College of Puppets

A strange man enters a town.  Carrying only his lute in hand, he begins to produce dark, enchanting music.  Before long, the people of this town start to worship him as some sort of deity or god.  

 

The College of Puppets twists and distorts the mind through performance, unknowingly enslaving victims to declare unyielding worship to their leader.  Often viewed as cult leaders, these quick-witted, and charismatic individuals will promise to lead people to prosperity, but often lead them to ruin and death.  

Twisted Stage Presence

When you join the College of Puppets at 3rd level, you gain the ability to produce music that distorts the mind. 

As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to grant yourself a horrendous appearance. When you do so, choose a number of creatures you can see and that can see you within 60 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each of them must make an INT saving throw or take psychic damage equal to a roll of your bardic inspiration die and be stunned until your next turn.  On a success, the creatures take half damage and aren't stunned.

 

Puppeteers Strings

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

If you perform for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to control the mind of your audience by singing, reciting a poem, or dancing. At the end of the performance, choose a target.  That target must make a WIS saving throw against your spell save DC.  If it fails, that target now worships you, and will follow your every command.  This creature now uses the acolyte stat block (unless it already has one). The charmed creature will now do anything you ask it to, no matter the cost.  If you command the charmed creature to do anything harmful to itself, it can make another WIS saving throw before doing so. If the effect ends, the target had no idea it was charmed by you. This effect lasts for 24 hours, at which point the charmed creature can make the WIS save again. You can only have one creature charmed in this way at a time. 

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

At 5th, 10th, and 14th, the number of possibly charmed creatures becomes, 3, 5, and 10 respectively. 

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

Mind of Manipulation

At 6th level, you gain the ability to truly mesmerize the minds of those who want to serve you. As a bonus action, you can take over the mind of a creature that is charmed by you.  For one minute, you can possess the mind of any of your charmed creatures.  You can see, hear, move, and even cast spells as that creature.  You use your stats while possessing the creature. 

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

Undying Worship

At 14th level, your followers devotion to you, extends to them beyond death. 

As a reaction, you can bring one of your followers back to life as a banshee, by expending one of your Bardic Inspiration die. When raised in this way, their devotion to you never fades, and are permanently charmed by you, unless they die, or the effect is changed by a wish spell. 

Once one of your followers raises from the dead, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.