The Helpful Handout of How to Become a Bard
Criteria established by Mercedes Lackey
Based on The Last Herald-Mage and The Heralds of Valdemar trilogies
Distributed by:
Queen's Own The Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club
Basic Requirements
I. Rolling for Musical Gifts
To be a gleeman, you need either Talent or Creativity. To be a Minstrel, you need both Talent and Creativity (but you lack Bardic). To be accepted at the Bardic Collegium you must have at least Talent or Creativity in addition to Bardic Gift. (All Bards have Bardic Gift.) To determine your persona's skills, roll for the number of additional Gifts by throwing one six-sided die. If you have two additional Gifts, you get both Talent and Creativity in addition to your Bardic Gift. If you have one additional Gift, roll on the second chart to see whether you have Talent or Creativity. Honor applies; what you roll is what you get.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | One Gift |
| 2-5 | Two Gifts |
| 6 | Three Gifts |
If you have only one Gift, you are a gleeman. Roll on the table below to find out which Gift you have. Gleemen ignore the result of Bardic Gift and roll again.
If you have two Gifts, you might be a Bard. Roll twice on the table below, ignoring duplicate results. If you get Talent and Creativity, you are a minstrel. If you get Talent and Bardic or Creativity and Bardic, you are a Bard.
If you rolled a result of three Gifts, you have Talent, Creativity and Bardic. You are a Bard, and you do not need to roll on this table. Continue to the next section of the handout.
| Die Roll | Musical Gift | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Talent | A combination of skill and aptitude |
| 3-4 | Creativity | The ability to compose music |
| 5-6 | Bardic | Projective Empathy |
II. Develop a Character
Develop a character (your persona--Who would you be if you could daydream yourself into Valdemar? Be the "real" you or as different as you please.) and write about him/her. Prepare a minimum of 3 pages.
This is a biography. Describe your persona's physical and emotional characteristics, likes and dislikes, whatever makes you uniquely you. You may use first or third person.
Remember to roll for your Musical Gifts first. Most musical ability manifests itself early in life. Also, remember to include Bardic Gift on your list of Gifts when you send it to me. (10 points.)
III. Develop One or More Friend or Relative Characters
You needn't be quite so detailed in your descriptions of these other characters. But remember, you are writing about people you know well. Describe what your family and/or friends look like, their own character traits, etc. Again, a minimum of 3 pages. (5 points)
IV. Extra Point Requirements (5 points each)
Choose and complete the requirements for two (minimum) of the following:
- Write a story of more than 3 pages.
- Design/or create a costume.
- Write an essay on current events. Prepare a minimum of 3 pages. Do not rely on one source of information.
- Join a local folk-dancing group or community chorus.
- Write an essay on the Bill of Rights and Constitutional Amendments. Prepare a minimum of 3 pages.
- Compose a song: music and/or lyrics.
- Learn to play a musical instrument.
- Perform; it doesn't have to be professional.
- Choose an old ballad/myth. Retell it in your words.
- Write an essay on the history of your region. Prepare a minimum of 3 pages.
- Write letters about social problems to newspapers.
- Become a reporter for your school newspaper.
- Send a story, poem, or art to one of our zines.
- Draw a map.
After you have acquired 25 points, you may claim your scarlets or wear your ribbons!
Special Notes for Bards
- For those of you who wish to be Minstrels or gleemen, go right ahead. Minstrels and gleemen are important.
- See the general rules for persona submissions.
- See the submission instructions for persona handouts.
- See the helpful hints for persona submissions.
If you have additional questions, check out the Bards FAQ.
Advanced Rank
Gleemen do not have advanced ranks. Advanced ranks for minstrels are not yet available. There are, however, several ways that a Bard may advance in rank.
Specialties
To attain a specialty as a Bard:
- Earn the points necessary to become a Bard.
- Choose your specialty and complete the requirement associated with it:
-
- History: Write a 20-page paper on the real Historical event of your choice.
- Literature: Write a 20-page paper on the real Literary work of your choice.
- Religion: Write a 20-page paper on the real Religion of your choice.
Exception: If you already a teacher of history, literature or religion at the Elementary, Junior High or Senior High level, you may automatically claim Bardic Teacher status. However, please develop your Velgarth persona so others may interact with you in character.
-
Court Musician: Become a professional performing musician at the venue of your choice.
Exception: If you already a professional musician, you may automatically claim Court Musician status. However, please develop your Velgarth persona so others may interact with you in character.
-
Storyteller: Become a volunteer reader at your local library.
Master Bard
To become a Master Bard, you must
- Have a persona who is a Bard. (Minstrels and gleemen cannot earn this rank.)
- Complete the requirements for Bard.
- Complete the requirements for one of the Specialties listed above.
- Write a 20-page paper on the origin and meaning of a folksong (The folksong may either be one of the ones Misty created for the Valdemar series or a folksong of your choice from the real world.)