College of Nōgaku

The college of Nōgaku is part of an extremely old tradition

Tools of costume & stagecraft

When you join the College of Nōgaku at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the disguise kit & weaver's tools as you learn how to create a convincing costume. Furthermore, you also gain proficiency with woodcarver's tools and painter's tools as you learn how to construct a believable backdrop or stage for your performance.

You can create a cheap-but-functional mask with at least 10gp of supplies, woodcarving tools & painter's supplies, and a long rest. If you wish to make fancier masks out of expensive materials the DM can determine how much extra money/time it will cost.

Additionally, you may now use a handfan as an arcane focus for your bardic spells.

Masks of power

Also at 3rd level, you learn how to channel your bardic magic into masks that imitate a certain character archetype commonly used in theatre. Wearing these masks allows you to then channel the role, acquiring potent abilities in the process.

You can infuse one of these masks with bardic magic over the span of a short or long rest. You can only keep one mask infused at any time, and once you infuse a new mask the previously infused mask once again becomes an ordinary mask.

The magic in these masks provides passive benefits, but can also be released in a sudden burst of performative magic in order to cast a spell associated with the mask. Other creatures can wear the masks and benefit from their passive benefits, but only you can release the magic in order to cast a spell . Once you use one of your masks to cast a spell, they will become an ordinary mask and lose their passive benefits until you infuse them again.

There are a total of 4 mask archetypes you can learn to infuse.
You learn to infuse 2 of these mask archetypes at level 3 in this subclass,  and another at level 6 and 14 respectively.

Blank/neutral mask:

Made to be inscrutable, the blank/neutral mask gives the wearer proficiency in deception as long as it is infused with magic. If the wearer already has proficiency in this skill, the mask instead gives them expertise.

While wearing the mask, you can release the magic inside of it to cast the spell "disguise self" at 1st level without using a spellslot.

At 6th level, you can instead choose to cast the spell "invisibility" without using a spellslot. If you choose to do so, infusing your next mask will take a long rest instead of a short rest.

Cute/funny mask:

Made to be disarming, the Cute/funny mask gives the wearer proficiency in persuasion as long as it is infused with magic. If the wearer already has proficiency in this skill, the mask instead gives them expertise.

While wearing the mask, you can release the magic inside the mask to cast "charm person" at 1st level without using a spellslot.

At 6th level, you can instead choose to cast "fast friends" at 3rd level without using a spellslot. If you choose to do so, infusing your next mask will take a long rest instead of a short rest.

Impressive/beautiful mask:

Made to be mesmerizing, the impressive/beautiful mask gives the wearer proficiency in performance as long as it is infused with magic. If the wearer already has proficiency in this skill, the mask instead gives them expertise.

While wearing the mask, you can release the magic inside the mask to cast "enthrall" without using a spellslot.

At 6th level, you can instead choose to cast "Hypnotic pattern" at 3rd level without using a spellslot. If you choose to do so, infusing your next mask will take a long rest instead of a short rest.

Terrifying/Repulsive mask

Made to be intimidating, the terrifying/repulsive mask gives the wearer proficiency in intimidation as long as it is infused with magic. If the wearer already has proficiency in this skill, the mask instead gives them expertise.

When wearing the mask, you can release the magic in the mask to cast the spell "cause fear" at 1st level, without using a spellslot.

At 6th level, you can instead choose to cast the spell "fear" without using a spellslot. If you choose to do so, infusing your next mask will take a long rest instead of a short rest.

Fan of many forms

Starting at 6th level, you can use a bonus action and spend a bardic inspiration in order to infuse a handfan that you are currently touching, causing all onlookers to perceive the handfan as any other hand-held item. This item can be anything, no matter how fantastical, as long as it could conceivably fit inside of the wielder’s hand. Creatures with True-sight or other ways to automatically see through illusions are immune to this effect.

This works similarly to the phantasmal force spell; Suspicious observers can make an investigation check against the caster’s DC to be able to see through the illusion, thereby being able to see the fan for what it is. Creatures who are currently touching the item can make the investigation check with advantage. Unless a creature succeeds on this save, they will unconsciously justify illogical interactions with an item. If a key fails to open a lock, an axe fails to chop down a tree, or a bowl fail to hold soup, they will think that the lock must be broken somehow, the tree weirdly resilient, and their soup unusually slippery.

If the fan is made to look like a weapon, improvised or otherwise, it can be used to attack with the bard’s spell attack modifier, doing psychic damage equal to the Bardic inspiration die + the bard's charisma modifier. Even if the illusion is of a weapon that would normally be ranged, the attack can only be used in melee with a normal range of 5 ft. The damage from this attack is perceived by both the victim as well as onlookers as the damage the weapon would normally do (fire for a torch, piercing for a dagger, even lightning if it is made to look like a Hand-held thunderbolt). This attack automatically misses on creatures that can see through the illusion.

The illusion lasts for 1 hour, or until the first time it damages a creature, after which it will disappear 1 minute later regardless if it was used to attack again. Once the illusion disappears, all damage it has done will reveal itself to be psychic in nature. This illusion does not dissipate when another creature picks up or uses the item, though if a creature other than you uses it to attack, they do so with disadvantage if they can see its true form.

Universal appeal

Starting at 14th level, you achieve Hana, your art becoming of universal appeal. The magic from your performances can now affect creatures your magic would not normally find purchase with.

This means the following:
Spells from the terrifying/repulsive mask can now frighten creatures that are normally immune to the frightened condition.
Spells from the impressive/beautiful mask and the cute/funny mask can now charm creatures that are normally immune to being charmed.
Spells from the blank/neutral mask and items disguised by the fan of many forms can now fool creatures that can normally see through illusions*.

(*The illusions resist direct magical detection, like through spells like "see invisibility" and "true-sight". Creatures with tremorsense or blindsight will still be able to detect you if you cast invisibility through the mask.) 

Also at 14th level, your usage of the masks has become so natural as to no longer requires focus. Any spells you cast from the masks no longer use or require concentration to cast or keep active.

Many forms of fan

At 14th level, instead of making a handfan look like any item, you can now opt to make any handheld item you are currently touching look like a handfan. If you do so, it costs 2 uses of bardic inspiration instead of 1.

The Justification effect is maintained, though slightly weaker. Onlookers will still unconsciously attempt to justify the usage of the "handfan", but be able to make their investigation checks with advantage if its use gets particularily egregious. For example, if people see you use a disguised key to open a door they might just think the lock failed, but if they see you climbing a wall with a disguised ladder they will get to make the investigation check with advantage as they cannot believe what they are seeing. Ultimately it is up to the DM to determine what constitutes normal use of a disguised item vs egregious use.

If you disguise a weapon this way and use it to attack, it still maintains the effect. If you disguise a weapon as a handfan and then attack someone, onlookers will be unable to identify the handfan as the source of the damage. Creatures directly damaged by the disguised weapon however may immediately make an investigation check with advantage. If they fail this check they will assume the damage to have originated from somewhere else. 

All other rules that apply to the fan of many forms ability also apply to this one, like duration and usage by others.