College of the crypt (necromancer bard, improved)

In the nation of Karrnath, necromancy is not only a way of power, but a way of life. These bards have taken their art into the Silent Halls of the Undead and learned the sacred rhythms of life and death. With peerless mastery over the Animate Dead and Create Undead spells, these bards are invaluable support troops for any party with flexible morality. 

Death's Ballad

When you join the College of the Crypt at 3rd level, you learn the song that death sings to call every living creature to it. When you deal damage to a creature, you may use one of your Bardic Inspiration die to deal that much extra necrotic damage. Every three levels thereafter, you may expend an additional Bardic Inspiration die this way. 

Cryptsong

At 3rd level, you learn to use your art to command the undead. There are 2 options.

 

• Command Undead 
• Raise the Slain

 

Command Undead

By using a Bardic Inspiration die, you may force any single Undead to make a WIS saving throw against you spellcasting DC. If it fails, roll your Bardic Inspiration die. It must obey your simple commands for a number of rounds equal to your roll. You may use this ability multiple times on a single undead. When the undead leaves your control, it acts normally.

If the undead is currently under the mental control of another, add the controller's arcana to the undead's WIS saving throw roll. Should it still fail, the creature is under your control temporarily. Once your control over the creature ends, it goes back under its previous owner's control. 

If the undead passes its saving throw, it now directs all of its attacks towards you. 

Raise the Slain

If you contribute to a creature's early death at the hands of yourself or your allies, you may use a Bardic Inspiration die to animate a skeleton or a zombie from it's corpse. Roll the Bardic Inspiration die to determine how many hours pass before you need to reassert control over the undead. If you choose to relinquish control over the undead it immediately attacks the nearest living creature until it is destroyed.

You may control only one of these creatures at level 3. At level 6 and every three levels thereafter, you may control an additional undead with this ability. 

As a bonus action, you may direct the undead creature as if you had cast animate dead on it.

You may also grant this creature a Bardic Inspiration die as you could any other ally.

Beckon Forth

At 6th level, you can use your Bardic Inspiration to cast Animate Dead. 

Instead of needing to know Animate Dead, or use a spell slot for it, you may sacrifice a number of Bardic Inspiration dice to cast Animate Dead as if you had used a spell slot equal to the level of Bardic Inspiration dice you sacrifice with minimum of three. 

You must be able to cast spells equal to the spell slot you wish to imitate. For example, if you wish to sacrifice five Bardic Inspiration die to use this ability as a 5th level spell, then you must be able to cast 5th level spells. 

Cryptlord

At 14th level, your Beckon Forth ability has improved and may now imitate the Create Undead spell.