College of Electoral

Electoral college bards derive the power to bend the arcane through the performance of public speaking, more specifically campaign speeches. True to the art of political speech, the truth is not the overall goal. Some Electoral College bards have been known to spread rumors about political figures, whereas others use their deceptive ways in service of rulers. 

 

Smear Campaign

At 3rd level, you can use your wit and eloquence to disparage the name of enemies. This insulting speech makes allies who hear it fight with a ferocity previously only known to barbarians. 

As an action, you can spend one use of Bardic inspiration, making one willing creature you can see go into rage. They gain the following effects: 

• Advantage on Strength Checks and Strength Saving Throws
• When they make a melee weapon attack using Strength, they gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll. 
• They gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. 

The creature will be unable to concentrate on spells while raging. 

Rage ends if the creature chooses to end rage, is knocked unconscious, or if a minute has passed. 

The effects of rage do not take hold if the creature cannot hear you. 

Fake News

Also at 3rd level, your practice lying to the masses has made you incredibly comfortable doing so. 

While making a deception check, you can choose to add double your proficiency bonus to the total roll. 

Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against Zone of Truth and the use of Truth Serum. 

Line of Gerrymandering

At 6th level, your political talents enable you to redraw congressional lines anywhere, including the battlefield. 

As an action, you can draw a magical line starting and ending at a point within 30 ft, creating any shape of your choice and making the area within it difficult terrain. This area does not affect creatures within your party. 

When you use this feature, creatures within the area must make a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. A creature that enters the area or ends its turn there must also succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. 

This lasts for 1 round of combat, and you can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. 

 

Fearmongering Word

Your skills as an orator have given you the power to deliver intense and terrifying speeches, which can now manipulate creatures' emotions to an extreme. 

As an action, you target a creature of your choice you can see within 10 feet of you. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened for 1 minute. While frightened in this way, the creature must move away from you, using all of its movement. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. 

Additionally, as a bonus action you can spend one use of bardic inspiration, rolling the die and dealing the result in psychic damage. 

The effects of your speech do not take hold if the creature cannot hear you.