In the grand halls of the elves and the golden scrolls of royal jesters, bard music is known for joy, hope, and heroism. Bards calm minds with their melodies and heal hearts with their words. In one note, you can smell spring. In one verse, you see a star’s smile. Music, they say, is meant to heal, to honor beauty, and to dance with grace. Every perfect tune makes the world a little brighter.

But there is a tune that does not belong to this world. And it began with someone who was never meant to be called a bard.

Once, there was a nameless bard whose voice was mocked and forgotten. His melody didn’t match the soft steps of the fey, and his songs didn’t sound like the proud ballads of dwarves. Other bards called his music loud, broken, and ugly. Everywhere he played, people winced. Over time, people said, “His song sounds like a giant’s stomach growling.”

Still, one day, by a cruel joke of fate, this bard was invited to perform at a noble feast. One of the guests was a high-ranking wizard named Velzarion the Chromatic. The bard, nervous and shaking, began to play. His strings buzzed. His voice cracked. His cursed song filled the air. The room froze. Velzarion looked at him and said with a snap of his fingers, “You do not belong to this world. Go play where you belong.” The last thing the bard heard was the sharp echo of the Plane Shift spell.

When he opened his eyes, the ground was split with lava beneath him. The air smelled like blood and ash. But the screams around him sounded like music. He was deep in Hell. But for the first time, someone listened. He played. With all his broken, twisted sound. His strings were so sharp they cut his fingers. The sound made the stones shake. And in the eyes of chained demons, a strange spark appeared.

His music was cursed. And because of that, it had value. Years passed. The Lords of Hell began to whisper his name. Baphomet hummed his rhythms. Glasya drank poisoned wine to his melody. He was no longer just heard. He was appreciated.

And then one day, he returned to the surface world. But the one who stepped onto the earth was not the same bard. From his skin rose sounds that no harmony could hold. His eyes saw into the chaos of rhythm. The ground cracked where he walked. The air screamed like a burning violin. He was no longer a man or a bard. He was the voice of a curse, the rhythm of a demon, the scream of war so pure that even the gods of battle would kneel. His music called to others like him. Other broken souls woke up. Some were born in darkness, some grew in soundless cities. But all of them heard his first riff and felt the same thing. This is our music.

And at last, a place was built for this music. On its cover, rusted chains held the book shut. And it read only one thing: College of the Headbanger

Headbangers reject with disgust the romantic lie that music brings healing, peace, and happiness. For them, music is not to ease the pain, but to go mad with the pain. It is not to bring peace, but to feed the thirst for blood. It does not serve peace, but war. Headbanger melodies do not grant courage, but madness.

While other bards whisper gentle notes in the stone streets of port cities, Headbangers spread their songs like a curse on the battlefield. With strings sharp as swords, they create a sound that shakes the bones of their enemies. In the veins of their allies, that melody flows like fire, boiling the blood. Their music is a call to war, an echo of chaos, a pure form of destruction.

As time passed, the first song brought from hell by the founder of the College of the Headbanger found different meanings in different souls. Some accepted the sound as tradition, some turned it into strategy, and some saw it only as a source of power. That is why the College of the Headbanger split into three main genres. Each one has its own belief system, music philosophy, and way of war.

Hellpulse Genre: This genre is made of bards who protect the original teachings of the College of the Headbanger and stay loyal to the first tunes brought from hell by the founder. For them, the only true source of music is hell itself. Each riff is inspired by the scream of a cursed demon; each lyric by the fall of a lost angel. Their themes are brutality, curse, decay, and endless punishment. The goal of the music is not to bring fear, but to become fear itself.
"Heaven stays silent, hell screams. We are the ones who hear that scream." - Malgron the Ashhowler, Firstborn of the Flame, Founder of the Hellpulse Doctrine

Warchant Genre: This genre takes the Headbanger traditions and turns them into a war art. Its members are usually old generals, tacticians, or bards who found enlightenment on the battlefield. For them, music is not only a tool of destruction, but a way to bring order, raise soldiers, and honor the war. Their melodies guide warriors, their rhythms sync the steps of armies. A Warchant concert is the musical version of army discipline.
"Every soldier who marches with our notes becomes part of a legend." - Commander Bardus Vox, The Iron Conductor of Warchant

Bloodblaze Genre: This genre worships pure power, wild strength, and rage beyond the limits of the mind. It is the wildest branch of the Headbangers. Their music is one with madness. For them, harmony does not matter; what matters is the sound hitting the body with force. Each song is a command to attack. Every concert is a rage ritual before battle. A Bloodblaze bard on stage is the sign of an unstoppable disaster.
"Don’t think. Just play. Burn! Break!" - Sister Discordia, The Scorched Siren of Bloodblaze

Level 3: Voice of the Abyss

When a creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll or a saving throw, you can use your reaction to expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration. Roll your Bardic Inspiration dice and subtract the result from the creature’s roll. You must declare the use of this feature after the creature rolls, but before the outcome is determined.

Level 3: Cacophony of Dread

As a bonus action, an aura radiates from you in a 30-foot emanation, lasting until the start of your next turn.

Until the spell ends, any creature within the aura who targets you with an attack roll or a damaging spell must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or either choose a new target or lose the attack or spell. This spell doesn’t protect you from areas of effect.

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.

Level 6: Choir of Agony

As a Magic Action, you can begin performing your Choir of Agony (no action required to maintain). This performance lasts for up to 1 minute or until you are incapacitated or stop performing (no action required).

An aura radiates from you in a 30-foot emanation. Choose a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus within the aura who can hear your performance. Until the music ends, whenever one of the chosen creatures misses with an attack roll, it takes 1d4 Psychic damage and its next attack roll is made with disadvantage. If that disadvantaged attack roll also misses, it takes an additional 1d6 Necrotic damage.

You can choose different creatures each time you start your turn while the performance is active (no action required).

At 14th level, the Psychic damage increases to 2d4 and the Necrotic damage increases to 2d6.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Level 14: Final Hellpulse

This is the 14th-level feature of Hellpulse. A subclass feature reflecting Hellpulse’s cursed, trashy theme will be written here.