College of Dancing Reach

Bards of the College of Dancing Reach master the art of wielding polearms with a mesmerizing, flowing grace. Their performances blend martial prowess with intricate footwork, spinning glaives like an extension of their bodies. Whether dazzling crowds with choreographed duels or sweeping through foes in battle, these bards move with an elegance that belies their lethality.

Some Dancing Reach find work as arena performers or duelists in noble courts, while others embrace a nomadic lifestyle, protecting travelers or hunting monsters. Whatever their path, they leave a lasting impression, their glaives carving both legend and song.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of the Dancing Reach at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and polearms (glaives, halberds, and quarterstaffs).

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 fighting style suited to your performance in battle. Choose one of the following options:

Blind Fighting.

You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn’t behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see invisible creatures within that range, unless they successfully hide from you.

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. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Tunnel Fighter.

When you take the Attack action, you enter a defensive stance until the start of your next turn. While in this stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction.

Sweeping Flourish

At 3rd level, your mastery of polearms allows you to strike with sweeping elegance.

Whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, your speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the turn. Additionally, if you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack as part of this action, you can use one of the following Sweeping Reach Flourishes by expending a Bardic Inspiration die. You can use only one Flourish per turn.

• Whirling Flourish. You deal extra damage equal to the number rolled on your Bardic Inspiration die, and you can immediately make one melee weapon attack against a different creature within your reach.

• Reaping Flourish. You deal extra damage equal to the number rolled on your Bardic Inspiration die, and any creature of your choice within 5 feet of the target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier). On a failure, they take damage equal to the number rolled and you heal for that amount.

• Gale Flourish. You deal extra damage equal to the number rolled on your Bardic Inspiration die, and all creatures within 5 feet of the target must make a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failure, they are pushed 10 feet away from the target.

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 Sweeping Flourish option, you can roll a d6 and use it instead of expending a Bardic Inspiration die.