CotO • Pretender

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Crown of the Oathbreaker © 2022, Elderbrain, Inc.; Authors: Gabor Dan, David Feher, and Tamas Marton; edited by Wrexxal.
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Not every bard in Aglarion is trained in the College of Minstrels. Some of them learn their trade on the streets by picking up survival techniques that allow them to manipulate their enemies by utilizing techniques of make-believe. A Pretender is a bard who uses talents with words and swords to fool everyone. They are always at home in social situations where they can draw attention to themselves and manipulate people’s choices and viewpoints according to their will. They also excel in combat, where they utilize the same tactics of distraction and feint, which they also use when speaking.

Battle Feint

Starting at 3rd level, you can fool your enemies with your sudden swordplay and movement, placing them in a precarious combat situation. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration on your turn to feint, choosing one creature within 5 feet of you as your target. Your target must succeed on a Wisdom (Insight) skill check against your Charisma (Deception) skill check. If you win the contest, you have advantage on your melee attack rolls against that creature and the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls until the start of your next turn. 

Captivating Monologue

Starting at 3rd level, if you speak to an audience for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to captivate them with your style and colorful phrases. 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 has disadvantage on all Wisdom (Insight) skill checks against you. This effect ends on the 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.

Elusive Target

Starting at 6th level, you can avoid the melee attacks of your enemies with an unexpected move. As a reaction, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to negate a melee attack that would otherwise hit you.

The Great Pretender

Starting at 14th level, you can pretend to be someone else by projecting a visage of your pure imagination, while you remain invisible. As an action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cast mislead without using a spell slot or material components.