College of Metal

Many blacksmiths in Don Farum believe that, with blood, sweat, and tears, even the most intractable metal can be transformed from a lump of ore to a beautifully wrought object. Bards of the College of Metal search for objects lost to the forces of darkness, liberate mines overrun by betrayers, and uncover rare and wondrous materials necessary to create potent magic items. Bards of this College take great pride in their work, and they are willing to craft and use heavy armor and powerful weapons to tell great tales.

Metal's Inspiration

3rd-level College of Creation feature

Whenever you give a creature a Bardic Inspiration die, you gain the ability to imbue magic into a weapon or armor. At the end of a long rest, you can touch one nonmagical object which is a suit of armor or a simple or martial weapon. Until the Bardic Inspiration die is used, the object becomes a magic item.

When the creature uses the Bardic Inspiration die, the magic provides an additional effect based on whether the die benefits an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw, as detailed below:

Ability Check: When the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die to add it to an ability check, the creature can roll the Bardic Inspiration die again and choose which roll to use, as the magic creates the illusion of a forge fire, for a moment.

Attack Roll: Immediately after the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die to add it to an attack roll against a target, the magic creates the thunderous sound of metal slamming metal. The target and each creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or take thunder damage equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die.

Saving Throw: Immediately after the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die and adds it to a saving throw, the magic vanishes with the sound of soft music, causing the creature to gain temporary hit points equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die plus your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).

Tales of Armoured Strength

3rd-level College of Metal feature

As an action, you can channel the magic of the Song of Creation to turn a suit of armor you are wearing into Arcane Armor, provided you have smith’s tools in hand.

You gain the following benefits while wearing this armor:

• If the armor normally has a Strength requirement, the arcane armor lacks this requirement for you.
• You can use the arcane armor as a spellcasting focus for your bardic spells.
• The armor attaches to you and can’t be removed against your will. The armor replaces any missing limbs, functioning identically to a limb it replaces.
• You can doff or don the armor as an action.

The armor continues to be Arcane Armor for 2 hours.

The Song of Forge's Work

6th-level College of Metal feature

Starting at 6th level, you can regain some of your magical energy by practicing a Song of Work. During a short rest in which you use smith’s tools, you choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your bard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 8th level or higher. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

As well, your mastery of the forge begins to grant you special passive abilities:

• You gain resistance to fire damage.
• While wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

 

The Forge's Crescendo

14th-level College of Metal feature

Through the patience of work, your work songs have found their place in the weave of magic, and gained the ability to harm or heal as you see fit. When either you hit a target with a magic weapon attack, you can channel magical energy through the strike to create one of the following effects:

• The target takes an extra 2d10 force damage.
• Choose one creature or object you can see within 30 feet of the target. Healing energy flows into the chosen recipient, restoring 2d10 hit points to it.

You can use this energy a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once), but you can do so no more than once on a turn. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.