College of Persuasion

Bards of the College of Persuasion are masters of influence, blending their innate charm with supernatural abilities to control minds and dominate the battlefield. Their words inspire, terrify, and manipulate entire groups, making them unparalleled in both social and combat scenarios. Upon joining this college, they gain proficiency in Insight and Deception, and if already proficient, they gain Expertise, allowing them to add double their proficiency bonus to checks with these skills.

Unbreakable Words

3rd-level College of Persuasion feature

At 3rd level, your mastery of speech makes your words nearly irresistible:

• If a creature rolls a 1 or 2 on a saving throw against a spell or ability of yours that uses words (such as Suggestion or your Bardic Inspiration abilities), it automatically fails without the possibility of resistance.
• If a creature succeeds on a saving throw against one of your abilities or spells, you can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to impose disadvantage on all saving throws against your spells and abilities until the start of your next turn.

Words of Irresistible Command

3rd-level College of Persuasion feature

Your Bardic Inspiration carries irresistible authority, compelling creatures to obey your will or falter under your influence. When you use Bardic Inspiration, you can target one creature within 30 feet that can hear you. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, you choose one of the following effects:

1. Compel Action: The creature is Charmed or Frightened (your choice) until the end of your next turn.
2. Force Vulnerability: The creature loses the ability to make opportunity attacks until the end of your next turn, leaving it open to repositioning tactics.
3. Subjugate Reaction: If the creature is already Charmed or Frightened by you, you can force it to use its reaction to perform a specific action, such as dropping an item, moving away, or attacking another creature.

Additionally, you can expend a Bardic Inspiration die to cast Suggestion without using a spell slot, targeting up to your Charisma modifier creatures (minimum of 1).

Silver Tongue: When you make a Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check, you can treat a roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

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Use Limit:

• Compel Action/Force Vulnerability/Subjugate Reaction: Requires expending a Bardic Inspiration die.
• Improved Suggestion: Requires expending a Bardic Inspiration die.

 

Aura of Persuasion

6th-level College of Persuasion feature

At 6th level, your presence exerts a mesmerizing aura, bending the will of those around you. As an action, you can activate an aura of influence for 1 minute. Each creature of your choice within 30 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC at the start of their turn. While within the aura:

• A creature that fails the save is Charmed, Frightened, or Incapacitated (your choice) for 1 minute or until it leaves the aura.
• Creatures Charmed or Frightened in this way cannot take reactions, have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells, and take psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier whenever they fail a saving throw.
• If a creature is Incapacitated by this feature, it loses concentration on any spell it is maintaining.

You can use this feature twice per long rest, or expend a 6th-level spell slot to use it again.

Master of Command

14th-level College of Persuasion feature

Master of Command
At 14th level, your mastery over words has reached its peak, allowing you to overwhelm the minds of multiple creatures at once with a single command. As an action, you can target all creatures of your choice within 30 feet that can hear you. Each creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature is affected based on its current hit points:

1. Dominated (High HP):

   • If the creature has more than half its hit points remaining, it becomes Charmed by you for 1 minute or until it takes damage. While Charmed, it treats you as a trusted ally and will not attack you or your allies.

2. Shaken (Mid HP):

   • If the creature has half or fewer hit points remaining, it becomes Shaken until the end of its next turn. While Shaken:
     • It has disadvantage on attack rolls.
     • It cannot take reactions.

3. Crushed (Low HP):

   • If the creature has one-quarter or fewer hit points remaining, it is Incapacitated until the end of its next turn, overwhelmed by the weight of your presence.

Additional Effects:

• Creatures that fail the saving throw and are Charmed, Shaken, or Incapacitated by this ability also take psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).
• On a successful saving throw, creatures take half damage and are not otherwise affected.

Use Limit:

• You can use this feature once per long rest.
• Alternatively, you can expend a 7th-level spell slot to use it again.