College of the Dirgesinger

College of the Dirgesinger

Music is often used to help ferry the souls of the dead into the afterlife. Some bards have learned to take those songs of death and use them to control the powers of undeath. Often far more neutral than other types who control the undead, most Dirgesingers see undeath as a means to an end. However, those who embrace the evil side of music find themselves as adept at controlling the dead as they are at controlling the living.

Lament of the Dying

You learn the Chill Touch cantrip. It is a bard spell for you, but it doesn't count against your cantrips known. For you, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other.

Elegy of the Damned

You can magically bond one of two types of undead companions to yourself. At the end of a long rest, it appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 30 feet of you. Except as detailed in the stat blocks below, the creatures have the statistics of the Deathlock and the Deathlock Wight.

In combat, the Deathlock shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the Deathlock can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

If it has died within the last hour, you can perform a ritual as an action to revive it, provided you are within 5 feet of it and you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. The undead returns after 1 minute with all its hit points restored.

At the end of a long rest, you can bond with a new or different type of companion by providing a 150 gp black onyx stone. If you already have a companion from this feature, the first one is immediately returned from where it came. The companion is also returned if you die.

Deathlock

Medium Undead (Warlock)

Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor)

Hit Points five times your bard level plus it’s constitution modifier (the undead has a number of hit dice [d8s] equal to your bard level)

Speed 30 ft.

STR 11 (+0), DEX 15 (+2), CON 10 (+0), INT 14 (+2), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws INT +2 plus PB, CHA +3 plus PB

Skills Arcana +2 plus PB, History +2 plus PB

Damage Resistances Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered

Damage Immunities Poison

Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11

Languages the languages it knew in life

Proficiency Bonus(PB) equals your bonus

Turn Resistance. The deathlock has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns Undead.

Unusual Nature. The deathlock doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Actions

Deathly Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: + plus PB to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 2 necrotic damage.

Grave Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +3 plus PB to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 2d10 + 3 necrotic damage.

Spellcasting. The deathlock casts one of the following spells, using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 11 plus PB):

At will: disguise self, mage armor, mage hand

1/day each: detect magic, dispel magic, hunger of Hadar, invisibility, spider climb

Deathlock Wight

Medium Undead (Warlock)

Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor)

Hit Points five times your bard level plus it’s constitution modifier (the undead has a number of hit dice [d8s] equal to your bard level)

Speed 30 ft.

STR 11 (+0), DEX 14 (+2), CON 16 (+3), INT 12 (+1), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws WIS +2 plus PB

Skills Arcana +1 plus PB, Perception +2 plus PB

Damage Resistances Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Damage Immunities Poison

Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12 plus PB

Languages the languages it knew in life

Proficiency Bonus(PB) equals your bonus

Turn Resistance. The deathlock has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns Undead.

Unusual Nature. The deathlock doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Actions

Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 plus PBto hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: (1d8 + 2) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0.

Grave Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +5 plus PB to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: (1d6 + 3) necrotic damage.

Spellcasting. The deathlock casts one of the following spells, using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 11 plus PB):

At will: disguise self, mage armor

1/day each: detect magic, fear, hold person

Requiem of Life

At 6th level, your otherworldly essence can keep others going in battle. A creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you can roll that die when they are dropped to 0 hp. On a 5 or higher the creature drops to 1 hit point instead. Alternatively, the creature can roll the inspiration die and add the number rolled to a death saving throw roll it just made.

Miasma of Melancholy

As an action you conjure a 20ft tall, 20ft radius cylinder of black and gray swirling shadows centered on a point within 60ft of you. Each creature of your choice in that area must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6 points of necrotic damage and their Strength score is reduced by 1d4 on a failure, or half as much damage with no other effect on a success. The creature dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest.

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

Song of Sands

As an action you conjure forth a mummy out of a small dust storm. It manifests in an unoccupied space that you can see within 60ft of you. The creature disappears after 1 hour, if you lose concentration, or if it drops to 0 hit points.

The creature is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 5th level or higher to use it again.