The Shadowfell may be a place of hopeless despair yet music can persist even in that dreary realm. Though it may be sullen tales of tragedy or songs that speak for a saddened heart, it is here that the College of Woe originates. These bards know that they can use their magic to help sympathize with others through the sorrow of their craft or perhaps impose gloom if need be. To listen to their music is to hear the aches of those they met prior.

These bards are attracted to places undergoing hardship, whether it being a plague outbreak or impoverished areas. They gain inspiration from the inhabitants’ sorrows, emulating their pain into their music. College of Woe bards are often met with indifference as they keep to themselves while performing on city streets.

Members of this college gradually become beacons of hope after encountering constant despair. Life doesn’t always have to be such constant sorrow. For some, they succumb to the inner Shadowfell teaching of their magic, becoming apathetic as they transform into hollow personalities. In the worst case, the bard submits to that grim reality that suffering is guaranteed and lashes out at others as revenge against life as a whole.

Shared Suffering

3rd-level College of Woe feature

When you or a creature you can see takes damage from an attack roll or inflicted saving throw from another creature, you can use your reaction to expend a bardic inspiration die to deal 2d6 psychic damage to the attacking creature.

The psychic damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 3d6 at 5th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 6d6 at 17th level.

Soothing Sympathy

3rd-level College of Woe feature

If you perform for at least 10 minutes, you can sooth the aches of your audience by singing, reciting a poem, or dancing. At the end of the performance, you and those who watched and listened to all of your performance regain hit points equal to two rolls of your Song of Rest die.

A creature can only benefit from this feature once and can do so again once they finish a long rest.

Invocation of Woe

6th-level College of Woe feature

You can invoke a sense of woe in others with your performance by instilling the dread you have seen. As an action, you target a creature within 60 feet that you can see to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is inflicted with a grief of your choice:

Grief of Agony. For 1 minute or when the creature is hit by the next attack roll, it takes additional psychic damage equal to your Bardic Inspiration die.

Grief of Failure. The creature makes its next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw with a penalty to a roll equal to your Bardic Inspiration die.

Grief of Loss. When an allied creature of the target drops to 0 hit points, it must use its reaction to move up to its movement speed away from the attacker or from you (your choice).

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

Cacophony of Unfortunates

14th-level College of Woe feature

You can unleash the collected sorrows you’ve come across. As an action, you unleash a haunting wail. Each creature of your choice within a 60-foot radius that can hear it must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC.

On a failure, the creature takes psychic damage equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiraiton die and becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. On a success, the creature takes only half damage and no other effects.

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