College of Stories

Bards of the College of Stories believe that the world is shaped not only by steel and spell, but by the stories people choose to tell about themselves. To them, courage is not born in the moment of battle, but in the retelling that follows. A hero survives because someone remembers how they stood.

Bardic Storytellers are narrators of becoming, weaving tales that remind others who they are, who they have been, and who they might yet become. Through voice, gesture, and shared memory, they lend structure to chaos, framing fear as a trial and pain as a turning point rather than an ending.

Their magic unfolds slowly, deliberately, and communally. A Storyteller’s tale does not seize the world by force; it invites it to lean in and listen. When enough belief gathers, even the mundane becomes momentous, and legends can briefly walk the world once more.

Level 3: Set the Tone

While not in combat, the bard may spend at least 1 minute telling a story. The bard and all creatures of the bards choice that hear this story gain one benefit for the next hour, based on the type of story told. You can tell a number of stories in this way equal to your Proficiency Bonus per long rest. A Creature can only gain the benefit of one story type at a time. Telling a new story to a creature that is currently benefiting from the effects of a previous story replaces the affect and resets the duration to 1 hour.

• Adventure: Fills each creature with a sense of bravery; Granting them advantage on all saving throws.
• Comedy: Fills each creature with joy; Making them immune to the charmed and frightened condition
• Horror: Fills each creature with a sense of heightened aggression; Allowing them to add the bard's Charisma Modifier to any initiative rolls and once per turn, when they hit with a weapon attack may add the bard's Charisma Modifier to the damage.
• Mystery: Fills each creature with a sense of curiosity; Preventing them from being affected by the surprised condition and can add the bard's Charisma Modifier to any perception and insight checks they make.
• Romance: Fills each creature with a strong sense of devotion (familial, romantic, or friendship); The first time each round a creature would take damage, it reduces that damage by the bard’s Proficiency Bonus.

The effect of this feature ends early if an affected creature chooses to end it as a bonus action or if they fall unconscious. If the Effect is ended early the bard receives a Narrative Charge and the creature that had the benefit from this feature receives an amount of healing equal to the bard's level plus Charisma modifier. 

Level 3: Narrative Charge

Your ability to tell a story allows you to empower yourself as through you were a character in a story. You gain a pool of Narrative Charges equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one), representing the momentum of the story unfolding around you. Anytime a friendly creature within 60 feet rolls a natural 20 or is given a use of your bardic inspiration you gain a Narrative charge but you can never have more than your max amount. You Gain back all expended uses after finishing a long rest and can spend Narrative Charges in the following ways.

• Command the Scene: When you make a Charisma check, you can spend 1 Narrative Charge to treat the creature that your check is against as if it were one attitude step more favorable toward you (hostile → neutral → friendly). This does not charm the creature and does not alter its long-term disposition.
• Dramatic Emphasis: When you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can spend 1 Narrative Charge to gain advantage on the roll.
• Hold the Spotlight: When you take damage, you can spend 1 Narrative Charge as a reaction to reduce the damage by 1d4 plus half your Bard level.
• Narrative Flourish: When you cast a bard spell of 1st level or higher, you can spend 1 Narrative Charge to add your Charisma modifier to one damage or healing roll of the spell or Increase the spell’s save DC by +1 for that casting
• Narrative Turn: When you or a friendly creature you can see within 60 feet fails an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can spend 1 Narrative Charge as a reaction to replace the die roll with a 10 plus the required modifiers.
• Stage Direction: When you or a friendly creature you can see within 60 feet moves willingly, you can spend 1 Narrative Charge to prevent the movement from provoking opportunity attacks.

Level 6: Living Legends

You learn to Bring to life a copy of a character from a story. Once per long rest you can use a Magic action to pull back the fabric of reality and create a medium aberration that takes on the appearance and personality of a character from a story you know. The Aberration is called a Living Legend and can be one of three types based on the character you thought of. A Guardian Legend (protects and intercepts damage), Caretaker Legend (healing and stabilization), or Warrior Legend (damage dealer). The Legend lasts one minute or until it is reduced to 0 hit points. The Legend behaves as close as possible to the creature that inspired its appearance taking its turn directly after the bard that summoned it.

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Living Legend

Medium Aberration

Armor Class 12 + Your PB (Double PB if it is a Guardian Legend)

Hit Points 10 + 3 times your bard level (5 times bard level if it is a Warrior Legend)

Speed 30 ft. (45 ft. if Caretaker Legend)

Damage Immunities None

Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, prone, restrained

Senses darkvision 60 ft.

Languages understands the languages you speak

Challenge — Proficiency Bonus (PB) equals your bonus

Actions

Attack (Guardian): The Legend can make a melee attack with a reach of 5 feet. This attack has a to hit bonus of 2 plus your PB. If it hits it deals 1d6 Psychic damage.

Healing Touch (Caretaker): The Legend can touch a willing creature and restore an amount of hit points equal to 2d6 plus your PB.

Multi-Attack (Warrior): The Legend can make two weapon attacks with a reach of 30 feet. These attacks have a to hit bonus of 4 plus your PB. If it hits it deals 1d8 Psychic damage.

Bonus Actions

Bolster (Caretaker): The Legend can grant an amount of temp hit points to itself and all friendly creatures with 30 feet equal to 2d4 plus your PB.

Exposed Wounds (Warrior): The Legend causes a hostile creature within 30 feet that has already taken damage this round to take an extra amount of damage equal to 1d8 Psychic damage.

Magical Defense (Guardian): All friendly creatures within 15 feet of the legend have their AC increase by an amount equal to your PB until they start of its next turn.

Reactions

Defensive Dash (Guardian): The Legend can move up to half its base speed without provoking opportunity attacks if a hostile creature ends its turn within 5 feet of it.

Ease Suffering (Caretaker): If a friendly creature is reduced to 0 hit points within 30 feet of the Legend, the legend can use a reaction to allow the creature to remain at 1 hit point instead.

Opportunity Attack (Warrior): If a hostile creature attempts to move out of the legend's reach, the legend can make a single opportunity attack. These attacks have a to hit bonus of 4 plus your PB. If it hits it deals 1d8 Psychic damage.

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Level 6: Cast of Characters

When you give another creature bardic inspiration, you may also assign them an archetype that grants them an additional way to use the bardic inspiration die. When a creature uses one of these extra ways to spend bardic inspiration it gives the Bard a charge of Narrative.

• The Hero: Rising to meet a challenge; If they use the bardic inspiration die on a skill check, saving throw, or attack roll, they may choose to gain advantage instead of rolling the die.
• The Mentor: Guiding another through a trial; When they use the Help action to assist with an ability check or attack roll, it may expend the Bardic Inspiration die. Instead of granting advantage, the aided creature adds the helper’s relevant ability modifier to the roll.
• The Rebel: Rejecting societal norms; If they are reduced to 0 hit points they instead expend the bardic inspiration die and drop to the number rolled instead of falling unconscious.
• The Innocent: Pure and optimistic; They expend the bardic inspiration die and cannot be damaged by nonmagical weapon damage for a number of rounds equal to the rolled number. This ends early if they choose to deal damage.
• The Jester: Providing comic relief; They may expend the bardic inspiration die to end the frightened condition on a creature that can see and hear them.
• The Explorer: Seeking new experiences; If they are in a place they have never been before, may expend the bardic inspiration to learn the direction (relative to the explorer) and creature type of all creatures within a number of feet equal to the number rolled multiplied by 10.
• The Everyman: Seeking belonging; If they use the bardic inspiration die on a persuasion check they may double the number rolled on the bardic inspiration die.

Level 14: Fates Undone

Once per long rest you can use your narrative abilities to alter the events that have happened around you. As a Magic action, roll a d4 and restore every structure and creature within 120 feet of you to the state and location it was in a number of rounds previously equal to the d4 roll. This does not erase memories of what happened or abilities spent during that time but does undo damage, healing, and movement for everyone except the bard. If a structure is only partially in the affected area than only that part of the structure is restored and may still collapse depending on the damage. As part of the same action, you can choose to sacrifice a spell slot you have and add an additional d4 to roll per spell slot level used.