College of the Wilds

Some Bards are so inspired by the majesty of nature they can draw musical magic from nature itself. Often more at home in nature than on the stage, Bards who join the College of the Wilds feel a special kinship with wild plants and animals of all kinds. They can use their enchanting music to soothe even the most savage beasts, turning them from enemy to ally.

Friend of Nature

3rd-level College of the Wilds feature

You have gained the skills to charm and subdue wild plants and animals of all kinds. You gain proficiency in both Animal Handling and Performance and whenever you would make
a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check you can choose to make a Charisma (Animal Handling) check instead.

Also, whenever you cast an enchantment spell from the Bard spell list that can target a humanoid, you can choose to target beasts and plants with that spell as well.

 

Primal Inspiration

3rd-level College of the Wilds feature

Your bardic magic can bestow primal on others. As a bonus action, you can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration and grant one of the effects below to one creature of your choice within 60 feet that can hear you. The abilities last for 1 hour, but they end early if the creature uses a bonus action to end it, if you grant it another ability, or it is incapacitated:

Wild Companion

6th-level College of the Wilds feature

At the end of a long rest, you can call a creature of the wild to your side. One beast or plant of your choice native to the area appears. It is friendly to you and obeys you completely. In combat, it shares your turn in initiative order. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but it can only take the dodge action unless you use your bonus action to command it to take an action from its stat block or another action.

Your Bard level determines the maximum CR of the beast or plant you can summon, as shown in the table below:

Bard Level	Max. CR	Example Companions
6th	1	Brown Bear, Vine Blight
14th	2	Awakened Tree, Giant Elk
17th	4	Elephant, Giant Scorpion

Soothe the Savage Beast

14th-level College of the Wilds feature

Your mastery of music allows you to soothe any creature, no matter how savage it is. You can target aberrations, dragons, giants, monstrosities with enchantment spells that normally can only target humanoids.

You also learn dominate beast, but it doesn't count against your total number of Spells Known.