believe that the names and sequence were also in the old Unearthed Arcana (the original, 1E one). I'll have to check that when I get home. |
| DDH_101 |
Posted - 21 Sep 2004 : 23:52:40
I don't think there are that many major big ones in the Realms. Most nations and states don't invest that much into such arts as they rather think about defense and politics. A lot of bards rather have like private tutors and learn as they travel around Faerun. For example, I'm pretty sure at least there's half a dozen bards who travel to Shadowdale and beg to learn from Storm Silverhand herself.
As for an order, I don't think there is one at all. I mean, all you need is basically gold, a recommendation and the qualification to get into one of these colleges. |
| Kuje |
Posted - 21 Sep 2004 : 23:06:15
Well there's New Olamn in Waterdeep.
Silverymoon has one as part of the Ladys College also.
Others will probably add more to this. :)
Not sure on the second part of your question. |
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