College of Strings

 

The College of Strings is home to bards who are masters of puppetry. Bards of this college use marionette puppets to mimic, and made fun of others, and to delight and awe a crowd. More advanced bards of this college are masters who can distract entire crowds and control individuals though ethereal puppet strings!

The Collage of Strings is considered to be a myth by many. Those that are in the know speak of them in awe and reverence. They have no great hall or meeting place. Their craft has been secretly handed down for generations from Master to Student. Each Master only taking one student in their life time in order to preserve the art. With the power of their puppets, and the ability to control them with just their thoughts,  these bards are able to delight a crowd while simultaneously stealing their goods or ferreting out their secrets. Because of this, masters often count high lords and shadowy figures from the underworld amongst their acquaintances. 

Bonus Proficiancies

When you join the College of Strings at 3rd  level you gain proficiency in tinkers tools and woodcarvers tools. You also gain the ability to accurately mimic voices and sounds that you have already heard before.  

 

Stringless Marionette

When you join the College of Strings at 3rd level you gain the ability to create a Marionette doll, the materials and looks of the doll are your choice. Each marionette doll takes 24 hours to fully create. There is no limit to the amount a bard can create as long as they take the time to create each one.  This doll is considered a focus for bardic spells. This doll is controlled through invisible ethereal strings. As a bonus action, you can move the doll up to 30ft. When you do this, you can use this doll to extend the range or your senses or your bardic spells, but not both.

Through the doll you can hear, see, smell and talk. You may use one or more than one of your physical senses at a time. You cannot use your own senses while using this ability and can only sense through the doll. If you move the doll to a point you can physically see, you can use the doll to Cast your Bardic spells with it as the center, extending the range of your bardic spells. 

Enthralling Dance

 At 6th level, you gain the ability to set your marionette doll to enthrall and wow a crowd.  As an action, the doll starts to dance to the sounds of ethereal music. This lasts for 1 minute. While the dance is occurring, up to 10 creatures that you can see that can also see the doll have to make a wisdom saving throw at the bards DC. If they pass, there is no effect. If they fail, they are enthralled for the duration of the dance. During the next minute, at the beginning of its turn, the effected creature makes another wisdom saving throw to try to beat the effect. While enthralled, the creature is compelled to watch the doll and nothing else. During this state, any saving throws the creature makes are at disadvantage and any attack throws made against the creature are at advantage. If the creature wins a saving throw or if it takes damage, then the spell is broken for that creature. You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to the Bards charisma modifier. All uses reset after a long rest. 

Master of Puppets

 At 14th level, your mastery of the puppet arts extends to living creatures. As an action, you can move your ethereal strings to a creature you can see within 10 feet of you. That creature makes a Wisdom saving throw against the bards DC. On a success, nothing happens and the creature knows that an attempt was made to control it. On a failure, the creature is under your control for the next minute. While controlled, the creature becomes a living marionette and you are able to do the following:

Move the creature up to 30 feet from you.

You can see, hear, smell, eat and speak in its voice. (if it is capable)

Pickup and move things around, open doors etc.,

Do melee attacks either with its natural weapons, or with a weapon its holding (dagger, sword etc.)

Cast your own bardic spells. 

If the creature takes any damage while being controlled the spell is immediately broken. 

After one minute, your control over the creature ends. The creature must make a wisdom saving throw (Bard DC) If it fails, the creature will have no knowledge that it was being controlled. You can use this feature a number of times of day equal to the bards charisma modifier. All uses reset after a long rest.