College of the Written Word

Bards of this college are writers and poets, lawyers and notaries, translators and cryptographers, masters of the written word who are able to manipulate the battlefield by writing its rules with a quill as sharp as any warrior’s blade. 

Whether a dreadfully dramatic poet and songwriter, a struggling storyteller attempting to find their next plot, or a lawyer resolving a legal issue, these bards are found adventuring more than one may expect, inspiring their allies with a flourish of ink and quill.

Bardic Quill

Beginning when you first choose this college at 3rd level, you’ve learnt to use the written word to its fullest extent. You gain proficiency in calligrapher’s supplies, and can use them as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Furthermore, as a bonus action, you can magically create a Tiny quill with your free hand. The magic quill has the following properties:

• The quill doesn't require ink. When you write with it, it produces ink in a color of your choice on the writing surface.

• You can erase anything you write with the quill if you wave the feather over the text as a bonus action, provided the text is within 5 feet of you.

This quill disappears if you create another one or if you die.

Written Battlefield

Also at 3rd level, you’ve learnt to use your mastery over the written word to affect combat. As an action, you may roll a bardic inspiration die and magically inscribe the rules of the environment around you, choosing a point you can see within 60 feet of you. A 10 foot radius sphere centred on that point becomes affected by your magic until the end of your next turn, causing one of the following effects: 

Restoration	Any time a creature regains hit points within the area, they regain hit additional hit points equal to the result on your bardic inspiration die. At 10th level, this increases to two times the result.
Harm	Once per turn when a creature takes damage within the area, they take additional damage equal to the result on your bardic inspiration die (no action required). At 10th level, this increases to two times the result.
Warding	When you first activate this feature and at the end of their turn, creatures within the area gain temporary hit points equal to the result. At 10th level, this increases to two times the result.
Speed	The speed of all creatures within the area is increased by an amount equal to five times the result on your bardic inspiration die. At 10th level, this increases to two times the result.

Bardic Inscription

Starting at 6th level, you’ve learnt to inspire others and surprise some via your written word. At the end of a short or long rest, you can inscribe up to fifteen words on a piece of paper, parchment or other suitable writing material, using your Bardic Quill and infusing it with magic in the process.

An allied creature in possession of the object is considered to have a Bardic Inspiration die from you and can spend the die as normal. Once the die is rolled, the next vanishes from the object. 

If a hostile creature is in possession of the object and attempts to read it, however, they must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, or take psychic damage equal to your bard level and become stunned for 1 round, taking half as much damage and suffering no further effects on a successful save.

You can have a number of objects infused with bardic magic this way equal to 1 + half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, and you can choose to dismiss the magic from the text of any of these objects at a time.

Hidden Meaning

By the time you’ve reached 14th level, your mastery over the written word is at its highest. You can use your Written Battelfield feature as a bonus action rather than action, and whenever you use it, you can determine its size in between a 5 foot radius sphere, a 10 foot radius sphere or a 15 foot radius sphere. 

Furthermore, each option gains an additional effect.

Restoration	Whenever a creature within the area regains hit points, choose a different allied creature within. They gain temporary hit points equal to the result on your bardic inspiration die.
Harm	Whenever a creature is dealt damage within the area and take the additional damage, that creature can’t regain hit points for the duration of the area.
Warding	Any creature within the area with temporary hit points gains a +1 bonus to their AC.
Speed	The speed of all creatures within the area can’t be reduced, and any attacks of opportunity made against them are made with disadvantage.