College of the Wayfarer

The bards of the College of the Wayfarer are touring troubadours extraordinaire, whose magical focus emphasizes travel and smoothing the journey for their caravan. Often, a large bardic troupe may have one or two of these bards to ease their travels, and these are some of the rare bards who are actually trained to assist other bards and spellcasters most specifically. When they expend their Inspiration, they can speed up their allies or improve spellcasting power in addition to the normal benefits of Inspiration. They enable others to move through the world more ably, even magically hastening, imbuing others with flight, or causing teleportational shifts of their allies and enemies, both. The utmost potency of this college causes one to become a master of the Astral Caravan, an amazing method of travel that is both rapid and safe within a certain network of "stops."

The College of the Wayfarer is uncommon, certainly, but not rare. In any civilization with touring troubadour acts, if the company is perhaps a dozen or more persons, one of these may be Wayfarer Bard if the magical advancement of that civilization is sufficiently advanced. Humans, Elves, Halflings, Gnomes, and Tieflings all possess levels of society which would foster such bards in many settings, and in some settings, Orcs, Goliath, Aarakocra, or Aasimar cultures that aren't entirely savage may actually be advanced sufficiently to allow for this College's tradition to have been passed on. The fundamentals of motion and timing are ingrained into the rhythmic sense of all musicians, so this College can be seen as somewhat easy to instruct, and vaunted for it's capability in movement and travel.

Inspired to Move

3rd-level College of the Wayfarer feature

Starting at 3rd level, you gain an ability to grant new uses to those who receive your Bardic Inspiration dice, making them capable of amazing sprints or empowering their spells well. Creatures you bestow your Bardic Inspiration dice to gain +5 speed while they have your Bardic Inspiration die. They may expend your Bardic Inspiration die as normal, or they may expend it for one of the following effects:
Inspired Dash. As a bonus action, the creature rolls and expends the Bardic Inspiration die, and that creature can move the number rolled times ten feet in a straight line. This movement does not provoke Opportunity Attacks from creatures who were adjacent when the creature began moving this way.
Inspired Spell. As a bonus action, the creature may expend the Bardic Inspiration die, and the next spell they cast for the next one minute is immune to the effect of Counterspell. Additionally, if that spell has somatic components, one target of that spell has disadvantage on the first saving throw forced by the spell.

Mobilization

3rd-level College of the Wayfarer feature

At 3rd level when you choose this class, you are trained in how to make your way in the world, and how to be a professional traveler. You gain proficiency in all vehicles, with Cartographer's Tools, and Navigator's Tools. You also gain proficiency in Animal Handling.

Song of the Journey

6th-level College of the Wayfarer feature

At 6th-level, you have learned a special song which carries you and your companions forward in rhythmic momentum, magically protecting you on your travels. As a one-minute process, you choose a number of creatures within 30 feet who can hear you equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you and those creatures enter into a Mystic Convoy state. Creatures in your Mystic Convoy are immune to environmental effects and the effects of difficult terrain, each cannot be surprised, and each gains +10 speed. Additionally, as a bonus action, you may expend a Bard spell slot while a member of your Mystic Convoy is within 30 feet of you, and that creature regains an expended spell slot of a level equal to the level of spell slot you expended minus one. For example, if you expend a 3rd-level Bard spell slot as a bonus action while in this state and choose another creature in the Mystic Convoy, that creature regains an expended 2nd-level spell slot. The Mystic Convoy state lasts for a number of hours equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), and you may use this feature twice before you must finish a long rest to use it again.

Additionally, when you finish a long rest, choose one of the Fly, Haste, Thunder Step, or Water Breathing spells and you can cast that spell once without expending a spell slot before you must finish a long rest to cast it this way again. Also, you are treated as if you know the chosen spell and you can cast it with you Bard spell slots until you finish a long rest.

Astral Caravan

14th-level and 17th-level College of the Wayfarer feature

At 14th level, you have learned the penultimate techniques for safe travel, and you can get any group almost anywhere safely as an Ethereal or Astral Caravan. You learn the Etherealness spell, and when you cast it, you can bestow its effect on each creature in your Mystic Convoy. You can cast this spell this way once before you must finish a long rest to cast it this way again.

Additionally, you learn the Wind Walk spell and can cast it once before you must finish a long rest to cast it this way again.

At 17th level, you learn the Astral Projection spell, and you can cast it once without expending a spell slot before you must finish 1d4 long rests to cast it this way again. When you cast this spell on those in your Mystic Convoy, you can choose to make their silver cords invisible to all except those with Truesight.