College of Reality

Bards of this college have become so good at creating illusions, that instead of putting them into the physical world, where they can be revealed as fake as a squirrel runs through a wall, or a spear harmlessly flies through a skeleton's head, the bard creates them directly in the mind of the onlooker, meaning the spear can appear to embed in the skeleton instead, and the squirrel seems to run headfirst into the wall.

These bards' illusions seem to hold up to physical stimulation, and the targets will hallucinate feeling them.

Villainous bards' can use this power to trap people in imaginary bubbles, or make them feel in far more pain than they truly are in, whereas heroic bards' can use this to help their allies ignore their injuries or cool them down as they hike through hot environments

Illusionary Boon

3rd-level College of Reality feature

Whenever you give a creature a Bardic Inspiration die, you can utter a note from the Song of Illusion to create a Tiny illusionary boon, which orbits within 5 feet of that creature. The boon is intangible and invulnerable, and it lasts until the Bardic Inspiration die is lost. The boon looks like a musical note, a star, a sparkle, or another aesthetic effect that you choose.

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

Charisma Check. When the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die to add it to a charisma check, the boon will change the creature's appearance so that a number of targets equal to the die's roll is immediately charmed or frightened by them.

Attack Roll. Immediately after the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die to add it to an attack roll against a target, the boon spikes the target's mind. The target and each creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or take psychic 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 boon 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).

Performance of Bent Reality

3rd-level College of Reality feature

As an action, you can channel the magic of the Song of Illusion to infect the mind of a creature within 60 feet of you. The creature must be Medium or smaller. The effect disappears after a number of hours equal to your Proficiency bonus.

When affected this way, creatures gain disadvantage on perception rolls, and half their movement speed. They are also always considered surprised in combat.

Once you effect a creature with this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher to use this feature again. You can affect only one creature at a time; if you use this action and already have an effect from this feature, the first one immediately ends.

The size of the creature you can affect with this feature increases by one size category when you reach 6th level (Large) and 14th level (Huge).

Warping Performance

6th-level College of Reality feature

As an action, you can redistribute the stat points of any one creature you see who fails a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. You can do this by adding the value of all six traits, then reallocating as you please (each stat must have at least 9 if possible, and all stay points must be used. This effect lasts for 5 minutes and can only be used once every long rest.

Final Concerto

14th-level College of Reality feature

Your illusions have become so powerful and potent, that it is physically painful to tell them apart from reality. Creatures gain disadvantage on saving throws or checks to discern illusions, and any who succeed take 1d6 psychic damage per point away from 20 they rolled. (i.e. a creature who rolls an 18 takes 2d6 damage)