College of Bureaucracy

Bards are known for filling silence with sounds and stories, but some bards strive to keep the silence. Those who follow the College of Bureaucracy spend the majority of their time confusing civilians, burying important stories, and using corporate jargon. Other bard colleges openly mock and despise them, but bureaucrats don’t care unless such minor complaints are filed properly.

Doublespeak

Starting at 3rd level, you know how to hide your true intentions behind meaningless corporate terminology. You learn to speak a coded language known as Legalese, which sounds like regular Common, but hides your true intentions. Creatures who have one of your Bardic Inspiration or have used your Bardic Inspiration dice within the last hour can understand the true message behind the code.

Bureaucratic Inspiration

Also at 3rd level, you’ve learned to inspire people discreetly, ensuring the safety of your company. You and creatures possessing your Bardic Inspiration dice can use Inspiration in the following ways: 

• Expedite Paperwork. When you cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action, you may expend one Bardic Inspiration die. If the rolled result is higher than the spell’s level, you may choose to cast the spell as a bonus action instead.
• Strict Framework. As a bonus action on your turn, you can roll a Bardic Inspiration die. Whenever you next move on this turn, you leave behind a forceful energy for a number of feet equal to 5 times the number you rolled. You can choose to stop the flow of energy at any point. This energy lasts until the start of your next turn. If a creature moves through the energy’s space or starts its turn on top of it, it must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your Spell Save DC or follow the energy to the end of the path.

Befuddling Administration

When you reach 6th level, you’ve found a way to befuddle people with the incomprehensible complexity of your system. Whenever a creature fails a saving throw against one of your spells, you may use your reaction to stun the creature until the start of its next turn. 

Once you’ve used this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest unless you expend one of your Bardic Inspiration to use it. 

Endless Delays

At 14th level, you’ve learned to postpone, hide, and delay complaints so that you can better manage them. Whenever a creature casts a spell or makes a ranged attack within 60 feet of you, you may use your reaction to expend and roll one Bardic Inspiration die. You may hold the spell or projectile in a time bubble for a number of rounds equal to the difference. The spell casts at the start of the caster’s turn once the rounds have passed targeting the original area or target, if the caster is still alive.

 

Once you’ve used this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.