College of the Masses Bard

College of the Masses Bard

College of the Masses bards feed off the energy of crowds. Using the power of their performance these bards gain energy and manipulate the weak willed. They are masters of the public sphere, and often appear as public or religious reformers, instead of the entertainers and charlatans, they are.

Level 3:

The College of the Masses Bards work their powers through performance for crowds, this can be in a tavern, street corner, or court, anywhere an audience can be found, but there is no minimum or maximum crowd size. The bard starts with a 10-minute performance of any kind, speech, song, puppet show, etc.

Cult of Personality
By performing for 10 minutes, the bard can gain Personality Points (PP). The bard rolls a performance check for each viewer. For every successful roll the bard gains a PP. They can have a maximum of 1 PP per bard level.
Personality Points can be used to increase ability scores or as temporary hit points (tHP). After each long rest the bard may assign PP. An ability score may be raised by 1 point for each 2 PP, to a maximum ability score of 18. PP can also be used as temporary hit points, 1 PP=4 tHP. PP assigned as temporary hit points are permanently lost on injury, but the PP can be regained by a future performance.

Enthralling Personality
The bard can gain followers (Thralls) by enthralling charm. After a 10-minute performance, the bard may choose a member or members of the crowd to enthrall. The bard must engage with each subject for 1 minute and make a performance check against the target’s wisdom or intelligence save, whichever is higher, on a success the target is enthralled and will follow the bard. The Thrall will do as the bard orders and will fight to defend the bard. In combat the Thrall will defend the bard, acts on the bard’s turn, and Thralls can be given orders as a bonus action. Otherwise, the Thrall acts as appropriate to their NPC type.
Thralls must be humanoid. The bard may have no more Thralls and total Thrall HD (Hit Die) than shown in the Thrall table.
Each Thrall in the bard’s service contributes 1 PP per HD per long rest.
Thralls do not gain levels or abilities, but can use weapons, armor, or items the bard provides, if they have the ability to do so. A Thrall may be released or replaced by a subsequent performance.

Level 6:

 

Know Your Audience
The bard gains a sense of the crowd. After a 10-minute performance, the bard can sense the class, HD, and social status of any audience member who they gained PP from. If a bard then attempts to enthrall an audience member, any perception checks about that member are made with advantage.

The bard gains rapport with their Thralls. They have a telepathic connection to them with a range of 1 mile. They may sense through a Thrall and control their actions. The bard can cast spells through the Thrall.

Once per long rest, the bard may use a bonus action to siphon 1 HD from a Thrall in their service (1 siphon per Thrall per bonus action per long rest). The bard may use this HD to gain 1 of the Thrall’s HD worth of tHP or regain a level 1 spell slot. The bard cannot have tHP from more than 1 Thrall at a time, if they use this feature again while they have tHP, the previous tHP are lost. The Thrall loses 1 HD worth of HP (Hit Points) but regains those HP after a long rest. If the Thrall has 1 HD or less worth of HP the Thrall dies.

The maximum ability score, by modification using PP, is increased to 20.

Level 14:

Crowd Control
The Bard learns the spell Mass Suggestion. If they already know the spell they may replace it with another sixth level spell.
Once per long rest, after a 10-minute performance, the Bard can cast Mass Suggestion without using a spell slot. When cast in this way the spell is modified to have a duration of 4 hours and a maximum of 72 creatures, the creatures targeted subtract the bard’s charisma modifier when making their savings throws. The number of creatures increases by 6 for each level beyond 14.

The bard may assign PP to a Thrall as temporary HP. 2 PP=1 HD of temp HP. PP lost by Thrall injury or death can be regained by performance.

The maximum ability score, by modification using PP, is increased to 22.

Thrall Table

Bard Level	# of Thralls	Total HD of Thralls
3	1	3
4	1	4
5	1	5
6	1	6
7	2	6
8	2	7
9	2	8
10	2	9
11	3	9
12	3	10
13	3	11
14	3	12
15	4	12
16	4	13
17	4	14
18	4	15
19	5	15
20	5	16

Cult of Personality

Cult of Personality
By performing for 10 minutes, the bard can gain Personality Points (PP). The bard rolls a performance check for each viewer. For every successful roll the bard gains a PP. They can have a maximum of 1 PP per bard level.
Personality Points can be used to increase ability scores or as temporary hit points (tHP). After each long rest the bard may assign PP. An ability score may be raised by 1 point for each 2 PP, to a maximum ability score of 18. PP can also be used as temporary hit points, 1 PP=4 tHP. PP assigned as temporary hit points are permanently lost on injury, but the PP can be regained by a future performance

Enthralling Personality

The bard can gain followers (Thralls) by enthralling charm. After a 10-minute performance, the bard may choose a member or members of the crowd to enthrall. The bard must engage with each subject for 1 minute and make a performance check against the target’s wisdom or intelligence save, whichever is higher, on a success the target is enthralled and will follow the bard. The Thrall will do as the bard orders and will fight to defend the bard. In combat the Thrall will defend the bard, acts on the bard’s turn, and Thralls can be given orders as a bonus action. Otherwise, the Thrall acts as appropriate to their NPC type.
Thralls must be humanoid. The bard may have no more Thralls and total Thrall HD (Hit Die) than shown in the Thrall table.
Each Thrall in the bard’s service contributes 1 PP per HD per long rest.
Thralls do not gain levels or abilities, but can use weapons, armor, or items the bard provides, if they have the ability to do so. A Thrall may be released or replaced by a subsequent performance.

Thrall Table

Bard Level	# of Thralls	Total HD of Thralls
3	1	3
4	1	4
5	1	5
6	1	6
7	2	6
8	2	7
9	2	8
10	2	9
11	3	9
12	3	10
13	3	11
14	3	12
15	4	12
16	4	13
17	4	14
18	4	15
19	5	15
20	5	16

Know Your Audience

The bard gains a sense of the crowd. After a 10-minute performance, the bard can sense the class, HD, and social status of any audience member who they gained PP from. If a bard then attempts to enthrall an audience member, any perception checks about that member are made with advantage.

Know Your Audience

The bard gains rapport with their Thralls. They have a telepathic connection to them with a range of 1 mile. They may sense through a Thrall and control their actions. The bard can cast spells through the Thrall.

Know Your Audience

Once per long rest, the bard may use a bonus action to siphon 1 HD from a Thrall in their service (1 siphon per Thrall per bonus action per long rest). The bard may use this HD to gain 1 of the Thrall’s HD worth of tHP or regain a level 1 spell slot. The bard cannot have tHP from more than 1 Thrall at a time, if they use this feature again while they have tHP, the previous tHP are lost. The Thrall loses 1 HD worth of HP (Hit Points) but regains those HP after a long rest. If the Thrall has 1 HD or less worth of HP the Thrall dies.

Crowd Control

The Bard learns the spell Mass Suggestion. If they already know the spell they may replace it with another sixth level spell.

Crowd Control

Once per long rest, after a 10-minute performance, the Bard can cast Mass Suggestion without using a spell slot. When cast in this way the spell is modified to have a duration of 4 hours and a maximum of 72 creatures, the creatures targeted subtract the bard’s charisma modifier when making their savings throws. The number of creatures increases by 6 for each level beyond 14.