College of Macabre

Bards of the College of Macabre learn to perform among the beauty of death and its defiance. Theatre of the grim truths of what it means to die drive these bards forward, a hope to romanticize death and the necromantic magic that lies behind the veil.

Unearthly Prose

3rd-level College of Macabre feature

Your words and social fortitude carry more weight and power when surrounded by the undead you command. While within 15 feet of you, any undead under your control give you +1 bonus to Charisma skill checks and Charisma saving throws to a maximum equal to your proficiency bonus.

Shadows of the Danse

3rd-level College of Macabre feature

As a reaction, when a creature within 60 ft of you dies roll Bardic Inspiration die. You then immediately cause a shadow to rise from the corpse with a number of temporary hit points equal to the number rolled. Roll initiative for the shadow, which has its own turns. It obeys your verbal commands, gains a bonus to its attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 0), cannot raise more shadows with its Strength Drain attack, and remains under your control until you finish a long rest.

Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest or if you use an action to expend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher.

Undying Performance

6th-level College of Macabre

Your interaction and lifestyle involving undeath has hardened your body to its necrotic effects and the effects of falling to death. When you would drop to 0 hp while an undead under your control is within 15 feet of you, you may use your reaction to immediately kill the undead and drop to 1 hp instead.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Additionally you gain resistance to necrotic damage.

Grim Entourage

6th-level College of Macabre feature

You now know the Animate Dead, Speak With Dead, and Summon Undead spells. They count as Bard spells for you if they do not already and do not count against the number of spells you know.

When you cast Animate Dead, you may expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration. If you do, roll the die then the undead creatures immediately gains a number of temporary hit points equal to the number rolled.

When you cast Speak With Dead, you may expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration. If you do, roll the die. You gain an additional number of questions you can ask the corpse equal to the number rolled.

When you cast Summon Undead, you may expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration. If you do, roll the die. You do not require concentration to maintain the spell, but the spell now has a duration equal to the number rolled.

Master of Puppets

14th-level College of Macabre feature

As the epitome of mastering undead commensalism, you can create momentary performances of grand inspiration. You may use your action to inspire your entourage of both living and undead. When you do, creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you gain a bonus to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until the start of your next turn. This bonus is equal to your proficiency bonus plus the number of undead under your control that are within 15 feet of you.

Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest or expend a spell slot of 5th level or higher as an action.