BARD Role Playing Guide | Color Pie System

[@DiceTry]

So what Class would you like to see covered next?

[@hierroarcanjo451]

Warlock!

[@philosophicalbreakfastclub8292]

I'd be interested to see barbarian, seeing how most only think of them as beserking brutes

[@ClassMRule]

wouldnt boros be more fitting of bard than gruul? Especially if youre talking about the importance of passing down stories and song, that seems to align more with the strixhaven school of lorehold (spoke too soon lol)

[@DiceTry]

For sure. I almost did them first as they are the first in book. So I have a few ideas already.

[@DiceTry]

Loreholds tie to red white was a bit tedious. Their tie wasn't so much about upholding old stories as much as it was about the adventure of finding old ruins and utilizing those findings to help their people. They were .ore concerned with adventure, combat and of spirit summoning.

[@toodleselnoodos6738]

I’ve always imagined making a Blue/Green Bard. A Bard who wants to travel and learn everything about everyone. Learning all the stories, legends, and myths that they can. When they enter a culture, they master the language/colloquialism, the various arte/sports, and can blend into that culture as if they were born there. While they may not appear as the “passionate performer”, they captivate others with stories of their experiences in other worlds, explanations of how things work, and the various creature and vistas they’ve seen. Performing songs/dances and sharing ideas/philosophies from other cultures no one has seen before. They are both new and old at the same time. I imagine it’d be very down to earth, for what is the Present other than the point where the Past (Green) and the Future (Blue) meet? And, I’d find that pretty inspirational! Charisma driven by curiosity for the unknown and the desire to unveil it.

[@spencernoble6824]

This is kind of the reason I love Tamiyo. She just wanted to learn, and make sure other people's stories were recorded so they weren't forgotten

[@JusticeJanitor]

I played a Skald (multi-class Bard and Barbarian) in a Pathfinder campaign once. That dude was very Naya. He was a very "let me sing you the songs of my ancestors so we can kick some ass" kind of guy.

[@DiceTry]

A Naya Bard is honestly such a great fit. I just barely didn't cover that on this video. I feel like I could have gone on forever in my video

[@gunjfur8633]

Bard-barians?

[@FeralVentas]

Red: Pure bard, there for the rush of the crowd and crescendo of their music. Green: Already done justice in the vid, excellent loremasters. White: Divine Bards and Hymn singers, devotion in place of passion inspiring faith and exalting in ideals or divinities. Blue: Lyric Thaumaturges and Sublime Chords, Virtuosos of musical arcanum Black: Dirgesingers, laments and funeral calls to bring the dead back in song, and in literal spirit. RG: Again vid did excellent already. GW: Selesnya Conclave Choiral Singer. WB: Patriot Anthem Singer, Paragon of the community. BBlk: Whispers Bard, stealth, manipulation, obfuscation. BlkR: Entertainment no matter the cost, always chasing the next big thing, damn the consequences. RW: Watch. The. Vid. GB: Meta-story-teller, academic author who doesn't just write or record songs, but also traces the history of their stories and how they shaped and were shaped by their tellers through history. WB: 'CAUSE THIS IS THRIIILLLEERRR, THRILLER NIGHT! BR: Watch the video. Love the idea of finding applications for the color-wheel in D&D context, looking forward to the next one!

[@Thewallace7347]

Honetly with every class I think there is a color to hold it down but can go into multiple directions from there. like bards are red, druids are green, warlocks are black so on so forth. But additional colors are very variable depending on what your doing

[@EmethMatthew]

Hmm, my thoughts on a core (though not necessarily required and some don't necessarily have a solid core) color for each class would be: Artificer - blue Barbarian - red Bard - red Cleric - white? (though really could maybe go any way depending on domain) Druid - green Fighter - white? blue? (totally depends) Monk - blue Paladin - white (classically, though could go multiple ways) Ranger - green Rogue - black (or red depending on how passive/active they are) Sorcerer - red Warlock - black Wizard - blue Of course, as the video says, you could do just about anything with any class (though some lend themselves to that more easily than others, but most of the usual archetypes for these classes include these colors for the class.

[@nikolasversteeg]

@@EmethMatthew really solid and well thought out reply, well done! :-)

[@psyberfoxx8119]

@@EmethMatthew I think fighter would be the only colorless class.

[@DefaultSeaTurtle]

The bard I had (Half-elf) was very Temur. He wanted to learn all he could about obscure lore and the wilds by adventuring and exploring far-off places himself. Bard, moreso than other classes, can really go anywhere. I can imagine a bard of pretty much any combination of colors.

[@xaropevic7918]

I also agree with that point, my bards were intentionally quite different of the stereotypical one not just on the fact that they didn't tend towards only musical arts, but one of them tended on the idea of "Knowledge is the main source of inspiration!" and in his life he needed to learn to use his persuasion to bring "diplomacy" and make people understand each other in a not coercitive way, so definitely blue green, meanwhile the other one was mainly inspired by serving her ex leader and praising it, trying to inspire others like a militar leader despite not being one at all, but she tried to look like one, so clearly white, and as a consequence she really took effort to share and obey the values of the one that she served and used it interestingly to try to create a new hierarchy and "justify" why person x or person y was "inferior" to her and explain the fact that she tried to impose order, this value could be anything, but I ended up choosing the blue values so I ended up with a bard that has as its main colors white blue, and that despised the stereotypical bard colors, which was explored in the campaign that was very MTG color focused (as it was even named "Missing Colours" and had color themed zones and all), with a lot of moments that showed this despise not just for the sake of opposite colors, for example, when she spit on an enemy that showed a red and chaotic behavior and in the green forest she constantly felt disgust and saw it as an ugly and imperfect place

[@Powershade117]

So I am late to the party here, but this is indeed quite the inspiring piece of art. At first I raised a skeptical eyebrow at the "core" color of this class, that being red. However, while I do think that something like a blue/green Bard is possible, I reflected on it and realized that sometimes, choosing your course in life is choosing a core color to go by. To choose to be a Bard is to follow a path of creativity and expression. One is generally not ordered to be a bard. It is a path that one must choose of their own free-will. One can be ordered or contracted to be a minstrel, but one must choose to follow the path of the bard. That being said, imagine what a red and black bard would be. This is a true wild child and a free spirit, who sees creativity in all things and a desire to see those things come to life. It is expression at its most extreme and one must always be wary of these types of characters, as they are chaotic by nature and by choice. They are inspired by even the smallest of moments and will go to great lengths to see that vision fulfilled, even at the expense of others. This could be a bard who destroys the careers of another because it would be amusing AND it makes sure that they are paid for the evening instead of the other bard or minstrel they just humiliated and deposed. Getting a little more morbid, how about a red and black bard who spins tales of fear rather than inspiration. They chant hideous and depraved songs both to instill fear in their enemies AND their allies (or servants in this case), to make their enemies lose their will to fight and to make their allies perform even greater acts of heroism out of fear of what might happen should they fail. And finally, I'd just like to share what I think the other classes' "core" color would be. White: Cleric, Fighter, Paladin Blue: Wizard, Monk Black: Rogue, Warlock Red: Barbarian, Sorcerer Green: Druid, Ranger

[@James-vl2hh]

D&D classes in MTG! this is the kind of the video I am looking for

[@NarutoGeek411]

One of my favorite concepts for a Bard that I haven't tried yet, is that of a paint mage. They have a magical brush that they can use, and can "paint" the air in front of them, to create magical effects or inspire their allies. Very similar to Epic Mickey or Okami, but I also like the idea presented in Yu Yu Hakusho that make up actually comes from an ancient demonic artform of enhancing your own abilities or hindering enemies. I think this bard would actually be closer to Temur. The blue because this character would need to study ancient techniques and perfect them to (pun totally intended) an art form. The green because they take inspiration from nature. From the firey fury of fire, to the calmness of a river or passing clouds. They're a wanderer who wants to see the sites so that they can paint epic masterpieces while they're in their downtime.

[@wesleyr.2273]

I've actually had a bard character that started as a PC of mine years ago (pretty much a forever DM so PC's for myself are hard to come by) He actually wore red and blue a lot. I've used him as a PC or NPC from time to time. He's now more of an NPC now though since I don't get to play as a player. Coincidentally, he acted a lot like you you've described the red/blue bard in this video. I've never really played MTG and didn't know much about the color personalities until the D&D Ravnica book. Now, I'm working on integrating the color pie into my newest world: possibly as a replacement to alignment. When I decided to do this, I looked up videoes about it and found your videos. They have helped inspire me to develop this idea further. Thank you.

[@BigBoi237]

I love how you interpret the color pie, and applying it to a character's motivation just feels so right. It makes me see characters as more than just a class and associated background/ethnicity. Even within the classes themselves there is variation in how that class is played - the Valor bard being white in its inspiration, the Lore bard being blue in its pursuit of knowledge. I would love to see more, and I would personally love for you to cover either the wizard or the paladin next!

[@josephcittadino6541]

Whats interesting is that Wizards has released several Bards without red. In particular, we've seen Simic Bards and Abzan Bards in offical MTG cards. Thing is, while red might be the most passionate color, it dosen't have a monopoly on being passionate, and other Bards who lack red can be just as passionate a performer as any red-based Bard. The difference, I feel would be that for a red-based Bard, the act of performance and self-expression itself is what they are passionate about. Self-expression itself lights them up. While a Bard who lacked red entirely, I feel, would be motivated by passion for something other than self-expression and performance itself, and thus would use performance as a means to the ends of being able to do, obtain, or achieve what they actually are passionate about. That being said, if red isn't there, I kind of think green typically WILL be there, since all the official Bard type creatures who lack red do have green. Regardless, to illustrate my points on how a Bard doesn't need Red, I'll the official examples of non-red Bard color identities from the actual card game..... I could see an Abzan Bard somebody who is passionate about upholding the traditions and culture of their society and nation. They would be a diehard loyalist of the state, a true patriot who knows the history of their culture well and sees it as the best culture there is. They'd thus focus on using entertainment and performance as a means to perpetuate the continuation of their culture, essentially being a state propagandist for their culture or nation who creates the entertainment that keeps the masses loyal to the state and also helps preserve the history and culture of that state. The black here could manifest in one of two ways I feel. It could either come in the form of the Bard having a desire to help their nation or culture be the most prominent superpower of the world, no matter how many other nations or cultures they might have to crush under their imperialistic boot-heel. Or instead could come in the form of the Bard being from a privileged social class within the hierarchy of their culture or nation and being so loyal and passionate about their culture/nation and its traditions because they actively benefit from those things at the expense of the common people they feed their propaganda entertainment. The Simic Bard, meanwhile, I feel is somebody with a thirst for knowledge of history and the past. Somebody who is just as passionate as any red-based Bard, but rather than their passion being for the act of self-expression itself like a Red bard, it is instead for the collection of historical knowledge. Simply put, the Simic Bard is the theater kid who goes off to be a history major instead of a theater major. This Bard is less interested in expressing themselves through performance, and more interested in collecting and preserving the traditions, histories, and culture of the world they live in, and just happen to choose to do so through performance. They have an unquenchable thirst for the lore of the past, and a dedication to meticulously preserving it, and learning from it. They might even have a desire to perfect the world itself by applying the lessons of history to it, and seek to teach those historical lessons to people who might one day become leaders in positions where they can use them to make the world run more efficiently and smoothly. Performance and entertainment, after all, can reach, and thus educate, far more people than dusty tomes and stuffy classrooms, so if their goal is to teach the lessons of the past to as many people as possible in the name of perfecting the world through the application of those lessons, then entertainment and performance are great ways to do that. And, whats more interesting, is that I think Sultai could VERY easily work as Bard color combo as well, as it would essentially add a selfish element to the Simic Bard discussed above that could go a number of ways. If I ever play a Bard, I'll likely play them as Sultai as a result as that seems like an IMMENSLY fun Bard to play.

[@jsterj99]

I would love to see a Druid video, how would make a non green Druid

[@DiceTry]

I think just like how bards core is red druid's core is green. Where the fun comes in is adding other colors to that core color and seeing how that changes them.

[@christopherbryan160]

I suppose you could make druids that focus on using magic that more closely fit other colors. For a red druid, you could have them use fire/earth/lightning magic. For a blue druid, you could make them use wind/water/ice magic. I'm not sure how to best do a white or black druid though.

[@DiceTry]

An elemental twist would be interesting

[@Thewallace7347]

@@christopherbryan160 druid of the spores is a good example of black green where its a recycle of life. black is all all about useing useing everything to get ahead even things others would frown upon such as the dead, but the circle of spores realize that beautiful life can come from even the darkest deaths

[@s.beccari4678]

@@Thewallace7347 you beat me to it

[@Jaxxx2309]

I played a bard that had a heavy black and red color mentality singing songs of insults and loss. Writing dark poetry, demoralizing the enemy and spreading a darker veiw of the world.

[@DiceTry]

Oh man this is cool.

[@frostfiredragon8992]

Druids, monk, blood hunters. Please and thank you.

[@DragonxFlutter]

I think a great addition to this series would be brief examples of these class & color combinations that have been represented in MTG’s lore; seeing as we’re already in the midst of a D&D crossover.

[@SephonDK]

This is amazing. I'm gonna eat this up. Like you I much prefer the Magic color system over the DnD alignment chart. They have different functions to be fair. DnD alignment has its roots in Tolkienesque fantasy where good and evil are clearly defined. Magic colors are more worldly and allows for more complicated conflicts. Interestingly, both apply poorly to politically gray universes like Game of Thrones where the vast majority of characters are Orzhov, and green is often reserved to neutral players, fantasy creatures or people without much power. Before I watch the video, I think bards are primarily red, secondarily blue. This color pair applies to most artists, but bards lean more red than say painters because while practicing takes time developing themselves, most musicians are very innately set in the moment of emotion, expression and action in a way that painting is comparatively a patient, slow art. Talking in general here, in regards to stereotypes. Music of course represents all five colors. White is religious or militaristic music, blue is mathematical and rationalized (think Mozart), black is music that has purely monetary interests with little care for anything else, pure red aligns with a lot of jazz, green is songs about the past as well as folk songs thinking itself channeling the essence of a people to be good without need to change.

[@Ragejaw]

Staring last campaign I started using the color pie instead of the alignment chart when I made my gnoll bard/barbarian and ended up with a Naya aligned character and it worked way better fleshing him out then the ridged alignment character. Definitely loving this seires

[@ArtPatron25]

I would be interested to see a Barbarian. I asked some color pie fans about a Barbarian concept I thought of and they described it as Azorious.

[@DiceTry]

I agree. The Barbarian has a lot of room for surprises and I can't wait to cover it.

[@c.d.dailey8013]

I would think Gruul would fit the best. The Gruul guild of Ravnica are barbarians to a T. They hate living in the city, and they prefer being in the wilderness. They are very vicious and agressive. They are into the wild side of nature.

[@ADruid25]

A little late I know, but I've had a concept for a bard rattling about for a while. A traveling arbiter, someone who drifts between communities helping mediate disputes and inspiring communal harmony. Pretty squarely White-Green

[@corrosivecabal]

"Now you all know the bards and their songs When hours have gone by, I'll close my eyes In a world far away we may meet again But now hear my song about the dawn of the night Let's sing the bard's song Tomorrow will take us away far from home No one will ever know our names But the bards' songs will remain Tomorrow will take it away the fear of today It will be gone due to our magic songs" Blind Guardian - The Bard's Song

[@ClassMRule]

oooh its great to hear you incorporating background music

[@DiceTry]

I have been working it in for my last few videos. That said it was fun finding some Bard like music for this video

[@DeggaTheDev]

Great video. I've always liked bards, even back in 3rd edition. One aspect of a bard that's often overlooked is that they are support for everyone else. A bit of everything & everyone who wears many hats (literally). Sneaking, healing, fighting, etc.

[@G41st-Jester]

Wizard would be good since we are starting with a Caster

[@ClassMRule]

wizards really do come in every color

[@G41st-Jester]

@@ClassMRule As can be said of almost any class. But what about the archetypal Wizard? Surely blue is likely in it.

[@ClassMRule]

@@G41st-Jester depends on what you mean by archetypal wizard. Theres many subclasses for them in dnd, including necromancy which would be typically black, evoker which would be typically red, and id argue that abjurists would be often white... but yes, i would concede that blue has the highest concentration of wizards, or blends most easily into wizardly types.

[@jacobgoron482]

My bards colours are, esper, hes a creative of spells more then song. He's also a palidin and manipulator of the mind. Incase you're curious its a 38% black, 31.4% blue, 30.6% white.

[@TangledLion]

YES. Imo Bard class should have been Mono-Red, personally, my favorite one is U/R Bard.

[@LeeCarlson]

Your red-white bard reminded me of a story by Gordon Dickson called "Lost Dorsai," and the red-blue bard made me think of performer Lindsey Sterling. I would be very interested in seeing how Clerics and Paladins align with colors as well as Sorcerers.

[@EmethMatthew]

This is a great idea! And yeah, Red/Blue was my immediate thought for a color combination of the Bard, with the correlation of red with charismatic passion and blue with arcane dedication.

[@sabastianravenoak3811]

Same

[@jeremyberner5164]

The start of great serie !

[@INTPTT]

Well, you asked us what colors our bards were, so here's mine: Tara is black/white. She wouldn't have chosen to become a bard (her mother had arranged her education), but she isn't sorry for it. Her main goal is to benefit the people and organizations she's loyal to. Sometimes that means using her skills to inspire troops, and sometimes it means manipulating enemies. Basically, imagine a Silverquill student who sets her speeches to music.

[@pedrohenriquearrudaalves8447]

To me, music itself its Red/Blue. As a musician myself i can describe it as something logical, musicians often seek vast amounts of knowledge. New scales, technics and a lot more in the endless sea of musical theory, yet, It requires passion, feeling and reckleness to learn and create something that "sounds good". That being said, you Black/Red/Blue analysis its on point. Love your vids, keep the good work!

[@antongrigoryev6381]

That - logical, knowledgeable, Blue approach - is only one of the possible ways to approach music, just like any other art. One may try their hardest to study every note and accord, while another may just play from the heart as they feel it, caring not for perfection but for what they are saying with their music. A Bard can be any of these two or all other possible approaches.

[@OwenWai]

this is such an awesome series ! It's like you read my mind.... but can use words. Thanks a bunch and keep up the great work

[@fandomonium3789]

I'll challenge you to something more difficult: the Cleric. While a white core is obvious, I'm interested to see what you have to say about the other colors.

[@adammcclelland5746]

I wanna see sorcerers next!

[@DiceTry]

Sorcerer is going to be a fun one honestly. They have some of the more fun motivations

[@muriomoira]

Great video! I once played as a lore bard who loved to hear the stories of the dead and appease the souls of the fallen, not a stereotypical necromancer, but something closer to a spirit charmer or diviner. I think he would fit in red/black or black/blue due to his fickle and irreverent nature along with his curiosity for ancient tales...

[@Tomrash]

I think there is a case to be made for black-blue Bards: Either someone who never had any real passion for their trade but just always used their skill to get what they want - would probably work best for Whispers or Glamor Bards. Or the melancholic/disillusioned old showman who lost their passion to time and/or hardships.

[@SantanaBanana47]

Or perhaps a more practical and logical motivation for performance. One that is in their own self interest. They may perform in places they shouldn't. Probably very dedicated to mastering their instrument and music in general. Probably very competitive too. I think of someone who competes in classical music competitions. No passion, just a desire to win and master their instrument.

[@SantanaBanana47]

Your lie in April is an anime with musicians that have a very dimir philosophy. "If you can't play with your hands then play with your feet! If you don't have enough fingers, then use your nose as well. Wether your sad, your a mess, or you've hit rock bottom, you still have to play. That's how people like us survive." -Kaori Miyazono Although it is not exclusively about that. There is development towards a more red philosophy in all the musicians. It is beautiful to see. It's generally about living your life to the fullest and letting go of perfectionist paralysis. It's an inner conflict between red and blue. Highly recommend.

[@gamewatch6861]

Very good video! I would love to see the monk next.

[@DiceTry]

I do have a soft spot for the monk

[@rockstar212121]

Red was the first color I said for bard too, then added blue and last was black. I think an izzet with a splash of black is the most stereotypical comical relief skill monkey bard. The izzet for the fun of it all but the splash of black for the pseudo rogue. Definitely the way I play it anyways and I might multiclass into rogue if I need to fill the skills side of it a bit more for the party. Definitely my favorite hang back and let newer players enjoy whatever they want to play without worrying too much about filling a specific role. I'll cover all the gaps and show them the other pillars of play beside combat.

[@antongrigoryev6381]

I'm currently playing a Red-Black-Blue Bard. She's more of a "gossip trader" than an entertainer, the kind who thrives to find people's deepest secrets - not so much to manipulate them (though it is an option when she needs it) but to be able to do it, to feel in power. Or at least that's the concept. Too bad I'm not good enough in roleplaying to actually pull that off, and the fact that we rarely stay in cities for long doesn't help.

[@DiceTry]

Oh this is really cool I love this idea.

[@Tierneil]

My bard is a Grixis street urchin Yuan-ti who loves chasing the concept of genuine people in a harsh street-urchin environment. She plays a piccolo and uses illusions to trick people into thinking she provided a service, while using complex language and dialects to manipulate people.

[@adamdemeter5039]

I’d like to see your I interpretation of the sorcerer class! Innate magic feels like green to me but the expression and shaping of magic seems very red/black with elements of blue in understanding and learning to advance skill. Great video and I look forward to the rest of this series!

[@jimcharles1479]

great video man and here's hoping for warlock next

[@LexYeen]

0:23 I am so here for this.

[@jacobreichert6239]

I would really like to see Paladin as I think it could actually be an interesting class to see because of its oath and how you interpret it. White instantly comes to mind, but depending on the oath black might be more appropriate. It all depends on who you made the oath to.

[@DiceTry]

I have been getting a lot of request for paladin and I think it will be interesting. I do see it as white at its core with different colors depending on the oath

[@jacobreichert6239]

@@DiceTry yeah I see mostly white at it’s core and potentially having a core of green or black as well. Red and blue Paladins seem doable but only in combination with one of the other 3Z

[@danielmelanson4183]

I love your breakdown of the Dual-Color Bard archetypes. Would have loved if you had done the same for Red/Blue and Red/Black. I see the Red/Blue Bard as the "Maestro", who seeks to write and perform the perfect masterpiece that embodies the penultimate level of his skill as a way to contribute and master his Craft. While the Red/Black Bard is more the "Rockstar", who is fueled entirely by his own ego. He doesn't perform because he wants to inspire emotion in others, but because he wants the attention and adulation of the crowd. To him others are just the means to an end. That end being his own self-aggrandizement. HE should be the focus of everyone who beholds his performance and the stage only has room for others as long as they support his time in the spotlight. What do you guys think?

[@DiceTry]

These are great. I could very easily see both of those working well. I for sure could have covered a bunch more combinations but I did want to keep this video a reasonable length.

[@ivancastro229]

So interesting! This is such an interesting idea!

[@DiceTry]

Thanks. I really want to spread the idea of using the color pie in dnd

[@TrueTgirl]

Definitely agreed on red being your typical core color here, but outside of that I feel like selesnya could certainly produce some interesting bards. Art for the sake of all those around you and the glorification of the natural and civilized worlds alike.

[@DiceTry]

I like that.

[@jediarcherbc709]

I would see the perfect bard as Temur, aka Red/Blue/Green. This bard is wholeheartedly that passionate Red type, with some of the future seeking and perfectionist Blue. But the Green creates a balance where the bard creates by studying the world around them and the stories of the past, and cares about maintaining the freedom and potential of the world and other people.

[@platypusbuk]

Kugluk of the White Buffalo tribe, is a Red Green White, Bard. His people, a dying tribe in the barrens of the North hold strong beliefs in the power of traditions and lessons from the Ancentors. Being driven to seek a way to help his people prosper, Kugluk searches for lessons and stories from other cultures to bring his people inspiration, to raise them above their current state. He also wishes to share the tales of his people, to bring joy and hope to those who hear him.

[@EpsoofKyiv]

I want to see rouge one of my favorite class

[@DiceTry]

Rogue might be a great follow up to Bard actually.

[@EpsoofKyiv]

@@DiceTry rouges are always defrent in my expireanse

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

One of the main pieces of D&D homebrew I've been working on is a ranger fix. I tell ranger players they get to keep deft explorer from Tasha's, but they can choose to lose favored foe, favored enemy, and hunters mark. Instead of those three options they can choose Favored Mana. Basically at levels 1, 6, and 14 they get to choose one of the colors of mana, or colorless. They get their Int mod in bonus languages tied to cultures tied to their mana choice. They also get advantage on all dex, int, and wis skill checks made that deal with the terrains, creature types, classes, backgrounds, and races tied to their favored mana, and they deal one extra die of damage on weapon attacks against creatures tied to their mana. The sixth mana, Colorless, is a bit misleading. It's really colorless and gold. So it's creatures and terrains that have no color like constructs, magical wastelands, the astral sea, elder evils and great old ones/eldrazi, and probably most monks. But also creatures and places that are filled with all colors. Mega cities, planar metropolises, archmages, and bards. I put wizards in blue, sorcerers in red, and warlocks and certain wizard schools in different colors based on their patron or their school's obvious focus. But bards and archmages I put in the all colors color because their whole gimmick is literally taking magic from all 5 colors and blending them together almost seamlessly. Read the magic the gathering novel "The Gathering Dark" and pay attention to the scenes where the Dean of the illegal mages college is allowed to monologue his world view and philosophy to the main character and a few of the secondary antagonists. Strip away the egomania, and what he describes is the bard class at the entry level and the hypothetical ideal of an archmage at the final levels.

[@WizWiteKnight]

This was brilliant, as usual

[@HotBunKiller]

Ever since this card was spoiled it didn’t feel like a bard card to me and I think it’s because I thought of it as a typical bard who uses music but D&D describes bards as those who use an artistic medium to use magic. To me a Red/Green bard isn’t one who plays music but one who tells epic stories and poems like the Iliad or the Odyssey.

[@antongrigoryev6381]

Some guesses on the colors of other classes (note I didn't see MTG cards): Artificer: Blue. Even more Blue than the wizard. Creating mechanisms and artifacts to control magic is a step above comparing to using magic directly I think. It's one of the easiest ones. Barbarian: Red. Second of the easiest ones. Rage, their main feature, is basically built around emotions. Other common colors would be Black and Green, and Blue would be really rare; Priest: (Edit) White seems an obvious choice, but it's a bit deceiving I realized. There are all kinds of gods in D&D, not only "good for all", and Clerics can worship all of them. Depending on what their god values, Clerics can as well be Green or Black. Red is a bit rarer, though still has a place with some specific gods, and Blue I see it as the least likely as its ideas contradict basic ideas of religion. Though again, some gods may support it, and any color may be a secondary one. Druid: Green, nature and traditions. Maybe with White as a secondary color. I would say that there are much fewer variations on the types of druids, and they diverge from their baseline much less often than other classes, though I can totally see a Druid with Red or Black. Fighter: Basically any color. The most generic class, the most generic color palette. It can be a Red pit fighter, White soldier, Black mercenary, anyone. Monk: A pretty hard one. It's hard to pin down a single color that would represent the class. The stereotypical monk would be somewhere around Blue-Red-Green, but there are many variations with any of these colors being absent. Paladin: Depends on Oath, and for the absolute most of them it's White. For more heroic Paladin, add Red, for more traditional - Green. Some may lean heavily on Black, though it's mostly when people go for trope aversion or subversion. Ranger: Green. Similar to Druids in core, but they take much more direct approach and diverge from the core archetype much more often. A bit of Red or Blue suits them well. Rouge: A stereotypical Rogue is Black, but it's the second most generic class after Fighter. Basically, any tricky combatant can be a variation on Rogue, from Jack Sparrow to Indiana Jones. Red is pretty common in archetypes though. Sorcerer: Another generic one. They are (usually) born into their class, not gain it as a result of their lives (and if they do gain it, it can be from basically any source), so they can live their life however they want. I would say that having immersive power would make a person lean to Red as they would naturally want to use it freely, but it depends. Warlock: Black. Having to cut a deal for greater power is a *very* Black thing to do. It may be avoided if you got the pact without consent, but it's not the first option when creating a warlock. Wizard: Blue. With all the "heavy learning" stuff you kinda *have* to be Blue unless you heavily re-flavor your class abilities. Secondary colors, however, may vary. Wizards learn to get powers, but the reason *why* they are doing it can be just any.

[@curtin1107]

While I could see some red in my bard, she's mostly white-blue. For her, being a bard is about being understood. For her, it's about finding and spreading truths, using poetry (in her case) as her 'weapon of choice'.

[@toddfromhoen]

Let's see, Rg= Galia of the endless dance Ru= zafi thunder conductor Rb= jarlaxal ( I don't know if he is a bard but that kind of charisma and self interest strikes me as fitting for this color pair) Rw= feanocks ( a character played in my home game)

[@ryan_the_rizza2571]

My bard PC/tavern owner NPC is Grixis through and through

[@logancole5101]

An interesting thing about Celtic mythology is bards were sacred therefore killing a bard causes you to be cursed and all that other stuff. Even evil bards like.... oh I don't remember the name but it was a very large Bard cat. Very interesting and strange stuff, so I guess don't kill the bard.

[@AzureIV]

You should go down the class list in alphabetical order when covering all of them, then hit Artificer at the end.

[@T4N7]

In pathfinder I had a flame singer bard who had a performance that lit mine n my ally's weapons on fire n I'd just be at the table singing🎵 "Burn, baby, burn! Disco inferno! Burn, baby, burn! Burn this motherfucker down!"🎶

[@EvilDMMk3]

I am interested in if there are any underlying patterns you could argue for cleric

[@DiceTry]

I am sure there will be.

[@perezo27]

While you have sort of convinced me more about green, I still think its not the best fit for the Bard. A close third definitely, but a third. They are story tellers and definitely red, but them singing songs of the past and their overall green side, I find, is mostly dependent on character creation. In fact, I'd say most bards I've seen have little to do with the past and tales from old. To what I think is its core, its actually really simple, let's look at their role in DnD and their mechanical identity. They can do a bit of everything, that's sort of what a bard is, but they are mostly supports. They heal through their spells and help allies with their mere inspiring words, that's built into the bard, and as such, a part of the identity most bards have in their character. Red White if I've ever seen it. Now, I think you kind of missed the point with the examples you gave for it. It could be soldiers and armies and new heroes that they help, but it is mostly simply uplifting inspiration and help granted through their songs and words. The white side of Silverquill, basically. They heal and inspire others through their words, even when having their own emotions and self expression in mind. That's incredibly Red White and, in my opinion and experience, how most bards are played.

[@zinogrekriller4141]

I would like to see a lemur coloured bard... what would that be like? I think of the subclass college of creation maybe

[@zinogrekriller4141]

*temur

[@josiestockard3870]

Im actually going to be playing a mono blue intelligence skinned bard in a one shot my partner is planning. I would posit that a real life example of a mono blue bard might be Albert Einstein. I don't think the bard is married to one color but bardic representation in MtG is definitely skewed towards red and green.

[@joaocisne556]

Do the paladins next

[@DiceTry]

I do think paladin has some interesting potential. Finding other colors besides white will be the real fun part

[@maxpower7113]

I would definitely play a Mono Black bard who is using their skill for gain and notoriety, not passion or helping others.

[@DiceTry]

I think a mono black Bard would be great. When it comes down to it I think Bards and Rogues are the most self serving of Classes

[@muriomoira]

How would a black, green and white wedge bard work?

[@matianlong7907]

How about a WB Silverquill Bard?

[@DiceTry]

Yeah I could see this. I think the silverquill really show how it's possible

[@Toroslim]

Great video! I think wotc got the bard spot on as to me that’s what I typically think of when I think bard. Although that being said when I play bards I find myself leaning into the aspects of red and white

[@DiceTry]

The red White Bard is definitely a great party member to have

[@ninjabreadman22]

I disagree with your thesis statement that bards are red colored at their core. I think that's an interpretation of the lore, which could lead you to any color. There are numerous famous bards with different color philosophies. It's not any more or less valid than any claim based on a type of bard you might like more or less. Mechanically, bards at their core must function as blue and white. They have to study in one form or another at a college and they will inevitably come across magical secrets in their growth as a bard. They have to work alongside others for the good of a party. It's impossible to extricate a bard from the color white, as a lone bard will never be fully effective. They rally others and bolster them. A bard can use charms to manipulate the impulses and emotions of enemies and friends alike, and these are a bulk of their spell list, giving them a pretty common lean towards jeskai, gathering knowledge and using it together with a group for martial means. I think they can just as easily lean towards esper however, depending on their group. A lone bard wandering and looking for legends to tell stories of is still a very blue creature, exploring the depths and mysteries of not only music or poetry, but storytelling in itself. They are also a very white creature, because by their performative nature they need an audience of some sort, so they value order and organization. Bards are without exception, blue and white in nature. They have to be in order to exemplify the features that define the class. They form institutions in order to protect, regulate, and spread the knowledge of their different crafts. Through these colleges or schools, that they are required to choose as part of their mechanics, they are set apart from other spellcasters in the way they interact with society. I think any claim to understand them as a class without understanding their core being clue and white is a real failure to understand what beauty they bring to a party and a story in D&D.

[@PlayGroundDemon]

Don’t know that every bard has white as a core. Take the 5e College of Glamour: You can have a golden-voiced bard who learned everything from a single fey teacher and doesn’t plan to share. That bard’s been living off that magic, manipulating others for years. Now the only reason the bard is coming along on that heroic journey is for self-serving reasons too. Maybe those lessons weren’t free and it’s about time to pay up. This might be the way to collect payment/weasel a way out. (Wouldn’t call this a warlock, the deal was for fairy music lessons but the magical power gained is by the bard’s own practice and skill.) Could be something else though. Just money for instance. I could be wrong, but this doesn’t seem like what you described? I could’ve misunderstood too. But this bard would be a clean fit into the subclass description. And a completely selfish sack of ass.

[@ninjabreadman22]

@@PlayGroundDemon You're still mechanically a buffbot no matter how selfish you may try to be. That's just the nature of a bard. You have to be white.

[@PlayGroundDemon]

@@ninjabreadman22 Mechanically I agree. This one might try for debuffs/manipulation when possible but still. It’s more the stuff about bards as part of the story that didn’t make sense to me. That’s all.

[@ninjabreadman22]

@@PlayGroundDemon Oh, I think personality wise they're free to express any colors, but the very idea of a trained performer is a very white aligned thing as story beats go. At some point, a bard will do some inspiring, otherwise you might as well have a different type of spellcaster.

[@PlayGroundDemon]

@@ninjabreadman22 Fair enough. Mostly saw the description of colleges/training and it seemed hit or miss. Glamour training especially seemed like an example that would be far from organized/institutional/very informal, and probably just a chaotic mess. Maybe even more green before white? I don’t know. Sorry for any trouble.

[@markadkins1842]

A Red/Black Bard could be a dark take on celebrity culture, a person consumed with fame or popularity & the drive to be seen.

[@DiceTry]

For sure and I think the Bard could very easily fall into this.

[@sabastianravenoak3811]

@@DiceTry if you go by MTG's own lore it technically has. Rakdos guild of ravnica is what comes to mind

[@orionladd6412]

Warlock please

[@spencernoble6824]

If green is the colour of existence, then a bard is certainly green. Its a very bard thing to harp on(get it?) about the tragedy and nature of existence

[@resrrasg8881]

Black bard: yes and than i dealed the killing blow and took his horde (rolls deception)

[@Jaxxx2309]

You could take these videos further and apply the subclasses to each color

[@tabiasgrafton9590]

Are you planning on eventually doing the subclasses

[@DiceTry]

I might. I know this series will take a while to complete so we will have to see what that looks like then.

[@tabiasgrafton9590]

I’m excited the rest of them

[@Rockethime9654]

Paliden

[@pointerdogmarketing2197]

I'm disappointed that there wasn't an abzan combination in any of the classes, yet

[@s.beccari4678]

Punk rock bard with lots of Vicious Mockery...

[@Werelight]

I’m just not persuaded by the green at all. It seems non-core to bard to me.

[@benkuppler2718]

PALADIN!!! now remember not to lean our beautiful neutral good paladins out, their are plenty naya paladins including me, who wish the for good of all, as well as freedom of expression!

[@MrRJPE]

I could see a College of Tragedy Bard being white/black. They would accept, or cause, sorrow and misery in the world and use it to grant hope and inspiration to their allies.

[@Pcr12]

Tfw they talk about dnd but uses pathfinder art

[@thesmilyguyguy9799]

:)

[@poesero]

MTG NEEEDS more Bards... enough warriors/soldiers/etc...