Bard

Be a Master of Classes

Bards from the College of Adventurers learn from heroes of old and stories of legend. Bards are jacks of all trades, and, for the College of Adventurers, this statement rings even truer. They combine all the skills of their companions into one, allowing them to be versatile and supportive. While not having a direct goal, many adventurer-studying Bards live to tell tales of other heroes or seek to create their own. Stories of great deeds, of desperate cunning, of magical anomalies, or of godly might fuel these Bards.

You gain proficiency with one type of Artisan's Tools of your choice, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice, and you know one language of your choice.

When you finish a Long Rest, you can choose one adventurer's talent you know and replace it with one you don't.

Manipulate Time and Reorder History

Bards in the College of Chronology are historians and archivists that experience history firsthand through Chronomancy, the magic of time. Chronologists peer into the past and explore parallel timelines through advanced temporal lenses, recording all they see for posterity. However, history is often a confusing jumble of events, even to those who experience it, so Chronologists have become adept at reordering events—shuffling moments in history—until they add up for the history books.

You always have the spells Action and Delay prepared. If you cast either spell using a level 2+ spell slot, you can change the casting time to a Bonus Action for this casting.

When an enemy starts its turn, you can take a Reaction to reorder time and take a second turn before the enemy acts. You can't cast a spell with a spell slot during this second turn.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending a level 5+ spell slot (no action required), but you can't use it more than once during the same round of combat.

Shape the World with the Song of Creation

Bards of the College of Creation view the cosmos as a divine masterpiece, crafted by the first dragons and gods. They tap into the Song of Creation, a primordial melody that echoes through all things. Through dance, music, and poetry, these bards learn to awaken the world around them, giving voice to stones and breath to mountains, inviting all of existence to join in the cosmic dance.

As a Magic action, you can animate one Large or smaller nonmagical item within 30 feet of you that isn't being worn or carried. The animated item uses the Dancing Item stat block, which uses your Charisma modifier. The item is Friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. It lives for 1 hour, until it is reduced to 0 Hit Points, or until you die.

In combat, the item 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 have the Incapacitated condition, the item can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

When you use your Bardic Inspiration feature, you can command the item as part of the same Bonus Action you use for Bardic Inspiration.

Once you animate an item with this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a Long Rest, unless you expend a spell slot of level 3+ to restore your use of it (no action required). You can have only one item animated by this feature at a time; if you use this action and already have a dancing item from this feature, the first one immediately becomes inanimate.

When you use your Performance of Creation feature, you can create more than one item at once. The number of items equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of two items). If you create an item that would exceed that number, you choose which of the previously created items disappears. Only one of these items can be of the maximum size you can create; the rest must be Small or Tiny.

You are no longer limited by gp value when creating items with Performance of Creation.

Rock Out with a Blaster-Synthesizer

Bards that subscribe to the genre and College of Cyberwave indulge in gadgetry and music in equal measure, constructing elaborate instruments from spare technology to brave new frontiers in music. Their consummate instrument, the Wave Synth, is half blaster, half synthesizer, and capable of playing tunes on the waves of blaster bolts. While also providing a spectacular light show, the Wave Synth is unmatched when performing haunting and pulse-pounding orchestrations.

You can modify your Wave Synth with modules scavenged from other blasters and electronic instruments. You can choose to use one of the following modules when you start your turn.

You have optimized your synth with the latest in blaster tech, gaining the following benefits.

Move in Harmony with the Cosmos

Bards of the College of Dance know that the Words of Creation can't be contained within speech or song; the words are uttered by the movements of celestial bodies and flow through the motions of the smallest creatures. These Bards practice a way of being in harmony with the whirling cosmos that emphasizes agility, speed, and grace.

When an enemy you can see ends its turn within 5 feet of you, you can take a Reaction and expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to move up to half your Speed. Then one ally of your choice within 30 feet of you can also move up to half their Speed using their Reaction.

None of this feature's movement provokes Opportunity Attacks.

When you roll Initiative, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration if you don't have the Incapacitated condition. When you do so, roll your Bardic Inspiration die; you and each ally within 30 feet of you who can see or hear you gains a bonus to Initiative equal to the number rolled.

When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw and only half damage if you fail. If any creatures within 5 feet of you are making the same Dexterity saving throw, you can share this benefit with them for that save.

You can't use this feature if you have the Incapacitated condition.

The College of Dance is one of the oldest colleges to still practice the bardic arts. There is a wide schism that separates this college from the others. This is due to their performance, which does not rely on song, instruments, or sound at all, but dance.

Bards of this college are often simply referred to as Dancers, but the roles they play are anything but simple. There are Dancers who perform holy dances used in prayer; there are Dancers who tell stories and keep history alive through their performances; and there are those who dance in the very battlefield, mixing performance with combat, lifting the spirits of their companions and allowing them to perform feats beyond their normal capacities. These Bards use dance to become a blur in the enemy's eyes, dodging their attacks with expert grace and poise and clouding their minds with enchanting movements that make the Dancer harder to pin down.

It takes courage to stand in the thick of battle among armed warriors and armored Paladins, but it takes a Bard to do so while dancing.

Your calculated movements blend dance with battle prowess, allowing you to double your attack prowess while you dance and move across the battlefield seamlessly.

While you're using your Dance ability, your Speed increases by 10 feet and you can attack twice, instead of once, when you take the Attack action on your turn.

You have mastered the art of dancing on the battlefield. Your very presence inspires even more combatants to transcend their physical limits in combat, making them even deadlier in turn.

The radius of your Dance ability is now 20 feet. When you use your Dance ability, you may empower two allies simultaneously. Both allies must remain inside the 20-foot radius to receive the benefits of your dance. If one leaves while the other one remains in the area of effect, the one remaining still enjoys the benefits, but you must use a Bonus Action and roll your Bardic Inspiration die if you wish to empower a second ally again. The new roll overrides the previous one.

For instance: The original Bardic Inspiration roll is 8, and you are inspiring two creatures. One creature leaves the radius of your Dance and loses the benefits of the Dance. A new creature enters the radius and you use your Bonus Action to roll your Bardic Inspiration die to inspire that second creature, the result being a 4. Both creatures now add +4 instead of +8 to their ability checks, saving throws, and attacks.

Bards tell tales in a variety of ways. Some sing. Some dance. But it is through art they share the sagas of ancient days. Bards of the College of Drama take a deeper approach to bringing the old stories to life. With a combination of skill and magic, they alter not only their own appearance and voice but that of an entire troupe.

By becoming characters from legend, these Bards inspire greatness in those who witness their performances. They rally their allies to impossible feats of perseverance, reminding their friends that the heroes of old faced worse and carried through to victory.

Bards who adopt this specialization are particularly adept at infiltrating evil organizations. Their magic allows their entire party to take on a role, giving the group the opportunity to blend in during a ritual or take part in a large gathering.

You gain the ability to direct others as you inspire them, allowing them to make the most of your guidance. When a creature that can see you would normally roll one of your Bardic Inspiration die, don't roll the die; instead use the highest number possible for the die.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

When you cast Disguise Self using your One Life, Many Roles feature, you can target up to six willing creatures you can see within 30 feet of you with the Disguise Self spell. You choose the appearance each creature takes. While under the effects of the spell cast with this feature, the chosen creatures gain a bonus to Charisma checks equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1).

You gain the ability to deliver a stirring performance that spurs your companions to mighty deeds. As a Magic action, choose up to two other creatures within 60 feet that can see or hear you. Each of the chosen creatures can immediately take an action this turn.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Influence the Hearts of Many with Unforgettable Words

Bards of the College of Eloquence are masters of oratory, where persuasion is seen as a form of art. These bards blend logic with theatrical flair, using well-crafted arguments and emotional appeals to sway hearts and minds, proving that a skillful tongue can be mightier than any fact.

Your inspiring words are so persuasive that others feel driven to succeed. When a creature adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to a D20 Test and the roll fails, the creature can keep the Bardic Inspiration die.

You have gained the ability to make your speech intelligible to any creature. As a Magic action, choose one or more creatures within 60 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one creature). The chosen creatures can magically understand you, regardless of the language you speak, for 1 hour.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest, unless you expend a spell slot to restore its use (no action required).

When you successfully inspire someone, the power of your eloquence can now spread to someone else. When a creature within 60 feet of you adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to a D20 Test and the roll succeeds, you can take a Reaction to encourage a different creature (other than yourself) that can hear you within 60 feet of you, giving it a Bardic Inspiration die without expending any of your Bardic Inspiration uses.

You can use this Reaction a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Laugh at Your Foes' Terror

It's commonly believed the College of Fools is merely a front for a cult of Beleth. Bards in the College would say their relationship with the Arch Daemon of Fear is much more complicated. These Bards choose to laugh at Etharis's many horrors rather than be dismayed by them—a whimsical, if ghoulish, philosophy. Their delight in other creatures' terror encourages their obscene antics and cruel jests. One person's trick is another person's terror, after all.

When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you is reduced to 0 Hit Points or killed outright, you can take a Reaction to regain an expended use of your Bardic Inspiration. When you do so, choose a creature within 30 feet of you that can hear and understand you. That creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or gain the Prone condition and have its Speed reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn. If the creature succeeds on the Wisdom saving throw, you regain the use of this ability. Otherwise, once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

When you become Bloodied or take damage while you are Bloodied, you can take a Reaction to regain all expended Bardic Inspiration dice and break out into a cackling fit of fatalistic glee at your own impending doom. For 1 minute, you have Resistance to all damage. Also, when a creature within 60 feet of you hits you with an attack roll, you can expend up to three Bardic Inspiration dice to force the attacker to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature takes Psychic damage equal to the total rolled on the Bardic Inspiration dice plus your Charisma modifier.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Weave Beguiling Fey Magic

The College of Glamour traces its origins to the beguiling magic of the Feywild. Bards who study this magic weave threads of beauty and terror into their songs and stories, and the mightiest among them can cloak themselves in otherworldly majesty. Their performances stir up wistful longing for forgotten innocence, evoke unconscious memories of long-held fears, and tug at the emotions of even the most hard-hearted listeners.

You always have the Command spell prepared.

As a Bonus Action, you cast Command without expending a spell slot, and you take on an unearthly appearance for 1 minute or until your Concentration ends. During this time, you can cast Command as a Bonus Action without expending a spell slot.

Any creature Charmed by you automatically fails its saving throw against the Command you cast with this feature.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending a level 3+ spell slot (no action required).

As a Bonus Action, you can assume a magically majestic presence for 1 minute or until you have the Incapacitated condition. For the duration, whenever any creature hits you with an attack roll for the first time on a turn, the attacker must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC, or the attack misses instead, as the creature recoils from your majesty.

Once you assume this majestic presence, you can't do so again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

Plumb the Depths of Magical Knowledge

Bards of the College of Lore collect spells and secrets from diverse sources, such as scholarly tomes, mystical rites, and peasant tales. The college's members gather in libraries and universities to share their lore with one another. They also meet at festivals or affairs of state, where they can expose corruption, unravel lies, and poke fun at self-important figures of authority.

You learn two spells of your choice. These spells can come from the Cleric, Druid, or Wizard spell list or any combination thereof (see a class's section for its spell list). A spell you choose must be a cantrip or a spell for which you have spell slots, as shown in the Bard Features table.

You always have the chosen spells prepared, and whenever you gain a Bard level, you can replace one of the spells with another spell that meets these requirements.

When you make an ability check or attack roll and fail, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration; roll the Bardic Inspiration die, and add the number rolled to the d20, potentially turning a failure into a success. On a failure, the Bardic Inspiration isn't expended.

Sing the Songs of the Dead

Performing macabre melodies filled with grief-stricken chords and mournful refrains, the College of Requiems stirs the very bones of the dead. Requiem Bards weave necromantic magic into their funerary songs to control and empower a host of Undead minions.

You always have the Animate Dead spell prepared. It counts as a Bard spell for you.

When you expend a use of Bardic Inspiration, choose Undead creatures under your control within 60 feet of yourself, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one creature). The chosen creatures each gain a Bardic Inspiration die. These extra Bardic Inspiration dice do not count against your limit.

When an Undead creature under your control expends a Bardic Inspiration die on an attack roll, it can also add the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die to the attack's damage roll if that attack hits.

When you cast a Necromancy spell that targets only one creature, you can have it target a second creature within range.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending one use of your Bardic Inspiration dice (no action required).

Speak with the Voices Beyond

Bards of the College of Spirits draw upon tales with deep power—legends, histories, and fictions alike—then bring them to life. Using mystical rituals, these bards summon spiritual manifestations of powerful forces to alter reality. However, these spirits are unpredictable, and what the bard conjures is not always within their control.

When you cast a Bard spell that deals damage or restores Hit Points while you are holding your Spiritual Focus, roll a d6, and you gain a bonus to one damage or healing roll of the spell equal to the number rolled.

Spirits provide you with supernatural insights. You can conduct an hour-long ritual channeling spirits (which can be done during a Short or Long Rest) using your Spiritual Focus.

Once you perform the ritual, you can't do so again until you start a Long Rest.

You now have the ability to nudge the spirits of Tales from Beyond toward certain tales. Whenever you roll on the Spirit Tales table, you can roll the die twice and choose which of the two effects to bestow. If you roll the same number on both dice, you can ignore the number and choose any effect on the table.

Master the Song of Steel

Bards of the College of Swords, known as blades, captivate audiences with their masterful displays of weapon prowess. They dazzle with feats like sword swallowing, knife throwing, and mock combat, blending entertainment with martial skill. While their performances thrill crowds, many blades lead double lives—using their talents for either covert missions or righteous justice. Though their skills are celebrated, blades often walk a fine line between thrilling entertainers and dangerous operatives.

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Your skill in the use of swords allows you to mock your opponents during the fight.

When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can take a Reaction and expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to make a Melee Weapon Attack against that creature. If you hit, add the Bardic Inspiration die to the attack's damage.

Bolster your Allies with Story and Song

Students of both history and war, Dirge Singer Bards use tales of past glory to inspire their allies and provide keen strategic insight, directing their comrades to strike when enemies are weak. This college was born in the Empire of Dhakaan, but over the course of the Last War, Cyre developed its own version of these techniques, and now Bards that follow this path keep the memory of their fallen nation alive through song.

You excel at inspiring and directing soldiers in battle. When you take the Attack action or the Magic action on your turn, two creatures of your choice who possess one of your Bardic Inspiration die can expend it to use their Reaction to immediately make one attack with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike, adding the Bardic Inspiration die to the attack's damage roll on a hit.

You unflaggingly maintain the spirits and discipline of your unit. As a Bonus Action, you can start a Battle Hymn which can be heard by all creatures within 60 feet. The hymn lasts until the start of your next turn. While the hymn is active, whenever an ally within 30 feet who can hear you makes an ability check or a saving throw, they can add 1d4 to the ability check or save.

Inspire Allies with Primal Tales

The College of the Moon traces its origins to the ancient druidic circles of the Moonshae Isles, who entrusted the first Bards of this tradition with chronicling the stories of the islands and their people. Bards of this college draw from the isles' fey magic and the primal power of the moonwells to bolster their allies, protect the natural world, and inspire their bardic works.

You always have the Moonbeam spell prepared.

When you cast Moonbeam, you can modify the spell so that you glow faintly while the spell is active. While glowing, you shed Dim Light out to 5 feet, and whenever a creature fails its saving throw against the effects of this Moonbeam, another creature of your choice that you can see within 60 feet of yourself regains 2d4 Hit Points.

Once you use this feature to modify a casting of Moonbeam, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

You become suffused with the might of the moon, improving your Moon's Inspiration in the following ways.

Sing the Deeds of Ancient Heroes

Bards of the College of Valor are daring storytellers whose tales preserve the memory of the great heroes of the past. These Bards sing the deeds of the mighty in vaulted halls or to crowds gathered around great bonfires. They travel to witness great events firsthand and to ensure that the memory of these events doesn't pass away. With their songs, they inspire new generations to reach the same heights of accomplishment as the heroes of old.

You can attack twice instead of once whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

In addition, you can cast one of your cantrips that has a casting time of an action in place of one of those attacks.

After you cast a spell that has a casting time of an action, you can make one attack with a weapon as a Bonus Action.

Wield Deadly Magic with Style and Panache

For a Bard of the College of Wands, spellcasting is an art and every duel is a symphony. Whether they use their skills as Entertainers, Smugglers, or Spies, a Bard can draw applause from an audience even as they lay an enemy low with a distracting word, a perfect gesture, and a surge of arcane power.

You know how to cast with style, and your allies can take heart from your displays of grit or showmanship. If you expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to improve the damage of a cantrip with your At Your Fingertips feature, you can use your Bonus Action on the same turn to grant a creature you can see within 60 feet of yourself Advantage on the next saving throw it makes for 1 minute.

Your wandplay is legendary, and your territory is assured. Whenever you expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration or when a creature within 60 feet of you adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to a D20 Test, one creature of your choice that can see you within 60 feet of yourself must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the target has the Frightened condition until the end of its next turn. If the target already has the Frightened condition, it must immediately use its Reaction, if available, to move as far as away from you as it can, using the safest route.

Unveil the Secrets of Manipulation

Bards of the College of Whispers blend into society with charm, gathering news and sharing tales. Beneath their pleasant facade, they are trained to be wolves among sheep, using magic to uncover and exploit secrets. Often despised for their manipulative tactics, they keep their true nature hidden, infiltrating powerful circles to advance their own agendas.

You gain the ability to adopt a humanoid's persona. When a creature dies within 30 feet of you, you can take a Reaction to magically capture its shadow. The creature must be a Humanoid; or, at your DM's discretion, it must have the general appearance and size of a Humanoid (for example, a Night Hag). You retain this shadow until you use it or you finish a Long Rest.

Once you capture a shadow with this feature, you can't capture another one with it until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

You gain the ability to weave dark magic into your words and tap into a creature's deepest fears. As a Magic action, you can whisper a phrase that only one creature of your choice within 30 feet of you can hear. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. It automatically succeeds if it doesn't share a language with you or if it can't hear you. On a successful saving throw, your whisper sounds like unintelligible mumbling and has no effect.

On a failed saving throw, the target has the Charmed condition for the next 8 hours or until you or your allies attack it, damage it, or force it to make a saving throw. It interprets the whispers as a description of its most mortifying secret. You gain no knowledge of this secret, but the target is convinced you know it.

The Charmed creature obeys your commands for fear that you will reveal its secret. It won't risk its life for you or fight for you, unless it was already inclined to do so. It grants you favors and gifts it would offer to a close friend. When the effect ends, the creature has no understanding of why it held you in such fear.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Wander with Wayward Spirits

Old tales speak of the dangers of whistling: the hollow, haunting pitches call to the spirits of the departed and invite them back to the world of the living. Bards of the College of Whistles take these stories and set them to their own warbling tunes, whistling forth their bardic magic and summoning spirits to aid in their travels. These Bards wander even more than most of their fellows, drawn to traveling and gathering both stories and ghosts like patches in tattered clothing.

The Wandering Visits table offers suggestions on places you've visited during your travels where you met the various spirits drawn to your whistles. You can use the examples as they're given, mix and match the locations and the spirits, or create your own.

You can whistle to conjure a ghostly train that returns you and your companions to a known destination. When you finish a Long Rest, you can leave a mark at that location using paint, chalk, carving, or some other medium (which can be erased, defaced, or destroyed normally).

Thereafter, you can use this feature to cast Teleportation Circle using the mark as the destination. When you cast the spell in this way, a phantom train whisks away creatures who enter the circle, and you can't do so again until you finish a Long Rest. You can have a number of marked locations equal to your Charisma modifier at one time (minimum of 1 location). If you mark a location beyond your maximum, one of the previous marks of your choice fades.

When you reach level 9 in this class, you always have Teleportation Circle prepared and can use any of your marked locations as the destination when you cast it.

You can whistle as a Magic action to summon a spectral locomotive into existence. It hurtles forward in a 120-foot-long, 10-foot-wide Line from you, and it passes through objects and creatures.

You and up to six willing creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you can hitch a ride on the train. You teleport to an unoccupied space of your choice in the Line, and any creatures who accompanied you appear in the closest unoccupied spaces to you.

Each other creature in the Line must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or have the Deafened condition until the start of your next turn, be pushed up to 10 feet straight away from the Line's point of origin, and takes an amount of Psychic damage equal to three rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die.

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a Long Rest unless you expend a spell slot of level 3+ (no action required) to restore your use of it.

The ghostly shrill of your whistle now draws the living closer to the world of the dead. As a Magic action, you blow a whistle that is audible up to 300 feet away. Up to six creatures of your choice that you can see within that range must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be cursed. When a cursed target takes Psychic damage, it has the Frightened condition toward the source of that damage until the end of its next turn. The first time a cursed target takes Psychic damage, it has Vulnerability to Psychic damage. The target repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After 1 minute, it succeeds automatically.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest unless you expend a spell slot of level 7+ (no action required) to restore your use of it.