College of Nature

Nature is a powerful muse, and her infinite variety has inspired bards and artists for generations. These bards appreciate nature's beauty, and sometimes make it their mission to protect the balance that exists between all living things. They tell tales of the natural wonders of the world, feeling the connection that binds all life together and sustains its harmony. 

At home on the trail or at camps, they are welcome in druid circles and alongside rangers and shamans, where they share the news of the outside world with the more cloistered members in exchange for the secrets of natural and druidic magic. As such, they may be less deeply enganged with the world of politics than other bards, but they nontheless serve as intermediaries between the modern world and the representatives of those who live on the wilderness.

When a member of this college performs, it can seem as if nature itself joins in with rustling leaves, whistling winds, crashing waves, and singing birds. They harm only those who needlessly take lives, despoil nature, or use dark magic to go against nature’s balance. 

Druidic Magic

When you join the College of Nature at 3rd level, your link to nature allows you to learn spells normally associated with the druid class. When your Spellcasting feature lets you learn a bard cantrip or a bard spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose the new spell from the druid spell list or the bard spell list. You must otherwise obey all the restrictions for selecting the spell, and it becomes a bard spell for you.

Additionally, you learn a druid cantrip, but it doesn't count against your number of cantrips known, and you may use a druidic focus as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Rejuvenating Seed

Also at 3rd level, you have learned to grant others a seed of healing natural energy.

As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration and heal a creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The creature deages by 6 hours, and it regains hit points equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die + your Charisma modifier.

Alternatively, creatures with a Bardic Inspiration die from you can use a bonus action on their turn to deage by 6 hours and to regain hit points equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die + your Charisma modifier.

When you reach 11th level in this class, whenever a creature gains hit points from your Rejuvenating Seed feature, it instead gains hit points equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die + your Charisma modifier.

Wild Companion

Starting at 6th level, you learn how to use connection to nature to summon a companion to aid you when needed. 

Once per short or long rest, as an action, you can cast the Find Familiar spell, without material components. When you cast the spell in this way, the familiar is a beast, and it disappears after a number of hours equal to half your bard level.

Alternativly, you can expend a use of this feature to magically assume the shape of a beast that you could summon with the Find Familiar spell. You can stay in this beast shape a number of hours equal to half your bard level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you use this feature again. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can't use them.

• When you transform, you assume the beast's hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form, For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.

• You can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn't break your concentration on a spell you've already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as Call Lightning, that you've already cast.

• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.

• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Song of Harmony

Starting at 14th level, you can, as an action, weave a soothing performance that channels both the beauty and maddening greatness of nature. Hostile creatures within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC (your choice). On a failed save, creatures are stunned until the end of their next turn. Allied creatures in the area instead regain gain hit points equal to your Bard level + your Charisma modifier, and if they are charmed or frightened, that condition ends for them.

You can use this feature once, gaining the ability to do so again when you finish a short or long rest.