Bard

Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds, create illusions, and even heal wounds. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain.

You must have a Charisma score of 15 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per bard level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per bard level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
• Tools: Three musical instruments of your choice

• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
• Skills: Choose any three

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a rapier, (b) a longsword, or (c) any simple weapon
• (a) a diplomat's pack or (b) an entertainer's pack
• (a) a lute or (b) any other musical instrument
• Leather armor and a dagger

Spellcasting

You have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your wishes and music. Your spells are part of your vast repertoire, magic that you can tune to different situations.

Training in War and Song

When you join the college of Bladesinging at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with one type of one-handed melee weapon of your choice.

You also gain proficiency in the Performance skill if you don’t already have it.

Bladesong

Also at 3rd level, you can invoke an elven magic called the Bladesong, provided that you aren't wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield. It graces you with supernatural speed, agility, and focus.

You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action to start the Bladesong, which lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are Incapacitated, if you don medium or heavy armor or a shield, or if you use two hands to make an attack with a weapon. You can also dismiss the Bladesong at any time (no action required).

While your Bladesong is active, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1)
• Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
• You have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.
• Your jump distance is doubled.
• You gain a bonus to any Constitution saving throw you make to maintain your concentration on a spell. The bonus equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).

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

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Moreover, you can cast one of your cantrips in place of one of those attacks.

Song of Battle

Starting at 14th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1) to the damage of your melee weapon attacks while your Bladesong is active.

Song of Defense

Beginning at 18th level, your Bladesong's magic protects you from harm. When you take damage while your Bladesong is active, you can use your reaction to expend one spell slot and reduce that damage to you by an amount equal to five times the spell slot's level.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Eloquence at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.

Cutting Words

Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature's roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can't hear you or if it's immune to being charmed.

Universal Speech

Also at 6th level, you have gained the ability to make your speech intelligible to any creature. As an 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 use it again.

Infectious Inspiration

At 14th level, 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 its ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll succeeds, you can use your 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 once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Silver Tongue

Starting at 18th level, you are a master at saying the right thing at the right time. When you make a Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

Mantle of Inspiration

When you join the College of Glamour at 3rd level, you gain the ability to weave a song of fey magic that imbues your allies with vigor and speed.

As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to grant yourself a wondrous appearance. When you do so, choose a number of creatures you can see and who can see you within 60 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each of them gains 5 temporary hit points. When a creature gains these temporary hit points, it can immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed, without provoking opportunity attacks.

The number of temporary hit points increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 8 at 5th level, 11 at 10th level, and 14 at 15th level.

Enthralling Performance

Starting at 3rd level, you can charge your performance with fey magic.

If you perform for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to inspire wonder in your audience by singing, reciting a poem, or dancing. At the end of the performance, choose a number of Humanoids within 60 feet of you who watched and listened to all of it, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be Charmed by you. While Charmed in this way, the target idolizes you, it speaks glowingly of you to anyone who speaks to it, and it hinders anyone who opposes you, avoiding violence unless it was already inclined to fight on your behalf. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour, if it takes any damage, if you attack it, or if it witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies.

If a target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to charm it.

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

Mantle of Majesty

At 6th level, you gain the ability to cloak yourself in a fey magic that makes others want to serve you. As a bonus action, you cast the Command spell, without expending a spell slot, and you take on an appearance of unearthly beauty for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). During this time, you can cast the Command spell as a bonus action on each of your turns, without expending a spell slot.

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

Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest to do so again.

Unbreakable Majesty

At 14th level, your appearance permanently gains an otherworldly aspect that makes you look more lovely and fierce.

Additionally, as a bonus action, you can assume a magically majestic presence for 1 minute or until you are Incapacitated. For the duration, whenever any creature tries to attack you for the first time on a turn, the attacker must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it can't attack you on this turn, and it must choose a new target for its attack or the attack is wasted. On a successful save, it can attack you on this turn, but it has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against your spells on your next turn.

Once you assume this majestic presence, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Avatar of Glamour

At 18th level, your mastery of fey magic makes you an avatar of glamour, giving you the following traits:

• The Command spell is always prepared for you. It doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
• Creatures Charmed by your Enthralling Performance gain 15 temporary hit points. Until a creature loses these hit points, it can't lose the Charmed condition from that feature as a result of taking damage, unless that damage is from you or your allies.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Portraiture at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with painter's supplies. You also gain proficiency in Performance and one additional skill of your choice. If you are already proficient with thieves’ tools or in Performance, choose another skill proficiency for each proficiency you already have.

Living Art

Also at 3rd level, your study of magic and visual art has taught you to create living art, called your Living Portrait. As an action, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to create a Living Portrait. It's friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See its game statistics in the Living Portrait stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. You determine the portrait's appearance; your choice has no effect on its game statistics.

In combat, the portrait 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 portrait can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

The portrait exists for 1 hour, until it is reduced to 0 hit points, until you use this feature to create a portrait again, or until you die.

Inspired Art

At 6th level, when you create your Living Portrait, you also grant it one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, without expending a use of that feature.

Additionally, while you are Incapacitated, your Living Portrait can grant other creatures your Bardic Inspiration, expending a use of that feature as normal.

Painted World

At 14th level, you can create great painted landscapes of the world and its creatures around you, instead of just one portrait. When you create your Living Portrait, you can cause one of the following effects to occur:

• Blurry Image. Your Living Portrait gains the effects of the Mirror Image spell.
• Painted Landscape. You paint an illusion on the ground in a 15 foot radius centered on the point your portrait appears, which lasts for 1 minute. Unless it succeeds a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, creatures can't move through that zone, perceiving it as extremely dangerous terrain.

Magical Art

By 18th level, the your magical portraits can mimic your spellcasting. When you cast a spell of 5th level or lower, you can cast that spell through your Living Portrait as if you were in its space. To be eligible, the cantrip must must be incapable of targeting more than one creature at the spell's current level.

Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest to do so again.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Satire at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with thieves’ tools. You also gain proficiency in Sleight of Hand and one additional skill of your choice. If you are already proficient with thieves’ tools or in Sleight of Hand, choose another skill proficiency for each proficiency you already have.

Tumbling Fool

At 3rd level, you master a variety of acrobatic techniques that allow you to evade danger. As a bonus action, you can tumble. When you tumble, you gain the following benefits for the rest of your turn:

• You gain the benefits of taking the Dash and Disengage actions.
• You gain a climbing speed equal to your current speed.
• You take half damage from falling.

Fool's Insight

At 6th level, your ability to gather stories and lore gains a supernatural edge. You can cast the Detect Thoughts spell up to a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier without expending a spell slot. You regain any expended uses of this ability after completing a long rest.

If a creature resists your attempt to probe deeper and succeeds at its saving throw against your Detect Thoughts spell, it immediately suffers an embarrassing social gaffe. It might loudly pass gas, unleash a thunderous burp, trip and fall, or be compelled to tell a tasteless joke.

Fool's Luck

Jesters seem to have a knack for pulling themselves out of tight situations, transforming what looks like sure failure into an embarrassing but effective success. At 14th level, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration after you fail an ability check, fail a saving throw, or miss with an attack roll. Roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to your attack, saving throw, or ability check, using the new result in place of the failed one.

If using this ability grants you a success on the attack, saving throw, or ability check, note the number you rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die. The DM can then apply that result as a penalty to an attack or check you make, and you cannot use this ability again until you suffer this drawback. When the DM invokes this penalty, describe an embarrassing gaffe or mistake you make as part of the affected die roll.

Jester's Escape

At 18th level, you have the uncanny ability to escape from unfavorable situations. As a reaction to being by an attack, you can choose to raise your AC by an amount equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die against one attack you can see. If this causes the attack to miss, you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.

Combat Inspiration

When you join the College of Valor at 3rd level, you learn to inspire others in battle. A creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you can roll that die and add the number rolled to a weapon damage roll it just made. Alternatively, when an attack roll is made against the creature, it can use its reaction to roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to its AC against that attack. It can choose to do so after seeing the roll, but before knowing whether it hits or misses.

Guiding Whispers

At 3rd level, you can reach out to the spirits of the figures of the tales you tell to guide yourself and others. You learn the Guidance cantrip, which doesn’t count against the number of bard cantrips you know. For you, it has a range of 60 feet when you cast it.

Tales from Beyond

At 6th level, the tales you tell are empowered by the spirits mentioned within. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and roll on the Spirit Tales table, using your Bardic Inspiration die to determine the tale the spirits direct you to tell. You retain the tale in mind until you bestow the tale’s effect or you finish a short or long rest.

You can use an action to choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you (this can be you) to be the target of the tale’s effect. Once you do so, you can’t bestow the tale’s effect again until you roll it again.

You can retain only one of these tales in mind at a time, and rolling on the Spirit Tales table immediately ends the effect of the previous tale.

If the tale requires a saving throw, the DC equals your spell save DC.

Spirit Session

At 14th level, 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. You can conduct the ritual with a number of willing creatures equal to your proficiency bonus (including yourself). At the end of the ritual, you temporarily learn one spell of your choice from any class.

The spell you choose must be of a level equal to the number of creatures that conducted the ritual or less, the spell must be of a level you can cast, and it must be in the school of Divination or Necromancy. The chosen spell counts as a bard spell for you but doesn’t count against the number of bard spells you know.

Once you perform the ritual, you can’t do so again until you start a long rest, and you know the chosen spell until you start a long rest.

Mystical Connection

At 18th level, 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.