College of Echoes

Within the bustling halls of bardic academia, there exists a rare and enigmatic enclave known as the College of Echoes. Here, aspiring bards delve deep into the mysteries of sound, honing their craft to manipulate the very essence of resonance itself.

At the heart of their teachings lies the art of creating echoes - ethereal duplicates that mirror their every gesture and intonation. These echoes are not mere illusions but manifestations of the bard's connection to the primal forces of sound. Through intricate harmonies and precise control, members of this college can summon forth a chorus of echoes, each imbued with a fragment of their own essence.

The bards of the College of Echoes are adept at using these echoes to their advantage, whether in the heat of battle or during moments of quiet reflection. In combat, they weave intricate patterns of sound, sending waves of reverberations crashing into their foes. Their echoes serve as both allies and decoys, confounding enemies with their unpredictable movements and uncanny mimicry.

Outside of combat, these bards unravel the secrets of the past by listening to the echoes of history itself. Through whispered melodies and haunting refrains, they can commune with the spirits of the past, gaining insights that elude even the most learned scholars.

But perhaps most awe-inspiring of all is the way in which members of this college elevate their performances to transcendent heights. With their mastery of resonance, they can infuse their music with raw emotion, stirring the hearts of all who hear it. Whether captivating a crowd with a soaring aria or soothing the weary with a haunting melody, the bards of the College of Echoes leave an indelible mark on the world with their symphony of magic and music.

Additional Spell List

You learn additional spells as you gain levels in this class, as per the table below.

College of Echoes Spells

Bard Level	Spells
3rd	Enthrall, Shatter
5th	Speak with Dead, Tongues
7th	Compulsion, Locate Creature
9th	Creation, Legend Lore

Spell Manipulation

Starting when you choose this college at third level, you can create different effects with your bard spells. When you cast a spell that is a bard spell for you and has a verbal component, you may choose one of the following effects to apply to the spell. You cannot use more than one effect on a single spell.

• Echoed Spell. When you cast this spell, you can target one additional creature than normal.
• Reverberating Spell. When you cast this spell, the duration is twice what it normally is. This feature cannot extend the duration by more than an hour.
• Reflected Spell. When you cast this spell, the range is twice what it normally is. This does not change the Area of Effect size.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain expended uses after a long rest.

Echoes of Self

As a bonus action you can expend a use of bardic inspiration to create two copies of yourself, which look and act like you. These copies remain within 15 feet of you for their duration. These copies persist for three rounds, though they may become ineffective sooner (see below). While these copies exist, you gain the following benefits.

• Creatures attacking you have disadvantage unless they succeed on a Wisdom (Perception) check with a DC equal to 10 + your spellcasting modifier.
• If you grant a bardic inspiration die to a creature while these echoes exist, the creature can automatically take the maximum number possible on the die. It does not matter when they expend the die, just that you grant it to them while the echoes are active.
• Once per turn when you make an attack, you can gain advantage on the attack roll, as the echoes attack simultaneously, confusing the enemy as it tries to dodge.

The amount of echoes created increases when you reach certain levels in this class, and you gain additional bonuses.

• At 5th level you summon three echoes, and you get a +2 bonus to damage rolls while the echoes are summoned.
• At 10th level you summon four echoes, and you gain resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while the echoes are summoned.
• At 15th level you summon five echoes, and you can target twice the normal amounts of creatures with your spell attacks (this effect does not stack with Spell Manipulation's Echoed Spell effect).

 

Rhythms of the Past

When you use this feature, you must specify a type of event, such as a murder, a clandestine meeting, a battle, a celebration, or a tragedy, though you are not limited to only these options. You detect any such event that has happened in the past 10 years within 300 feet of you. You can choose up to one event you detected and view it in its entirety as though you bore witness to it when it happened. The duration of the event and what you see are determined by the DM.

You can use this feature once between long rests.

Master of Echoes

While your echoes are summoned, you can use an action to turn one of them into a somewhat real creature. When you do this, you cast the Simulacrum spell on yourself with the following modifications:

• You do not require material components to cast the spell. When the creature is destroyed it evaporates into mist, rather than snow or ice.
• You can cast the spell as an action, rather than the standard 12 hours.
• Your simulacrum forms with any non-magical items in your possession, but these items evaporate if they leave the possession of the Simulacrum.

You can use this feature once every ten days, and cannot cast the spell using a spell slot unless you learn it through other means.