College of the War Chanter

War Chanters look to the tales and legends of heroes of the past for inspiration. They use those tales to spur their companions in battle. As a war chanter, you embrace those tales and stories as a tool to guide your own life and blade. You lead your companions into battle with rhythmic chants that draw out the virtues of courage, endurance, and strength. The roar of battle, the clash of steel on steel, battle cries, the thunder of marching feet; these are all notes you weave into the symphony of war, which flows across the field like a rolling thunder cloud. Your chants inspire your allies to greater deeds of valor. Your bardic inspiration can be used to grant temporary hit points to you as well as to your allies, and your own battle prowess can bolster your allies against injury. The weapon of choice of many war chanters is the polearm. This stems from the idea of standard-bearers, carrying a visual representation of their beliefs. As such, the weapon often has a small standard with intricate designs or a coat of arms that hangs from the end. Not only can these sew discord among your enemies when fluttering around in combat, but when placed skyward, they create a rallying point for your comrades in arms. 

Defining Works

Every successful bard is renowned for at least one piece of performance art, typically a song or a poem that is popular with everyone who hears it. These performances are spoken about for years by those who view them, and some spectators have had their lives forever changed because of the experience. If your character is just starting out, your ultimate defining work is likely in the future. But in order to make any sort of living at your profession, chances are you already have a piece or two in your repertoire that have proven to be audience pleasers.

Defining Works

d6 Description

D6	DESCRIPTION
1	“I wanna chop yo body”: A smooth R&B jam that sometimes leaves its audience in stitches.
2	“Tasha’s Rude Limerick”: A limerick so rude and nasty that it makes the Aristocrats look like Mother Goose. The victims’ mouths open wide in astonishment stunned at the outrageous nature of the naughty words.
3	“The Popcorn Hoppy Slide”: A very intimidating war chant that is chock-full of threats and distractions alike.
4	“Zoom, zoom! Let’s make them go boom boom!”: A speedy tune played on the ukulele that boasts of the prowess of gnomish fireball mages.
5	“Eye of the Beholder”: A tantalizing poem that draws lovers into a passionate embrace.
6	“The Purple Wurm”: A dramatic heart wrenching first hand poem of that time your favorite mount was swallowed by a purple wurm.

 

Embarrassment

Almost every bard has suffered at least one bad experience in front of an audience, and chances are you’re no exception. No one becomes famous right away, after all; perhaps you had a few small difficulties early in your career, or maybe it took you a while to restore your reputation after one agonizing night when the fates conspired to bring about your theatrical ruin. The ways that a performance can go wrong are as varied as the fish in the sea. No matter what sort of disaster might occur, however, a bard has the courage and the confidence to rebound from it—either pressing on with the show (if possible) or promising to come back tomorrow with a new performance that’s guaranteed to please

D8	DESCRIPTIONS
1	The time when you were performing “Baldur’s Gate: What is it good for?” in Baldur’s Gate and the tavern crew tossed you out into a large horse pie.
2	During your first major performance in your hometown, you were so nervous that you got drunk before going on stage to perform your comedy routine. In your nervousness, pissed yourself in front of the entire town
3	That moment when your opening song was a fervent rendition of “Slaver Bells”, and the room full of slaves
4	You’ve written many poems but aren’t known as a poet. Sang many songs but aren’t known as a singer. Just one rumor involving a centaur...
5	That one time you wrote and performed a satire of the local noble that was well received by the masses, not so much by the noble.
6	You were the spark of the town's nightlife with your performances. Until a jealous rival falsely accused you of stealing their work.
7	You are wanted for destruction of property after you decided to add pyrotechnics to your performance. You are not purchasing explosives from the back of a goblin's cart again
8	You recall a wonderful overnight experience with a beautiful Elven noble. Their spouse not so much...

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of the War Chanter at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and the halberd and pike. If you’re proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Battle Chants

Also at 3rd level, you are able to inspire your allies with chants of glory, reinforcing their resolve and defenses. Only one effect from this feature can be active at a time text.

Chant of Courage: Your magic makes your chant echo with shouts of encouragement, making it seem as though an entire army were cheering on your allies. As an action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cast the bless spell at its lowest level. You require only verbal components and no concentration is needed. On each of your turns for the spell's duration, you must use your bonus action to maintain this effect.

Chant of Vigor: As an action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration, when you do, you whisper a chant of peace and restoration, calling on your allies’ own strength to fortify them against their wounds. Up to 3 creatures of your choice that can hear you can spend a number of their available Hit Die up to your charisma modifier(minimum of one). For each Hit Die spent in this way, the creature rolls the die and adds their Constitution modifier to it. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to the total. A creature at full health cannot gain the benefit of this feature.

 

Chant of Courage

Your magic makes your chant echo with shouts of encouragement, making it seem as though an entire army were cheering on your allies. As an action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cast the bless spell at its lowest level. You require only verbal components and no concentration is needed. On each of your turns for the spell's duration, you must use your bonus action to maintain this effect.

Chant of vigor

As an action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration, when you do, you whisper a chant of peace and restoration, calling on your allies’ own strength to fortify them against their wounds. Up to 3 creatures of your choice that can hear you can spend a number of their available Hit Die up to your charisma modifier(minimum of one). For each Hit Die spent in this way, the creature rolls the die and adds their Constitution modifier to it. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to the total. A creature at full health cannot gain the benefit of this feature.

Visions of Victory

Starting at 6th level, an ally is Inspired by your chants with visions of a glorious victory, and unleashes an attack on the foe that you’re battling. When you make a melee weapon attack on your turn, you inspire one of your companions to strike alongside you. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Heroes Sacrifice

At 14th level, your chant weaves an illusion of fallen heroes of old that appear next to an ally. The illusions try to intercept enemy attacks and disappear when they succeed. As an action you cast mirror image on two creatures of your choice that you can see. Each of these creatures only has two duplicates instead of four. You cannot use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.