Troubadour - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: pothole

2026-05-14T22:10:04Z

pothole

Umbire the Phantom: ents, alignment

2026-04-13T21:11:21Z

ents, alignment

Umbire the Phantom: leprechauns et. al.

2026-04-13T20:00:06Z

leprechauns et. al.

Umbire the Phantom: /* Troubadour songs */ todo

2026-03-24T22:20:23Z

‎Troubadour songs: todo

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ pothole

2026-03-22T23:12:34Z

‎Origin: pothole

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ blurb tailored for specifically this subpage

2026-03-22T23:10:42Z

‎Origin: blurb tailored for specifically this subpage

Umbire the Phantom: skill table

2026-03-19T06:10:10Z

skill table

Umbire the Phantom: /* Starting equipment */ clockwork

2026-03-19T05:08:53Z

‎Starting equipment: clockwork

Umbire the Phantom: potholes

2026-03-19T05:07:56Z

potholes

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2026-03-19T02:44:03Z

word choice

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 If a [[figurine]] of an [[intelligent monster]] is brought to life on the Troubadour's current [[dungeon level]] but does not generate tame, they have a second {{sfrac|CHA - 1|20}} chance of taming the resulting monster.
-[[The Singing Sword]] is an [[artifact]] weapon that can be [[named]] by Bards using any [[long sword]], [[rapier]] or [[saber]]&mdash;the artifact uses and trains the musicalize skill instead of the normal weapon skill, and it can learn and sing its own songs. See the linked article for details.
+[[The Singing Sword]] is an [[artifact]] weapon that can be [[named]] by Bards using any [[long sword]], [[Rapier (dNetHack)|rapier]] or [[saber]]&mdash;the artifact uses and trains the musicalize skill instead of the normal weapon skill, and it can learn and sing its own songs. See the linked article for details.
 ===Half-dragon abilities===

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 "Troubadour" is the name used for the role since version 3.10, as the letters ''b'' and ''B'' in the role selection menu for those variants were already taken by the [[Barbarian/dNetHack|Barbarian]] and [[Binder]]&mdash;it is still abbreviated '''Brd''' like the Bard in the initial patch and other [[variant]]s.
-Troubadours can be played as [[Human (starting race)|humans]], [[Elf (starting race)|elves]], [[Drow (starting race)#dNetHack|drow]], [[Gnome (starting race)|gnomes]], [[Orc (starting race)|orcs]], [[Clockwork automaton (starting race)|clockwork automata]], [[Half-dragon (starting race)|half-dragons]], [[Yuki-onna (starting race)|yuki-onna]], or [[Vampire (starting race in dNetHack)|vampires]]. Clockwork Troubadours are [[lawful]] in [[alignment]], and otherwise a Troubadour hero can be [[neutral]] or [[chaotic]] if permitted by their race. In notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, they can also be played as [[Leprechaun (starting race)|leprechauns]].
+Troubadours can be played as [[Human (starting race)|humans]], [[Elf (starting race)|elves]], [[Drow (starting race)#dNetHack|drow]], [[Gnome (starting race)|gnomes]], [[Orc (starting race)|orcs]], [[Clockwork automaton (starting race)|clockwork automata]], [[Half-dragon (starting race)|half-dragons]], [[Yuki-onna (starting race)|yuki-onna]], or [[Vampire (starting race in dNetHack)|vampires]]. Clockwork Troubadours are initially [[lawful]] in [[alignment]], and otherwise a Troubadour hero can start as [[neutral]] or [[chaotic]] if permitted by their race. In notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, they can also be played as neutral [[Ent (starting race)|ents]] or chaotic [[Leprechaun (starting race)|leprechauns]].
 ==Starting equipment==

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 The '''Troubadour''' is a [[role]] available to the hero in [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]]. It is adapted from the original [[Bard]] patch by André Bertelli Araújo, and is thus referred to as the '''Bard''' internally.
-"Troubadour" is the name used for the role since version 3.10, as the letters ''b'' and ''B'' in the role selection menu for those variants were already taken by the [[Barbarian/dNetHack|Barbarian]] and [[Binder]]&mdash;it is still abbreviated '''Brd''' like the Bard in the initial patch and other variants.
+"Troubadour" is the name used for the role since version 3.10, as the letters ''b'' and ''B'' in the role selection menu for those variants were already taken by the [[Barbarian/dNetHack|Barbarian]] and [[Binder]]&mdash;it is still abbreviated '''Brd''' like the Bard in the initial patch and other [[variant]]s.
-Troubadours can be played as [[Human (starting race)|humans]], [[Elf (starting race)|elves]], [[Drow (starting race)#dNetHack|drow]], [[Gnome (starting race)|gnomes]], [[Orc (starting race)|orcs]], [[Clockwork automaton (starting race)|clockwork automata]], [[Half-dragon (starting race)|half-dragons]], [[Yuki-onna (starting race)|yuki-onna]], or [[Vampire (starting race in dNetHack)|vampires]]. Clockwork Troubadours are [[lawful]] in [[alignment]], and otherwise a Troubadour hero can be [[neutral]] or [[chaotic]] if permitted by their race.
+Troubadours can be played as [[Human (starting race)|humans]], [[Elf (starting race)|elves]], [[Drow (starting race)#dNetHack|drow]], [[Gnome (starting race)|gnomes]], [[Orc (starting race)|orcs]], [[Clockwork automaton (starting race)|clockwork automata]], [[Half-dragon (starting race)|half-dragons]], [[Yuki-onna (starting race)|yuki-onna]], or [[Vampire (starting race in dNetHack)|vampires]]. Clockwork Troubadours are [[lawful]] in [[alignment]], and otherwise a Troubadour hero can be [[neutral]] or [[chaotic]] if permitted by their race. In notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, they can also be played as [[Leprechaun (starting race)|leprechauns]].
 ==Starting equipment==
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 * Half-dragon Troubadours always start with a [[leather drum]] as their main instrument, and are given [[tripe ration]]s in place of apples.
 * Drow Troubadours are given [[droven chain mail]] and [[droven cloak]] in place of the standard cloak, and are given tripe rations in place of apples. They also start with a [[black signet ring]] and 6 [[shadowlander's torch]]es.
-* Clockwork bards are given [[potions of oil]] in place of their oranges and booze.
+* Clockwork Troubadours are given [[potions of oil]] in place of their oranges and booze.
 Troubadours start with knowledge of all musical instruments and all basic [[Ward (dNetHack)|wards]], and will have knowledge of the [[spellbook]]s for the {{+ of|sleep}}, {{+ of|confuse monster}}, {{+ of|slow monster}}, {{+ of|cause fear}}, and {{+ of|charm monster}} spells. They are also given knowledge of 5&ndash;15 random non-[[tool]] [[magical item]]s.

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 The chance is only capped to 100% after all bonuses have been applied, so you can still get to 100% success chance with using [[The Lyre of Orpheus (dNetHack)|the Lyre of Orpheus]].
-{{todo|Update success chances, detail some more precise effects of the songs (e.g. pets helping with singing, enemies counter-singing).}}
+{{todo|Update success chances, ensure this matches code and detail some more precise effects of the songs (e.g. pets helping with singing, enemies counter-singing).}}
 ==Special rules==

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 A troubadour (or "[[wikipedia:Trobairitz|trobairitz]]" for women) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). The troubadour school or tradition began in the late 11th century in Occitania, and subsequently spread to the Italian and Iberian Peninsulas. Under the influence of the troubadours, related movements sprang up throughout Europe: the Minnesang in Germany, ''trovadorismo'' in Galicia and Portugal, and that of the ''trouvères'' in northern France. After the "classical" period around the turn of the 13th century and a mid-century resurgence, the art of the troubadours declined in the 14th century around the time of the Black Death (1348) and since died out.
-[[wikipedia:Dante Alighieri|Dante Alighieri]] defined the troubadour lyric as rhetorical, musical, and poetical fiction. Troubadours can thus be considered a type of 'bard', a term that originated from the specific position of a person as an oral repository and a professional story teller and musician in Celtic cultures, and has since come to refer to similar concepts across cultures as well as any generic minstrel, musician, storyteller or poet (especially a famous one, e.g. [[wikipedia:William Shakespeare|William Shakespeare]] and Rabindranath Tagore). This is one of the major reasons for the role's renaming in dNetHack, with the other being the aforementioned occupation of 'b' and 'B' on the role selection screen.
+[[wikipedia:Dante Alighieri|Dante Alighieri]] defined the troubadour lyric as rhetorical, musical, and poetical fiction. Troubadours can thus be considered a type of '[[Wikipedia:Bard|bard]]', a term that originated from the specific position of a person as an oral repository and a professional story teller and musician in Celtic cultures, and has since come to refer to similar concepts across cultures as well as any generic minstrel, musician, storyteller or poet (especially a famous one, e.g. [[wikipedia:William Shakespeare|William Shakespeare]] and Rabindranath Tagore). This is one of the major reasons for the role's renaming in dNetHack, with the other being the aforementioned occupation of 'b' and 'B' on the role selection screen.
 The notion of the bard as a minstrel with qualities of a priest, magician or seer entered the fantasy genre from its Romanticist usage in the 1960s to 1980s, with examples including the 1981 ''Bard'' by [[wikipedia:Keith Taylor (author)|Keith John Taylor]], the 1984 ''Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish'' by [[wikipedia:Morgan Llywelyn|Morgan Llywelyn]], and television adaptations of ''[[Wikipedia:The Witcher|The Witcher]]'' series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski. This naturally includes the bard character class of fantasy roleplaying games such as ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' and ''Pathfinder'', which draws a combination of traits from historical Celtic bards, the Norse ''skald'', and the southern European minstrel as well as other kinds of musical singers&mdash;bards in such role-playing games are centered on the idea of accessing magic through some form of artistic expression which is primarily (but by no means exclusively) musical.

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 ==Origin==
-{{wikipedia|Bard}}
+{{wikipedia|Troubadour}}
 {{wikipedia|Bard (Dungeons & Dragons)}}
-The Bard is inspired in large part by the bard character class in Dungeons & Dragons, and similar characters. The quest and mythos also draw on Greek mythology, including the myth of Orpheus.
+A troubadour (or "[[wikipedia:Trobairitz|trobairitz]]" for women) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). The troubadour school or tradition began in the late 11th century in Occitania, and subsequently spread to the Italian and Iberian Peninsulas. Under the influence of the troubadours, related movements sprang up throughout Europe: the Minnesang in Germany, ''trovadorismo'' in Galicia and Portugal, and that of the ''trouvères'' in northern France. After the "classical" period around the turn of the 13th century and a mid-century resurgence, the art of the troubadours declined in the 14th century around the time of the Black Death (1348) and since died out.
 {{variant-343}}
 [[Category:dNetHack roles]]
 [[Category:notdNetHack roles]]
 [[Category:notnotdNetHack roles]]

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 ==Skills==
-Troubadours have the following [[skill]]s available to them before racial adjustments, with elven and orcish Troubadours given additional skills that are noted within the table:
+Troubadours have the following [[skill]]s available to them, with specific races of Troubadour given additional skills that are noted within the table:
 {| class="prettytable"
 ! colspan="2" style="font-size:larger" | Troubadour skills
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+|
 * ''Weapons:'' [[dart]], [[dagger]] (elven and orcish only), [[short sword]] (orcish only), [[broadsword]] (elven only)
-* ''Combat:'' [[bare hands]], [[beast mastery]], [[two weapon combat]] (elven only)
+* ''Combat:'' [[bare hands]] (all other than half-dragon), [[beast mastery]], [[two weapon combat]] (elven only), [[martial arts]] (half-dragon only)
 * ''Spells:'' [[Enchantment spells|enchantment]], [[Musicalize spell|musicalize]]
 |}

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 * Lawful:  [[Apollon]]
 * Neutral: [[Pan]]
-* Chaotic: [[Dionysus]]
+* Chaotic: [[Dionysus (dNetHack)|Dionysus]]
 [[Hades]] serves as the chaotic unholy deity for vampire heroes that worship within the pantheon.
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 ==Quest==
 {{main|Troubadour quest}}
-The Troubadour's [[quest]] sees them fight [[Aglaope]] for [[The Lyre of Orpheus (dNetHack)|The Lyre of Orpheus]], an [[artifact]] [[golden]] [[magic harp]]. Rather than using the hero's experience level to determine quest access, the [[monster level]]s of their pets are halved and rounded down (except for the highest-level pet present), then added together and raised by half of the hero's experience level rounded down&mdash;this total is then compared against the minimum level to proceed into the quest, and the hero gains quest access if this value is at least 14.
+The Troubadour's [[quest]] sees them fight [[Aglaope (dNetHack)|Aglaope]] for [[The Lyre of Orpheus (dNetHack)|The Lyre of Orpheus]], an [[artifact]] [[golden]] [[magic harp]]. Rather than using the hero's experience level to determine quest access, the [[monster level]]s of their pets are halved and rounded down (except for the highest-level pet present), then added together and raised by half of the hero's experience level rounded down&mdash;this total is then compared against the minimum level to proceed into the quest, and the hero gains quest access if this value is at least 14.
 While carried, The Lyre of Orpheus grants [[magic resistance]], and all pets on the same level as the hero will automatically [[follow]] them to other levels regardless of their proximity to the hero. [[Applying]] The Lyre of Orpheus while it has charges works as with a normal magic harp, taming monsters in a certain range around the hero, and it can be used to play any song for the musicalize spell skill. [[Invoking]] The Lyre of Orpheus behave the same as reading an uncursed [[scroll of taming]], taming monsters in a selected direction. Applying or invoking The Lyre also gives a random [[rumor]] dependent on its [[beatitude]]: the rumor will be true if The Lyre is blessed, false if cursed, and can be either if uncursed.

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 The following substitutions and racial conditions also apply:
-* Orcish Troubadours start with an [[orcish short sword]], 4-8 [[orcish dagger]]s, an [[orcish shield]], and an [[orcish helm]]. They have a roughly equal probability of starting with either a [[bugle]] or a [[tooled horn]] as their main instrument, and are given two additional stacks of 1-2 random [[comestible]]s.
+* Orcish Troubadours start with an [[orcish short sword]], 4-8 [[orcish dagger]]s, an [[orcish shield]], and an [[orcish helm]]. They have a roughly equal probability of starting with either a [[bugle]] or a [[tooled horn]] as their main instrument rather than the default, and are given two additional stacks of 1-2 random [[comestible]]s.
 * Half-dragon Troubadours always start with a [[leather drum]] as their main instrument, and are given [[tripe ration]]s in place of apples.
 * Drow Troubadours are given [[droven chain mail]] and [[droven cloak]] in place of the standard cloak, and are given tripe rations in place of apples. They also start with a [[black signet ring]] and 6 [[shadowlander's torch]]es.
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 ==Gods==
 {{main|Religion}}
-The Troubadour pantheon is loosely based on [[wikipedia:Thracian religion|Thracian religion]], specifically the deities identified with those of ancient Greece to the south. Their first gift is [[The Singing Sword]].
+As in the original Bard patch, the Troubadour pantheon is loosely based on [[wikipedia:Thracian religion|Thracian religion]], specifically the deities identified with those of ancient Greece to the south. Their first gift is [[The Singing Sword]].
 * Lawful:  [[Apollon]]