College of Tale Weavers

Bards understand the close relationship between stories and magic. Bards of the College of Tale Weavers take this relationship to a deep level, using their magic to make the real world, which is always more complex than the stories, follow the rules of storytime.

You are a storyteller, first and foremost, and you tell the tales of heroes long past, tragedies remembered, and victories hard-fought. You blend these tales of woe and inspiration with magic, forging your own story.

Exposition

3rd-level College of Tale Weavers feature

You know the origin of the stories. You gain training in History and add twice your proficiency bonus on History checks.

 

Inciting Action

3rd-level College of Tale Weavers feature

There are always signs that the action is about to begin-so you remain ready. You may add your Charisma modifier as a bonus to Initiative rolls.

In addition, during the first round of a fight, you have advantage on any attack rolls you make against opponents who have not yet acted and opponents who have not yet acted have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells.

Rising Action

3rd-level College of Tale Weavers feature

This is the point in the story where each character shows you who they truly are. When you inspire an ally, they become the living embodiment of one of the classic archetypes, being more story character than true person for a time.

When you give an ally an Inspiration Die, you may select an archetype to go with it. So long as the ally holds on to the die, they gain the listed benefits. You may only give each archetype to a single character at a time.

 Hero: A hero fights to save what's important to them. While the Hero holds your Inspiration Die, they gain a bonus to damage rolls equal to half your Inspiration Die’s maximum value. In addition, if they expend their Inspiration Die on an attack, they may add their Inspiration Die roll to the damage if they hit.

Wise Advisor: The wise advisor sees to it that their pupils can survive. While the Wise Advisor holds your inspiration Die, at the beginning of each of their turns, all allies within 10 feet of the Wise Advisor gain a number of temporary hit points equal to half your Inspiration Die’s maximum value. If the Wise Advisor ever falls to 0 hit points while holding your Inspiration Die, the die is immediately expended and rolled as no action. All of the Wise Advisor’s allies that can both see the Wise Advisor’s fall and have the same number of hit dice or fewer, are healed by a number of hit points rolled on the die, and gain a bonus to AC and Saving Throws equal to that number until the Wise Advisor's Inspiration Dice would have been lost (10 minutes from when they were granted).

Sidekick: The sidekick helps the hero achieve things they could never achieve alone. While the Sidekick holds your Inspiration Die, they may use Help as a Bonus Action. In addition, when someone makes a roll improved by their Help action, they may choose to expend their Inspiration Die on that roll instead of one of their own rolls.

Trickster: You can’t know what a trickster will do or where they will end up. While the Trickster holds your Inspiration Die, they gain a 10 foot bonus to all of their movement speeds. In addition, the amount that they can jump doubles. If they expend the Inspiration Die on a Deception or Stealth roll, Divination magic automatically fails against this character for a number of hours equal to the number they roll on the bardic inspiration die.

Guardian: A guardian stands strong, no matter what. While a Guardian holds your Inspiration Die, they reduce all damage dealt to them by an amount equal to half of your Inspiration Die’s maximum value. If the Guardian ever falls to 0 hit points while holding your Inspiration Die, the die is immediately expended and rolled as no action. The character is immediately healed by that number of hit points and does not go unconscious.

Climax

6th-level College of Tale Weavers feature

Lives are lost or saved in a story's most decisive moments. The successes of your allies, with your guidance and help, bolsters you, and their failures make you determined to help again. Whenever an ally succeeds at an attack roll or saving throw, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the result of their Bardic Inspiration die. On the other hand, whenever an ally uses Bardic Inspiration that you gave them but still fails an attack roll or saving throw, you regain the Bardic Inspiration die as if it had not been spent.

Whenever an ally uses your Bardic Inspiration die to add to a saving throw, they reduce the amount of damage they take from the effect by an amount equal to what they rolled on the inspiration die, whether they succeed or fail.

Falling Action

6th-level College of Tale Weavers feature

Once you are invested in a story, it is difficult to pull you away. So long as any allies are still holding on to one of your Inspiration dice, you gain advantage on all Constitution, Dexterity, and Wisdom saving throws. In addition, whenever an enemy within 60 feet of you falls to 0 HP, you and all allies that are holding one of your Bardic Inspiration dice gain temporary hit points equal to your Proficiency bonus plus your Charisma modifier.

Denoument

14th-level College of Tale Weavers feature

Your friends have learned to trust your sudden insights. When any effect would cause two or more of your allies that can hear you within 60 feet to make a saving throw, you may use your reaction to expend a single bardic inspiration die. All allies within 60 feet that can hear you may add that die to this saving throw. 

In addition, when an ally uses one of your Inspiration Dice to make a saving throw to take only half damage, they instead take no damage if they succeed on the saving throw.

Resolution

Resolution

14th-level College of Tale Weavers feature

Sometimes, stories have surprising endings. You know just how to bring the twists and turns under control.

Allies who are holding your Bardic Inspiration dice are treated as if they were actively under the effects of your Countercharm class feature.

In addition, your Countercharm class feature can also grant advantage on saving throws to end the Paralyzed, Poisoned, and Stunned conditions, in addition to the Charmed and Frightened conditions.