Dear reader,
If you read this, then it is highly likely that it is November 1st, so you could treat this as a late Halloween special. You may also be wondering 'where is the next 'Initiative is Rolled, My Dear'?' chapter, but do not fret. I am working on it as soon as I finish a one-shot with Sona set to be released either on November 1st or 2nd due to Mexican festivities and work. I do want to read in on that and also give you guys some quality, now that I have also separated the T&T segments and the actual stories.
With this said, before we begin, I want to thank you all for reading this, and I will be using the lower half for a brief summary of a future update, maybe a tab for references, etc. Until then, here is a spooky crossover of sorts (not really), and I hope you enjoy it!
"Do the thing, Bard, do the thing!" A group of people said, as they looked at a young man who had a toy keyboard on his lap.
"*Sigh.* I roll to try and f*ck the dragon."
"Yay!" The group paused, and the image seemed to zoom away as the image only seemed to dull. Viewing the picture was Issei, who then looked at the audience.
"This is John. You may be wondering why he looks so depressed. Well, he chose to build a Tabaxi character called 'Top' Kat who was the leader of his own gang of street urchins that were constantly pursued by a pushy policeman that ultiamtely buried the hatchet with them once a vain madman became the mayor of New York... or something similar, but after the city-wide plot, the gang of misfits and the officer which at that point had been fired went their separate ways." Issei said, looking at the picture briefly before looking back at the audience.
"However, the rest of the players overdosed on Bard memes that show little to no originality, said memes coming from certain forums. This will only help to dissuade Josh's desire to play as a Bard, and in the worst case scenario, drop the game altogether. Together, we can stop this epidemic, but I cannot do so alone. I have to resort, to that..." Issei continued, before resting his hand on a pink amulet that had a golden border, as well as being encrusted with a few gemstones. Grabbing it, he raised it above his head and exclaimed.
"Oh Leviathan of blood and name, come to me and make your claim!" With this, several strands of pink and gold descended and enveloped him in, covering his body in a white glow. Bit by bit, his current attire was replaced by a dark blue shirt, jeans, brown boots, and a red leather trenchcoat that seemed like wine incarnate. Grabbing a guitar, he looked at the camera and said: "Let's go all the way to Hell!" With a quick move of his free hand, he ran his hands over the guitar strings and played a strong note, warping him out of existence. (1.1)
Garden of the Leviathan Estate, Lucifaad, Underworld
An orange-eyed woman of long purple hair sat in a garden, enjoying a calm day as she basked in her solitude. This solitude, however, was interrupted as purple lightning fizzled into existence. From it emerged the youngest member of the Hyoudou family.
"Hey, is this the Leviathan residence? Looking for a 'Serafall Leviathan'."
"Huh?" she asked, looking at him confused.
"Y'know, long black hair, mainly in a magical girl outfit, a bit noisy?"
"..."
"Where am I, actually?"
"The Leviathan Residence, sir," she said, sliding her hand into a pocket and pressing a button.
"Oh... you live here alone?" he asked.
"Yes." And with that, a summoning circle appeard next to the unknown woman, and from it rose a silver-haired woman in a maid outfit.
"Well... this is awkward."
Lounge Room of the Leviathan Estate, Lucifaad, Underworld
"Look, I just need to talk to Serafall. I don't know if you guys do this but... can I get a call? Y'know, to bail me out or something..." he said, looking at the ground. Not getting a response from the purple-haired woman, the maid replied.
"Fine." Being provided a phone, Issei began dialing a phone number and waited for it as it rang.
"Grayfia, what's the matter?" Ajuka's voice asked as it was on speaker.
"Ajuka?" Grayfia and Ingvild asked.
"Of course it's me, why wouldn't it be? What's going on?"
"There is someone here who claims to know you. Issei Hyoudou, was it?"
"Ah, Issei! You there?" he asked in a more joyful tone.
"Yeah, just wondering if you could ring me right over to the contact."
"New episode with them?"
"Yeah."
"Sorcerer?"
"Nah, got something else in mind..."
Several days later, in a TV studio...
"Ladies and gentlemen, Issei Hyoudou!" a booming voice said, as the brunette walked on stage and made his way to a table that was in the middle of the set. As he did so, a wave of applause and cheers was heard. Dressed in a dark blue wig of short hair, a light blue school uniform with a red ribbon (1), he looked at the table, which had a yellow cat plushie in a purple vest and matching hat. Next to said plushie was a bipedal frog with long limbs.
"Thank you everyone, it's a pleasure being here tonight. Welcome to 'Tabletops with Tyrants', where we go over D&D 5E aspects and also other things if we get to it. Let's get to the main guest, a beautiful girl who rules the Underworld's small screens by moonlight, runs the Underworld by daylight, never running from a real fight... she is the one named Serafall!" Issei exclaimed, watching the eldest daughter of the Sitri family walk in dressed in a loosely-buttoned white dress shirt, red dress pants, and a set of black heels, her hair green and reaching a mid-back length as it was in a loose hairstyle (2).
"Hey there Serafall, love the look," the male host said.
"Neh, you look good too, Ise-tan!" the bubbly Maou said, taking a seat next to him.
"Aw shucks," Issei said, looking away and blushing. "Anyways, our mystery guest is, perhaps Underworld's Snow White... give a mellow round of applause for what could be deemed a true Leviathan... Ingvild Leviathan," he said, smiling as the crowd did so as the mentioned member of the Leviathan clan walked in. Dressed in a long blue dress with the upper half being a mix of white and blue details, there was also some silver trim. Her look was finished off by her hair being that of a silver color (3).
"Thank you for inviting me, Issei," Ingvild replied, a soft smile on her face as she took a seat.
"Oh please, the pleasure's all mine. To the people in the audience wondering what class we'll be covering today, we're covering the Bard. As you may have seen in the video from a few days ago, we're tackling the Bard, the class that is swarmed by one-trick memes and some misinterpret. Which is why... I somehow managed to craft a tale of two Leviathans, who would be great bards in their own regard. Anyways, the Bard, the only d8 full caster aside from their hippie sibling the Druid." the brunette said, earning a few laughs from the audience. "... or their deity-loving brother the Cleric."
"Known for Charisma being their casting modifier, also having the ability to use an instrument as a casting focus for their Bard spells, these guys are also ritual casters. Without further ado, shall we begin?" He asked, looking at Serafall.
"Sure! First, they can be good at things with 'Jack of All Trades' at Level 2. You can add half your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus, but it's rounded down. For example..." the Maou said, as the screen fizzled and showed her in a set of sweatpants and a shirt that said 'Proficient in Athletics' before she lifted a boulder that was as tall as her before setting it down.
Ingvild walked over to the boulder, also in a set of sweatpants while her shirt said 'Jack of All Trades'. She tried to lift the boulder but could not do so. Sera, on the other hand, stopped Ingvild and spawned a boulder half as large as the one from before. Trying to lift the new boulder, the purple-haired Leviathan lifted it with ease.
"And that's that, but at Level 2 we also get 'Song of Rest'," Issei said, before continuing. "How does it work? Well..." the brunette said, the screen displaying himself dressed as a shabby wizard.
"Fools!" The Issei on screen said. "It is I, Merissei the Wizard (4)! I owe the Neverwinter Mafia 12,000 silver pieces! I... foolishly bought a totem that requires souls, and I could not make the money I needed to pay off my tab, so they broke my legs since my patron's brother Gonzo the Sumerian Clown helped me! Now, I will take this short rest to roll 6d-" he continued, only to be interrupted by Ingvild who handed him a 6-sided die.
"7! 7d6! I will roll all my current hit point die and the die Ingvild gave me to heal..." he drifted off, rolling the die and watching the results.
"... 16 hit points. I, uh, meant to do that." Multiple laughs were heard from the audience as the image paused.
"If that's not enough, the die is bumped up to a d8, a d10, and a d12 on separate levels. Assuming we go with a 17th level bard, which will have their Song of Rest die as a d12, can use a performance or oration during their short rest. The Bard or any friendly creatures that can hear said performance can add a healing die specified by said Bard trait. So you have your group of rogues that are unique and quirky, and there's seven members in the party including the Bard. Assuming they all expend a hit point die, they would get an average of 6.5 when calculating the average of a d12. Multiplying that by a maximum of 7, we get 45.5 points, which due to 5E healing, we round it down to an average of 45 hp recovered in the team. And it's only tied to short rests and doesn't specify a maximum amount."
"My math may be off, but not as off as the off-chance of needing Countercharm 24/7! Take it away, Ingvild," Issei finished off, before drinking from a water bottle.
"Right. At level 6, you can use an action to make a performance or oration that lasts until the end of your next turn. Until then, you and any allies within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. Deafened allies aren't affected by Countercharm, and the performance ends early if you are incapacitated or silenced or if you voluntarily end it... no action required to end it," she said, taking a breath before continuing.
"It may be circumstantial, but it's good to have it as a method of dealing with two of the most bothersome status effects. After all, there is an even greater concern: Magical Secrets." Ingvild continued, as the screen became similar to a slot machine. The screen played a whirring sound before the first column showing 'A', the second showing 'L', and the final one also showing 'L'. What ensued was a loud beeping as coins seemed to come out of the screen and fading away before making contact.
"At Level 10, you can pick two spells from any class as long as you have the spell slots for it. At Level 10, you can get spells Level 5 or lower. Level 14 Bards gain it again, but this time it is Level 7 or lower, and finally Level 18 is any spell. As is, that's a total of six spells from ANY class." Ingvild added.
"Long story short, these spell slots under 'Magical Secrets make your spellbook go from this..." Issei said, holding a booklet. "To this," he finished, the booklet becoming a book the size of an encyclopedia. "Six slots, but you can go quite a ways. Do you have to get spells of the highest slot available? Not really, a considerable amount of Bards choose Counterspell as soon as they hit Level 10. It's great against enemy casters, and only Sorcerers, Warlocks and Wizards have them on their lists excluding certain Paladin subclasses."
"Hey, I have a question!" A young Devil asked in the audience. "Can it be used on cantrips?"
"Yes. There is however, a major feature we've left for last, one that is known for changing fates..." Issei said, as the screen fizzled out, showing a tired Tsubaki looking at a woman of long black hair and violet eyes who also happened to be tired. Sitting between them was Ingvild, who was playing a lyre as two boxes appeared on screen: the first was on Tsubaki, showing an AC of 15. The second was on the stranger, saying 'AC: 16 + 5 (Shield)'. Sona's queen made her way to the unknown woman as she saw a stray 12-sided die and picked it up and held it in her fingers.
"One bullet..." she said, spinning the die and feeling it spin quickly in her open palm that was pointing at the stranger as if preparing a blast. A loud 'clink' was heard, as if a shot had been loaded, and Tsubaki looked at Ingvild before saying: "I tip my hat to you, Ingvild. It's all it takes to make a legend..." she added, pulling out a naginata as the clacking of dice was heard. The clacking stopped, and in a single slice, the stranger stood no more.
"... Or end it." The screen faded to black, and the focus was once again on the two devils and their host.
"This feature, is a key component that blends into features for the subclass, a somewhat flexible feature: Bardic Inspiration," Serafall said in a somewhat serious tone.
"By using a Bonus Action, you can give an ally within 60 feet of you a Bardic Inspiration die, which starts as a d6 at Level 1. It then becomes a d8 at Level 5, a d10 at Level 10, and finally a d12 at Level 15. This die can be used on an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. You do need to perform a long rest to recover all your usages of this feature though," Ingvild contributed.
"Buuuut, at Level 5 you gain Font of Inspiration, which allows you to recover your Bardic Inspiration dice after a short rest, hah!" Serafall said, getting up and pointing at Ingvild and Issei, who looked at her weirdly. Breaking the silence, the brunette spoke up.
"There are however, a few limitations to Bardic Inspiration: first off, you'll have an amount equal to your Charisma modifier, which leads to a minimum of 2 due to multiclassing, and a maximum of 5. Second, when being granted a Bardic Inspiration die, it must be used within the following 10 minutes."
"Also, it cannot be used on damage rolls unless your subclass specifies otherwise. The timing? It can be after you roll the d20, but in both cases it MUST be before the DM declares if it is a success or a fail. Finally, there cannot be more than one Bardic Inspiration on a person. You can however, give the same person another Bardic Inspiration die if they no longer have one." Ingvild added, only to be followed up by Issei.
"Also, Bard's Level 20 feature called 'Superior' Inspiration sucks. I mean, to be a Level 20 feature and granting you a Bardic Inspiraition die if you roll initiative and currently have no B.I. dice sounds okay, but in a game with an ever-varying concept of time, it does not offer alternatives in case you have the privilege of time or not. Personally, I'd throw in a second B.I. dice, but then again, the module varies... also, the Bard who chooses to use B.I. cannot grant themselves on "
"And that is all involving the core components," Sera said, getting up and striking a pose, earning a chorus of cheers from the audience. "We apologize for this late of a commercial break, but we need to prepare a few things for the latter category. We'll be right back after these messages!"
One agonizing set of commercials later...
"Welcome back, here's where we go over the subclasses," Issei said, several cheers being heard in the audience. "Before we pass this on to Ingvild, I'd like to give a brief rundown on the Bard subclasses..." Issei said, pulling out a guitar, playing on it as he began to speak.
"Forged in the depths of a basement,
Four scores ago, maybe more,
was a class that would give birth to a beast,
the Bard's College of Lore."
"Issei, wasn't 5E released less than a decade-" Serafall asked, interrupted by the brunette.
"Along came its brother,
who from the back said 'I'm bored',
and under the College of Valor,
managed to spice the Fighter's sword.
Xanathar brought three great beasts
the first made with those of no humor,
Running the mill and a College of Whispers
they became great at spreading rumors.
Hitting hard like a stone hammer
came the College of Glamour,
and with another spin on the sword and board
came the College of Swords.
Tasha welcomed back Eloquence
as balance was somewhat decadent,
but by breaking nature
Creation surpassed its subsequent."
He stopped playing, and as he did, he was welcomed by a wave of applause.
"Thanks, thank you everyone. I'm going to pass this over to Ingvild. So Ingvild, among the current Bard Classes, one which I forgot to mention... which is your favorite?" he asked.
"Well, I went ahead and read through them, and I found myself enjoying the College of Eloquence." Ingvild replied.
"Ah yes, Talk no Jutsu!" Serafall said, earning a series of 'ooohs' from the audience before the daughter of the deceased Leviathan continued.
"It helps Persuasion and Deception checks, a failsafe in case a roll with Bardic Inspiration fails, as much Bardic Inspiration as possible, and the interesting twist at Level 3: using Bardic Inspiration to subtract from an enemy's saving roll."
"*Sigh.* Fine... I like Glamour, because I can be the best idol around!" Sera countered.
"True, only thing is that since it can lean towards Charmed, it might not always work but is ultimately great to be the ultimate peacock," Issei added, chuckling before continuing. "As for me, I have to go with Lore. Basic? Maybe, but I see it more like a pepperoni pizza (5): not really high maintenance or overly requiring the usage of your actions for certain things, and it's a classic," he said.
"And that's just about it: the bard goes beyond singing and playing an instrument despite spellcasting implications, when it can easily talk its way in and out of trouble. Damage? Not really, but boy is it one hell of a support class." he answered, earning several chuckles from the audience.
"Wait, what did I sa- ohhh... Anyways, with that said, they can often consume their action, bonus action and reaction but it ultimately goes with the caster's saying: 'don't fear the damage: fear the effects.'. I want to thank you two for joining me tonight," he finished, looking at his guests.
"Of course, I am the mighty Sera-tan!" Serafall said, getting up and doing a pose, which earned another wave of cheers for her.
"The pleasure was mine, I do want to give this game a try in person," Ingvild said, smiling softly.
"I also want to thank the audience for having me here tonight," Hyoudou continued, before standing up with his guests.
"Do tune in to our next episode, until then..." Issei prepared, only to hold hands with his guests and bowing as all three said the following:
"THANK YOU FOR PLAYING TABLETOPS WITH TYRANTS!"
Azrael's references:
(1.1) Cosplay of Dante from 'Devil May Cry'
(1) Cosplay of Iruma Suzuki from 'Mairimashita! Iruma-kun' (wanted to go with a character who would give off better Bard vibes)
(2) Cosplay of Morrigan Aensland's (Darkstalkers) casual outfit
(3) Cosplay of the 'Priestess with Eyes of Blue' from Yu-Gi-Oh
(4) In 'Team Fortress 2', there is a wizard called Merasmus, who has been in debt with at least two mafias (the Japanese mafia in one occasion, and the Russian mafia in another... all over eldritch artifacts that require souls.
(5) The pepperoni pizza metaphor is a paraphrased version of the one seen in videogamedunkey's 'Tony Hawk Pro Skater (dunkview)'. At times, people go with features up the wazoo that can make it unenjoyable since sometimes they want to throw in as many things as possible. As for the pepperoni pizza? Simplest thing, everyone loves it, not much needed to be spent/invested in it.