Bards of the College of Staging embody the power of the stage —voice, rhythm, and movement. Inspired by legendary performers and supernatural vocalists, these bards manipulate soundwaves, emotional resonance through dance, rhythm, and song. Whether it's a crowd-hyping anthem or a shattering battle cry, their art is both dazzling and dangerous.

 

Level 3: Resonant Pulse

You can unleash bursts of sonic energy through performance. When you use your Bardic Inspiration, you may choose one of the following Pulse Effects instead of granting a die:

Hype Pulse – One ally within 30 ft that hears you gains temporary HP equal to your Bard level + CHA modifier and can immediately move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Shattering Pulse – One creature within 30 ft must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency + CHA mod) or take thunder damage equal to 2d6 + your Bard level and be pushed 10 feet away.

You can use Resonant Pulse a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Level 3: Vocal Focus

You channel your magic exclusively through your voice and body. Any Bard spell you cast no longer requires Material components, and instead requires Somatic and Vocal components. Additionally, your voice is magically amplified:

You can project your voice to be clearly heard up to 300 feet away without effort.

 You gain proficiency in Charisma (Performance). If you already have proficiency, your proficiency bonus is doubled for this skill.

Level 6: Echoed Dancers

As an action while performing, you can make any creature within 30 ft (besides allies) to perform with you as backup dancers, boosting your performance and leaving all creatures unable to take actions for as long as you perform.

Hostile creatures and other creatures you choose within 30 ft. who can hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a fail, they become charmed and join involuntarily as backup performers. Their performance echoes your performance, whether dancing, singing, or another (even if they don't know the words, moves, or anything else). On a natural 1, even if they later break charm, they remain fascinated—watching or listening attentively and unable to take hostile actions against the performance or its participants even if they take damage.

While the performance continues, each charmed creature (ally or enemy) increases the radius of the performance by 10 ft (starting at 30 ft), potentially drawing in more creatures. When the radius expands, all new creatures must make the saving throw.

Backup performers (both charmed enemies and willing allies) increase the strength of your performance, granting all backup performers (allies only) double your Charisma modifier as a bonus to Charisma (Performance) checks until next dawn. And, once per turn, you can spend one use of Bardic Inspiration to grant all backup performers within range a bonus equal to the Bardic Inspiration die on their next attack roll or ability check–their decision–without expending a die for 2 days (allies only).

The charm effect breaks immediately if the charmed creature takes damage or is otherwise harmed. Any creature immune to being Charmed is unaffected and automatically succeeds the save unless they choose to join. They cannot stop once they do.

When the song ends, every creature that was dancing must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a fail, they are no longer hostile towards your or your allies. On a success, they become hostile if they already were. If they weren't hostile, they'll go back to what they were doing before the performance.

You can use Echoed Dancers once per long rest. If the performance lasts longer than 8 hours, you and all performing creatures are given +1 Exhaustion. If you have 3 or more Exhaustion, you cannot use Echoed Dancers.

Level 14: Infinite Encore

Once per long rest, as an action, you emit a shockwave in a 60 ft. radius or 80 ft. cone. Enemies must make a Con save or take 6d10 thunder damage, knocked prone for 2 rounds unable to stand, and deafened for 3 rounds; on a success, half damage, not prone, and deafened for 1 round.

Your spells are unable to be silenced or stopped in any way. Vocal Focus allows all your spells to be verbal and somanic instead of strictly material, meaning spells like Silence, Counterspell, and even Anti-Magic Field cannot stop your spells. This includes Vocal Focus, Resonant Pulse, Echoed Dancers, and Infinite Encore–they cannot be silenced or stopped magically.

You are not immune to conditions, like Paralyzed or Petrified, meaning your spells can be stopped indirectly with Conditions or Exhaustion. They can also be stopped nonmagically–such as restraining you or dealing damage.