College of Strings

Control the battlefield with the strings that bind the natural world. Master the ways of the puppeteer as you control not just the doll but also the hearts of the audience. Take fate into your own hands and choose your own destiny and become the puppet master of your own life. The strings of fate is yours to command to wield in enthralling and controlling the battlefield.

Master of Puppets

Gain a spectral puppet that can be used as a conduit for your bard spells. You choose how the spectral puppet looks. The spectral puppet can move independently of you and can be moved in exchange of your own movement on your turn. The puppet cannot be damaged and attacks goes through the puppet. The puppet can float up to 30 feet and returns to you when further it travels further than 50 feet from you. The spectral puppet cannot travel through object but can move through creatures as it doesn't take up space. The puppet disappears if dispel magic is casted or if an anti magic field is placed on it. It can be brought back using an action but it will return back to you and not its previous location. You can cast bard spells with the puppet as if you were in the puppet's space, but you must use your own senses for the spell.

Gain additional spells when you reach certain levels in this subclass. These spells do not count for the number of spells known, but do count as bard spells for you. These spells manifest as extensions of the doll and cannot be casted if the doll is dispelled or is missing.

Puppet Spells
Bard Level	Spells
Cantrip	Mind Sliver
3rd	Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon
5th	Spirit Guardians
7th	Polymorph
9th	Bigby's Hand

 

Using an action, you can also link yourself mentally to the doll's senses and see and hear what the puppet can. It has darkvision up to 30 feet. The doll cannot speak but is able to act out gestures. You link yourself to the puppet a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier.

Strings of Fate

At the end of a long or short rest, you can exchange uses of your bardic inspiration to roll a d20.  As a reaction, this roll can be used in exchange of any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these rolls. You can choose to replace the roll after the roll is made but before knowing the outcome.

Enchanting Puppetry

As an action, you can cause the puppet to start performing. Choose a number of creatures up to your charisma bonus (which can include yourself) that is within a range of 10 feet of the puppet, and choose one of the following effects

Comedy: The effected creatures gain a bonus to attack rolls and saving throws equal to your charisma bonus. The effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

Tragedy: The effected creatures must succeed on a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a fail, the effected creature is paralyzed. On a success, the effected creature has their movement speed halved. The effect lasts until the end of your next turn or if the creature takes damage.

This ability can be used a 2 times per short rest which improves to be 3 times per short rest at level 12.

 

Threads of Life

Your control over the strings of life has grown so powerful that your puppet has gained its own sentience. When casting concentration spells, you can delegate the concentration to your puppet instead, allowing you to concentrate on other spells. The puppet cannot lose concentration unless you command it to stop using a bonus action. The puppet also cannot be dispelled using dispel magic nor an anti magic field as it gains its own soul. The puppet can communicate telepathically to one creature at a time that can speak at least one language.

When using Strings of Fate, you may add or subtract one roll of your bardic inspiration die when determining the total for the d20. You may forego rolling the d20 and take a total of 10 + bardic inspiration.