College of the Wilds

Some bards are so inspired by the majesty of nature that they draw their musical magic from nature itself. Often more at home in nature then on the stage, bards who join the College of the Wilds feel a special kinship with plants and animals of all kinds. They can use their enchanting music to soothe even the most savage beasts, turning them from enemy to ally.

Friend of Nature

When you join this College at 3rd level, you gain the skills to charm and subdue plants and animals of all kinds. You gain proficiency in both Animal Handling and Performance, and Animal Handling becomes a Charisma-based skill for you.

Also, when you cast an enchantment spell that can target only humanoids, you can target beasts and plants as well.

Additionally, you can choose druid spells, as well as spells from bard spell table.

Bestial Inspiration

Starting at 3rd level, you can use a bonus action to expend a bardic inspiration and grant one of the bestial effects below to a creature within 60 feet. These abilities last for one hour, and end early if the creature chooses to end the effect, you grant them another bestial ability, or they are incapacitated.

Flight of the Squirrel. The creature sprouts lightweight flaps or fins. When they fall, they can subtract 60 feet from their fall when calculating fall damage, and they can move horizontally 2 feet for every 1 foot they fall.

Grip of the Monkey. The creature gains the ability to grip almost any surface. They gain a 30 foot climbing speed and have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks to grapple.

Speed of the Deer. The creature's legs grow and their pace quickens. Their movement speed increases by 15 feet.

Swiftness of the Dolphin. The creature grows webbing between their digits. They gain a 30 foot swimming speed and can hold their breath underwater for up to 1 hour.

Wild Companion

Beginning at 6th level, when you finish a long rest, you can call a creature of the wild to you. A beast or plant of your choice native to the area appears and is friendly to you and your companions and obeys you completely. In combat, it shares your turn in initiative order, and can move and use its reaction on its own, but it can only take the dodge action unless you use your bonus action to command it to take the an action from its stat block or another action.

Your bard level determines the maximum CR of the beast or plant you can summon, as shown in the Companion table.

Bard Level	Max. CR	Example Companions
6th	1	Brown Bear, Vine Blight
14th	2	Awakened Tree, Giant Elk
17th	4	Elephant, Giant Scorpion

If your companion has died within the past hour, you can touch it and expend a spell slot of 1st-level or higher and it returns to life with all of its hit points restored. You can only control one Companion at a time with this feature. Calling a second Companion causes the first to flee into the wild.

Soothe of the Savage Beast

Your mastery of music and intimate knowledge of wild beasts allows you to soothe any creature, no matter how savage they are. Starting at 14th level, you can target monstrosities with enchantment spells that normally target only humanoids.

Also, you learn the dominate beast spell. It counts as a bard spell for you, but it doesn't count against your total number of Spells Known. You can cast dominate beast once at 4th-level, without expending a spell slot. Once it is cast in this way, you must finish a short or long rest before you can do so again.