College of Appearance

The College of Appearance is the home of bards who have mastered beauty, ugliness, and appearances of many races throughout the multiverse. Tutored by seductive charmers and creatures with the innate ability to shift their appearance, they learn to use magic to appeal to the senses of those they meet.

Sometimes considered dubious or unethical, the bards of this college recognize that appearances form the first impression someone will ever have of you. If your first impression is unfavorable, you're unlikely to change their mind or receive the consideration you truly deserve. They use magic to shift their physical form or the perceptions of those who see them in order to grant more favorable discussions. Villainous bards of this college flit from town to town, never assuming the same appearance twice and leaving heartbroken lovers and unpaid debtors in their wake. Heroic bards of this college instead use this power to go places they would seldom be allowed in order to present truth, justice, and the beautiful things of life.

Mantle of Beauty

When you join the College of Appearance at 3rd level, you gain the ability to weave a song of beauty that makes your allies appear more trustworthy.

As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to grant yourself a beautiful appearance. When you do so, choose a number of creatures you can see and that can see you within 60 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each of them gains a +5 bonus to Deception and Persuasion rolls.

The number of bonus increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 8 at 5th level, 11 at 10th level, and 14 at 15th level.

Shifting Appearance

Starting at 3rd Level, you learn the prestidigitation cantrip. If you already learned the cantrip, you may replace the cantrip you learn with another cantrip of the transmutation or enchantment school.

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to swap appearance with another humanoid creature. As a bonus action, you cast disguise self, without expending a spell slot, and you take on an appearance of someone you can see within 60 ft. for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). During this time, you can cast disguise self as a bonus action on each of your turns, without expending a spell slot.

Each time you cast the spell, you may choose to make the creature whose appearance you copy appear as yourself (no action).

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

At Level 6, the spell you can cast as part of this feature is replaced by alter self.

Master of Disguise

Starting at 6th level, you have become a Master of Disguise. You gain expertise in Disguise Kits if you do not have it already.

If you spend at least 1 minute using a Disguise Kit, you can attempt to disguise yourself and other creatures, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Your disguises cannot be detected by magical means such as true sight, and creatures attempting to recognize creatures beneath the disguise automatically fail. If the disguise impersonates someone known to another creature, they must succeed on a Wisdom (Insight) check to be able to recognize they are not the impersonated creature. The DC required for the Wisdom (Insight) check relates to how familiar they are.

Seen, DC 25
Known, DC 20
Familiar, DC 18
Intimate, DC 15

Conversation and other interactions allow the deceived creature to make the check again.

If a target succeeds on its check, the target recognizes that the disguised creature is not the person assumed, but they gain no insight into the identity of the one disguised.

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

When you reach 12th Level, the DC for Wisdom (Insight) checks increases by 5.

Discerning Eyes

At 14th level, you have gained a sharp and critical eye. You are no longer deceived by illusions and transmutations. If an effect requires you to roll a saving throw to understand it is an illusion or false appearance, you automatically succeed. You have gained insight into the forms and mannerisms of shapeshifting creatures such as Dopplegangers, Shifters, Changelings, and Mimics. As long as you can see the creature, you recognize their true form. This effect does not apply to recognizing a creature that has been changed by true polymorph.

Additionally, the spell true seeing is added to the list of spells you know. You can cast this spell targeting yourself and others by expending one Bardic Inspiration dice per creature rather than expending spell slots.