The College of Swords teaches that blade mastery can be an art in itself and can be used to awe and entertain. These bards are often simply referred to as "Blades". They perform martial stunts like cutting an apple in half in mid air, or mock combats in addition to more classic bard activities such as sword swallowing and juggling. However, beyond their careers as entertainers Blades are skilled warriors and frequently hire themselves out as mercenaries, assassins or adventuring heroes when not performing. They are typically well respected among other entertainers for their ability to protect their fellow entertainers and the control they can impose on rowdy audiences.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Swords at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and a one-handed melee weapon of your choice.

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

You gain one Fighting Style feat of your choice.

(Currently cannot be implemented in HB builder, please add this feat manually to your character sheet).

Blade Flourishes

At 3rd level, you learn to perform impressive displays of martial prowess and speed. While you are not wearing Heavy Armour nor using a Shield, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to use one of the abilities below when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack as part of the Attack action. You can only use one flourish per turn.:

Defensive Flourish you gain a bonus to your armour class equal to your Charisma modifier until the start of your next turn.

Agile Flourish you deal additional damage equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die,  your movement speed increases by 15 ft and you do not provoke Attacks of Opportunity until the end of your turn.

Sweeping Flourish you deal additional damage equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die to the target and to each creature of your choice within reach of your weapon. Each creature that takes damage from ability is also pushed 5ft away from you.

Extra Attack

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

In addition, you can cast one of your cantrips that has a casting time of an action in place of one of those attacks.

Advanced Flourishes

When you reach 14th level, you gain the following Blade Flourish options:

Crippling Flourish you deal additional damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die and the target's movement speed is reduced to 0 until the start of your next turn, and it must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spellcasting DC or fall prone.

Arcane Flourish you magically transform your weapons into pure energy. You deal additional damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die and all damage you deal with your weapons until the end of your turn is your choice of : fire, cold, lightning, acid, force, radiant, necrotic, or psychic.

Banishing Flourish you deal additional damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die and the target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spellcasting DC or be banished to a harmless demiplane until the start of your next turn. It reappears in the location it vanished from or the closest unoccupied space.