College of Contracts

Bards of the College of Corruption use their persuasive natures and negotiating skills to forge binding contracts with dark forces. 

Finding a bard of the College of Contracts is difficult. They are rare, as joining the college requires you to make a demonic contract first, and most bards that attempt it fail. However, those that succeed are some of the most capable, creative, and cautious of bards. These are the bards that know their way around a deal. They may not know as much about devils as a wizard, but they do understand desire and contracts. 

Bards of the College of Contracts are careful to use very limited Contracts. They call on devils to do many minor tasks or a few major tasks. This is done to keep the price and chance of failure low.

These bards find accomplishment and satisfaction in the forging of contracts. Not just any contracts, however, binding contracts that subtly twist things in the bard's favor. They view well-written documents as art and a fine contract as a masterpiece.

 

 

In this subclass, only the mechanical effects, negative and positive, are given for contracts. However, you should have a few actual, written contracts on hand to use as examples and role playing material. Additionally, this subclass can become very powerful if played RAW (Rules As Written), so the DM and PC should work together to make it interesting and to set a few limits or punishments for contracting too many devils.

Contractor

At the 3rd level, you gain experience and knowledge of devil's contracts.

How Contracts Work: You must get a devil to sign each Contract individually. Once a devil signs a Contract, that Contract becomes "active". You can have up to 3 Contracts active at a time. Additionally, certain Contracts (the more powerful ones) become nullified after you use them. During a long rest, all active Contracts become inactive, and when you finish a long rest, you can activate up to 3 Contracts. You can activate 1 Contract when you finish a short rest. You cannot have more than 1 of the same Contract active at any given time.

Invoking a Contract requires either a Verbal or Somatic component.

When you reach the 10th level, you can have up to 4 Contracts active at a time, and when you finish a long rest, you can activate up to 4 Contracts. When you reach the 15th level, you can have up to 5 Contracts active at a time, and when you finish a long rest, you can activate up to 5 Contracts.

 

 

Justicar's Contract

When a creature within 60ft  makes an attack roll against you (but after the DM determines whether it hits or not), you can invoke the Justicar's Contract. When you invoke this Contract, you open a portal through which a burst of hellish flames flies. The creature that made the attack roll must succeed a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d10 fire damage, and half as much on a successful save. This damage increases by a d10 at the 5th, 9th, 13th, 17th, and 19th levels. This Contract is nullified after one use.

Contract of the Trader

When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can invoke the Raider's Contract. When you invoke the Raider's Contract, the creature you hit takes additional damage equal to your Bardic Inspiration die plus your proficiency bonus. However, you lose health equal to your proficiency bonus. This loss cannot be reduced or negated in any way. However, the loss can be subtracted from your temporary hit points.

Torturer's Contract

As an action, you can invoke the Torturer's Contract by expending one 1st level spell slot and targeting one creature within 60ft. When you invoke the Torturer's Contract, you summon a devil to mentally assault and drain your target. The target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw of 13 or succumb to the devil's nightmares. If the target creature fails the saving throw, they take 1d12 psychic damage and are Incapacitated and their speed drops to 0. At the beginning of each of the target creature's turns, the target must attempt the saving throw again. On a successful save, the devil is banished back to hell, on a failed save, the target takes 1d12 psychic damage and the devil continues to torture them. This Contract is nullified after one use. 

If you invoke the Torturer's Contract using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the Wisdom saving throw DC increases by 1 for each spell slot level above 1st.

Contract of Beffudlement

You invoke the Contract of Beffudlement by expending one use of Bardic Inspiration as a reaction when a creature you can see within 60ft. makes an ability check, a saving throw, or a damage roll. You swiftly open a portal through which an Imp flies. The Imp proceeds to magically thwart your target's ability check, saving throw or damage roll. Roll one Bardic Inspiration die and subtract the number rolled from the target creature's roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The Imp is banished back to Hell after it attempts to thwart the target creature.

 

Contract of Devil's Tongue

As an action, you can invoke the Contract of Devil's Tongue by expending two uses of Bardic Inspiration. When you invoke the Contract of Devil's Tongue, you gain proficiency and expertise on Charisma (Deception and Persuasion) checks for 1 hour. This Contract is nullified after one use.

Contract of Luck

If you fail a saving throw, ability check, or attack roll, you can invoke the Contract of Luck to change that failure into a success. After you use this Contract, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest. Additionally, after using this Contract, the devil you Contracted with gets to siphon your luck. After using the Contract of Luck, any time you roll a natural 20, you must re-roll and use the new roll instead. This effect persists until you finish a long rest.

Contract of Power

As an action, you can invoke the Contract of Power. When you invoke the Contract of Power, you attempt to convert one use of Bardic Inspiration to channel power from Hell. As an action, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, roll your Bardic Inspiration die, and apply the appropriate effect based off the number rolled:

• 1) Your attempt fails. The magical backlash hits you; You take fire damage equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die.
• 2-3) Your attempt at Devilish Conversion fails.
• 4-5) Your attempt at Devilish Conversion fails. However, you manage to retain your use of Bardic Inspiration. You regain the use of Bardic Inspiration you spent to use this feature.
• 6-7) Your attempt at Devilish Conversion barely succeeds. You gain one 1st level spell slot
• 8-10) Your attempt at Devilish Conversion is successful. You gain one 2nd level spell slot
• 11-12) Your attempt at Devilish Conversion is almost perfect. You gain one 3rd level spell slot

The spell slots gained by Devilish Conversion can only be used to cast the following spells:

• 1st level: Cause Fear, Charm Person, False Life, or Hex.
• 2nd level: Crown of Madness, Enthrall, Invisibility, or Suggestion.
• 3rd level: Fear, Hypnotic Pattern, Magic Circle, or Fireball.

 

Be Quick or be Dead

Starting at the 3rd level, when you roll for initiative, roll your Bardic Inspiration die and add the roll to your Initiative. 

Hellwalker

Starting at the 6th level, your familiarity with opening portals to Hell has allowed you to use it as a portal-through-point. As a bonus action, you teleport through Hell and back out to a point of your choosing, that you can see, within 60ft. When you do so, roll a d100 and apply the appropriate effect:

• 1-5: You fail to open a portal, instead you accidentally blast yourself. Take Xd6 damage, where X is equal to 1/2 your level.
• 6-15: Your journey has attracted unwanted attention. You bring back 2d4--4 imps which are hostile (minimum 1).
• 16-20: You accidentally opened a portal to a more dangerous part of Hell. You successfully teleport, but you take Xd6 damage, where X is equal to 1/2 your proficiency bonus.
• 21-99: You successfully teleport
• 100: You successfully teleport and regain one use of Hellwalker

You can use Hellwalker a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.

Through the Fire and Flames

From the 14th level onward, your soul is under the protection of a mighty devil. Little does the devil know that you know his/her true name. Thus preventing the devil from taking your soul, while the devil must still protect it. You age at 1/10th the speed you normally would. Your soul cannot be crushed, sold, or in any other way acted upon without the intervention of the mighty devil you Contracted with. If your mortal body dies, your soul does not move one. Instead, you are reincarnated.

Additionally, you can use the Hellwalker feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus plus your Charisma modifier.