The College of the Pallid Mask is an enigma, whispered of only in the most obscure and forbidden texts. Its practitioners are said to have glimpsed the shores of Lake Hali, felt the tug of Carcosa's alien gravity, and heard the haunting refrain of The King in Yellow's eternal performance. Bards who follow this path are not merely artists or storytellers—they are vessels for something far older, stranger, and more dangerous than mortal comprehension.

To those unaware of its true nature, the College of the Pallid Mask seems to be an ancient but innocuous tradition of performance art, blending music, theater, and macabre storytelling. However, beneath this facade lies a dangerous truth. Every note played, every word spoken, every tale told brings the performer closer to an ultimate revelation: the arrival of The King in Yellow and the unraveling of reality itself.

Level 3: Esoteric Insight

Your connection to Carcosa grants you disturbing clarity. You gain proficiency in Insight and one additional skill of your choice.

Additionally, you can use your unsettling presence to unnerve others. When you make an Insight or Intimidation check, you can roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add the result to your check. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses after a long rest.

Level 3: Words Of Dread

Your speech carries an undercurrent of madness. When you cast a bard spell that requires a saving throw, you can impose disadvantage on the save if the target can hear you. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Additionally, you learn the spell dissonant whispers. It counts as a bard spell for you and does not count against the number of bard spells you know.

Level 6: Unyielding Madness

Your connection to the King In Yellow has granted you the ability to momentarily alter your magic. Expending a Bardic Inspiration die, you can change your spell damage to Psychic for one minute. 

Level 6: Shattered Veil

You can twist the minds of others by revealing a glimpse of Carcosa’s madness. As an action, you target a creature within 30 feet that can see or hear you. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or take psychic damage equal to 3d8 + your Charisma modifier and be frightened until the end of your next turn. If the creature fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also incapacitated until the end of your next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to half of your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Level 14: The Yellow King's Dominion

Your presence becomes an overwhelming manifestation of Carcosa’s power. You gain the following benefits:

• Aura of Madness: Hostile creatures within 15 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against your bard spells.
• Reality Unraveled: As an action, you can force creatures of your choice within 30 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes a number of d10  equal to your proficiency bonus worth of psychic damage, and until the end of your next turn, it perceives its surroundings as twisted and alien, causing it to treat all creatures as hostile (this does not provoke opportunity attacks). On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and suffers no additional effects. You can use this feature once per long rest.

Additionally, when you deal psychic damage with a bard spell or feature, you can reroll any 1s on the damage dice, taking the new roll.