I am in the final stages of a Renaissance styled setting, very early Renaissance, and had a player ask about a Bard class. I am using Baptism, L&D, and vol 1 and 3 of the Old school companion as my main books for class, skill, etc. I explained how in the low magic world a Bard like normal 5th wouldn't really fit and they made me so happy when they said they were looking for a more authentic one. That being said, I am at a loss of how to approach it. Should I just make it a diff type of Craftsman, as per the OSC vol 1, or is there one I could find elsewhere? I poked around a bit and wasn't impressed by what I found as most seemed locked into what was there in D&D and that's a no go. Any and all help/ideas much appreciated.
I'm a big fan of the one in Basic Fantasy, because it's not very magical, you could almost roleplay it as little placebo effects they create with their music.
besides that they are just a little bit of a acrobat thief, so if you want something to fit into the late medieval / early Renaissance style. that's a decent option.
Also I think Baptism of Fire has a bard-ish class, the skomorokh, but they are fairly culturally specific to eastern europe and Poland.