College of Storytelling

Once upon a time, there were a group of bards travelling the lands to collect it's tales add them to their repetoire. Stories of the past are powerful; they hold lessons of history, philosophy, and magic. Bards of the College of Storytelling are connected to a mystical memory of all kinds of stories. The stories are like living beings, only choosing to reveal themselves when they feel needed.

Note: this is a rework of the College of Spirits UA of 2020, which removes all the spiritual stuff and focuses entirely on the storytelling aspect.

Words of Hope

Your tales inspire people to persevere. At 3rd level you learn the Resistance cantrip, which doesn’t count against the number of bard cantrips you know. For you, it has a range of 30 feet and you can cast it as a bonus action.

Storytelling Device

To make your stories more believable, you bring object to set the ambiance. You can use the following objects as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells: a candle, a crystal ball, a book of pictures, a travelers stick or a puppet.

Additionally you gain profiency with the history skill and calligrapher's supplies, doubling their proficiency bonus if you already have them.

Like Tales of Old

Some stories hold a grain of truth, which can be re-enacted. When holding your musical instrument or storytelling device, you can use a bonus action to expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and roll on the Story Tales table using your Bardic Inspiration die to determine the tale told. You retain the tale in mind until you bestow the tale’s effect or you finish a short or long rest. You can use an action to   choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you (this can be you) to be the target of the tale’s effect. Once you do so, you can’t bestow the tale’s effect again until you roll it again. You can retain only one of these tales in mind at a time, and rolling on the Story Tales table immediately ends the effect of the previous tale. If the tale requires a saving throw, the DC equals your spell save DC.

1. Beast. You recite the tale of a clever animal. For 1 minute, the target has advantage on Wisdom (Perception)checks and advantage on attack rolls against a creature if another enemy is within 5 feet of it, and that enemy isn’t incapacitated.
    
2. Warrior. You recount the story of a renowned duelist. Make a melee spell attack against the target as an attacking spectral warrior briefly appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target before vanishing. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die + your Charisma modifier.
    
3. Friends. You recite the tale of friends who found each other in the afterlife. The target and another creature of its choice it can see within 5 feet of it regains hit points equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die + your Charisma modifier.
    
4. Runaway. You tell the tale of an adventurer that could escape any confinement. The target can immediately use its reaction to teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. When the target teleports, it can choose a number of creatures it can see within 30 feet of it up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) to immediately use the same reaction.
    
5. Avenger. You recount the tale of an avenging knight. For 1 minute, whenever a creature the target can see within 30 feet of it is damaged by a creature, the target can use its reaction to deal force damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die to the attacker.
    
6. Hero. You speak the tale of an epic hero. Choose a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target gains temporary hit points equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die + your bard level. While it has these temporary hit points, the target’s walking speed increases by 10 feet.
    
7. Fey. You recount the tale of a mischievous fey. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by you until the end of its next turn. The charmed target must use its action to make a melee attack against a creature other than itself that you mentally choose. The target can act normally on its turn if you choose no other creature.
    
8. Dark Spirit. You speak a dreadful tale of a slayer in the dark. The target becomes invisible until the end of its next turn or until it hits a creature with an attack. If it hits a creature with an attack during this invisibility, that creature takes necrotic damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die and is frightened of the target until the end of its next turn.
    
9. Giant. You speak of the deeds of a mighty giant. Each creature of the target’s choice it can see within 30 feet of it must make a Strength saving throw, taking force damage equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die on a failed save and is knocked prone. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes half as much damage and isn’t knocked prone.
    
10. Dragon. You breathe a poem of a wrathful dragon. The target magically spews fire from their mouth in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking fire damage equal to three rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
     
11. Celestial. You speak of the exalted deeds of a celestial. The target regains hit points equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die + your bard level, and you end one disease or a condition from the following list affecting the target: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, petrified, or poisoned.
     
12. Unknown. You utter an incomprehensible fable from a being beyond the stars. Choose a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take psychic damage equal to three rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die, and the target is unable to speak any language for 1 minute.

Campfire Stories

Chronicler

Your impressive memory knows a few stories by heart. Whenever you use your Like Tales of Old feature at 14th level, you can roll a d6 and use it instead of expending a Bardic Inspiration die. You still use your Bardic Inspiration die for the tale’s effect, without expending it.