College of Storytelling

Before the world was real, it was a story. That story was spoken into being with the Words of Creation, an act of primordial creativity that most Bards believe ended thousands of years ago. The College of Storytelling has a very different take: they see all the multiverse as an ongoing Great Game of chance, and every person in it as a player. By combining the rolling of dice with campfire stories, Bards of this College create their own Great Games where each of their traveling companions has a role to play, and a chance of critical failure or success.

Level 3: Theater of the Mind

You gain a Dice Set and another Gaming Set of your choice, and you have proficiency with them. You can use any Gaming Set as a Spellcasting Focus for your Bard spells.

You know the Minor Illusion cantrip or learn a different Bard cantrip if you already know it, and Minor Illusion doesn't count against your number of cantrips known. You always have the Silent Image and Phantasmal Force spells prepared.

When you cast Silent Image, Phantasmal Force or Major Image, you may grant Bardic Inspiration to any number of creatures that perceive the illusion. You must expend one use of Bardic Inspiration for each creature inspired in this way. Those creatures perceive your illusion as fake, as if they had succeeded on a Study action to see through it.

Level 3: Foreshadowing

The stories your dice tell are not always true, but they have a curious way of becoming real. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, roll three d20s and record the numbers rolled. Whenever a creature adds your Bardic Inspiration die to a failed D20 Test, they may also replace that d20's result with one of these foretelling rolls. If they still fail the D20 Test, they gain Heroic Inspiration.

Each foretelling roll can be used only once. When you finish a Long Rest, you lose any unused foretelling rolls.

Level 6: Non-Player Characters

You always have the Major Image spell prepared.

As a Bonus Action, you may force every creature that is within the area of effect of your Minor Illusion, Silent Image, and Major Image spells to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC. Creatures that fail this save take Psychic damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Die, which they perceive as a damage type appropriate to the illusion. Creatures that have seen through their illusion with a Study action automatically succeed on this saving throw.

Level 14: Plot Twist

Whenever you make a D20 Test, you may replace the result with one of your foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so after seeing the roll's result. If this turns a successful D20 Test into a failure, then you regain one expended use of Bardic Inspiration. You can replace a roll in this way only once per turn.