College of Illusions (HB)

Bards are famous for spinning stories from words. A true master of the craft can paint a picture with a mere sentence, whether that be to inspire their friends, or demoralise their enemies. Yet some bards have chosen to elevate their craft further, and what better way to paint a picture than with an actual picture? Well, not quite an actual picture, but rather an illusion, designed to add emphasis to the words of the minstrel saying them. Such are the bards who choose to follow the college of illusions.

A bard from this college will learn to magically create images to enhance their skills. Masters of the college illusions can reverse this, creating detailed images and using their words to make the image seem more real. The opportunities that this particular skillset affords are near limitless. There are some, however, who use this craft for selfish reasons. Petty criminals can make excellent use of illusions, tricking innocent people into giving them valuable items. Some bards use their illusions to control others through fear and anger, making them believe in falsehoods.

Illusionist

3rd-level College of Illusions feature

You have began to excel in the art of illusionary magics. The following illusion spells become bards spells for you, and are available to learn when you reach the appropriate level.

Level	Additional Spells
1st	color spray
2nd	arcanist's magic aura, blur, mirror image
3rd	phantom steed
4th	phantasmal killer
5th	creation

 

Additionally, when a creature makes an investigation check to determine whether an illusion you created is real, or is forced to roll a saving throw as a result of an illusion spell you cast, you gain a bonus to your spell save DC equal to your proficiency bonus for that check or save.

Art of Distraction

3rd-level College of Illusions feature

You have learnt to use illusion to bolster your bardic inspiration. When you cast an illusion spell of 1st level or higher, you regain one expended Bardic Inspiration die. You can only regain Bardic Inspiration dice in this way twice per long rest.

Additionally, when you inspire a creature, you create an illusory image of the creature that appears next to it. While the creature is inspired, the image moves with it and mimics its actions, shifting position so it's impossible to track who is real. When the creature is hit with an attack while it is inspired, it can roll its Bardic Inspiration die. If the result is a 5 or higher, the die is expended and the hit is turned into a miss as the attack hits the illusory image instead.

Seeing Double

6th-level College of Illusions feature

You can create a perfect duplicate of yourself in a matter of moments. As an action, you weave an image of yourself indistinct from your true form to the undiscerning eye. The image of you appears in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you, and lasts for 1 hour, or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell). It has an AC equal to 10 + your Dexterity modifier and it cannot attack. On your turn, you can use your action and bonus action to move the image up to 30 feet each (maximum of 60 feet), but it must remain within 250 feet of you. If the image is successfully hit by an attack, it immediately vanishes.

While you are concentrating on this image, you can use a bonus action to see through its eyes and hear what it hears. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses, and you perceive the world through the eyes and ears of the image (using your statistics). You can also speak through your image, and those near the image hear your voice as though it were coming from the image. The illusion can perfectly replicate your mouth movements. You may also cast one spell through the illusion as though you were in its space. After you have cast a spell through the image, it immediately vanishes.

Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it. A creature that uses its action to examine the image can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the creature can see through the image, and its other sensory qualities become faint to the creature.

You may use this feature once per long rest.

Inspiring Vision

6th-level College of Illusions feature

As an action, you create an impressive image to bolster your allies' courage or a terrifying visage to frighten your enemies (your choice). You create the image in a space within 60 feet that you can see. The image is no larger than a 30-foot cube and lasts for a few seconds before vanishing. It seems completely real, including sounds, smells, and temperature appropriate to the thing depicted. You can't create sufficient heat or cold to cause damage, a sound loud enough to deal thunder damage or deafen a creature, or a smell that might sicken a creature (like a troglodyte's stench).

When you create the image, you choose for it to inspire either courage or fear, and choose a number of creatures that you can see to be affected by it, up to a maximum of 6 creatures. If you choose courage,  the creatures all gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. If you choose fear, the creatures all must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened of you for the next minute. An affected creature repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect upon itself with a success. The fear effect is affected by your Illusionist feature (it gains a bonus equal to your proficiency). 

You can use this feature once per short rest.

Master of the Mirage

14th-level College of Illusions feature

Your control of the images you create becomes masterful. You can concentrate on two illusions spells at once. If you are concentrating on two illusions spells at once and you take damage, you make one Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on both spells. If you fail, you lose concentration on both spells. If you cast a third concentration spell, you lose concentration on both of the previous spells.

Additionally, whenever you create an illusory image, they are so realistic that their sudden appearance is psychologically damaging to your enemies. When you create an illusion, all creatures that you designate that can see the image take 5 psychic damage and must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC (this is not affected by your Illusionist feature) or have disadvantage on the next saving throw they make before the end of their next turn.