Base Class: Bard
Bards of the College of the Circus are showmen. The most prestigious showman that you would ever see. They go town to town, kingdom to kingdom showing wonders to everyone that attends the crowds. They are always wanting to be the center of attention, always there to keep things moving and their whole philosophy is that the show must go on. They tend to be the ones that gather crowds to show everyone’s skills as they believe everyone has a right to show their true colors. They use their magic, performance, and people skills to make the show the greatest. These bards are loyal to their friends and more loyal to their family, because once you’re in their show you are family, and these Circus performers would do anything for family. The shows are loved by peasants, slaves, commoners, nobles, and royals alike. They capture the audience with all sorts of acts, performances, and even animals. This does not mean that the showman themselves cannot sing, in fact in the entire circus they still believe that they are the best act. These bards believe that you're not truly a performer if you're not in front of a massive crowd.
Performers Essentials
Every circus performer needs to have the essentials. Being able to draw in your audience not just by your ability to perform but also with circus animals, by using the magic of a performing genius to summon these beasts.
Upon choosing this college at 3rd level you gain proficiency in Performance and Acrobatics. You also can expend one Bardic Inspiration die to cast the Find Familiar with the added choice of a Pseudodragon, Giant Snail, Campestri, or Giant Dragonfly once per day. The familiar functions as a normal familiar and its size is always Tiny regardless of stats.
Inspirational Performance
When you join the College of the Circus at 3rd level, you gain the ability to put on a performance that imbues your allies with vigor and speed.
As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to put on a short but enthralling performance. When you do so, choose a number of creatures you can see and that can see you within 60 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each of them gains 5 temporary hit points. When a creature gains these temporary hit points, it can immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed, without provoking opportunity attacks.
The number of temporary hit points increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 8 at 5th level, 11 at 10th level, and 14 at 15th level.
Ringmasters Spectacle
At 6th level, you gain the ability to unleash a massive spectacle of magic that's not entirely in your control. As an action, you can roll on the Spectacle Magic table to determine the effect that takes place. If the spell normally requires concentration, it doesn’t require concentration in this case; the spell lasts for its full duration. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Spectacle Magic
| d8 | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Shadowy copies of yourself dance around you in a chaotic crowd. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d10 necrotic damage. You also gain 1d10 temporary hit points. |
| 2 | You amaze the senses and vanish, teleporting up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. For the next minute, you can use this effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action. |
| 3 | An intangible spirit, which looks like a flumph or a pixie (your choice), appears within 5 feet of one creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you. At the end of the current turn, the spirit explodes, and each creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 force damage. For the next minute, you can use this effect again, summoning another spirit, on each of your turns as a bonus action. |
| 4 | You turn into a potted plant until the start of your next turn. While a plant, you are incapacitated and have vulnerability to all damage. If you drop to 0 hit points, your pot breaks, and your form reverts. |
| 5 | You burst into a brilliant ball of technicolor light to awe the crowd. Each creature in a 60 ft circle must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d8 radiant damage and be blinded until the start of your next turn. |
| 6 | You invoke the power of the wind and cast fly on a random creature within 60 feet of you. |
| 7 | Flowers and vines temporarily grow around you; for the next minute, the ground within 15 feet of you is difficult terrain for your enemies. |
| 8 | Your body turns cold to the touch and takes on a metallic sheen, for the next minute you have resistance to all types of damage. |
The Big Finale
Starting at 14th level, you can launch into the Big Finale. When activating your Ringmasters Spectacle ability you can roll twice on the Magic Spectacle table and choose which of the two effects to unleash. If you roll the same number on both dice, you can ignore the number and choose any effect on the table.
Comments