College of Color

by WildWereostrich

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College of Color

Where other bards channel their creativity through an instrument, some choose to express themselves through painting. They attune to the colors of the world, becoming able to shape reality in ways few would think possible. Bards of the College of color also gain different abilities depending on which colors they favor, so they are as varied as a painter's palette.

College of Color features
Bard Level Feature
3rd Bonus proficiencies, Palette
6th Life imitates art
14th Chromatic explosion

Bonus proficiencies

When you join the College of color at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Painter's supplies. You can use these supplies as your spellcasting focus, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses this tool proficiency.

Palette

Also at 3rd level, you learn to temporarily attune to a set of colors that have symbolic associations with particular concepts. Select a number of colors equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one).

  • Black: You can cast darkness once without expending a spell slot or providing material components. The radius of the sphere is increased by the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.
  • Red: As a bonus action, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Bard level plus the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die until the end of your next turn.
  • Orange: You can cast flame blade once without expending a spell slot or providing material components. It deals extra damage equal to the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.
  • Yellow: As a reaction, you can impose disadvantage on the next attack roll or ability check made by a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you.
  • Green: You can cast spike growth once without expending a spell slot or providing material components. The radius of the affected area is increased by the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.
  • Blue: As a bonus action, you can end the frightened or charmed conditions on yourself or one ally within 5 feet of you.
  • Violet: As a reaction before you cast it, you can change the damage type of a bard spell that deals acid, cold, fire or lightning damage to one of the other three damage types.
  • Brown: As a reaction to being hit by an attack, you can add your Charisma modifier to your AC, potentially making the attack fail.















  • White: You can cast moonbeam once without
    expending a spell slot or providing material
    components. It deals extra damage equal to the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.

You can expend one use of bardic inspiration to gain the benefit associated with one of the colors you selected. You can change your selection after you complete a short or long rest.

Life imitates art

At 6th level, your paintings become almost perfect copies of reality. You can cast alter self without expending a spell slot or providing material components. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), regaining expended uses on a short or long rest. Furthermore, as part of your action when you cast a spell of the Illusion school, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration. The DC of the check to detect it as an illusion is increased by the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.

Chromatic explosion

Starting at 14th level, as an action you can paint an evershifting cascade of color in the air. All creatures of your choice within 30 feet that can see the shifting colored shapes must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, a creature becomes stunned for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. At the beginning of each of their subsequent turns, creatures stunned by this feature can attempt to make the save again, ending the effect on a success. Once you have used this feature you cannot use it again until you have finished a short or long rest.

Credits

Design by: u/WildWereostrich, with feedback from the Discord of Many Things community and r/UnearthedArcana.

Illustration: Ashri, self portrait by anime407 (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License)

 

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