Bards tend to hail from more civilized lands, where travel is easier and audiences are more receptive. Bards in Ravenloft may take the form of traveling storytellers who offer news of distant lands, often in highly embellished form, for a hot meal and a few coins. In some cases, bards are tortured performers whose talent is barely distinguishable from their madness. These bards maintain their fragile grip on sanity by channeling their feverish imaginations into their art - and into the forces of magic. Bards are also commonly associated with Vistani entertainers - particularly those of the Boem tasque - who entrance audiences with their swirling dances and the frenzied music of their violins.

Many bards, regardless of birthplace, aspire to study at the famed bardic colleges of Kartakass. For a bard, little in life yields more prestige than to be admitted to the Harmonic Hall or to perform in Harmonia's amphitheater.

Bards are restless creatures who wander from audience to the next. As such, their calling often appeals to those who lack communal ties, such as half-elves or giomorgo. As entertainers, bards are often adept in the fine arts of diplomacy and can be invaluable in gaining the trust of local villagers in strange lands. Most bards consider themselves observer of the world and seekers of new experiences and sensations.