Homebrew Class: Minstrels.

[geistnet]

WHAT ARE MINSTRELS?

No one’s too sure about the origin of the Minstrels. The Order has been in existence for a very long time from what occultists can tell. The few records that have survived date back to the 12th Century, and are fragments of larger documents – they appear to read more like poetry than anything else. A few details, however, remain constant:

• There was a Changeling. The name of the man varies per record, but it is said that he always referred to himself as The Harper. His Seeming and Kith are uncertain.
  
• The 1,111 years that he spent in Faerie were years spent entertaining the Gentry, regaling them with his music, playing until his fingers and hands literally fell off – only for them to restore his broken body and have him play another song.
  
• He escaped.
  
• He devoted his time and energy to using his amazing gifts towards helping other changelings, moving from Court to Court and country to country, playing his harp.
  
• He eventually created an order, training other changelings with similar abilities to himself in the ways of combat through sound. He eventually started to train humans as well.
  
• He caught the attention of the Methuselah, and joined their cause the moment he was approached.
  
• He made a Contract with a powerful force, giving all that he was and all that he would ever be in order to let his gift pass down to the willing.
  
  Perhaps the truth doesn’t matter. The fact remains that the Order of Minstrels is a group of amazing individuals who bend sound with their will, manipulating it in ways that simply should not be possible… the earliest records of their work date back to the 10th century, from the Scandinavian regions. Although they have since broken away from the Methuselah and now move through today’s Vigil as an independent party, they remain incredibly devoted to the cause.
  
  Minstrels are always human, or changelings with the Muse or Fairest seeming; other creatures do not appear to be capable of using their gifts. They usually seek out people with the right inclination and “the ear” (as they call it), and take them under their wing as early as possible, training them in the use. The heads of their different chapters around the world are always called Harpers, as a means of honoring the First Harper, their mythical(?) founder.
  

POWERS & ABILITIES

Minstrels are basically supposed to work like Bards do in Dungeons & Dragons, combined with practitioners of the martial arts style “Music of War” from Weapon of the Gods. They have been designed to be treated as a separate supernatural class – thus, once a character “awakens” as a Minstrel, he loses any other supernatural templates he possesses. The only exception to this is the Changeling; Changeling Minstrels retain the abilities they had as one of the Lost. A Minstrel can play any kind of music, with any instrument – some Minstrels, in fact, simply use their voice.

Minstrels utilize the different techniques found within the Disciplines of the First Harper. There are seven “bodies” of Disciplines: the Music of Cadence, the Music of Command, the Music of Fortitude, the Music of Ornaments, the Music of Power, the Music of Serenity, and the Music of War.

On a related note, once a Minstrel has fulfilled particular conditions in-game, the Minstrel may be eligible to gain the gift of a Grand Song – one of the powerful techniques once known to the First Harper, occasionally bequeathed upon a chosen Minstrel by his spirit. Alternatively, a player who is interested in having their character possess a Grand Song can discuss the finer details with their ST.

MINSTRELS IN TODAY'S VIGIL

Human Minstrels have had a surprisingly easy time integrating themselves within the New Age, and it is probably due to the fact that many of them have focused on becoming performing artists rather than use their talents to potentially terrorize the rest of the Fifth World. The Order of Minstrels has always been careful to guard their secrets from any "unworthy" ones even if they show potential in the Art, and have made it a habit over several centuries to police their own kind closely.

Changeling Minstrels do not have as easy of a time living a normal life as their human counterparts, but many of them have seen the value of lending themselves to creating music and culture. More than a few have used their talent and their abilities to bridge the gaps between themselves and the mundane community.

Nevertheless, the needs of the Darkest Vigil have pushed the Order to train many of their own kind of the art of war. The Vigil continues to see a large number of Minstrels become Hunters, for better or for worse.

GOT QUESTIONS?

Players who are interested in creating Minstrels can download our guide here. For the full document on general character creation, download our guide here.