College of Storms

For many bards, their art and their song is an act of creation, to empower, bolster, and inspire. The College of Storms takes that ideal a step further, embracing the wild nature of sonic vibration and viewing creation in duality with destruction. Bards of this college see the beauty in the roar of a thunderstorm as if it were an opera, embrace the potential of lighting to end life as well as to change or create it, and take pride in the damage they can unleash as a painter would take pride in a masterpiece. The scattering and fragmentation of stone and limb alike are as high an art as a careful arrangement, each piece falling into its place in a precise map of destruction. 

Bonus Proficiencies

Starting when you take this subclass at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Whip and the Vankeshet Howling Axe. Both of these weapons can be used as your spellcasting focus.

Thunderous Affinity

Your songs drum up rain and your dance fills the sky with lightning. When you join the College of Storms at 3rd level, choose a school of magic that Bards typically use: either Enchantment or Illusion. You cannot learn spells of this school. You learn the Gust cantrip in addition to your other cantrips known, and you can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to cast a Bard spell you know that deals Thunder or Lightning damage without consuming a spell slot.

The Booming Blade and Shocking Grasp cantrips count as Bard cantrips for you, and can be learned accordingly at any level at which you would gain a Cantrip. Additionally, the following spells count as Bard spells for you:

1. Fog Cloud, Thunderous Smite
2. Gust of Wind, Warding Wind (special: when you cast Warding Wind as a Bard spell, creatures in the area can still hear your Bardic Performance and benefit from features that rely on hearing you, although they are Deafened to everything else.)
3. Call Lightning, Thunder Step
4. Storm Sphere, Summon Elemental (air only)
5. Control Winds, Destructive Wave
6. Chain Lightning, Investiture of Wind
7. Whirlwind
8. Control Weather
9. Storm of Vengeance

When you gain this class feature, you may choose to replace any spells or cantrips known that are of the school of magic you have abandoned with another Bard spell of the same level, including spells and cantrips granted by this feature.

Oncoming Storm

Starting at 6th level, your art has a vengeful beauty to it that puts your opponents on edge and inspires greater destructive power in your allies. As an Action, you can force a target creature within 30 feet (that can hear you and isn't immune to the Frightened condition) to make a Charisma save vs. your spell save DC. If the target fails their save, you expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and roll an Inspiration die. The target subtracts the number rolled from any attacks against you or saving throws against your Bard spells, and your allies add the number rolled to the first attack roll they make against the target. On each of their subsequent turns, the target can attempt the saving throw again, terminating the effect on a success. The effect ends when the target succeeds their save or stay more than 60 feet away from you for one round.

Dread Song

Starting at 14th level, as an Action, you can spend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to begin your Dread Song, a performance so wild and enrapturing that you take on an aspect of the storm, gaining certain powers. Your Dread Song lasts a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus (minimum 1) not including the round you activate it. While Dread Song is active, you take on a stormy appearance, encircled by roaring wind and lightning, your eyes flashing like a thunderstorm. You gain a flying speed of 60 feet, ranged attacks against you have disadvantage, and you are immune to Lightning and Thunder damage. You automatically succeed on saving throws against effects that require you to hear them. Your voice and performance are amplified, doubling the effective range of any Bard spells with Somatic components, as well as your Oncoming Storm class feature. Once per round, you can use a class feature that requires the expenditure of Bardic Inspiration (including inspiring your allies) without consuming Inspiration.