College of Beasts

Bards of the College of Beasts seek to become masters of the art of creature taming. Whether they are flashy ringmasters or rough-and-tumble beast wranglers, these bards are dedicated to protecting and caring for animals of all kinds, although many specialize in just a few creature types. All creatures, big and small, are a spectacle to be behold in the eye of a College of Beasts bard.

Beast Whisperer

When you join the College of Beasts at 3rd level, you gain the uncanny ability to understand and interpret what animals are saying. You gain proficiency with one of the following skills: Wisdom (Animal Handling), Wisdom (Survival), or Intelligence (Nature).

Additionally, you are able to to communicate simple ideas and phrases with Large or smaller beasts. You may ask a beast for information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day. You may also ask the beast to perform a small favor for you by making a Charisma (Persuasion) check. The DC for this check is set by your DM and depends on the circumstances of the interaction.

Animal Handling

You gain proficiency with the Wisdom (Animal Handling) skill.

Nature

You gain proficiency with the Intelligence (Nature) skill.

Survival

You gain proficiency with the Wisdom (Survival) skill.

Portable Bestiary

Starting at 3rd level, you gain access to a magical bestiary that allows you to capture and learn the properties of creatures that you have tamed during your travels.

Your Portable Bestiary can automatically store creatures of the beast type. Additionally, you can choose one of the following creature types for your personal Portable Bestiary to specialize in: aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. You can only store creatures of a size Large or smaller within the Portable Bestiary. Additionally, you learn the properties and abilities of each creature that you successfully bind to your Portable Bestiary.

At 6th level, you can choose a third creature type to add to your Portable Bestiary.

Binding Ritual. In order to bind a creature to your Portable Bestiary, you must perform a 1-minute long binding ritual. During this ritual, you attempt to calm and befriend the creature you intend on capturing by making three consecutive skill checks and one final roll with a set DC. The creature must meet the requirements for storage inside the Portable Bestiary and cannot be incapacitated before or during the binding ritual. 

Describe each action that you would like to take and your DM will determine what skill check you need to make. You cannot use the same skill twice during a binding ritual. The DC for each skill check is determined by the DM and will depend on the nature of the specific creature and its disposition towards you at the time of the check. If you succeed on a skill check, the DC of the final roll decreases by 2 points. If you fail a skill check, the DC of the final roll increases by two points.

Once per ritual, you may seek the help of one of your companions by directing them to make one of the three skill checks on your behalf. In this case, the designated companion makes the appropriate skill check using their own stats.

After making your three skill checks, the final roll is made by rolling a d20 with no added bonuses or proficiencies. The DC of the final roll is 10 + 2 points per successful skill check - 2 points per failed skill check. If you pass the final roll, the creature is magically transported inside your Portable Bestiary and is bound to it. 

You can decide to release a creature from its binding at any time. If released from its binding, the creature is not obligated to be neutral or friendly towards you and your companions. If you wish to bind the creature to your Portable Bestiary again, you must complete another binding ritual. Your DM will determine whether or not this second binding ritual is more or less difficult than the first.

Combat Summoning. You can call upon the creatures from within your Portable Bestiary to fight alongside you in combat. As an action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to summon a creature from your Portable Bestiary. The CR of the summoned creature must be equal to or less than half the total number rolled on your Bardic Inspiration die (minimum of CR ½). A summoned creature obeys your commands to the best of its ability and is friendly towards you and your companions. As a bonus action, you can direct the summoned creature to take an action or use a special ability on its turn, which happens directly after your current turn in the initiative order. The summoned creature returns to your Portable Bestiary at the beginning of your next turn.

Aberrations

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the aberration type.

Celestials

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the celestial type.

Dragons

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the dragon type.

Elementals

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the elemental type.

Fey

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the fey type.

Fiends

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the fiend type.

Monstrosities

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the monstrosity type.

Oozes

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the ooze type.

Plants

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the plant type.

Undead

Your Portable Bestiary can store creatures of the undead type.

Expanded Bestiary

When you reach 6th level, your travels have expanded your knowledge of the various creatures of the world. You can now choose a third creature category to use with your Portable Bestiary feature.

Pied Piper

At 6th level, you can use your performances to influence the minds of the animals around you. When you perform for 1 minute, you can cause all creatures of a type that can be stored in your Portable Bestiary within a 30-foot radius centered on you to make a Wisdom saving throw. The DC for the saving throw is equal to your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature or group of creatures is charmed by you for 1 hour or until you or your companions do anything harmful to them. Choose one of the following commands to give the charmed creature or creatures.

Flee. The creature or creatures will use their entire movement and action to flee from you for as long as they are charmed by you.

Follow. The creature or creatures will follow you wherever you go for as long as they are charmed by you.

Sleep. The creature or creatures will fall asleep for as long as they are charmed by you.

You may be able to issue other commands at the discretion of your DM. When the charm ends, the charmed creature or creatures are not obligated to be neutral or friendly towards you and your companions. 

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

Everlasting Bond

At 14th level, you have spent time taming and interacting with one of the creatures within your Portable Bestiary and have formed an unbreakable bond with them.

When you gain this feature, choose one creature from your Portable Bestiary that you have summoned at least 3 times in the past to form your Everlasting Bond with. You can only be bonded with one creature at a time. To switch out what creature you are bonded with, you must take 8 hours of collective downtime to interact with the new creature.

Once per day, you can summon a creature you are bonded to from your Portable Bestiary without expending a use of your bardic inspiration. The creature remains outside of the bestiary for 10 minutes or until it is dismissed as a bonus action. While the bonded creature is summoned, it is friendly towards you and your companions and it obeys your basic commands to the best of its ability.

If combat occurs while your bonded creature is summoned, it will use its action in combat to take the Dodge action, unless you use your bonus action to direct it to take a different action. If the bonded creature is directed to take the Attack action, it returns to the Portable Bestiary at the beginning of your next turn, as if it were summoned by your Portable Bestiary feature.

If a bonded creature drops to 0 hit points, it returns to the Portable Bestiary. Bonded creatures only take 1 day to recover instead of 1 week.