collage of Life Song

"A man sat in a tavern, tuning his guitar. After a few minutes, a drunk stumbled over, yelling at him to stop. He swung a punch—but before it could land, the bard strummed a chord. The drunkard’s arm went limp. Another punch, another chord, another limp limb. Until finally, the man collapsed, unable to move. You see, the man with the guitar was no ordinary bard. He was a master of the College of Life Song."

 

The College of Life Song bards wield the Chords of Anatomy, a near-forgotten art that allows them to manipulate the bodies of those who hear them. Feared and hunted as a dark magic, the Life Song was nearly lost to time, but those who master it become something far more than just performers—they become conductors of flesh and bone.

Chord of the Arm

3rd-level College of Life Song feature

By plucking the right notes, you can control the movements of those around you. When you expend a Bardic Inspiration die, you can choose one creature within 60 feet that can hear you and apply one of the following effects:

• Accelerate: The target gains an extra bonus action on its turn for 1 minute.
• Decelerate: The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, it loses its reaction and has disadvantage on Strength checks and attacks for 1 minute.

Chord of the Leg

3rd-level College of Life Song feature

With a shift in tempo, you control speed itself. When you expend a Bardic Inspiration die, you can choose one creature within 60 feet that can hear you and apply one of the following effects:

• Accelerate: The target's speed is doubled for 1 minute.
• Decelerate: The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, its speed is halved, and it cannot take the Dash action for 1 minute.

Chord of the Liver

6th-level College of Life Song feature

Your music seeps deep into the body, affecting its very resilience. When you expend a Bardic Inspiration die, you can choose one creature within 60 feet that can hear you and apply one of the following effects:

• Accelerate: The target gains resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against poison for 10 minutes.
• Decelerate: The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it loses any poison resistance and has disadvantage on saving throws against poison for 10 minutes.

Muscle Memory

6th-level College of Life Song feature

The Chords of Anatomy are no longer something you think about—they're instinct. You can now use a Chord of Anatomy as a reaction when a creature targets you with an attack. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Chord of the Mind

14th-level College of Life Song feature

The mind is just another instrument waiting to be played. When you expend a Bardic Inspiration die, you can choose one creature within 60 feet that can hear you and apply one of the following effects:

• Accelerate: The target gains advantage on Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws for 1 minute.
• Decelerate: The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it has disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throws (your choice) for 1 minute.