College of the Road (Humblewood 2024)

College of the Road
Not an officially recognized college, the College of the Road represents the personal and eclectic sets of skills, knowledge, and techniques a wandering bard picks up along their journey. As inveterate jacks-of-all-trades, bards possess a variety of aptitudes in combat, magecraft, and general know-how, making them particularly well suited to learning a variety of different skills. It often happens that while traveling, a bard winds up sharing their campfire with a motley assortment of wandering adventurers who may impart valuable lessons in exchange for a lively song or a well-told tale. Compared to students of other Bard Colleges, a special kind of sensibility is important for the College of the Road. How effectively a bard of this College can apply what they have learned depends on their understanding and insight. The College of the Road is sometimes a harsh teacher, but bards who follow this path often find themselves rewarded with a diverse array of useful tricks and tactics. Those who underestimate a bard from the College of the Road soon find that these “graduates” are full of surprises.

Level 3: Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of the Road at 3rd level, you gain a few useful proficiencies picked up from your time on the road. Choose three of the following options (each option can only be selected once):

• You gain proficiency with a Gaming Set of your choice
• You gain proficiency with a martial weapon of your choice
• You gain proficiency with Herbalism Kits
• You gain proficiency with Thieves' Tools
• You gain proficiency with a skill of your choice
• You learn two languages of your choice

Option one

College of the Road–Level 3–Bonus Proficiency

Option two

College of the Road–Level 3–Bonus Proficiency

Level 3: Wanderer's Lore

At 3rd level, you can share any useful tidbits of information you have come across in your travels to help others to see problems from a new angle. When a creature has a Bardic Inspiration die granted by you, they may make a single Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion check with advantage. The creature may choose whether or not to add the Bardic Inspiration die to this roll.

Level 3: Traveler's Tricks

Traveler's Tricks. At 3rd level you already have several memorable experiences from your life on the road. You learn two Traveler’s Tricks of your choice (see Traveler’s Trick Options). These Traveler’s Tricks represent skills, techniques, and useful pieces of knowledge picked up along the way.

Each one requires you to expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration, and takes a bonus action to use unless otherwise specified.

At 6th level and at 14th level you learn an additional Traveler’s Trick.

The Traveler’s Trick feature lets you choose options for it at certain levels. The options are presented here in alphabetical order. Each one is associated with a different class, and those marked with an asterisk (*) are magical effects. Unlike traditional bard abilities which rely on skill or panache to be properly executed, the greatest asset for picking up tricks along the road is common sense and an openness to learning new ideas. Wisdom affects how powerful your traveler’s tricks are, as well as how hard they are to counter. If an option requires a saving throw, your Traveler’s Trick save DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.

Armed Combat Lessons

When you select this option, choose from the following Fighting Styles:

• Archery:  You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
• 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.
• Great Weapon Fighting:  When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
• Two-Weapon Fighting:  When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier.

When you make a weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration, adding your Bardic Inspiration die to the attack or damage roll. When you do this, you gain the benefits of your chosen Fighting Style for 10 minutes.

At 6th level, you learn how to use your stance to chain your attacks together in deadly combination: Once, while your Fighting Style is active, you may attack twice, instead of once, when taking the Attack action on your turn. 
At 14th level you have learned to shore up any weaknesses in your stance: You gain +1 to your AC for the effect’s duration.

Boxing Lessons

When you take the attack action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to quickly execute two unarmed strikes against one or more creatures you could target. You may use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of these unarmed strikes. The damage die used for these unarmed strikes is the same as your Bardic Inspiration die.

At 6th level, you have finally mastered the “weave” portion of your technique: You do not provoke attacks of opportunity this turn.
At 14th level, your practice has paid off, granting you the use of a slightly ki-infused attack: When you hit with one of these attacks you may attempt a stunning strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + PB + WIS) or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Level 6: Lore Bard feature not updated

You learn two spells of your choice. These spells can come from the Cleric, Druid, or Wizard spell list or any combination thereof. A spell you choose must be a cantrip or a spell for which you have spell slots, as shown in the Bard Features table.

You always have the chosen spells prepared, and whenever you gain a Bard level, you can replace one of the spells with another spell that meets these requirements.

Level 14: Lore Bard feature not updated

When you make an ability check or attack roll and fail, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration; roll the Bardic Inspiration die, and add the number rolled to the d20, potentially turning a failure into a success. On a failure, the Bardic Inspiration isn’t expended.