College of The Ravens: Ability to befriend Ravens or Crows, speak their Language, and something related to the viel between life and death, fate, etc. Things Ravens/Crows represent in mythology and folk lore, but especially in Norse and Celtic myth/folk lore.
College of The Tower: This is a college that is all about arcane magic.
College of Summer, Winter, and Gloaming Court: Fey colleges.
College of The True Name: This Bard knows the names of things, and that has power. Not a true namer, as such, becuase I've never liked how those work in dnd. The Bard can speak to and even befriend powerful beings, bind extraplanar beings, things like that.
College of The Ghostwalker: Shadow Assassin Bards. Not poisoners, but users of shadow magic, mystic rituals, general shadowy dealers in death.
College of The Final Gate: Anti-necromancer bards. Proficiency in Ability checks made as part of resolving spells, like Dispel Magic and Counterspell, and some ability to cause extra Concentration checks in enemy summoners, necromancers, etc, who are controlling any Fey, Fiend, Elemental, or Undead creature. Perhaps the ability to make such enemies take a small amount of damage whenever their controlled or summoned creature takes damage?
A better Swashbuckler's College than any of the current options. Valor and Swords just don't make good Swashbucklers, IMO.
UA's College of Glamour is basically the fey college you want, though not necessarily super specific with who you are aligned with, but that can be something figured out yourself or with the DM. Any more specific and I think it could cross too closely into the Warlock's Archfey Pact.
But I 100% agree with the want for an arcane magic focused college.
UA's College of Glamour is basically the fey college you want, though not necessarily super specific with who you are aligned with, but that can be something figured out yourself or with the DM. Any more specific and I think it could cross too closely into the Warlock's Archfey Pact.
But I 100% agree with the want for an arcane magic focused college.
I forgot all about the College of Glamour, actually. It really does a great job of being The Fey College. Also, of showing that the Bardic Inspiration mechanic needn't be a 1 person at a time buff. I'd love to see more uses like it.
I think something like the Apostle of Peace from the 3.5. Book of Exalted Deed could make for an interesting framework for a Bard College.
What about it, exactly, if you don't mind? I've never read that particular supplement. Is it similar in theme to the pacifist cleric and paladin stuff we've seen in UA?
The class was essentially a pacifist flavored heal/controller. Its prerequisite feats included an aura of calm emotions (normal save), and they got an unlimited calm emotions touch effect (no save, no SR). They also got their own spell list (3.5 did that for just about every prestige class) focused on healing and battlefield control via happy thoughts.
It was a challenging class, especially with an adversarial GM quick to call being part of any battle "violence" as an excuse to take your powers away, but it was really well flavored and a lot of fun to play.
I'd like to see a college of the trickster, so you can basically build a gremlin. I'm a fan of vicious mockery, THL, puppet (UA) things that just mess with people. Like THL is you laugh at them and the fall prone(if they fail wis) I'd like to see a college dedicating to suck mischief
The class was essentially a pacifist flavored heal/controller. Its prerequisite feats included an aura of calm emotions (normal save), and they got an unlimited calm emotions touch effect (no save, no SR). They also got their own spell list (3.5 did that for just about every prestige class) focused on healing and battlefield control via happy thoughts.
It was a challenging class, especially with an adversarial GM quick to call being part of any battle "violence" as an excuse to take your powers away, but it was really well flavored and a lot of fun to play.
I'd like to see a college of the trickster, so you can basically build a gremlin. I'm a fan of vicious mockery, THL, puppet (UA) things that just mess with people. Like THL is you laugh at them and the fall prone(if they fail wis) I'd like to see a college dedicating to suck mischief
I'd enjoy seeing that, too. I'd probably do a deep delve into fox legends, loki, coyote, Odin's more trickstery stories, Anansi, etc, and/or maybe creatures like Puca.
I think a bard who uses arcane songs instead of spells to enhance their power.
College of the Minstrel.
Example - Song of Dancing - All targets which can hear your song must make a Wisdom save. On a failed save, they are forced to spend all their movement to dance in place and have disadvantage on all attack rolls. Requires concentration, and constructs, oozes, and undead are immune.
Could work, but I kind of think the Bard needs a suite of spells that represent that anyway. Like Unearhtly Chorus from the Starter Spells Unearthed Arcana article.
But personally I prefer songs to actually spells themself. Like say, song of Sleep - causes your enemies to make a Wisdom save or fall asleep.
But that is literally just a reflavor of the sleep spell.
That isn't worth giving to a subclass as a feature. Maybe "you can spend a Bardic insp die to cast sleep without spending a spell slot of components, singing your targets to sleep". But, even then, why? What does it actually add to the class, when you can already use an instrument as a spellcasting focus to cast sleep?
I think something like the Apostle of Peace from the 3.5. Book of Exalted Deed could make for an interesting framework for a Bard College.
What about it, exactly, if you don't mind? I've never read that particular supplement. Is it similar in theme to the pacifist cleric and paladin stuff we've seen in UA?
There’s a pacifist cleric? What’s the domain called?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
Bards of this college have learned to attune to the primordial Echos of Creation that resonate throughout the world. They channel these mystical vibrations through their elaborate dances, mingling it with their magic. Bards of this college are often brimming with energy, and always moving due to sensitivity to these energies. Mastery of this art creates an almost hypnotic effect, where the bard appears as nothing more than a blur of color and laughter as they dance among their peers. At higher levels, the Bard will seems to blink in and out of existence, their dance sending them through the Ethereal Plane, untethered by physical restrictions.
Features:
"Fancy Footwork" - the bard dances across the battlefield, gaining a additional 10ft to their movement speed. If they cast a spell on the same turn, they also may disengage from an enemy in melee range without provoking oppurtunity attacks.
"Dance Partner" - the bard may expend a use of Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action, swapping places with a willing ally within 30ft they can see. As a bonus action on the following turn, they may swap places again without expending Bardic Inspiration, provided that it is the same ally.
"Elusive Dance" - the bard may cast the spell "Blink" or "Blur" as an additional spell known. This spell use is limited to once per short rest, symbolizing the bard's evasive movements.
"Battle Rhythm" - the bard has perfected their arcane dance. When concentrating on a spell, if a bard uses their full movement, they gain advantage on concentration checks to maintain their spell for that round. They may do this for each concentration spell cast for every single point of their Charisma modifier, each long rest.
For me, I'd like to see;
College of The Ravens: Ability to befriend Ravens or Crows, speak their Language, and something related to the viel between life and death, fate, etc. Things Ravens/Crows represent in mythology and folk lore, but especially in Norse and Celtic myth/folk lore.
College of The Tower: This is a college that is all about arcane magic.
College of Summer, Winter, and Gloaming Court: Fey colleges.
College of The True Name: This Bard knows the names of things, and that has power. Not a true namer, as such, becuase I've never liked how those work in dnd. The Bard can speak to and even befriend powerful beings, bind extraplanar beings, things like that.
College of The Ghostwalker: Shadow Assassin Bards. Not poisoners, but users of shadow magic, mystic rituals, general shadowy dealers in death.
College of The Final Gate: Anti-necromancer bards. Proficiency in Ability checks made as part of resolving spells, like Dispel Magic and Counterspell, and some ability to cause extra Concentration checks in enemy summoners, necromancers, etc, who are controlling any Fey, Fiend, Elemental, or Undead creature. Perhaps the ability to make such enemies take a small amount of damage whenever their controlled or summoned creature takes damage?
A better Swashbuckler's College than any of the current options. Valor and Swords just don't make good Swashbucklers, IMO.
We do bones, motherf***ker!
UA's College of Glamour is basically the fey college you want, though not necessarily super specific with who you are aligned with, but that can be something figured out yourself or with the DM. Any more specific and I think it could cross too closely into the Warlock's Archfey Pact.
But I 100% agree with the want for an arcane magic focused college.
We do bones, motherf***ker!
I think something like the Apostle of Peace from the 3.5. Book of Exalted Deed could make for an interesting framework for a Bard College.
We do bones, motherf***ker!
The class was essentially a pacifist flavored heal/controller. Its prerequisite feats included an aura of calm emotions (normal save), and they got an unlimited calm emotions touch effect (no save, no SR). They also got their own spell list (3.5 did that for just about every prestige class) focused on healing and battlefield control via happy thoughts.
It was a challenging class, especially with an adversarial GM quick to call being part of any battle "violence" as an excuse to take your powers away, but it was really well flavored and a lot of fun to play.
I'd like to see a college of the trickster, so you can basically build a gremlin. I'm a fan of vicious mockery, THL, puppet (UA) things that just mess with people. Like THL is you laugh at them and the fall prone(if they fail wis) I'd like to see a college dedicating to suck mischief
We do bones, motherf***ker!
I think a bard who uses arcane songs instead of spells to enhance their power.
College of the Minstrel.
Example - Song of Dancing - All targets which can hear your song must make a Wisdom save. On a failed save, they are forced to spend all their movement to dance in place and have disadvantage on all attack rolls. Requires concentration, and constructs, oozes, and undead are immune.
Just an average metalhead who plays DnD in his spare time.
PbP Character: Roberta Thalan, Void Beyond the Stars Otherside
PbP Character: Primus Eidolon, Eotha 2
PbP Character: Usmor Illiqai, Tomb of Corrosion
PbP Character: "Templar" Danver, You're the Villains
Homebrew stuff
Could work, but I kind of think the Bard needs a suite of spells that represent that anyway. Like Unearhtly Chorus from the Starter Spells Unearthed Arcana article.
We do bones, motherf***ker!
Or Otto's Irresistable Dance.
But personally I prefer songs to actually spells themself. Like say, song of Sleep - causes your enemies to make a Wisdom save or fall asleep.
Just an average metalhead who plays DnD in his spare time.
PbP Character: Roberta Thalan, Void Beyond the Stars Otherside
PbP Character: Primus Eidolon, Eotha 2
PbP Character: Usmor Illiqai, Tomb of Corrosion
PbP Character: "Templar" Danver, You're the Villains
Homebrew stuff
We do bones, motherf***ker!
There’s a pacifist cleric? What’s the domain called?
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
College of Dance:
Bards of this college have learned to attune to the primordial Echos of Creation that resonate throughout the world. They channel these mystical vibrations through their elaborate dances, mingling it with their magic. Bards of this college are often brimming with energy, and always moving due to sensitivity to these energies. Mastery of this art creates an almost hypnotic effect, where the bard appears as nothing more than a blur of color and laughter as they dance among their peers. At higher levels, the Bard will seems to blink in and out of existence, their dance sending them through the Ethereal Plane, untethered by physical restrictions.
Features:
"Fancy Footwork" - the bard dances across the battlefield, gaining a additional 10ft to their movement speed. If they cast a spell on the same turn, they also may disengage from an enemy in melee range without provoking oppurtunity attacks.
"Dance Partner" - the bard may expend a use of Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action, swapping places with a willing ally within 30ft they can see. As a bonus action on the following turn, they may swap places again without expending Bardic Inspiration, provided that it is the same ally.
"Elusive Dance" - the bard may cast the spell "Blink" or "Blur" as an additional spell known. This spell use is limited to once per short rest, symbolizing the bard's evasive movements.
"Battle Rhythm" - the bard has perfected their arcane dance. When concentrating on a spell, if a bard uses their full movement, they gain advantage on concentration checks to maintain their spell for that round. They may do this for each concentration spell cast for every single point of their Charisma modifier, each long rest.