Bard Colleges (5e)

## BATTLEDANCER

Graceful, exotic, and lethal, the rare bards who commit to learning battledancing are nimble combatants, revered in legend. Their motions appear to be as random as they are agile, but those are the steps of a lethal dance played out according to their own rhythm. It is a beautiful dance of predator and prey, of whirling blades and hapless victim.

### Bonus Proficiencies

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the scimitar. Additionally, you gain proficiency in Performance. If you are already proficient in this skill you may choose another skill proficiency from among those bards can choose at 1st level.

### Dervish Dance

Beginning when you select this college at 3rd level, you may enter a Dervish Dance as a bonus action by expending a Bardic Inspiration die. Your Dervish Dance lasts a number of rounds equal to the amount rolled on the die + 1. You can't perform a dervish dance in medium or heavy armor or while carrying a shield. During your Dervish Dance, your armor class increases by 2 and enemies have disadvantage on opportunity attacks against you. You must move at least 10 feet on each on your turns to continue Dervish Dancing, otherwise you stop when you end your turn.

     When you take an Attack action while you are Dervish Dancing, you may make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.

### Parry

At 6th level, when another creature damages you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one Bardic Inspiration die to reduce the damage by the number you roll on your Bardic Inspiration die + your Dexterity modifier.

### Thousand Cuts

At 14th level, as an action while you are Dervish Dancing, you can attack a single creature numerous times in a flash of blades. You suffer a -1 penalty on your attack for each time you successfully hit. You may continue to attack until you miss, to a maximum of 6 attacks. After using this ability, you must complete a short or long rest before using it again.

## COLLEGE OF BANSHEES

It is the calling of some bards to make beautiful music, and the calling of others to make noise. Bards that enlist in the College of Banshees take a keen interest in the art of cacophony and its uses for auditory injury. Using your skills in noise, your 'music' embodies a particular type of performance directed at an audience, rather than for them.

### Deafening Racket

Beginning when you choose this college at 3rd level, when you deal damage to one or more creatures with a bard cantrip, you can spend a Bardic Inspiration die as a bonus action to deal additional thunder damage to each creature equal to the amount rolled + your Charisma modifier. Additionally, each creature must make a Constitution saving throw or be deafened for 1 minute.

### Boom Resilience

At 3rd level, you have resistance to 'music' like yours. You have resistance to thunder damage and cannot be deafened.

### Thunderous Strike

At 6th level, once per turn when you use the Attack action to make a melee attack, you can add 1d8 thunder damage to your attack on a hit.

### Banshee Wail

At 14th level, by using an action and expending a Bardic Inspiration die, you can produce a supersonic cry loud enough to tear a man to shreds. Each creature within a 30-foot cone must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is deafened for 1 minute and takes 8d6 thunder damage or half as much on a successful save.

## COLLEGE OF CANTORS

The cantors are a group of bards who lead the faithful through the praise and worship of the gods. Their music is directed towards the heavens, with their instruments usually relating in some way to the god that they worship. Cantors are well loved within their respective communities, and it is hard to find a talented cantor who will stay in one place for long, as the demand for their soothing hymns is widespread.

### Heavenly Voice

When you choose this college at 3rd level, you gain the *thaumaturgy* cantrip. *Thaumaturgy* counts as a bard spell for you, and does not count against the number of cantrips you can learn.

### Song of the Divines

Starting at 3rd level, by singing divine hymns, playing your instrument, or speaking through *thaumaturgy*, you can use one of the following abilities:

* As an action, you can target a hostile creature that you can see within 60 feet of you, which must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d8 radiant damage and is deafened until the beginning of your next turn. The damage increases by 1d8 at 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
* As an action, you may target a friendly creature that you can see within 60 feet of you and expend a single use of your Bardic Inspiration to bestow a ward upon them. The next time your warded ally is attacked by a hostile creature, the attacker takes radiant damage equal to your Bardic Inspiration die.

### Healing Hymn

Starting at 6th level, when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, such as *cure wounds* or *healing word*, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to bolster that healing. The creature regains additional hit points equal to your Bardic Inspiration die plus your Charisma modifier.

### Angelic Voice

Starting at 14th level, you can use your Healing Hymn ability without expending uses of your Bardic Inspiration.

## COLLEGE OF CIRCUSES

Bards who join the college of the Big Top are renowned traveling entertainers, who bring exotic and thrilling spectacles to everyday people far and wide. As the name suggests, most of these bards travel in circus caravans, setting up and tearing down huge tents, and displaying all manner of exotic animals, unbelievable skills, and dangerous stunts. But not all are relegated to life in the circus; many bards of the Big Top will find company with adventurers to provide entertainment during their travels and to direct the group in combat with the same speed and drama as a three-ring circus.

### Bonus Proficiencies

When you choose this college at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill. If you already have proficiency in this skill, you can choose to gain proficiency with another skill of your choice. Additionally, you gain proficiency with nets, whips, and a gaming set of your choice.

### Ring Leader

At 3rd level, you can use your personality to embolden others to take risks with little downside. When a creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you makes and ability check or attack roll with disadvantage, it can expend that die without rolling it to remove disadvantage on that roll.

### Lion Tamer

By 6th level, you have trained and formed a magical bond with a lion, which has become your loyal companion. Your tamed lion uses the statistics of a lion (included in the SRD), but loses its Pack Tactics trait and gains the benefits of the Tamed Beast feature.

     If your tamed lion is ever slain, you can return it to life with a ritual requiring 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of rare herbs and fine meats. This ritual creates a new body for your trained lion.

### **Tamed Beast**

Also at 6th level, while your tamed lion is in your company, it gains a number of benefits.

     The lion obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, the lion acts on its own.

     Your tamed lion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your lion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, a tamed lion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls.

     Your tamed lion gains proficiency in four skills of your choice. For each level you gain after 6th, your tamed lion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.

     Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your lion's abilities also improve. Your lion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your lion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

     Your lion shares your alignment and its bond is always, “I will follow any command my bard gives me.”

### Main Attraction

By 14th level, you can use your action to place a magical spotlight on yourself and your lion. Until the beginning of your next turn, each creature within 5 feet of you or your tamed lion has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you or your tamed lion.

## COLLEGE OF THE DEPARTED

Bards of the College of the Departed celebrate the occurrence of death and what comes with it. Stories told by bards of this college portray death as something to be embraced. To them, death is not simply the end of something, but also a new beginning. The death of a person leaves behind it a legacy to be cultivated and memories that people can look back on fondly.

Their connections to death also give bards of this college the ability to raise the recently departed, in what most would consider a perverse act of celebration to the very process they claim to revere. However, these bards will simply say that undeath is one of the many new beginnings that can happen after death.

### Spirits from the Grave

*3rd-level College of the Departed feature*

The spirits of the afterlife constantly linger over you. You learn the *spare the dying* cantrip if you haven’t already, which counts as a bard cantrip for you but doesn’t count against the number of bard cantrips you know.

Additionally, when you give a Bardic Inspiration die to a creature, you can choose a number of targets within 5 feet of the creature up to your Charisma modifier. You then roll the die, and the target takes necrotic damage equal to the roll (this roll doesn’t expend the creature’s use of the Bardic Inspiration die).

### Celebration of Death

*3rd-level College of the Departed feature*

Your outlook on death allows you to bring back the recently departed in order to serve you. As a bonus action, you can choose the corpse of a humanoid that you can see within 30 feet of you and expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to raise it back from the dead as a ghoul. You can also use this feature as a reaction to seeing a humanoid die.

The undead is under your control for a number of hours equal to your bard level, after which it stops obeying any command you have given it.

In combat, the undead shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action (if you control multiple undead with this feature, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the undead can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

At additional levels, you can animate more corpses with this feature, provided the additional corpse is within 30 feet of the first one. At 5th level, you can use this feature to animate two ghouls or a ghast (your choice); at 10th level you can animate three ghouls, two specters, or a mummy or wight (your choice); at 15th level you can animate four ghouls, two ghasts, or a ghost or a banshee (your choice).

### Souls of the Departed

*6th-level College of the Departed feature*

You gain the ability to capture the souls of the departed. When an undead perishes, you can use your reaction to catch a sliver of its remaining life essence that takes on a physical form: a Tiny trinket that appears in your free hand. The DM determines the trinket's form or has you roll on the Trinkets table in the *Player's Handbook* to generate it. You can have a maximum number of soul trinkets equal to half your Charisma modifier (rounded up) and you can't create one while at your maximum.

You can use the soul trinket in the following ways:

* While you are holding a soul trinket, you gain resistance to necrotic damage and have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
* If you give the soul trinket to a creature, it can use the trinket as a Bardic Inspiration die, rolling a d6 and adding the number rolled to an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. A creature can only hold one soul trinket, and it cannot use this trinket and a Bardic Inspiration die on the same turn.
* As an action, you can destroy one of your soul trinkets. When you do so, you can ask the spirit associated with the trinket one question. The spirit appears to you and answers in a language it knew in life. It's under no obligation to be truthful, and it answers as concisely as possible, eager to be free. The spirit knows only what it knew in life, as determined by the DM.

### Precipice of Death

*14th-level College of the Departed feature*

Your stories celebrating the occurrence of death have allowed you to bestow others the ability to walk the path of death briefly. If a creature that reaches 0 hit points has your Bardic Inspiration die or a soul trinket created with your Souls of the Departed feature, it doesn’t fall unconscious. The Bardic Inspiration die or soul trinket is then immediately expended (the creature chooses which item is expended). While the creature has 0 hit points, taking damage causes death saving throw failures as normal, and three death saving throw failures can still kill it. If the creature still has 0 hit points at the end of its next turn, it falls unconscious. A creature can only be affected in this way once, and can't be affected again until the end of your next long rest.

### **Bonus Spell**

When you join this bardic college, at 3rd level, you learn the *bane* spell, which does not count against your number of spells known. Also, you can cast *bane* at 1st-level without a spell slot. After casting *bane* in this way, you must take a long rest before doing so, again.

### **Invoke Misfortune**

Also, at 3rd level, you can destroy a creature's attempts to act. As a reaction to a creature within 30 feet of yourself that is affected by your *bane* spell making an attack roll or saving throw, you can expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll.

### **Jack of Doom**

Beginning at 6th level, whenever a creature affected by your *bane* spell subtracts from an attack roll or saving throw, it also subtracts an additional amount equal to half of your proficiency bonus. Also, once per turn, when a creature affected by your *bane* spell subtracts from an attack roll or saving throw, it takes psychic damage equal to your bardic inspiration die.

### **Harmony of Despair**

At 14th level, you can summon forth a chorus of dread and agony, as an action. When you do so, all creatures of your choice must succeed on a Charisma saving throw, or take 8d8 psychic damage, taking half the damage on a success. Also, until the start of your next turn, creatures that failed the saving throw are under the effects of the *bane* spell as if cast by you, but they roll 2d4 instead of 1d4. After using this feature, you must take a long rest before doing so, again.

## COLLEGE OF DIRGE

(Original by Blackbando)

Bards that enter the College of Dirge become composers of sonorous laments for the dead and elaborate requiems for those lost yet long remembered. Their skills with their instruments bring the dead back to hear their music and heed their command, playing symphonies that please both the living and the dead.

### **Bonus Cantrip**

When you join this bardic college, at 3rd level, you learn one necromancy cantrip of your choice, which counts as a bard cantrip for you but not towards your cantrips known.

### **Haunted Eyes**

Additionally, at 3rd level, your dealing with the dead has made your mind and body strong. You gain resistance to necrotic damage, and have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

### **Dance of the Dead**

Starting at 6th level, you are able to perform to raise the dead. You learn the *animate dead* spell, which does not count towards your spells known. Additionally, as an action, you can expend one use of your bardic inspiration to animate two corpses or piles of bone within 30 feet of yourself as either zombies or skeletons, giving them temporary hit points equal to the number rolled on the die. They remain under your command as if raised by an *animate dead* spell. You must retain concentration on this feature, and when you lose concentration, or when an hour has passed, the undead return to being corpses or piles of bones. Bodies or bones cannot be animated more than once using this feature.

### **Emboldened Undead**

At 14th level, your undead are mightier than most. Undead you control are immune to being turned, and when you use your Dance of the Dead feature, you animate one additional zombie or skeleton.

## COLLEGE OF GRAFFITI

To many, the College of Graffiti is a nuisance, a band of hooligans that vandalize the city with no regard for the law. But bards who learn to tag know that graffiti is the single greatest art form. Graffiti artists use the entire city as their canvases, placing murals of inspiration where everyone can see them and personal tags where few will notice. Theirs is a bold, creative endeavor that, while illegal, breathes vibrancy into the city and emboldens those within it.

### Bonus Proficiencies

Starting when you choose this college at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with painter's supplies and in your choice of the Stealth or Sleight of Hand skill.

### Street Art

Also at 3rd level, you learn the tag cantrip, which counts as a bard cantrip for you, but doesn’t count against your number of cantrips known.

   When you cast the *tag* cantrip, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to spray out a mural. For the next minute, you and all friendly creatures within 30 feet of the mural that can see it gain a +1 bonus to ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. You can use this ability again and expend more uses of Bardic Inspiration to expand this mural further, increasing the bonus by 1 each time, to a maximum of +3.

### Signature Mark

Starting at 6th level, you can paint a target on a creature’s back. As a bonus action, you can attempt to magically spray a signature mark directly onto a creature you can see within 5 feet of you. Make a melee spell attack roll against that creature. On a hit, the creature is marked. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature you have marked with a melee weapon attack, you can add 1d8 to the roll. Additionally, when a friendly creature makes an attack against a creature you have marked, you can use your reaction to grant advantage on the attack roll.

   A creature can remove its armor or outermost clothing or wash itself with soap as an action to remove its mark.

### Kaleidoscopic Spray

Beginning at 14th level, as an action, you can let loose a flurry of magical paint, coating every surface. Each creature you choose in a 15-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or be blinded until the end of its next turn. Each creature in the area is marked by you, whether or not succeeds its saving throw. Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

### New Cantrip

Bards in the College of Graffiti can choose this cantrip.

**Tag**

*Illusion cantrip*

**Casting Time:** 1 action

**Range:** Touch

**Components:** S, M (a bit of paint)

**Duration:** Instantaneous

You press your hand against a flat plane on an object and imprint an elaborate and vibrant image onto the surface. The image can contain a message up to three words in length, and can include art, caricatures, or identifying logos in any combination of colors, decided when you cast the spell. Nonmagical cleaning supplies cannot remove the image, which fades after seven days.

## COLLEGE OF THE HEARTH

Stories aren’t just used to spread grand messages or sway the popular masses. Stories are also intimately personal recollections of one’s memories and experiences. Telling them can offer respite after arduous days. To be able to sit around a warm fire and retell such tales and have comrades commiserate or laugh aloud can provide a hearty relief.

Bards of the College of the Hearth understand the catharsis such acts can bring, as well as its importance in fostering bonds and making sure everyone feels included. Being able to relax and unwind watching their performances are what bards of this college place the most importance on.

### Campfire Keeper

*3rd-level College of the Hearth feature*

A campfire is the perfect tool to set the mood for stories. You learn the *create bonfire* cantrip, which counts as a bard cantrip for you, but doesn’t count against the number of cantrips you know. When you cast this cantrip, you can modify it so that it lasts for 1 hour without requiring concentration. When you do so, each creature of your choice within 5 feet of the bonfire (including yourself) can use an action to spend one Hit Die to regain its hit points.

When you cast *create bonfire* using this feature, the cantrip ends early if you cast it again. You regain the ability to cast in this way when you finish a long rest.

### Protection of Flames

*3rd-level College of the Hearth feature*

A hearth is meant to invoke calm and comfort; their flames must never be used to harm. You gain resistance to fire damage. Additionally, when a creature holds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, it also gains resistance to fire damage.

### Cozy Inspiration

*6th-level College of the Hearth feature*

Your performances have a warm, lasting impression. When you use your Bardic Inspiration, you can have the inspiration last for 1 hour. When you do so, you regain that use of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a long rest.

### Tales of Camaraderie

*14th-level College of the Hearth feature*

Your stories are able to bring people together and strengthen their bonds. When a creature rolls one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, it can use its reaction to choose any number of creatures within 10 feet of it. The chosen creature can add the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes before the end of the chooser's next turn.

## COLLEGE OF HEROES

Inspiring stories and heroic tales are aplenty, but it is a bard’s skill in regaling such fantastical tales that make them truly come alive and rouse audiences to action. The bards of the College of Heroes go about from tavern to tavern, spreading these exhilarating fables to empower and inspire the masses. Some even have the privilege of having an audience with a royal court to put on such performances, or perhaps help weave their own royal tale of heroism.

Storytelling isn’t the only skill of the bards of this college. So finely attuned they are to the lore and legends of heroes past, they can summon their essence to aid them. Creativity is best taken from its source, and who better to talk to than the actual heroes of old?

### Ancient Hero

*3rd-level College of Heroes feature*

As a member of this college, you learn to summon the essence of a hero to accompany you on your travels.

At the end of a long rest, you can summon an ancient hero from the distant past. It is friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See this creature's game statistics in the Ancient Hero stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. When you summon your ancient hero, choose the type of spirit you summon: Healer, Mage, or Warrior. Your choice of spirit determines certain traits in its stat block

In combat, the ancient hero shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the defender can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

When you reach 11th level in this class, the hero’s damage and healing dice increases by one. The hero perishes when it drops to 0 hit points, when you summon a new ancient hero, or when you die. When the hero perishes, its spirit returns to the plane where it was brought to rest.

### Ancient Guidance

*6th-level College of Heroes feature*

Your bond with the ancient hero has enhanced the flavour of your stories. Your Bardic Inspiration gains certain benefits depending on the hero summoned.

**Healer.** When you give a creature a Bardic Inspiration die, it gains temporary hit points equal to the maximum number of the die. In addition, when the die is used, the creature regains hit points equal to the number rolled.

**Mage.** When a creature rolls a Bardic Inspiration die to add to their ability check or saving throw, it can roll twice and use the higher number.

**Warrior.** When a creature rolls a Bardic Inspiration die to add to their attack roll and hits, it can add the same number to its damage roll.

### Heroic Inspiration

*14th-level College of Heroes feature*

Your performances of inspiration always leave a strong impression on your audience. When a creature rolls one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to add to its ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, it can keep the die. It is expended the next time it rolls the die. Once a creature does so, it cannot benefit from this feature again until you finish a long rest.

### Ancient Hero

*Medium Humanoid*

* Armor Class 14 (natural armour) + 2 (Warrior only)
* Hit Points 5 + five times your bard level (the hero has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your bard level)
* Speed 30ft.

* **Saving Throws** Int +2 plus PB, Wis +2 plus PB
* **Skills** Athletics +2 plus PB (Warrior only), Arcana +1 plus PB (Mage only), History +1 plus PB, Medicine +2 plus PB (Healer only), Perception +2 plus PB
* **Condition Immunities** charmed, exhaustion
* **Senses** darkvision 30ft., **passive Perception** 12 + PB
* **Languages** speaks and understands the languages you speak
* **Challenge** −  **Proficiency Bonus (PB)** equals your bonus

*Ancient Fortitude.* If damage reduces the hero to 0 hit points, it can make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 10 or 5 + the damage taken (whichever is higher), unless the damage is from a critical hit. On a success, the hero drops to 1 hit point instead.

*Healing Aura (Healer only).* The hero emits a soothing aura. Each creature of its choice within 10 feet of it regains an extra 1d4 hit points when it regains hit points.

*Spellcasting (Mage Only).* The hero is a spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is your own spellcasting modifier. It has the following spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): fire bolt, shocking grasp

### Actions

*Fire Bolt (Mage Only).* *Ranged Spell Attack:* your spell attack modifier to hit, range 120 ft., one target. *Hit:* 1d10 fire damage. A flammable object hit by this spell ignites if it isn't being worn or carried.

*Innate Healing (Healer Only, 3/Day).* The hero chooses one creature it can see within 30 feet of it to regain 1d6 + PB hit points. This has no effect on undead or constructs.

*Shocking Grasp (Mage Only).* *Melee Spell Attack:* your spell attack modifier to hit (with advantage if the target is wearing armour made of metal), range 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 1d8 lightning damage, and the target can't take reactions until the start of its next turn.

*Spirit Sword (Warrior or Healer Only).* *Melee Weapon Attack:* your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target you can see. *Hit:* 1d8 + PB force damage.

### Reactions

*Protection (Warrior Only).* The hero imposes disadvantage on the attack roll of one creature it can see that is within 5 feet of it, provided the attack roll is against a creature other than itself.

## COLLEGE OF JESTERS

### Raconteur

When you join this college at 3rd level, you learn the *vicious mockery* cantrip if you don't already know it. You can spend a use of your Bardic Inspiration when a creature fails a saving throw against *vicious mockery* to add a roll of the Bardic Inspiration die plus your Charisma modifier to the damage roll. If a creature fails its saving throw against *vicious mockery* by 5 or more, it also has disadvantage on the first saving throw it makes before the beginning of its next turn.

### Advanced Tumbling

Also at 3rd level, you can move through the space of any creature by performing acrobatic bounds and flips. Once you have moved through a creature's space, that creature has disadvantage on opportunity attacks against you until the end of your turn.

### Juggling

By 6th level, you are a renowned and daring juggler. You can use your bonus action to start juggling a number of thrown one-handed weapons up to twice your proficiency bonus. Once on each of your turns, when you take the Attack action to throw a weapon, move out of a creature's reach, or cast the vicious mockery cantrip, you can make one ranged weapon attack against a creature you can see using one of your juggled weapons. If you are grappled, incapacitated, or restrained, you drop all juggled weapons.

### Grand Finale

Starting at 14th level, you can perform a climactic stunt, conclude a stirring oration, or bring a song to a close with pizzazz. When you use this feature, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. You can't use this feature on the first round of combat. Once you use this feature, you can’t take actions on your following turn.

## COLLEGE OF MASKS

Bards in the College of Masks (the masters of masks, as they have come to be called) are virtuoso performers who practice becoming the figure they portray, rather than merely imitating them. Bards who join in this college come to believe that all life is performed, rather than lived, and that to become an actor in this Great Play requires that one merely puts on the metaphorical mask of another. To engage in this great stage drama, a master of masks carries with him a number of masks, each a potent magical artifact of a specific archetypal character or creature to allow them to better enter those roles.

### Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Masks at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill.

### Persona Masks

Also at 3rd level, you learn to craft potent magical masks, each of which allows you to take on a different persona and gain some aspect of that archetypal character. You gain two Persona Masks of your choice. You gain an additional mask at 6th level (3 masks) and another one at 14th level (4 masks). You can exchange a mask you have for another mask whenever you gain a level in this class. If one of your masks is lost or stolen, you can remake the mask with 8 hours of work and 100 gp in materials.

You can put on a mask or switch masks as a bonus action. Only you can gain the effects of your Persona Masks.

Beginning at 6th level, some of your persona masks improve and gain additional abilities.

### Hidden Persona

By 6th level, you wear the masks of others wherever you go, even when others cannot see it. You can use your bonus action to cause a mask you are wearing to become invisible or return to visibility.

### Master of Many Faces

At 14th level, you have become a master of assuming the archetypes contained within the masks. You can wear two masks simultaneously, gaining the benefits of each.

### Persona Masks List

The following masks are listed alphabetically.

**Angel:** An alluring, serene face gazes out of this mask of flawless alabaster. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one Bardic Inspiration die to deal additional radiant damage to the target equal to the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die plus your Charisma modifier.

**Archmage:** This clay mask bears exaggerated wrinkles and the scowl of a cantankerous old man. You know the fire bolt cantrip, as well as the spells shown on the table below. As you gain higher levels in this class, you know additional spells while wearing the mask. These spells count as bard spells for you, but don’t count against the total number of spells you know.

 3rd

**Devil:** This obsidian mask grins with the fangs and horns of a handsome fiend. As a reaction when you take damage from a creature you can see within 5 feet of you, you can spend a Bardic Inspiration die to deal fire damage to the creature equal to twice the number rolled.

**Dragon:** Painted cloth forms the scales, horns, eyes, flowing whiskers, and teeth of a multihued dragon’s head. While you wear this mask, you can use your action and expend a Bardic Inspiration die to exhale destructive energy. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. A creature takes fire damage equal to three times the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

**Faceless:** Two perfectly round eyeholes stare out of this otherwise blank, featureless porcelain mask. While you wear this mask, can cast the spell disguise self without expending a spell slot or material components.

**Fool** : This porcelain mask of a grinning jester is adorned with bells, ribbons, and vibrant checkerboard paints. While you wear this mask, your movement speed increases by 10 feet. Additionally, you can take the Disengage action as a bonus action. ***Improvement.*** Beginning at 6th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action.

**Gladiator:** This grim metal helm, pockmarked and scratched, conceals the entire face. While you wear this mask, you have proficiency with martial weapons and shields. ***Improvement.*** Beginning at 6th level, you can add your Charisma modifier to your melee weapon damage rolls.

**High Priest:** In lieu of a face, this bronze mask bears the image of a holy symbol, with the bearest of slits to see out of. You know the sacred flame cantrip, as well as the spells shown on the table below. As you gain higher levels in this class, you know additional spells while wearing the mask. These spells count as bard spells for you, but don’t count against the total number of spells you know.

 3rd

**Lord:** This gleaming silver mask bears a golden, jeweled diadem instead of eyes. When a creature rolls one of your Bardic Inspiration dice and rolls a 1 while you wear this mask, it can reroll the die and must use the new roll. ***Improvement.*** The creature can reroll the Bardic Inspiration die when it rolls a 1 or 2, and must use the new roll.

**Spirit** This white fabric mask conceals the face as a funeral shroud, with two gold coins sewn over the eyes. You become invisible if you do not speak, move, or take any actions for 1 minute. You remain invisible for up to 10 minutes, or until you remove this mask, take damage, make an attack, or cast a spell. While invisible, you can become half-visible as a ghostly image or return to invisibility as a bonus action. ***Improvement.*** Starting at 6th level, while invisible, you levitate an inch above the ground, which allows you to ignore difficult terrain and make no noise while moving.

## COLLEGE OF MIMES

Underappreciated and often misunderstood, mimes are among the most unique performers ever to have taken up the bardic mantle. The College of Mimes takes its training seriously, rigorously enforcing standards of silence, pantomime, and facepaint among its students. Those who master this strange and enchanting art can harness the power of invisibility, hiding their equipment and their very spells from the untrained eye.

### Pantomime

Starting when you choose this college at 3rd level, you have begun to master the art of performing in complete silence. When you cast a spell that requires a verbal component, you can substitute it for a somatic component instead. Additionally, a target of your Bardic Inspiration need not hear you, as long as it can see you.

     On your turn, you can also, though miming, communicate complex ideas to those who can see you. You can use your action to make a DC 15 Charisma (Performance) check to act out a sentence of 10 words or fewer. On a success, any creature which watches you that knows at least one language can understand what you mean.

### Unseen Equipment

At 3rd level, you can make some of your equipment invisible. You can spend 1 minute performing a ritual that makes an object or weapon you can hold invisible for 24 hours. You can only make 5 objects invisible at one time. If another creature holds one of your invisible objects, the object becomes visible again.

### Hidden Spell

Starting at 6th level, once on each of your turns, you can render invisible the visual effects of a spell you cast. Because the target can't prepare for the spell, even if it watches you cast it, you can choose to increase the spell's save DC by 1 or increase its damage by 1d8, if applicable. Additionally, any creature that tries to identify the spell you cast has disadvantage on any ability check to do so.

     At 14th level, you can increase the spell's save DC by 2 or increase its damage by 2d8.

### Invisible Walls

By 14th level, you've mastered the most potent trick in a mime's repertoire: raising an invisible cage around your enemies. You can cast the spell *forcecage* without using a spell slot or spell components. Once you use this ability, you must finish a long rest before using it again.

## COLLEGE OF REFLECTIONS

Bards of the College of Reflections consider themselves as the centrepiece for all their tales and performances. They will accept nothing less than a reputation akin to godhood where people will revere them wherever they go. Bards of other colleges consider this college to be filled with narcissistic and vain people, though they still can’t deny the level of showmanship and competency they have when it comes to entertaining others.

### Star Attraction

*3rd-level College of Reflections feature*

You are exceedingly good at making other people pay attention to you. When you cast a spell that requires at least one target to make a saving throw to avoid being charmed by you, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and have the targets of the spell roll with disadvantage. You can also use this feature on spells which state a creature would be unaffected by the spell's effects if it is immune to being charmed (such as the *suggestion* spell).

### Vain Disposition

*3rd-level College of Reflections feature*

You are always conscious of your appearance and won’t let others stage you up. You learn the *enthrall* spell, which doesn’t count against the number of bard spells you know. You can cast this spell without expending a spell slot a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

### Entitled Performance

*6th-level College of Reflections feature*

You performances are always acknowledged and rewarded. When you make an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll succeeds, you can use your reaction to expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to gain one of the following benefits based on the roll.

* **Ability Check.** When you succeed on the ability check, you can choose to use the new total for one ability check you make before the end of your next long rest.
* **Attack Roll.** When you succeed on the attack roll, you can roll a Bardic Inspiration die and deal bonus damage equal to twice the number rolled.
* **Saving Throw.** When you succeed on the saving throw, you can give yourself advantage on the next saving throw you make before the end of your next short or long rest.

### Self Inspiration

*14th-level College of Reflections feature*

You make sure to always boast your own abilities. Whenever you fail an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, you can use your reaction to expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and roll a Bardic Inspiration die, adding the number to the roll and potentially turning it into a success. When you use your Bardic Inspiration in this way, you regain that use of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a long rest.

## COLLEGE OF ROMANCE

Love is a powerful thing, and none  know this better than the bards of the College of Romance. Paramours, seductors, and silver-tongued devils, these bards have turned the art of wooing someone into a science, which they ploy to their advantage with mechanical efficiency. Given the option, these bards would rather make love than war, knowing full well that an enemy turned ally is twice as effective as an enemy slain.

### Likeable

Starting when you choose this college at 3rd level, you have a magnetic personality. You can use your bonus action to distract a hostile creature you have charmed. On its turn, the charmed creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and can't move further away from you unless it first takes the Disengage action.

   If you charm a creature that isn't hostile to you, it regards you and your allies as friendly acquaintances.

### Cupid's Arrow

Also at 3rd level, you can sway other creatures through your personality. As an action, expend one use of Bardic Inspiration and choose one creature you can see within 30 feet which can see or hear you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is charmed by you for a number of rounds equal to the die roll.

   This effect ends early if you move more than 30 feet away from the creature, if the creature can neither see nor hear you, if the creature takes damage from you or your allies, or if you use this ability again.

### Enemy of My Enemy

At 6th level, when you take the Attack action, you can use your bonus action to direct a creature you have charmed that can see or hear you to attack. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack.

### Infatuate

Starting at 14th level, you can make yourself the object of another creature's affections. You can use your action to touch an incapacitated humanoid. That creature is then charmed by you until a *remove curse* spell is cast on it, the charmed condition is removed from it, or you use this feature again.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

## COLLEGE OF SATIRE

Bards of the College of Satire are quick-witted, critical thinkers that always challenge the status quo. They do so by exaggerating particular aspects in their stories to the point of absurdity, in order to show the ludicrousness of such ways of thinking. Their unique brand of critique is especially powerful thanks to their humorous performances which appeal to the common folk. Many people who once held lofty powers of position have seen their downfall at the hands of these cunning bards.

### Satirical Form

*3rd-level College of Satire feature*

Your performances rely on exaggerations to illustrate a point. You learn the *enlarge/reduce* spell, which counts as a bard spell for you and doesn’t count against the number of bard spells you know. You can cast this spell without expending a spell slot or material components a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

### Conniving Words

*3rd-level College of Satire feature*

Your sharp wit is able to change outcomes in a pinch. When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, you can use your reaction and expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to roll a Bardic Inspiration die, adding the number rolled to the creature’s roll. You can wait until after the creature rolls the d20, but before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. The creature can't benefit from this feature if it can't hear you or if it has already used one of your Bardic Inspiration dice before the start of its next turn.

### Subverting Performance

*6th-level College of Satire feature*

You masterfully tell stories that rattle other people's nerves. As a bonus action, you can start a performance that lasts for up to 1 minute (as if you were concentrating on a spell). As part of the same bonus action, you choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you until the end of the performance. If the target has damaged you with an attack or harmful spell before the start of your next turn, it automatically fails its saving throw.

While frightened in this way, the target must take the Dash action and move away from you by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. At the end of each of its turns, the target can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success.

Until the performance ends, you can use a bonus action on your subsequent turns and choose another creature to make a saving throw with this feature.

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

### Embarrassing Gaffe

*14th-level College of Satire feature*

You’re able to show off the humorous side of an undesirable situation. Once before the start of your next turn, when you make a contested ability check, attack roll, or saving throw against a target and the roll fails, you can use your reaction to cast *tasha’s hideous laughter* at the target, without expending a spell slot or material components.

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to use it again.

## COLLEGE OF SKEPTICISM

Bards of the College of Skepticism always question the motivations of others. Their stories warn of treating anything at face value and the potential dangers of naivete. While usually seen as seeds of needless discontent in many communities, few value their cautious perspective, particularly those in positions of power where such ways of thinking are key to their survival. Bards of this college are known for their ability to create and discern deceptions and ruse, both physical and mental ones.

### Skeptic Mind

*3rd-level College of Skepticism feature*

You can innately determine someone’s true intentions. When you make a Wisdom (Insight) check, you can treat a d20 roll of 7 or lower as a 8.

### Doubtful Demeanour

*3rd-level College of Skepticism feature*

You always question the initial outcome of an action. When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you is about to roll a d20 with advantage or disadvantage, you can use your reaction to prevent the roll from being affected by advantage or disadvantage.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

### Suspicious Afterimage

*6th-level College of Skepticism feature*

You are able to make others doubt their initial observations. When a creature adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to its ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll still fails, the inspiration provides an additional effect based on the roll the die was used for.

* **Ability Check.** After the failed roll, the creature can turn invisible for up to 1 minute or until it makes an attack or casts a spell.
* **Attack Roll.** After the failed roll, the creature can cast *mirror image*, without expending a spell slot or material components, which lasts until the start of its next turn.
* **Saving Throw.** At the conclusion of the creature's saving throw, it can immediately teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that it can see.

### Questioning Inspiration

*14th-level College of Skepticism feature*

Your words are able to make others see what is truly in front of them. While a creature is holding your Bardic Inspiration die, it gains truesight out to a range of 10 feet.

In addition, as long as you have at least one use of your Bardic Inspiration remaining, you are always under the effects of the *zone of truth* spell. The 15-foot radius sphere is centered on you and moves with you. You can choose any number of creatures inside the sphere to be unaffected by the spell.

## COLLEGE OF SNAKECHARMERS

The College of Snakecharming traces its humble beginnings to a street act involving charmed snakes, where musicians would captivate audience and animal alike with strange, ethereal tunes. Over time, the many members learned to enthrall a plethora of types of animals, but kept the name as a nod to their humble roots.

### Pied Piper

At 3rd level, you learn the following spells, which don’t count against your total number of spells known: *animal friendship*, *animal messenger*, *beast bond*, *beast sense*, and *speak with animals*.

### Mesmerized Beast

At 3rd level, your music can hypnotize a creature of the wild to serve as your faithful companion.

     ***Mesmerizing a Beast.*** With 8 hours of continuous performance and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of lures and bait, you call forth and mesmerize an animal from the nearby terrain to obey your commands. The creature must be a beast or a swarm of beasts that is no larger than Medium and has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. You can only have one mesmerized beast at a time.

     Your mesmerized beast obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls initiative like any other creature, but your determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your beast acts on its own. Additionally, it has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level:

     ***Hit Points.*** For each level you gain after 3rd, your beast gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.

     ***Armor Class.*** Your beast adds your proficiency bonus to its Armor Class.

     ***Ability Scores.*** Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your beast’s abilities also improve. Your beast can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your beast can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

     ***Saving Throws.*** Your beast is proficient in all saving throws.

     ***Skills.*** Your beast gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. Additionally, your beast adds your proficiency bonus, instead of its own, to skills in which it is proficient.

     ***Traits.*** The beast loses its Multiattack action, if it has one. It adds your proficiency bonus instead of its own to its attack rolls, and adds this bonus to its damage rolls.

     ***Alignment.*** Your beast shares your alignment, and you can select or change its personality traits, ideals, or flaws as an action on your turn. Its bond is always, “The Bard who mesmerized me is my master in all things.”

### Captivating Rhythm

At 6th level, your music calms your allies and enthralls your mesmerized beast. When your mesmerized beast takes the Attack action on its turn, it can spend one of your a Bardic Inspiration dice to make one additional attack. It adds the Bardic Inspiration die to its second attack’s damage roll.

     Additionally, whenever a creature spends one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, that creature gains temporary hit points equal to the number rolled on the die, which last for 10 minutes.

### Hypnotic Harmony

At 14th level, your mesmerized beast synchronizes to your actions. Whenever you cast a spell, your mesmerized beast can use their reaction to make one attack.

## COLLEGE OF SONG

Bards of the College of Song are known for their powerful vocals, fiery performances, and incredible ability to whip up audiences in a feverish energy that can sometimes border on mania. Bards of this college constantly strive for the limelight and are usually well known outside adventuring circles. Indeed, whenever a bard of this college arrives in a town, a rush of activity is not far behind. It’s also common for such bards to have dedicated followers and fanbases, causing their fame to spread even further throughout the realms.

### Live Concert

*3rd-level College of Song feature*

As a bonus action, you can begin an upbeat performance to rouse your allies in battle for up to 1 minute (as if concentrating on a spell). You expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and choose a number of creatures within 60 feet of you that can hear you up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one creature). As long as you are performing your Live Concert and the chosen creature is within 60 feet of you, it can roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add half the number rolled (rounded up) whenever it makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

You can’t expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to give a creature affected by your Live Concert a Bardic Inspiration die.

### Heart of the People

*3rd-level College of Song feature*

Your performances are known to enrapture the people. You gain proficiency in the Performance skill and learn two languages of your choice.

You can also use a musical instrument you’re proficient in as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

### Shoutout

*6th-level College of Song feature*

While you’re holding a Live Concert, you can choose to give a shout out to either a Fan or a Hater.

***Fan.*** You call out an ally and give a heartfelt message of encouragement. As a bonus action, you can choose a creature affected by your Live Concert. The next time the creature rolls a Bardic Inspiration die before the start of your next turn, it can roll twice and take the higher number.

***Hater.*** You can call out someone that’s trying to heckle you. When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, you can use your reaction to roll a Bardic Inspiration die and subtract half the number rolled from the creature’s roll (rounded up). You can do this after the creature makes its roll, but before knowing the result. The creature is immune if it can't hear you or if it's immune to being charmed.

### Idolmaster

*14th-level College of Song feature*

Your live performances are legendary, filled with an overabundance of energy and enthusiasm. You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

In addition, while you’re holding a Live Concert, you can do one of the following:

* As a bonus action, you can choose a creature affected by your Live Concert. The next time the creature rolls your Bardic Inspiration die before the start of your next turn, it can add the full number rolled to its ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. You can use this ability as part of the same bonus action you use to call out a Fan, choosing the same creature.
* When you call out a Hater and it still succeeds on its roll, you can deal psychic damage to it equal to your bard level.

Once you use either of these abilities, you can’t use that ability again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to use it again.

## COLLEGE OF SORROWS

Bards of the College of Sorrows spread about tales of tragedies, sadness, and betrayal. Such bards may tell eulogies of a figure that was dear to a community, or regale the spectacular downfall of a once revered leader. However, they don’t do so merely for cheap tears. Rather, bards of this college believe these stories serve as reminders that life is not always about riding the highs, and that without the sorrows that come about every once in a while, people would not have the strength to push past such difficult times and live meaningful lives.

### Disarming Performance

*3rd-level College of Sorrows feature*

You can start a melancholic performance that can make all who hear it despondent. As an action, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration and begin the performance which lasts for up to 1 minute (as if you were concentrating on a spell). Each creature of your choice within 30 feet of you that can hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you. While charmed in this way, the target has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls, and its movement speed is halved. If the target is damaged, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. When it does so, it is also immune to this feature until the end of your next long rest.

### Disheartened Exchange

*3rd-level College of Sorrows feature*

Your inspiration can make others dispirited. Whenever a creature adds your Bardic Inspiration die to its ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll fails, it can deal psychic damage equal to the number rolled on the die to any number of creatures of its choice within 5 feet of it.

### Woeful Inspiration

*6th-level College of Sorrows feature*

You can use your ability to draw out negative emotions and demoralise someone. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and choose a number of creatures, up to your Charisma modifier, that you can see within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the target receives a Bardic Inspiration die, which it holds for up to 1 minute, and you choose whether the die affects its ability check, attack roll, or damage roll (you choose the same type of roll for all dice). Whenever the target has to make the chosen roll, it must roll the Bardic Inspiration die and subtract the number rolled. At the end of each of its turns, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success.

A creature can only be affected by one instance of this feature. It is immune if it can't hear you or if it's immune to being charmed.

### Continuous Struggle

*14th-level College of Sorrows feature*

Your tales are filled with, and inspired by, messages of needing to constantly fight through the troughs of life. When an ally within 60 feet of you rolls for an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll fails, you can use a reaction to regain one use of Bardic Inspiration. You can't use this feature if you have the maximum number of uses of Bardic Inspiration.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

## COLLEGE OF TANKARDS

Purveyors of the liquid arts and inspirers of the liver, bartenders lend a sympathetic ear and a full glass to those in need of such things. All bartenders are center points of the community and most are incorrigible gossips, offering rumors and information to any adventurers willing to buy a drink, but a rare few seek to elevate drinkmaking to an artform. Such bards create concoctions that are strong and sweet, bitter and bold, and all things in between. Expert bartenders are masters of mixology and connoisseurs of everything alcoholic.

### Rumorist

By the time you choose this college at 3rd level, your years around taverns have taught you how to pick up the interesting tidbits that come down the grapevine. You have advantage on any ability check you make to hear news, rumors, and gossip.

### Inspirational Drink

Also at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in brewer's supplies. Additionally, you can use your bonus action to whip up a delicious cocktail, expending a Bardic Inspiration die and investing it in the drink. Any creature can consume the drink as a bonus action to gain the Bardic Inspiration die, which is lost if they do not use it before the end of their turn. Bardic Inspiration dice invested in drinks do not recover when you take a short or long rest as expended dice do, unless the drink is consumed first. Drinks retain their potency for 24 hours, after which time they become watered down and lose their invested Bardic Inspiration dice.

### Friendly Face

At 6th level, your relatable demeanor makes it hard for anyone to dislike you. When you are attacked by a humanoid creature that has not been attacked by you or affected by a spell you cast, the creature must make a Wisdom saving throw, opposed by your spell save DC. On a failed save, the humanoid instead chooses to attack a different target within its reach or range. If there is no other target, this attack misses. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw is immune to this effect for 24 hours.

### Hair of the Dog

Starting at 14th level, whenever a creature consumes one of your Inspirational Drinks and spends the Bardic Inspiration die on a roll, they gain temporary hit points equal to the roll of the bardic inspiration die, which last for 1 minute.

## COLLEGE OF *THE KING IN YELLOW*

How can you describe that masterful stage play? Its compelling characters, its engrossing setting, and its enigmatic motifs wormed their way into your brain as soon as you read them. You only read an excerpt―little more than a fragmentary passage on decaying parchment―but its effect on you was none the lesser. For weeks afterward, you dreamed of the enigma at the center of the play, the dreaded King in Yellow, and strained your mind to imagine the play's conclusion and the secrets left untold in its earlier acts. Soon you had resolved yourself: the play should be made complete. Donning a yellow mask and clutching tightly to your *carcosan page*, you took the first of many steps to join the College of the Forbidden Play. This college, very much a disparate troupe of actors, seeks to compile the play in its entirety and act out its scenes, no matter what horrors they might entail.

### Dramatic Flair

Starting when you choose this college at 3rd level, you convince others with an actor's flourish. When you make an ability check to interact with another creature, you can spend a Bardic Inspiration die to make a Charisma (Performance) check as well. If this Performance check beats the ability check's DC, you succeed as if the ability check was successful.

### Pale Masque

By 3rd level, much like the Yellow King, you wear a mask that grants you intrinsic anonymity. Before you socially interact with a humanoid while wearing the mask, you can use your action to cloud its thoughts. The target creature makes a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature will not remember any details about you, nor will it remember any details of the conversation you have for the next minute. Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

### Unsettling Imitation

Starting at 6th level, you can use your bonus action to adopt the demeanor of a creature you can see within 60 feet. Until the beginning of your next turn, you emulate that creature's actions, copying its motions and moving at the same moment.

     Whenever the target moves, you can also move up to the same distance. If the target attacks, you can use your reaction to make one melee weapon attack. If the target casts a spell, you can use your reaction to cast a cantrip. A humanoid target has disadvantage on attack rolls against you, and you have advantage on saving throws against effects it causes.

### Inverted Yellow Sign

By 14th level, at long last, you have connected the tenuous threads of the Lost City of Carcosa, the enigmatic Yellow King, and his yellow sign. You can cast the spell *yellow sign* as if it were a bard spell for you. This spell doesn’t count against your spells known.

     Additionally, you can invert this sign when you cast the spell, paradoxically impelling all who see it to become infatuated with you. When you do so, instead of the normal effects of the spell, each creature within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, for the next minute, a creature can’t willingly move further away from you and has disadvantage on attack rolls against you. A creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

**New Spell**

The following spell is derived from forbidden knowledge and secrets lost to man.

**Yellow Sign**

*3rd-level evocation*

**Casting Time**: 1 action

**Range**: Self

**Components**: V, S

**Duration**: Instantaneous

You trace in the air the insidious symbol from Lost Carcosa, the yellow sign, where it hangs for a long moment in a sickening yellow light. Each creature you choose within 30 feet of the sign must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 6d6 psychic damage, or half as much on a successful save. Aberrations take no damage from this spell. The sign fades at the end of your turn.

     ***At Higher Levels***. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the yellow sign lingers longer in the air. The duration of this spell increases by one round for each slot level above 3rd and requires that you maintain concentration on it. If this spell is active at the beginning on your turn, you can use your action to cause each creature within range to make another saving throw against it, taking damage as normal on a failed save.

## COLLEGE OF WHISKERS

Originally founded by a dwarven lady, outraged by a recent trend towards clean shaving, the College of Whiskers serves as a home for bards who treasure facial hair in all its forms. Just like other bards, they travel far and wide, proudly displaying their beards and mustaches, while seeking to catalogue the many varieties of pogonological styles across the world, their cultural heritages, symbolic meanings, and most famous bearers. Not all bards from this college grow their own hair, of course: some use wigs, make-up or even illusions to create the ultimate facial style.

### Facial Hair Style

When you join this college at 3rd level, you groom your facial hair into a particular style, gaining special benefits. Choose one of the styles listed below. You can change your style whenever you finish a long rest.

     ***Chinstrap***. This minimalistic style carries a professional air. While wearing this beard, you are proficient with all types of artisan’s tools.

    ***Designer Stubble***. This extra short style adds shadows to your face. You gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in dim light or darkness.

     ***Full Beard***. This classic style creates a solid, dependable look. When you finish a short or long rest, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier, which last until you take a short or long rest, or until you change this style.

    ***Fu Manchu***. This complex style is difficult to grow but gives an impression of great wisdom. You can re-roll any natural 1s you roll on Wisdom checks or saving throws (you must keep the new result).

     ***Goatee***. This caprine style is popular with tieflings. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and effects created by fiends.

     ***Horseshoe Mustache***. This rugged style is often seen on outlanders. While wearing this mustache, you feel more confident when exploring the wilderness. Your movement is not affected by nonmagical difficult terrain.

     ***Imperial***. This formal style is suitable for royal courts and palaces. You gain a +2 bonus to Charisma (Persuasion) checks.

     ***Mutton Chops***. This unusual style is incredibly striking. You gain a +2 bonus to Charisma (Intimidation) checks against any creature that can see your face.

     ***Pencil Mustache***. This refined style is often worn by entertainers. By tapping into the legacy of past bards, you can be even more inspiring than normal: when you finish a short or long rest, the total number of times you can use your Bardic Inspiration ability is increased by 1. This extra use persists until you take a short or long rest, or until you change this style.

     ***Soul Patch***. This edgy style is associated with soulful music. You gain a +2 bonus to Charisma (Performance) checks you make.

     ***Walrus***. This wild style is suited to rough-and-tumble action. Once per turn, you can gain a +1 bonus to the damage you deal with a melee weapon attack.

### Chin Stroke

Starting at 3rd level, you can take a moment to think deeply about your current situation. As an action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration gain advantage on all Intelligence (Investigation) and Wisdom (Insight) checks you make until the end of your next turn.

### Hair-Trigger

Starting at 6th level, you can change your Facial Hair Style as an action.

### Beard-Jeweled

Starting at 6th level, you can decorate your facial hair with gold and jewels. Unless you are wearing a pencil mustache or designer stubble, you can affix magic rings to your facial hair instead of putting them onto your fingers. If you do so, you can ignore the attunement requirements for up to one of the rings.

### Magnificent Beard

When you reach 14th level, you can use an action to target a humanoid within 30 feet that can see your face, attempting to entrance them with your facial hair. They must make a Wisdom saving throw against you bard spell DC or be charmed by you for 10 minutes, regarding you as a hero to be idolized and/or lusted after. If they succeed on the save, they are instead disgusted by your beard, gaining advantage on attack rolls against you for the next minute. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

## FIDDLER OF THE MAD GOD

In the middle of the night, you hear the music. Every time, it begins the same way, rising from a low drone into a deafening cacophony. The noise is maddening. In your waking hours, your fingers learn to imitate this melody and bring others to your level of psychosis. Some attribute the dreadful nightmares to a curse or stress, but you know better. You and others like you are called nightly by the beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes, the sounds of a mad god who echoes the pandemonium of the universe, and summons you to do something. You know not what.

### Mad Inspiration

When you join this college at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice. Additionally, select a single skill you are proficient with. Whenever you use bardic inspiration on that skill, you roll your inspiration die twice and take the better result. You may change the skill associated with this ability at the end of a long rest.

### Cacophony

By 3rd level, the discordant sounds of your instrument can drive others to tears and utter madness. Once on each of your turns, when a creature fails an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw against one of your bard spells or features while you are holding an instrument, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to play a cacophonous noise. A deafened creature is immune to this effect. Choose one of the following effects:

* The creature takes psychic damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die.
* The creature is deafened and cant speak until the end of its next turn.
* The creature moves up to 10 feet in a direction you choose. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.

### Frenzied Strings

Starting at 6th level, as an action, you can play a mind-infecting tune for a creature that can hear you within 60 feet. This creature must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frenzied for up to 1 minute. The creature can repeat this saving throw whenever it takes damage, ending the effect on itself on a success.

A frenzied creature loses the ability to distinguish between friend and foe, regarding all creatures it can see as enemies. While frenzied, the creature chooses the targets for its attacks, spells, and ability randomly from among the creatures it can see within range, and it must make an opportunity attack if any creature provokes one.

Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

### Mad Melody

Beginning at 14th level, you can use your action to begin playing the accursed melody which haunts your dreams. On each of your subsequent turns, you can use your action to continue the melody. Only creatures you choose within 60 feet of you can hear the melody; all other creatures hear it as discordant noise. Even deafened creatures can hear the haunting melody.

   When you use your action to play the melody, a creature that can hear the melody must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it takes psychic damage and suffers an additional effect based on the number of consecutive turns you have been playing the melody, as shown on the Mad Melody table. After four consecutive rounds, or if no creature hears the melody for one round, the melody begins again at the first round.

**Mad Melody Table**
Damage
 1st
 2nd
 3rd
 4th

## COLLEGE OF THE WEAVER

The College of the Weaver teaches bards to express themselves through not just the physical strings by which they weave their creations, but also the metaphysical strings that tie all of creation together. By doing so, they can move past the superficial affection of crowds and instead intimately tap into the emotions and drives of people.

### Weaver's Skill

*3rd-level College of the Weaver feature*

You learn the tools needed to express yourself through your embroidery. You gain proficiency in Sleight of Hand and weaver’s tools.

### Weaver's Craftsmanship

*3rd-level College of the Weaver feature*

You are able to make costumes that can dazzle others. You can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration and spend 1 minute using your weaver’s tools to magically create a captivating costume. You choose the type of costume to make, which grants the wearer certain benefits. It must not be wearing armour for the wearer to use the costume.

**Flashy.** The wearer picks one skill of its choice. It can roll a Bardic Inspiration die whenever it uses that skill.

**Protective.** The wearer’s AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier.

**Understated.** A creature has disadvantage on its Wisdom (Perception) checks to try and find the wearer.

**Gaudy.** A creature has disadvantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks to determine if the wearer is lying, and on Intelligence (Investigation) checks to recognise the wearer.

**Breezy.** The wearer has an extra 5 feet of movement, and getting up from prone only costs 5 feet of movement.

A creature can only wear one captivating costume at a time. It can still use Bardic Inspiration dice as normal when given one. While the costume exists, it takes up a use of your Bardic Inspiration and you don’t regain a use of this die. You can make a captivating costume once per long rest.

### Strings of Fate

*6th-level College of the Weaver feature*

You are able to weave strings to tie the emotions of others together. When you cast a spell that doesn’t target an area and forces at least one creature of your choice to make a saving throw against being charmed or frightened, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration and choose another target within 30 feet of the first. If the creature fails its saving throw, both targets are affected by the spell. If the spell has concentration, losing it causes both creatures to be free of the spell’s effects.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until the end of a long rest.

### Magpie Bridge

*14th-level College of the Weaver feature*

The time you’ve spent honing your weaving skills have allowed you to always find your way back to a loved one. You can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to give a creature a special Bardic Inspiration die. This die lasts for up to 30 days or until you or the creature dies, and you don’t regain a use of this die while the creature is holding it. It can use this die for one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, at which point the die is expended as normal. While the creature has this die, you or the creature can use an action to instantly teleport within 5 feet of the other, expending the die in the process.

Only one creature can hold this special die at a time, and you can’t use this feature again until the end of a long rest.

## COLLEGE OF WOES

Bards of the College of Woes spread about tales of tragedies, sadness, and betrayal. Such bards may tell eulogies of a figure that was dear to a community, or regale the spectacular downfall of a once revered leader. However, they don’t do so merely for cheap tears. Rather, those of this college believe these stories serve as reminders that life is not always about riding the highs, and that without the sorrows that come about every once in a while, people would not have the strength to push past such difficult times.

### Traumatic Display

*3rd-level College of Woes feature*

You’re able to bring up a person’s repressed grief. You know the *dissonant whispers* spell, and it doesn’t count against the number of bard spells you know. You can cast this spell without using a spell slot a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Whenever you start casting the spell, you can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration and modify the spell so that the creature rolls with disadvantage, or you roll the die and add the number rolled to one damage roll of the spell (your choice).

### Disheartened Exchange

*3rd-level College of Woes feature*

Your words can make others feel dispirited. When a creature adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to its ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll fails, it can deal psychic damage equal to the number rolled on the die to any number of creatures of its choice within 5 feet of it.

### Disarming Words

*6th-level College of Woes feature*

You can start a melancholic performance that can make all who hear it despondent. As an action, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration and begin the performance which lasts for up to 1 minute (as if you’re concentrating on a spell). Each creature of your choice within 60 feet of you that can hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you for the duration. While charmed in this way, the target has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls, and its speed is halved.

Once you use this action, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest, unless you expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to use it again.

### Laborious Inspiration

*14th-level College of Woes feature*

Your tales tell the need to constantly fight through the troughs of life. When a creature holding one of your Bardic Inspiration dice is reduced to 0 hit points, it can use its reaction to roll the die, expending it and dropping to a number of hit points equal to 1 + the number rolled on the die instead. As part of the same reaction, the creature can move up to its speed and make one weapon attack, adding the number rolled to its attack roll.