College of Dedication

Some bards spend their entire careers learning as many songs and stories as they can. Others prefer to dedicate themselves to creating and mastering a single Magnum Opus. Bards of the College of Dedication set themselves on a path that few ever finish: composing the perfect song. This process often takes an entire lifetime to perfect, but such a song can reap massive benefits and yield unique abilities. Many draw inspiration from the songs of other races, such as the graceful hymns of the elves, the powerful dirges of the dwarves, or the joyful folk songs of the halflings.

Magnum Opus

You've begun to write and compose a song that is unique to you. When you join the College of Dedication at 3rd level, choose a genre of music and gain its feature. You gain the ability to start a performance of this song as an action which lasts until the start of your next turn. 

While performing your Magnum Opus, you gain the following additional benefits:

• As an action, you can choose to maintain the performance. The performance can be maintained for a number of rounds equal to your Bard level.  
• You gain advantage on any Constitution saving throws you make to maintain concentration on a spell.
• Whenever a creature (including you) starts its turn within 30 feet of you and can hear you, you can choose to give it temporary hit points equal to your charisma modifier.

You also gain the benefits of the genre of music you select while you are performing your Magnum Opus. Select one of the following choices:

Blues. Your Magnum Opus gives voice to the struggle of you and your allies. As a bonus action, you can spend one of your Bardic inspiration dice to heal a number of creatures you can see within 30 feet of you equal to your charisma modifier. You restore up to a number of hit points equal to the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die plus your bard level, divided as you choose.

Classical. The magnificence of your Magnum Opus inspires awe in your allies and fear in your enemies. As a bonus action, you can spend one of your Bardic inspiration dice to increase or decrease the walking speed of a number of creatures of your choice equal to your charisma modifier by 10 until the start of your next turn.

Grunge. The traumas of your past and present fuel your Magnum Opus and cause you to lash out against your enemies. If you know the Vicious Mockery cantrip, you can spend one of your Bardic inspiration dice to cast it as a bonus action. You deal extra damage equal to the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.

Heavy Metal. The high energy and volume of your Magnum Opus draw the attention of your enemies and boost your defenses. Whenever an ally within 5 feet of you is targeted by an attack from a creature you can see within 30 feet of you, you can expend one use of your Bardic inspiration to force that creature to make a wisdom saving throw against your spellcasting DC. On a failure, the attack must target you instead, and you gain resistance to the damage from the attack. 

Jazz. The improvisational themes of your Magnum Opus can inspire others after failure. When a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see misses an attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic inspiration to use a reaction to give them advantage on the next attack they make while you are performing.  

You gain additional features based on your genre of music at 6th level and 14th level.

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

Focused Concentration

At 6th level, you can choose to Focus all of your attention on your Magnum Opus. When you use your action to begin or maintain your Magnum Opus, you can choose to plant yourself and dedicate your attention more thoroughly to your performance until the start of your next turn. While you are Focusing in this way and are concentrating on a Bard spell, your concentration can't be broken as a result of taking damage. You can only choose to Focus in this way if you haven't moved during this turn, and after you choose to Focus,  your movement becomes zero until the start of your next turn. 

Dedicated Practice

At 6th level, your dedication to your Magnum Opus grants you benefits even when you aren't performing based on the genre of music you have chosen:

Blues. You have learned the woes of your allies to such an extent that you better know how to help them.  You can use the Help action as a bonus action. Additionally, when you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than within 5 feet of you, if the target can hear you.

Classical. The effort you've put in to studying has left your mind sharp and your fingers nimble. You gain advantage on Intelligence (History) checks and Dexterity (Slight of Hand) checks.

Grunge. The creation of your Magnum Opus has served as a healthy outlet for your emotions. You have resistance to psychic damage and you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. 

Heavy Metal. Your constant exposure to loud music has made you resistant to thunder damage. Moreover, as an action, you can cause your voice to boom up to three times louder for 1 minute, as if with the thaumaturgy spell. 

Jazz. Your experience with improvising has taught you to think quickly on your feet. You have advantage on initiative rolls, and your walking speed permanently increases by 10. 

The Power of Music

At 14th level, while performing your Magnum Opus, you and all creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you have resistance to damage from spells.

Hero's Dedication

At 14th level, you begin to approach mastery of your song. You gain the following benefits while performing your Magnum Opus based on your genre of music:

Blues. Your Magnum Opus has taught you how to alleviate some of the suffering of others. As a reaction, whenever a creature you can see within 30 feet of you takes damage, you can spend one of your Bardic inspiration dice to take that damage instead. The damage is reduced by an amount equal to the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.

Classical. The precision of your Magnum Opus allows you to hone in on the weaknesses of your enemies and expose them to others. As a bonus action, you can spend one of your Bardic inspiration dice to make an insight check against a creature's armor class. On a successful insight check, any attack made against that creature has advantage until the start of your next turn.

Grunge. You have learned to inflict the pain you receive onto others. Immediately after a creature deals damage to you with an attack, you can spend one of your Bardic inspiration dice as a reaction to force the attacker to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the attacker takes thunder damage equal to the damage it just dealt plus the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die, or half as much on a successful one.

Heavy Metal. The power of your Magnum Opus has toughened your body. When you receive temporary hit points from your Magnum Opus, you can receive double the usual amount. Additionally, you can spend one of your Bardic inspiration dice to select a creature within 30 feet of you as a bonus action. Until the beginning of your next turn, it has disadvantage on all attacks that do not target you, and any of its attacks that damage you have their damage reduced by an amount equal to the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.

Jazz. The unpredictability of your Magnum Opus makes you and your allies hard to pin down. As a bonus action, you can spend one of your Bardic inspiration dice to magically swap places with a willing creature you can see within 30 feet of you. You both regain hit points equal to the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.