College of Rumors

Bards of the College of Rumors know all too well the damage that whispered words can cause. A half truth imbued with a small yet deadly falsehood can topple empires through revolution, dissolve relationships, and lead to murder. Through these subtleties, these bards learn dark secrets, gain valuable allies and work the politics of the world from the shadows. Through magic or sheer will of persona, College of Rumor bards can persuade anyone into performing seemingly random acts, only to end up as pawns in a grand scheme of betrayal and manipulation, or vigilant guardians keeping their home safe from such unseen threats.

Wagging Tongue

Starting at 3rd level when you choose this college, you gain proficiency in your choice of the Deception or Persuasion skill.

Deception

You gain proficiency in the Deception skill. If you are already proficient, you may double your proficiency bonus.

Persuasion

You gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill. If you are already proficient, you may double your proficiency bonus.

Spreading Rumors

Also at 3rd level, if you spend at least one minute speaking to a humanoid, you can attempt a Persuasion or Deception check (of your choice) against an Insight check made from the humanoid. Should you succeed, the creature is charmed by you. This feature can only work if the humanoid understands the language you are speaking, and the charmed condition lasts until the humanoid takes any form of damage from any source, if you influence the creature in a way that brings harm to it, or if you die.

Unlike most other abilities and effects that apply the charmed condition, the target does not know that they have been charmed when the condition ends. This feature has no effect on creatures that are immune to the charmed condition.

Gossip With a Purpose

Beginning at 6th level, you are able to pry into people's minds to learn their secrets and even influence them. You learn the detect thoughts spell and can cast it once without expending a spell slot. It does not count towards your number of spells known. When casting the spell using this feature, the spell does not require verbal or somatic components, and the target has disadvantage on the saving throw against when you delve deeper into their mind. Unlike the normal version of the spell, creatures do not know that they have had their thoughts read, and the spell cannot be ended early by another creature.

While you concentrate on the spell in this manner, you can latch onto specific details you find in their memories and influence the target's actions through them. You can magically implant a suggestion directly into their thoughts as if through the suggestion spell. If the creature has already failed their saving throw against your detect thoughts spell, the creature automatically fails their saving throw against the suggestion. Otherwise, the creature must make a saving throw against the suggestion as if through the suggestion spell, and has disadvantage on it.

Once you have cast detect thoughts in this way, you cannot do so again until you have finished a long rest.

Additionally,  you gain expertise in the skill you chose from your Wagging Tongue feature.

Expertise: Deception

You double your proficiency bonus for all Deception checks.

Expertise: Persuasion

You double your proficiency bonus for Persuasion checks.

Difference Between a Truth and a Lie

At 14th level, you have become so good at discerning truth from fiction, that when a creature that has been affected by your Spreading Rumors or Gossip With a Purpose features speaks a lie, you automatically know that it is false without having to make an Insight check. You have advantage on all other Insight checks.

Additionally, your speech has become imbued with magical power, causing adverse reactions in creatures that listen to you. If a creature fails an Insight check against you, you may use your reaction to cause that creature to take 5d6 psychic damage and also make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature becomes charmed by you. While charmed in this way, the creature is completely enthralled by you and will follow every command you give it. The condition ends only if you deal damage to the creature, if you or the creature becomes unconscious by dropping to 0 hit points, or a dispel magic spell is cast upon it. Creatures immune to the charmed condition are unaffected by this trait.