College of Hard Knocks

Bards of the College of Hard Knocks hear the Words of Creation in a city's living stories: rumors traded in crowded markets, tales told across tavern tables, and legends shaped by generations of retelling. Through live storytelling, they weave these many voices into magic, drawing listeners into the tale and inspiring them to play their part.

For these bards, performance involves the whole body. A gesture directs attention, a pause builds anticipation, and a sudden movement delivers the punchline. Whether holding a crowd spellbound or trading blows in a tavern brawl, they use a storyteller's command of timing and expectation to create openings for themselves and their companions.

Level 3: Charismatic Presence

Your storyteller's craft shapes how you hold attention, anticipate reactions, and move through a crowd. While you aren't wearing armor or wielding a Shield, you gain the following benefits.

"Trust Me". You give each tale a voice, bringing its characters and turning points to life through expression, gesture, and carefully chosen pauses. You have Advantage on any Charisma (Performance) check you make that involves storytelling.

Reading the Room. You read a confrontation as you would an audience, watching where attention settles and when anticipation turns to action. A glance, a word, or a feint draws your foes' attention where you want it while you slip beyond their reach. Your base Armor Class equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Charisma modifiers.

Punchline. You set up each exchange like a story, guiding expectations before overturning them. A sudden strike steals a weapon, draws attention toward you, or leaves your foe swinging at the space you just occupied. You gain the Disarming Attack, Distracting Strike, and Evasive Footwork maneuvers described below. To use one of these maneuvers, expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration, using your Bardic Inspiration die in place of a superiority die. You can use only one maneuver per attack. If a maneuver requires a saving throw, its DC equals 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Charisma modifier.

Disarming Attack. You draw your foe into an expected exchange, then interrupt it with a strike that knocks an object from their grasp. When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to attempt to disarm the target. Add the Bardic Inspiration die roll to the attack's damage roll. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or drop one object of your choice that it's holding, with the object landing in its space.

Distracting Strike. Your strike becomes the center of attention, holding your foe's focus long enough for a companion to exploit the opening. When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to distract the target. Add the Bardic Inspiration die roll to the attack's damage roll. The next attack roll against the target by an attacker other than you has Advantage if the attack is made before the start of your next turn.

Evasive Footwork. When a foe lands a blow, you turn the interruption into a change of pace, using a feint and practiced timing to prepare your withdrawal and confound their next attack. When a creature hits you with an attack roll, you can take a Reaction and expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to take the Disengage action. You also roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn.

Bardic Damage. Your unarmed strikes carry the rhythm and precision of your performance, each blow delivered with the timing of a well-placed punchline. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack rolls of your [Tooltip Not Found]. When you deal damage with an Unarmed Strike, you can deal Bludgeoning damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die plus your Dexterity modifier, instead of the strike's normal damage. This roll doesn't expend the die.

Level 3: Punchline: Disarming Attack

You draw your foe into an expected exchange, then interrupt it with a strike that knocks an object from their grasp.

This maneuver is part of the Punchline benefit of Charismatic Presence and is available only while you aren't wearing armor or wielding a Shield.

When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to attempt to disarm the target. Add the Bardic Inspiration die roll to the attack's damage roll. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or drop one object of your choice that it's holding, with the object landing in its space.

The saving throw DC equals 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Charisma modifier. You can use only one maneuver per attack.

Resource tracking: Mark off one use of Bardic Inspiration manually each time you use this maneuver.

Level 3: Punchline: Distracting Strike

Your strike becomes the center of attention, holding your foe's focus long enough for a companion to exploit the opening.

This maneuver is part of the Punchline benefit of Charismatic Presence and is available only while you aren't wearing armor or wielding a Shield.

When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to distract the target. Add the Bardic Inspiration die roll to the attack's damage roll. The next attack roll against the target by an attacker other than you has Advantage if the attack is made before the start of your next turn.

You can use only one maneuver per attack.

Resource tracking: Mark off one use of Bardic Inspiration manually each time you use this maneuver.

Level 3: Punchline: Evasive Footwork

When a foe lands a blow, you turn the interruption into a change of pace, using a feint and practiced timing to prepare your withdrawal and confound their next attack.

This maneuver is part of the Punchline benefit of Charismatic Presence and is available only while you aren't wearing armor or wielding a Shield.

When a creature hits you with an attack roll, you can take a Reaction and expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to take the Disengage action. You also roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn.

Resource tracking: Mark off one use of Bardic Inspiration manually each time you use this maneuver.

AC adjustment: The character sheet does not apply this bonus automatically. Add the number rolled to your AC manually, and remove it at the start of your next turn.

Level 6: Misdirection

You draw an enemy's attention into a false turn in the tale, creating a moment for you and a companion to move before the enemy catches on.

When an enemy you can see ends its turn within 10 feet of you, you can take a Reaction and expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to move up to half your Speed. Then one ally of your choice within 30 feet of you can also move up to half their Speed using their Reaction.

None of this feature's movement provokes [Tooltip Not Found].

Level 6: Rallying Cry

As danger breaks, you cast your companions as the heroes of the unfolding story. Your rallying words sharpen their focus, inspiring them to recognize and exploit openings in their foes' defenses.

When you roll Initiative, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration if you don't have the Incapacitated condition. When you do so, roll your Bardic Inspiration die. Your critical hit range and that of each ally within 30 feet of you who can see or hear you expands by half the number rolled, rounded up, for the first round of combat.

For example, if you roll a 3 or 4, an attack that normally scores a critical hit on a 20 instead scores a critical hit on an 18-20.

Level 14: Uncanny Evasion

Your command of timing lets you recognize the moment before danger strikes. With a quick movement and a guiding cue, you lead nearby companions through the same narrow escape.

When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw and only half damage if you fail. If any creatures within 5 feet of you are making the same Dexterity saving throw, you can share this benefit with them for that save.

You can't use this feature if you have the Incapacitated condition.