College of Pessimism

Bards of the College of Pessimism's faith in the world and all it's inhabitants has vanished. They spend your days moping around and cursing the world. That has not stopped them from accomplishing great things, however. In fact, they seem to draw power from the very downward spiral they find themselves in.

Prepared for the Worst

When you roll initiative, you can add one roll of your Bardic Inspiration to the total. This does not expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration dice.

Doom and Gloom

Starting at third level, your harsh vibes and negative attitude gain the ability to harm the creatures around you. When you grant Bardic Inspiration, you can grant one of the additional benefits:

Doom. When a creature uses Bardic Inspiration to hit another creature with an attack roll, it adds the amount rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die + your Charisma modifier to the damage roll.

Gloom. When a creature uses Bardic Inspiration to hit another creature with an attack roll, the target subtracts one Bardic Inspiration die from its next ability check or saving throw made until the start of your next turn.

Downer

Starting from sixth level, your unsettling energies are able to further cut into the creatures around you. When you cast Vicious Mockery, you can channel your negativity to further increase the power of your words.

When you cast Vicious Mockery in this way, the damage dealt by it is increased to d6s and if a creature passes the Wisdom saving throw, you may use your reaction to roll one Bardic Inspiration dice and subtract the total rolled from the creature's saving throw.

Stroke of Brilliance

Starting at fourteenth level, you can peer through the harsh energies clouding your mind, allowing you to grant a creature of your choice within 60 feet of you that can hear you a Stroke of Brilliance as an action.

For the next minute or until the creature falls unconscious, whenever a creature you granted a Stroke of Brilliance would miss an attack roll or fail an ability check or saving throw, it can forgo the roll and take a 20 on the dice instead.

When you grant a creature a Stroke of Brilliance, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.