College of Fathoms Below

On islands like Odetha, Bladespire Cove and Darfathom, the lilting melodies of a lad and his fiddle can be heard. The song he sings tells the tale of a revenant of the seas, a man left to drown by his crew to save their own skins. The verses weave a scrimshaw of this mans ghost stalking the seas to tear his former crewmates limb from limb. After the lads song finishes, many toss him a coin, but fail to notice the mists outside thicken and, for the briefest moment, the ghostly apparition of a drowned sailor watching them. The bard notices, however, and morbidly nods to the ghost for it is his path to tell the tales of beings like this man.

Summoning the tides, mists and legends of the depths, the College of Fathoms Below specialises in singing songs of heroes and heroines of the seas, to bolster friends and terrify allies. 

Guiding Tides

3rd-level College of Fathoms Below feature

You can call on the tides to assist you. You learn the shape water cantrip, which doesn’t count against the number of bard cantrips you know. For you, it has a range of 60 feet when you cast it.

Liars Dice

3rd-level College of Fathoms Below  feature

You're time on board ships has made you an expert in deception. When you make a deception check, you may add a d6 to your result a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Starting at 6th level, you may do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per short rest.

Songs of the Sea

3rd-level College of Fathoms Below feature

You play a song that tells of brave sailors, scallywags of the sea and harrowing tales of the depths. While you are holding your Arcane Focus, you can use a bonus action to expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and roll on the Songs of the Sea table using your Bardic Inspiration die to determine the song you play. You retain the song in mind until you bestow the song’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 songs effect. Once you do so, you can’t bestow the song’s effect again until you roll it again.

You can retain only one of these songs in mind at a time, and rolling on the Songs of the Sea table immediately ends the effect of the previous song. If the song requires a saving throw, the DC equals your spell save DC.

Spirit Tales

Bardic Insp. Die	Tale Told Through You
1	The Tale of Davey Jones. For the next minute, any time an enemy moves out of melee range of you they must make a Constitution saving throw or be restrained until the end of your next turn.
2	The Queen Annes Revenge. The target spews fire from the mouth in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking fire damage equal to four rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
3	Release the Kraken. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw or be restrained by a large watery tentacle until the end of your next turn, taking cold damage equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die.
4	Wolves of the Sea. The target can use their bonus action to make an extra attack against an enemy.
5	Keelhauled. For 1 minute, any time the target hits with a melee attack. they take slashing damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die.
6	The Drunken Boatswain. The target has disadvantage on their next melee or ranged attack.
7	The Poor Old Man. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
8	Hoist the Colours. The target must reroll their last melee or ranged attack roll. They must take the new roll.
9	The Wayward Woman. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed to use all their available movement speed to move towards the closest point of danger
10	The Misty Siren Song. A thick mist is summoned in a 30ft radius, centred on you. Allies inside the mist benefit from three-quarter cover.
11	Fathoms Below. The target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, they will take force damage equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die and are knocked prone. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes half as much damage and isn’t knocked prone.
12	The Daughter of the Sea. The target gains truesight for one minute.

Undertow

6th-level College of Fathoms Below feature

The oceans will move to work with you as you sing of their deeds. As an action you create a current of water that strikes at one creature of your choice that you can see within 15 feet of you dealing 1d8 of cold damage. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw, equal to you spell save DC, or be pulled up to 10 feet in a straight line toward you and then take another 1d8 cold damage.

You may use this action again after a long rest.

The Hempen Jig

14th-level College of Fathoms Below feature

You begin to weave a song about some pirates who met the gallows. As an action you make any creatures within 30ft of you must succeed a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or take psychic damage equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die plus your Charisma modifier and begin dancing in place for the duration. Creatures that can't be charmed are immune to this spell.

A dancing creature must use all its movement to dance without leaving its space and has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws and attack rolls. While the target is affected by this spell, other creatures have advantage on attack rolls against it. As an action, a dancing creature makes a Wisdom saving throw to regain control of itself. On a successful save, the spell ends. On a failed save, the dance continues and they take the damage again. You regain the ability to do this after a long rest.

THE HEMPEN JIG

Songs are written about the terror pirates face at the idea of meeting the gallows. The Hempen Jig refers to the jerking movements of those who met "a short drop and sudden stop." Some described the sight as so grizzly, many broke their contract with their ship and fled into the night, daring not face such a fate. Others talked of seeing pirates who met this end with bravery. There are even hushed tales of some who the gallows couldn't take. One thing is for sure...it's enough to make the hardiest weep in their bunks at night at the very idea of it happening to them.