College of Leadership (HB)

Bards of the College of Leadership are strong leaders, and are often employed as diplomats or commanders.  They value a strong direction and are excellent at communicating strategy and tactics to their companions. Though they can appear strict at times, they are fiercely loyal and act as the glue that keeps a team together. Their true place is on the battlefield, bolstering the resolve of their allies whilst pointing out the weaknesses in the opponent's defense.

Members of the college often congregate in war rooms to discuss successful tactics implemented in battle. Some even hold places of power, advising kings and senators on the best way to take advantage of their enemies.

Commanding Presence

When you join the College of Leadership at 3rd level, your resolve strengthens and your spirit emboldens. You have advantage on saving throws made to resist being frightened or charmed, and when you make a Charisma (Intimidation) check, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

Additionally, you also gain proficiency with medium armor.

Tactical Order

Beginning at 3rd level, you can call out a tactical move for your allies to enact. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and choose one friendly creature you can see within 60 feet of you. Roll the Bardic Inspiration die. That creature can immediately use its reaction to perform one of the following actions of your choosing:

Tactical Spell. The creature casts one cantrip or 1st level spell. If that cantrip or spell involves a spell attack, the creature adds the number rolled onto the attack roll. If the cantrip or spell involves a spell saving throw, the creature making the saving throw subtracts the number rolled from the saving throw. If a cantrip is chosen, it is cast as if the caster were level 1.

Tactical Manoeuvre. The creature gains temporary hit points equal to twice the number rolled + 2, and can move up to 15ft without provoking opportunity attacks.

Tactical Strike. The creature makes one weapon attack, adding the number rolled onto the attack roll.

Superior Motivation

From 6th level, you gain the ability to give empowering speeches during battle. As an action, you address up to five creatures within 60 feet that can hear you. For the next hour, each creature affected gains 5 temporary hit points  and has advantage on Wisdom saving throws. If an affected creature is hit by an attack, it has advantage on the next attack roll it makes. Once an affected creature loses the temporary hit points granted by this effect, the effect ends at the end of their next turn for that creature. You can use this feature once per long rest.

Alternatively, you can take 1 minute to perform a grander speech. This speech has the same effect as above, but you can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

A Secondary Opinion

From 6th level, you are able to offer advice to your companions when they are trying to complete a task. When a friendly creature within 15ft of you makes an ability check, you can use your reaction to treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10. You can wait until after the creature rolls the d20 before deciding to use this effect, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. You can use this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain all uses on a long rest.

Inspiring Aura

From 14th level you inspire your allies just by being in close proximity to them. All friendly creatures other than yourself within 15 feet of you gain a +2 bonus to their AC.

Additionally, as a reaction, you can cause a friendly creature within 15 feet of you to gain advantage on an attack roll or saving throw. You can use this effect a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain all uses on a long rest.