College of Influence

The College of Influence was created to assist the high council in building the newly-formed society in the western lands. As voices of authority, speaking on behalf of the council members themselves, Influential bards are vital retainers. In addition to authoritative articulation, these bards are trained in the art of understanding the moods and motivations of council members and commoners alike.

A select few students are eventually offered the rare opportunity to be a council member’s retainer. Outstanding performance at the College of Influence is only one aspect that is considered when recommending a candidate to the council. Only students judged to be sufficiently loyal to the College, and its founder, receive such a recommendation.

Alumni of the College are expected to secretly share information - even privileged information - with the College’s President. Those who become retainers to council members are encouraged to use the skills gained at the College of Influence to sway their superiors to positions that favor the College and its founder, Cormac Lundy.

Exert Influence

3rd-level College of Influence feature

As a bonus action, you can designate a creature as a Target of Influence to receive information in ways that align with your goals. The target must be able to understand you. Beginning at 3rd level, when you make a Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check against your Target of Influence, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

You can also use subtle cues to make a target more susceptible to your influence. As a reaction, when a target rolls a Wisdom (Insight) check against your Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to roll the Inspiration die and subtract it from a Target’s Wisdom (Insight) roll. You use this reaction immediately after learning the roll’s total.

You learn additional ways to Exert Influence as you gain experience in the art of asset cultivation.

At 6th level, you have become adept at sussing out a Target’s “tells” and capitalizing on them. When you make a Wisdom (Insight) check against your Target of Influence, you can treat a roll of 9 or lower as a 10. Furthermore, when you make a Charisma (Deception), Wisdom (Insight), or Charisma (Persuasion) check against a Target, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to roll the Inspiration die and add it to your check. You make this choice immediately after learning your roll’s total.

When you reach 10th level, influencing others has become second nature to you. You can now designate as Targets of Influence a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier.

At 14th level, all creatures who can understand you are automatically designated as Targets of Influence unless you exclude them.

Unfailing Influence

6th-level College of Influence feature

You are resilient in the face of failure. When you use one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to Exert Influence and fail, you can keep the Bardic Inspiration die.

Discover Intent

14th-level College of Influence feature

When you make a successful Widsom (Insight) check against a Target of Influence, you gain an understanding of the target’s motivation and intent. At the DM’s discretion, you understand specific, important information that the target wishes to hide from you. You discover their planned course of action, desired outcome, and motivation for pursuing it. You also become aware of creatures a target considers allies in this pursuit, and those they perceive as adversaries. A target is unaware that you’ve gained this information.