A Bard Witch Subclass

Bards of the College of Witchcraft are called Intoners. They specialize in calling spirits through the use of songs. Intoners do not use musical instruments other than their own voices to cast their magic, and as a result must train their vocal chords rigorously for them to withstand the arcane energy required to summon spirits. The training takes years, as mastering any branch of witchcraft often does. The Intoners of the College of Witchcraft keep the secrets of their arcane songs to themselves. These songs are charged with magical energy so that their sounds can pierce through the veil between the planes, reaching the astral home of spirits where the living cannot tread. The songs are then used as invitations — or lures — for specific spirits to cross the veil and manifest themselves in a specific location. With these spirits, the Intoner dominates the flow of battle, invoking specific spirits to change the tempo of the battlefield to their whim.

Witchmark

Witchmarks for Intoners are usually placed on the neck or chest to signify how their voices have been altered and enhanced with arcane energy through witchcraft. Some Intoners have thin vertical lines that go from the bottom of their chin to the center of their chest to simulate the strings of a violin, and these move when they sing as if they were being plucked. Other Intoners use the musical sheet of a song that has a lot of emotional significance to them as their witchmarks. The f-shaped holes on the body of a violin, or the lyrics to a particularly personal song are also common witchmarks for Intoners.

Level 3: Spiritual Knowledge

At 3rd level, you can use your voice to commune with the spirits that dwell beyond the veil and ask for their wisdom. At the end of a long or short rest, you can spend 10 minutes singing a song that draws forth a specific spirit to grant you additional proficiencies:

• Farmer: Proficiency with Land Vehicles
• Healer: Proficiency with Healer’s Kit
• Pirate: Proficiency with Navigator’s Tools and Water Vehicles
• Scholar: Proficiency in an additional language of your choice
• Thespian: Proficiency with Disguise Kit
• Thief: Proficiency with Thieves’ Tools

This does not give you any tools, only the proficiencies in using them. You lose every proficiency or language you have acquired through this ability when your hit points are reduced to 0, or after the next long rest.

Farmer

Proficiency with Land Vehicles

Healer

Proficiency with Healer’s Kit

Pirate

Proficiency with Navigator’s Tools and Water Vehicles

Scholar

Proficiency in an additional language of your choice

Thespian

Proficiency with Disguise Kit

Thief

Proficiency with Thieves’ Tools

Level 3: Arcane Voice

At 3rd level, you have sufficiently trained your voice to withstand the arcane power you channel through it. You can choose to make your spellcasting focus your voice when casting a spell. If you do, all spells you cast have a verbal component, even if the spell doesn’t specify it. If you choose to use your voice as your focus, you can’t lose your spellcasting focus unless you are silenced or otherwise can’t perform verbal components.

Level 3: Song of the Spirits

At 3rd level, you are able to use songs to summon spirits through the veil and into the Material Plane to your aid. When you finish a long rest, you prepare a number of songs equal to your Charisma modifier. Preparing a song requires that you spend time warming up your voice to reach across the veil into the astral plane: 2 minutes per song prepared.

As an action, you can spend up to three uses of your Bardic Inspiration to sing a specific song, creating an aura. The size of the aura depends on how many uses of Bardic Inspiration you have consumed:

• 1 use creates an aura with a radius of 15 feet.
• 2 uses creates an aura with a radius of 25 feet.
• 3 uses creates an aura with a radius of 35 feet.

Once you’ve started singing, you can use a bonus action on each of your turns to continue your current song without spending any further uses of Bardic Inspiration. If you don’t use your bonus action to continue singing, the song ends and you have to spend Bardic Inspiration to sing again. A song automatically ends if you reach 0 hit points. When casting a spell requiring verbal components while singing, the verbal components of the spell are replaced with singing. While you’re singing, your movement is reduced by half.

You can’t sing two different songs at the same time. Starting a new song immediately ends the effects of the previous song, and you must spend new uses of Bardic Inspiration to sing again.

• Song of the Nurses: You summon the spirits of healers and caretakers, surrounding you with an aura of a soothing spectral mist. All unconscious creatures, regardless of whether they are hostile or friendly, are stabilized as soon as they enter the song’s aura.
• Song of the Lovers: You summon the spirits of fortunate and star-crossed lovers, surrounding you with an aura filled with spirits dancing an eternal waltz. Friendly creatures within the aura make Performance (Charisma) checks and Charisma saving throws with advantage.
• Song of the Pious: You summon the spirits of priests and devout believers, surrounding you with an aura filled with spectral feathers. Friendly creatures within the aura have advantage when rolling against a charm or when rolling to see through illusions.
• Song of the Wildlings: You summon the spirits of those who live in lush expanses of wilderness, surrounding you with an aura filled with spectral plants and greenery. The aura is considered magical difficult terrain for any creature hostile to you or your allies.
• Song of the Courtiers: You summon the spirits of nobles speaking in hushed whispers, surrounding you with an aura filled with spectral fans. Hostile creatures in this aura have disadvantage on saving throws against being charmed.
• Song of the Inquisitors: You summon the spirits of sleuths and detectives, surrounding you with an aura of inquisitive spectral eyes. Creatures within the aura have advantage on Perception (Wisdom) and Investigation (Intelligence) checks.
• Song of the Warriors: You summon the spirits of champions and combatants, surrounding you with an aura filled with the spectral shapes of great warriors of old. Friendly creatures within the aura cannot be frightened. Additionally, while inside the aura, friendly creatures gain an extra 5 feet of movement that can only be used to move directly towards an enemy.
• Song of the Champions: You summon the spirits of those that led armies in glorious battles, surrounding you with an aura filled with spectral weapons planted in the ground. Friendly creatures within the aura can choose to reroll one damage die per attack. They must take the new roll.

Level 6: Hymn of the Spirits

At 6th level, you are able to summon the spirits of beings far beyond the Ethereal Plane to come to your aid for a short period of time. As an action, you can spend either one use of your Bardic Inspiration or a third level spell slot or higher to sing a hymn, affecting creatures in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on you until the end of your next turn. You are able to produce both a Song of the Spirits and a Hymn of the Spirits at the same time. When you do so, your voice gains a polyphonic, ethereal quality to it.

• Hymn of the Elementals: You summon the spirits of the primal elements, creating a burst of elemental energy. Roll an inspiration die and choose an element: fire, cold, or lightning. Until the end of your next turn, all friendly creatures within the hymn’s area of effect add damage of that type equal to the roll of your inspiration die to their spell attacks.
• Hymn of the Shadows: You summon the spirits of those who lurk in planes filled with shadow, creating a burst of arcane darkness. Until the end of your next turn, friendly creatures within the hymn’s area of effect can’t provoke attacks of opportunity, and gain an additional 10 feet of movement.
• Hymn of the Fey: You summon the spirits of those who rule over ancient magical forests, creating a burst of fey mist. Roll an inspiration die. Until the end of your next turn, all friendly creatures within the hymn’s area of effect can’t be charmed, and add the number you rolled on your inspiration die to their spell save DC when they try to charm another creature.
• Hymn of the Celestials: You summon the spirits of those who rule the heavens, creating a burst of golden clouds. Roll an inspiration die. All friendly creatures within the hymn’s area of effect gain the amount rolled in temporary hit points.
• Hymn of the Devils: You summon the spirits of those who rule the hells, creating a burst of caustic smoke and soot. Hostile creatures within the hymn’s area of effect must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, they have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws until the end of your next turn.

Level 14: Spiritual Choir

At 14th level, you are able to use the very spirits of those that fall while you sing to strengthen you. Whenever a creature with a CR of 1 or higher drops to 0 hit points inside of your Song of Spirits aura, you gain an additional use of Bardic Inspiration.