Bards of the College of Color are artists who believe that the truest form of expression transcends words and melody, finding its voice instead in the hues and textures of creation. To them, each color carries a resonance of the soul: a vibration that can soothe, inspire, or unravel the mind. Their magic flows through pigment and paint, brush and ink, shaping the emotional landscape of the world around them.

These bards see battle as a canvas and spellcasting as the act of painting life itself. Their art is not static; it shifts, ripples, and dances, infusing the air with waves of prismatic energy. Whether splattering radiant bursts of emotion or sketching illusions so vivid they breathe, a Bard of Color paints reality in shades of imagination.

Level 3: Chromatic Discipline

Your artistic craft becomes a living channel for your magic.

Painter’s Supplies. You gain proficiency with painter’s supplies if you don’t already have it. If you don’t currently possess a set, shimmering pigment gathers in your hands when you gain this feature, forming a basic set of painter’s supplies that you keep thereafter.

Summon the Muse. As an action, you can magically summon your painter’s supplies to your hand, causing brushes, pigments, and palettes to coalesce from vibrant light. The supplies vanish if they are more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute, if you summon a new set, or if you dismiss them (no action required). If your supplies are lost or destroyed, you can recreate them through this feature.

Arcane Focus. While you are holding your summoned painter’s supplies, you can use them as a spellcasting focus for your Bard spells. When you cast a spell using these supplies as a focus, traces of color ripple briefly through the air or across your skin, reflecting the emotional tone of the magic.

Bonus Spells. You automatically learn Color Spray and Silent Image. These count as Bard spells for you and don’t count against your number of spells known.

Level 3: Chromatic Inspiration

Your artistry manifests through color rather than sound, as your Bardic Inspiration manifests as motes of pigment that magically swirl around the target.

When you use your Bonus Action to give Bardic Inspiration, you choose one Primary Color to infuse into it. When the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die, the effect of that color occurs automatically.

Red. The creature deals extra fire damage equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die on its next successful weapon or spell attack before the end of its next turn. At level 14, this damage type can be changed to Cold, Lightning, Poison, Acid, Radiant, or Necrotic (your choice).

Blue. The creature gains temporary hit points equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die. At level 14, an affected creature also becomes resistant to Fire, Cold, Lightning, Poison, Acid, Radiant, or Necrotic damage (your choice) for the next minute.

Yellow. The creature can immediately move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. At level 14, an affected creature may move its maximum movement speed, instead.

Level 6: Mixed Palette

Your mastery of emotion lets you weave pigments into the world itself. As an action, you can paint a wave of color in the air, shaping its emotional resonance into reality. Choose one of the following Secondary Colors when you do so. The painted effect fills a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you can see within 30 feet and lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature again.

Green. The area becomes soothing and alive with gentle hues. When an ally starts its turn inside it, it regains hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

Orange. The area bursts with kinetic light. Allies who start their turn inside it gain +10 feet of movement speed and advantage on Dexterity saving throws until the start of their next turn.

Violet. The area hums with calm. Creatures of your choice within it have advantage on Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws, and hostile creatures have disadvantage on Charisma saving throws.

Once you create a Mixed Palette, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to create another one.

Circle Casting. This feature may be circle casted as if it were a spell, given that all secondary casters gained the spellcasting feature as a Bard.

Level 14: True Color

Your art reaches its final expression: limitless and radiant. When you perform, your emotions spill outward, coloring the hearts of all who stand with you. You gain the following benefits:

True Inspiration. When you use your Bonus Action to give a creature Bardic Inspiration through Chromatic Inspiration, you can instead unleash your True Inspiration. When you do, choose any hue to represent the emotion of your art.

You can affect a number of creatures of your choice within 60 feet equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one) instead of only one creature. Each affected creature gains the color effect of your choice (Red, Blue, or Yellow) but not a regular Bardic Inspiration die.

If the effect requires a roll, each creature rolls a die equal to your current Bardic Inspiration die (d8, d10, d12, and so on).

These inspirations last for 10 minutes or until used. Once you use True Inspiration, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

True Palette. When you use your Mixed Palette feature, your color becomes fully dynamic. At the start of each of your turns, you can change its effect (Green, Orange, or Violet) and shift it to any hue of your choice. The palette glows, shedding dim light in its area.

At the start of each of your turns while the palette persists, you can also use a Bonus Action to move its center to a space you can see within 30 feet.