College of the puppeteer

“It's impossible to cut the puppet master's strings when you don't even know that you're the puppet” is the dogma of this unusual and somewhat controversial college, many of these bards simply go on with their lives telling stories using their mastery of magic and puppets to tell fantastical stories, others get invited to join in military operations and campaigns for their abilities to control the battlefield. But some of the more disturbing stories suggest that empires and organisations use these bards to manipulate and control everyone from forcing an innocent to confess for a crime or manipulating a political rival. So next time you feel a little odd or do something you normally wouldn’t check for the strings coming from your limbs and the whispers in your ear.

Puppets of the shadow

At 3 level your training at this unusual college starts to show its effect when you slay a humanoid, beast or monstrous being,  you can cause its spirit to rise from its corpse as a spectre (max amount of summoned spectres is equal to your CHA modifier, with a minimum of 1), the statistics for which are in the Monster Manual. When the spectre appears, it gains temporary hit points equal to half your hit points+ your AC. The initiative is one under yours for the specter which has its own turns. It obeys your verbal commands only if a friendly PC attempts to give the spectre a command roll a charisma saving throw (DC 10) on a failed saving throw the shadow will attack PC. The spectre remains in your service until the end of your next long rest.

Strings of the Marionette

At 6 level, you and your puppets work in unison to complete any tasks, on your action you can command up to two of your puppets, until the start of your next turn, hinder the attacks of a target if they attack the puppet, the target has disadvantage on any attack roll that isn't against you. The puppet may attempt to possess an enemy, the enemy must make a Constitution saving throw (DC= 10+your charisma modifier+ Constitution modifier). At 8th level creatures who die under your control while being possessed shrink and change into a new puppet, you may hold up to 5 created puppets. At 10th and 15 you can create an additional 2 puppets. While using your puppets the spells puppet, unearthly chorus or hypnotic pattern with this ability, you give disadvantage on the chosen targets.

Stories of the Bunraku

At 14 level, the stories you and your puppets weave have become so epic that your puppets don’t need your magic to act, they don’t need strings to move, and they certainly don’t need a reason to fight. Choose two of your puppets to grow and become living versions of what they represent. These puppets transform into an average example of that creature, one without any class levels or the Spellcasting trait unless it is a puppet created using Strings of the Marionette. You can't use any legendary actions or lair actions of the new form. They assume the hit points and Hit Dice of the new form. If they revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to you.  At 17 level you may choose up to 5 puppets however, you may not use any spells or cantrips while your puppets are awake, however, you can still attack.