College of Acrimony

As a bard from the College of Acrimony, their power comes from spotting and widening moments of weakness. With a quick word they can make a foe stumble, doubt themselves, enough to allow a bard or their ally to take advantage. They are experts of the interpersonal, seeing tensions between people in the duck and weave of conversation as well as the battlefield. With a sharp mind and a sharper tongue, these bards are dangerous adversaries and powerful allies.

Under Their Skin

3rd-Level College of Acrimony Feature

Your words are sharp and incisive, and you are an expert at cutting people down to size. When you make a Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Intimidation) check, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

Cutting Words

Also at third level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of bardic inspiration, rolling a bardic inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.

Saboteur's Curse

At 6th level, your ability to get beneath the enemy's skin is sharpened. As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or fall under your Saboteur's Curse. Whenever a creature affected by the Curse makes an attack roll or saving throw, they must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from the attack roll or saving throw. This effect lasts for one minute or until you use this feature again. A creature cannot become cursed if it cannot see or hear you, but a cursed creature cannot remove this condition by blinding or deafening itself. 

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Antagonize

At 14th level, your words become even more biting. Whenever you use your Cutting Words feature, the target has disadvantage on their next saving throw, as well as all attacks they make before the end of their next turn.

Additionally, when you cast a spell that deals psychic damage, you ignore resistance to damage of this type.