College of Fools

Bards of the College of Fools walk a fine line between madness and brilliance. Whether they don the motley garb of a court jester or embrace the path of the eternal wanderer, their unpredictable antics hide a cunning sort of wisdom. They wield humor, deception, and recklessness as tools to confound enemies, uplift allies, and turn fate itself into their plaything. 

Level 3: Harlequins tricks

Starting at 3rd level, your antics distract, disarm, and dazzle in equal measure.

Your performance is never complete without a stinging remark — you learn the Vicious Mockery cantrip if you don't already know it. This does not count against your number of bard cantrips known.

Whenever you use Bardic Inspiration, you can use one of the following features:

 

Goading Joke – When you use Bardic Inspiration on an ally, you can also taunt a creature within 30 feet that can see or hear you. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, they are drawn to your antics and have disadvantage on attacks against anyone but you until the end of their next turn. If they attack and miss, they must make a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

 

 Slapstick Dodge – When you or an ally within 30 feet take damage, you can use your reaction to roll your Bardic Inspiration die and reduce the damage taken by an amount equal to the roll + half your Bard level (rounded down) + your Charisma modifier. You can then immediately move up to 10 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity.

If this reduces the damage to 0, you can choose one of the following effects:

Slapstick Pratfall: The attacker must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = your Bard spell save DC). On a failure, they fall prone.

 

Mocking Jest: You immediately cast Vicious Mockery against the attacker, as part of the same reaction.

Level 3: Foolish luck

3rd-level College of Fools feature

Fortune follows you—for better or worse. When you make an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, but before you know whether you succeed or fail, you can roll a d6.

 

If the result is even (2, 4, or 6), add it to your roll.

If the result is odd (1, 3, or 5), subtract it from your roll.

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

Level 6: Fools gambit

6th-level College of Fools feature

Your unpredictable movements and sheer audacity make you frustratingly difficult to pin down. You gain the following benefits:  

 

- Slip and Stumble.

When a creature within 10 feet of you falls prone, you can immediately move up to 20 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.  (no action required)

 

- Fool’s Redirection.

When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force them to make a new attack roll against a target of your choice within 5 feet of you (including the attacker themselves), using the same modifiers as the original attack.

 This new attack is unaffected by advantage or disadvantage, regardless of any effects on the original attack.

Level 14: Jesters leap

At 14th level, you are a wild card, embodying the spirit of fate and folly. As a reaction when you are targeted by an attack, spell, or effect that forces a saving throw, roll a d6 and apply the following result:  

 

- 1-2: You teleport a random distance (1d6 × 5 feet) in a random direction (determined by rolling a d4: 1 = forward, 2 = backward, 3 = left, 4 = right). You also become invisible to all senses other than true sight until the start of your next turn.  

 

- 3-4: You can reroll the saving throw, or if it is an attack, the attacker must reroll their attack roll. Regardless of the result, if the effect still hits, you take only half damage. You also gain advantage on the next d20 roll you make before the end of your next turn.  

 

- 5: The attack or effect misses or fails.  

 

- 6: The attack or effect doesn’t just miss—you can redirect it to a creature within range. That creature must make the same save or suffer the full effect instead.  

 

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