Bards Beyond 20th Level

Extra Thieving Skills: At 21st level, a bard gains two of the five new skills listed in the thief section. The skills have base scores as shown on Table 48, and the character can immediately apply discretionary points to the skills.

If the character point system from Player’s Option: Skills & Powers is in play, a bard may already have some or all of these new skills. In that case, the bard gains 20 bonus character points at 21st level. The character must use the points to buy thieving skills from Table 27 in the Skills & Powers book.

Improved Scroll Use: Also at 21st level, a bard can read wizard spells from scrolls with no chance of failure provided that the bard is high enough level the cast the spell. The rogue can read low-level spells from priest spells from scrolls as follows:

Bard Level	Spell Level*
21–23	1st
24–26	2nd
27–29	3rd
30	4th

The bard has the standard 15% chance for a reversed or harmful effect when reading scroll of wizard spells of higher level than the character can cast or priest spells of higher level than the table allows.

Improved Item Identification: At 21st level, a bard can analyze magical items and determine something about their specific powers.

For each hour a bard spends studying an item, the character has a 55% chance to determine a single power. The item’s exact magical bonuses and number of charges are never revealed (see the 1st-level wizard spell identify). The bard need not handle the item or expend any materials, the character merely examines the item closely.

Magical Item Use: At 24th level, a bard can use wands, staves, and rods as a wizard of the same level.

Item Creation: At 27th level, a bard can write wizard spells the character knows and brew potions as a wizard of the same level.

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