Circle of Heretics

 

A long time ago, a group of heretical bards discovered a special sound. This metallic noise was the sound of death. It was unbearable for most to behold and could even raise the undead. The heretics used it to gather an army and terrorize entire kingdoms. Finally, multiple kingdoms banded together to an army. The heretics were defeated, but they had hidden away the secret of the sound. All this time, the secret was kept hidden. Until one bard happened to find its hiding place. His intentions weren’t as evil and grand as that of the heretics, but people were still afraid of its power and his life was not long. Before his death however, he did pass on the secret of the heretics. To this day, the secret lives on, passed down from bard to bard. Those who know it must be weary however, for those who temper with the dead are rarely seen as heroes.

Otherworldly Sound

Starting at 3rd level, you have learned the secret of the heretics. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your bardic inspiration to play your instrument. Within the sound you embed the special sound, to be heard only by one creature within 60 ft. That creature must succeed in a Constitution saving throw against your spell DC or take 2d6 necrotic damage and be frightened of you. A frightened creature can make a  Wisdom saving throw at the end of its turn to end the effect. A creature that makes any of the saves is immune to this effect for 24 hours. Creatures that can’t hear are immune to the effect.

The necrotic damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d8 at 5th level, 2d10 at 10th level, and 2d12 at 15th level.

Ungodly Noise

Also at 3rd level, you know how to play the sound extremely loud. As an action you play your instrument loudly, being heard up to 300ft away, deafening creatures within closer range. All creatures within 30ft of you are deafened and must cover their ears. On their turn, when they don’t cover their ears, they must succeed on a constitution saving throw against your spell DC or take 2d8 necrotic damage. You can weave the sound around a few creatures to protect them from the worst of it. Choose a number of creature equal to your Charisma modifier, these creatures automatically succeed on the saving throws. You have to keep playing for the effect to occur and thus keep concentrating (as with a spell). You can still use your bardic inspiration (and Otherworldly Sound feature) while playing, but you can’t cast other magic. On your turn you must use your action to keep playing.

Producing this much noise is tiring and once you stopped (by will or by failing a concentration save) it will cost a lot of energy to do it again. Every time you use this feature after the first you gain a level of exhaustion after you stop playing. This resets after finishing a long rest.  

Hellraiser

Starting at 6th level, you have learned how to use the sound to raise the dead. The spells Animate Dead and a spell that deals Necrotic damage from any spell list are added to your spells known. These do not count towards your spells known and count as bard spells for you. In addition, you can add you Charisma modifier to the damage roll of any spell that deals necrotic damage.

Symphony of the Dead

Starting at 14th level, you can create a symphony that brings the dead back to life and bends the undead to your will. As an action you can play your instrument to animate all corpses within 60ft of you. You cast Animated Dead on all corpses within 60ft of you. In Addition, all undead within that range must make a Charisma saving throw against your bard spell save DC. If it fails, it becomes friendly to you and obeys your commandsas long as you are concentrating on this feature.

If the target has an Intelligence of 8 or higher, it has advantage on the saving throw. If it fails the saving throw and has an Intelligence of 12 or higher, it can repeat the saving throw at the end of every minute until it succeeds and breaks free.

You can use your action to maintain this effect for up to 30 minutes and use your bonus action to direct the undead. You must maintain concentration (like with a spell) during this time, but have advantage on saves to maintain concentration. Any undead that was animated by this effect, turns to ash once it  is defeated or the symphony ends.

Once you used this feature you can’t use it again until you finished a long rest.