College of Bows

Bards of the College of bows are called longshots, and they entertain through impressive feats of archery prowess. Longshots perform stunts such as apple shooting, rapid target shooting, and arrow artistry. Though they use their weapons to entertain, they are also highly trained and skilled warriors in their own right.

Their talent with weapons inspires many longshots to lead double lives. One longshot might use a circus troupe as cover for nefarious deeds such as assassination, robbery, and blackmail. Other longshots strike at the wicked, bringing justice to bear against the cruel and powerful. Most troupes are happy to accept a longshot's talent for the excitement it adds to a performance, but few entertainers fully trust a longshot in their ranks.

Longshots who abandon their lives as entertainers have often run into trouble that makes maintaining their secret activities impossible. A longshot caught stealing or engaging in vigilante justice is too great a liability for most troupes. With their weapon skills and magic, these longshots either take up work as enforcers for thieves’ guilds or strike out on their own as adventurers.

College of Bows Features

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of the Bow at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armour, shortbow, longbow, hand crossbow, light crossbow, and heavy crossbow.

If you’re proficient with a simple or martial ranged weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Fighting Style - Archery

At 3rd level you learn the archery fighting style.  Archery fighting style: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Bardic Shot

At 3rd level, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, your AC increases by +1, and if a weapon attack that you make as part of this action hits a creature, you can use one of the following Bardic Shot options of your choice. You can use only one type of Bardic Shot option per turn. If there is a DC required for your Bardic Shot option the DC is the same as your spell save DC.

Disarming Shot

You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. The creature must then succeed on a Strength saving throw or drop 1 held object of your choice and have that object be pushed 10 feet away from you.

Forceful Shot

You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. The creature must then succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you.

Menacing Attack

You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Trip Shot

You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. The creature must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.  

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Master's Shot

Starting at 14th level, whenever you use a Bardic Shot option, you can roll a d6 and use it instead of expending a Bardic Inspiration die.