College of Swords Revised

Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock combats. Though they use their weapons to entertain, they are also highly trained and skilled warriors in their own right.

Their talent with weapons inspires many blades to lead double lives. One blade might use a circus troupe as cover for nefarious deeds such as assassination, robbery, and blackmail. Other blades strike at the wicked, bringing justice to bear against the cruel and powerful. Most troupes are happy to accept a blade’s talent for the excitement it adds to a performance, but few entertainers fully trust a blade in their ranks.

Blades who abandon their lives as entertainers have often run into trouble that makes maintaining their secret activities impossible. A blade caught stealing or engaging in vigilante justice is too great a liability for most troupes. With their weapon skills and magic, these blades either take up work as enforcers for thieves’ guilds or strike out on their own as adventurers.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Swords at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and the scimitar.

If you’re proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Fighting Style

At 3rd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

• Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

• Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

 

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Blade Flourish

At 3rd level, you learn to conduct impressive displays of martial prowess and speed and gain a number of flourish dice(d6) equal to your charisma modifier + 2 that are regained every long rest. 

Whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the turn, and you can use one of the following Blade Flourish options of your choice. 

Defensive Flourish. You expend one use of your Flourish Dice. You may add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn. You also deal extra damage equivalent to the number you roll on the bardic inspiration die

Slashing Flourish. You can expend one use of your Flourish Dice to expand the range of your weapon for the duration of one melee attack. The additional range equals the number you roll on the Flourish die multiplied by five. Ex:3(Flourish dice roll) x 5= 15ft. 

Mobile Flourish. You can expend one use of your Flourish dice to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Flourish die multiplied by a increasing digit every 4 levels. For example if you were level 8 and rolled a 5, you would deal 15 extra damage and if you were level 4 and rolled a 2 you would deal 4 extra damage. You can also push the target up to 10 feet away from you, plus a number of feet equal to the number you roll on that die. You can then immediately use your reaction to move up to your half your walking speed to an unoccupied space.

Exposing Flourish. You can expend one use of your Flourish Dice and strike in a way that makes the enemy vulnerable. The creature that you hit will have its AC reduced by the number that you rolled from the Flourish die for one turn.

Inspiring Flourish. You inspire all allies that saw your attack which gives them a d4 Bardic Inspiration die that they can add the number rolled to any roll. The die lasts until the end of combat. Additionally, you deal extra damage to the enemy you hit. The extra damage is half the number you rolled on Flourish die multiplied by the number of allies who saw the attack.

Crippling Flourish. You can expend one use of your Flourish Dice to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. he damage equals the number you roll on the Flourish die multiplied by a increasing digit every 4 levels. For example if you were level 8 and rolled a 5, you would deal 15 extra damage and if you were level 4 and rolled a 2 you would deal 4 extra damage. Additionally, the enemy has their movement speed reduced until the end of their turn by the number you rolled on the Flourish die multiplied by 5. For example, 3(number rolled on Flourish dice) x 5=15ft of movement speed reduction. 

Crippling Flourish

You can expend one use of your Flourish Dice to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. he damage equals the number you roll on the Flourish die multiplied by a increasing digit every 4 levels. For example if you were level 8 and rolled a 5, you would deal 15 extra damage and if you were level 4 and rolled a 2 you would deal 4 extra damage. Additionally, the enemy has their movement speed reduced until the end of their turn by the number you rolled on the Flourish die multiplied by 5. For example, 3(number rolled on Flourish dice) x 5=15ft of movement speed reduction.

Defensive Flourish

You expend one use of your Flourish Dice. You may add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn. You also deal extra damage equivalent to the number you roll on the bardic inspiration die

Exposing Flourish

You can expend one use of your Flourish Dice and strike in a way that makes the enemy vulnerable. The creature that you hit will have its AC reduced by the number that you rolled from the Flourish die for one turn.

Inspiring Flourish

You inspire all allies that saw your attack which gives them a d4 Bardic Inspiration die that they can add the number rolled to any roll. The die lasts until the end of combat. Additionally, you deal extra damage to the enemy you hit. The extra damage is half the number you rolled on Flourish die multiplied by the number of allies who saw the attack.

Mobile Flourish

You can expend one use of your Flourish dice to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Flourish die multiplied by a increasing digit every 4 levels. For example if you were level 8 and rolled a 5, you would deal 15 extra damage and if you were level 4 and rolled a 2 you would deal 4 extra damage. You can also push the target up to 10 feet away from you, plus a number of feet equal to the number you roll on that die. You can then immediately use your reaction to move up to your half your walking speed to an unoccupied space.

Slashing Flourish

You can expend one use of your Flourish Dice to expand the range of your weapon for the duration of one melee attack. The additional range equals the number you roll on the Flourish die multiplied by five. Ex:3(Flourish dice roll) x 5= 15ft.

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

 

Master's Flourish

Starting at 14th level, whenever you use a Blade Flourish option, you no longer need to use Flourish dice