College of Brutality

The College of Brutality teaches its students how to use music to inspire fear into listeners and brutalize foes. Bards who study under this college take inspiration from the Nine Hells, where devils compose songs and melodies which sound discordant to some ears, and awesome to others. Students of Brutality are known for their bellowing songs, blood-pumping music, and battle cries, all of which shake their enemies’ resolve - and their bones.

Due to the College of Brutality’s roots, bards who study this style of music are often viewed with suspicion and fear. Outsiders may see these bards as worshipers of unholy powers, and entertainment troupes are wary of taking such performers into their folds. Much like the Colleges of Valor and Swords, though, the College of Brutality produces skilled warrior musicians, who prove their worth as much on stage as on the battlefield.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Brutality at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and martial weapons. If you’re proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Cry Havoc

At 3rd level, you can unleash a powerful scream that inspires allies and intimidates foes.

As an action, you can release this scream, choosing any number of creatures you can see and that can see and hear you within 30 feet of you. Any allies within range gain a bonus to attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier. Any hostile creatures of your choice within range must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or suffer a penalty to attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier. Both of these effects last until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest. You can use it 2 times before needing to rest at 10th level, and 3 times at 14th level. At 14th level, creatures that fail their saving throws against this feature by 5 or less become frightened of you until the end of your turn.

Heavy Metal

At 3rd level, you can infuse your weapon attacks magically to apply additional effects.

Whenever you take the Attack action and hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to produce one of the following effects:

Thrash. You deal an additional 1d8 thunder damage to the target, and it must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, it has disadvantage on attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
The damage from this feature increases to 2d8 at 14th level.

Doom. You deal an additional 1d8 psychic damage to the target, and it must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
The damage from this feature increases to 2d8 at 14th level.

Death. The target must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature is vulnerable to the next weapon attack against it until the end of your next turn.
At 14th level, the creature becomes vulnerable to any damage from the next weapon or spell attack against it.

A creature automatically succeeds on its saving throws if it cannot hear you.

Power Chord

Starting at 6th level, you can draw the magic produced by your music into your weapons. Whenever you cast a spell of 1st-level or higher, you can apply your next Heavy Metal effect without expending a use of Bardic Inspiration. You can forgo this benefit to give yourself an additional melee weapon attack on the Attack action instead.

This feature lasts for 1 minute, or until you use it again.

Harbinger of Hell

At 14th level, your appearance takes on a more fiendish form, though the changes have no bearing on your physical capabilities. You can develop spectral, bat-like wings, curved horns, a forked tongue, eyes lacking irises or even pupils, or any combination of such traits, and any other similar details. You can adopt or drop this appearance at any time (no action required), and have proficiency and advantage on Intimidation (Charisma) checks while adopting it.

In addition, as an action, you can intensify the details of this appearance for 1 minute, appearing more fearsome and gaining additional benefits:

-  Any creature that is frightened of you automatically fails its saving throws against your spells, as well as your Cry Havoc and Heavy Metal features (unless the creature has Legendary Resistance and expends one use).
-  You can add your Charisma modifier to your melee weapon attack rolls.
-  You can apply a Heavy Metal effect without expending a use of your Bardic Inspiration.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.