Bards of this college are enchanting and persuasive, using their music to control minds, bind bodies, and lure the unwary into their web. They balance beauty and danger, whether acting as peacekeepers who gently disarm conflict or manipulators who revel in control. By understanding the music that binds all living things, these bards make use of their skills to affect those around them, finding a way to control any situation.

Veiled Melody

3rd Level College of Ensnaring Harmony feature

You gain proficiency in (Performance) and one musical instrument of your choice. Your ability to weave magic into your music allows you to conceal your spellcasting in plain sight. When you cast a spell that has a verbal or somatic component, you can replace those components by playing a musical instrument with which you are proficient. Doing so hides the spellcasting within your performance.

Additionally, when you make a (Performance) check to conceal your spellcasting, you treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10. Successful casts in this way do not alert the target upon spell completion, allowing you to cast without drawing suspicion or revealing your true intentions.

Enthralling Snare

3rd Level College of Ensnaring Harmony feature

Your music can lure creatures into an enchanting snare. When you expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action, you can play an enthralling melody for 1 minute, or until you are incapacitated. Any creature of your choice within 60 feet that can hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to your spell save DC). On a failed save, the creature is affected by one of the following effects of your choice: 

• Mesmerizing Lullaby: The creature’s senses are dulled, leaving them vulnerable to your spells. Their speed is reduced by 10 feet, and they have disadvantage on saving throws against spells that would cause them to become charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or put to sleep (unconscious) (such as Sleep, Hold Person, or Hypnotic Pattern).

• Captivating Restraint: The creature’s movements become sluggish as if wrapped in invisible threads of sound. It cannot take reactions, and its first movement each turn is halved.

These effects last for the duration of your performance. A creature affected by this feature may repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its turns or immediately after taking damage to end the effect.

Feyweaver's Trap

6th Level College of Ensnaring Harmony feature

When casting a spell that causes the charmed, paralyzed, or sleep (unconscious) condition, or one that restrains a creature (such as Hold Person, Hypnotic Pattern, or Sleep), you can use your reaction to play an enchanting note. Choose one of the following effects to apply to a single target of your spell: 

• Deeper Slumber: If the target is asleep (unconscious) or charmed and takes damage while affected by your spell, they must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC to wake up or break the charmed effect. On a failure, they remain asleep (unconscious) or charmed, and the damage does not immediately break the effect.

• Mind-Shackling Melody: If the target is paralyzed or restrained by your spell, they take psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) at the start of each of their turns until the effect ends.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Haunting Harmony

14th Level College of Ensnaring Harmony feature

Your music resonates with an overwhelming supernatural power, pulling enemies toward you and binding their minds and bodies to your will. As an action, you can perform a Haunting Harmony, filling the area around you with an enchanting, supernatural sound. For 1 minute, each creature of your choice within 60 feet that can hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to your spell save DC) at the start of each of their turns. On a failed save, a creature is affected by both of the following effects:

• Entrancing Harmony: If the creature is not immune to being charmed, it becomes charmed and incapacitated for the duration. It sees you as an overwhelmingly fascinating presence, and it is unaware of any hostile actions taken by you or your allies against it.

  • If the creature is immune to being charmed, it becomes restrained instead, as your music wraps around it like invisible bindings, trapping its movement and limiting its ability to fight back.

• Compelled Draw: Charmed creatures are irresistibly drawn toward you. While under the effects of Haunting Harmony, the creature must use all of its movement on its turn to get as close to you as possible, and they cannot willingly move away from you. If they are within 10 feet of you at the start of their turn, they have disadvantage on all saving throws against your spells and abilities.

A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effects on a success.

Aura of Dreadful Melody: While you maintain this performance, each affected creature within 10 feet of you takes psychic damage equal to your bard level + your Charisma modifier at the start of their turn.

You must concentrate on this feature as if concentrating on a spell. If you stop playing, the effect ends immediately. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.