College of Knots

Members of this college have crafted their symbols and powers from the world around them. Using pliable fibers imbued with magical elements, they craft the Bardic Ropes that form the basis for their skills. Often found in forests and seashores either as survivalists or sailors. They can see the strings that connect the world around them and wield this power to great effect, often being a mainstay at parties and festivals, where people are impressed by their deft hands and exacting precision. 

"Even when contorted and twisted into knots, the Rope and by extension, the World, is still one." 
-Unknown Scholar of Knots 

Knots of Latent Ability

 

Whenever you give a creature a Bardic Inspiration die, you tie a knot into your Bardic Rope. This knot grants the energy of possibility to the granted creature. This knot it lasts until the Bardic Inspiration die is used, untying the knot. A creature under the effect of a knot can use it in one of these ways:

Knot of Enhanced Strength. For as long as the Knot is tied, the target of an attack role made by the affected creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or take force damage equal to half the damage dealt by the initial attack. 

Knot of Mutual Defense:  For as long as the Knot is tied, whenever the creature rolls a saving throw to expend can utilize the Knot's power to grant themselves and you temporary additional AC equal to 13 + your Charisma modifier, until their next turn.

Knot of Skilled Gambit: For as long as the Knot is tied, the effected creature can add +5 to an ability check but must roll at disadvantage (rolling an additional ability check die and taking the lower amount)

Knots of Battle

At 6th level, you gain the ability to wield your Bardic Rope as a magical weapon that can be used in combat with a variety of utilities. As a bonus action, your Bardic Rope shifts into a whip-like form and imbued with Poison, Acid, Fire, Cold, Radiant, Necrotic, Lightning, or Thunder energy either for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). 

While this ability is in effect, treat your rope with the properties and damage of a whip but with the damage type of your choice. 

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Symbiotic Knots

At 14h level, your knots are enhanced as your knowledge of their power has grown.

As a bonus action, your Bardic Rope encircles you for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. For the duration, whenever any creature tries to attack you for the first time on a turn, the attacker must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it can’t attack you on this turn, and it must choose a new target for its attack or the attack is wasted. On a successful save, it can attack you on this turn, but they have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Once you utilize this form, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Bardic Balloons

Utilizing the power of an offshoot of the College of Knots, you gain access to Bardic Balloons, arcane balloons that can be shaped into and mimics an animal with a CR of at most 1/4 that shares your initiative count, but takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take one of the actions from the stat block of the form it has taken or the Dash, Disengage, Help, Hide, or Search action.

When you use your Bardic Inspiration feature, you can command your balloon animal to take an action from its stat block as part of the same bonus action.

Once you animate an balloon creature with this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest or until you expend a spell slot of 4th level or higher to use this feature. You can have only one balloon creature animated by this feature at a time; if you use this action and already have a balloon creature from this feature, the first one immediately pops.