College of Chaos: Radley (Subclass)

Bards of the College of Radley embody the electric intensity of performance — the thrill, the fear, and the longing for connection that drives every artist. These bards turn their emotions into resonance, weaving songs of self-expression that ripple through audiences and allies alike. They shine brightest when the world is watching, yet beneath their dazzle lies deep empathy and loyalty. Whether on stage or in battle, they push boundaries, chase perfection, and turn vulnerability into strength. As artists, these bards must take risks. They must know that sometimes their greatest moments can turn into their greatest failures, and their own abilities can be their undoing.

 

Level 3: Aaaaand Post!

You obtain a magical futuristic object: A piece of rectangular glass bursting with colors. Your mastery of social media lets you capture the perfect moment and broadcast it to an adoring audience. As a bonus action, you can spend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to "post." Choose one creature within 60 feet that can see or hear you, and expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to roll your Bardic Inspiration Die. Choose one effect from the Viral Post table based on the number rolled. The chosen effect happens immediately on the target.

1-3 (Viral Flop): Seven likes and one comment saying "chopped". What are you doing?  The target has disadvantage on their next attack roll or saving throw, and you regain the use of Bardic Inspiration on your next turn.

4-5 (Yeah, You Could Call me a Small Creator): You catch the algorithm, and this brings you hope for the future. The target gains a number of hit points equal to the number rolled + your charisma modifier.

6-7 (Oh Gosh, Not This Trend...): People love your post! The target can immediately make one attack, cast a cantrip, or take the Help action as a reaction.

8-9 (Shake it for Clout): Your social media presence is so alluring that your watchers are entranced. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you until the end of your next turn. While charmed this way, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone other than you, and has advantage on attack rolls against you. You can choose to make the target immune to this effect, in which this roll will do nothing.

10 (Mom, I'm Famous!): You can embolden your audience with your posts. The target has advantage on their next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. 

11 (MASSIVE Controversy): Choose a famous celebrity to get into beef with. All creatures within 30 feet of you must use their reactions to move five feet away from you, and you are unable to benefit from any support spells until the end of your next turn. Moreover, you must make a Charisma saving throw against your own DC, and take 2d10 psychic damage from a failed save. The target takes half of this damage due to secondhand embarrassment.

12 (Divine Intervention): You've successfully gotten the attention of the social media developers, and they verify you with that beautiful blue checkmark. You can choose to add or subtract three times the number rolled to one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw that the target makes before your next Long Rest.

You can only access options based on your Bardic Inspiration die maximum roll.

 

Level 3: An Artist's Persona

You’ve learned to blend your public persona with your private self — switching between stage confidence and quiet observation. Sometimes you like to show off a dazzling riff to the crowd, other times you prefer to hum quietly in peace.
As a bonus action, you can change your Persona Mode, which lasts for 1 minute or until you switch again.

• Spotlight Persona (Song of Energy). You gain advantage on Charisma (Performance, Persuasion, or Deception) checks and resistance to psychic damage.

• Backstage Persona (Song of Longing). You gain advantage on Wisdom (Insight or Perception) checks and cannot be charmed or frightened until the mode ends.

You can shift persona a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier per long rest.

Embarrassment: If you fail an ability check corresponding to one of your Persona songs, and the associated Persona is active, you cannot make another ability check until another party member succeeds a useful ability check (decided by the DM).

Level 6: Hot Takes

What's life without a little risk? On your movement, you can touch a number of willing allies (up to your charisma modifier), grant them temporary HP equal to your charisma modifier, and have them sing or play a song with a twist: They must achieve a specified Fulfillment or suffer your consequence. You can target yourself with this ability.

• Politically Charged Song: The affected ally improvises on a song with their political ideals. The affected ally's next spell that targets only one creature automatically uses their reaction to create an "echo" of the effect on a second target within 10 feet. The echo deals half damage, half healing, or has a reduced DC (up to the target). If the target fails to affect more than one creature with this spell, then they suffer from the Restrained condition until the end of their next turn.
• Rebellious Song: You conduct the ally through a song meant to induce chaos. affected ally's next attack roll is able to become a critical strike with a roll of one-fourths your bard level plus 18 or higher (round down). However, if the attack misses, the attack's energy backfires - they are pushed five feet away from the direction of their strike and are knocked Prone. This cannot trigger Opportunity Attacks.
• Stairway to Heaven: The affected ally plays the forbidden riff with your guidance. They gain advantage on the next attack roll they make, but it has a chance of going haywire and hitting someone else, including allies. Roll a d20. If the result is less than 7, then a random ally is hit. Otherwise, a random enemy is targeted. The DM can then choose the specific creature that is hit, and the attacked creature is Deafened until its next turn.

If combat ends before an ally has achieved their required Fulfillment, they take 1d4 points of force damage. You can use this feature once, and it recharges upon a Short Rest or a Long Rest, or by expending a use of Bardic Inspiration.

Level 6: Hyperfixation

When you focus on a creature, your perception tunes to pinpoint details others miss. As a bonus action, choose up to your charisma mod number of creatures you can see within 60 feet. For the next few turns equal to your Charisma modifier, you can ask the DM one of the following questions about one of those creatures per round (no action required), and get an accurate mechanical answer:

• “How many hit points does it have left?”
• “What is it resistant or immune to?”
• “Is it under any conditions or effects?”

If this effect ends while you are in combat, you enter Burnout mode, effective until your next Short or Long Rest.

• You can move up to 40 feet on your turn.
• You have disadvantage on all Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws or ability checks.
• You cannot gain hit points in any possible way.

You can use this feature once per long rest.

 

Level 14: The Show Must Go On

When exhaustion claws at you and failure looms, you refuse to let the spotlight dim. You pour every last ounce of your essence into one final push — because the show never stops for a true artist.

As a bonus action, you can ignite your inner fire, entering a heightened state of creative overdrive for 1 minute. During that time:

• You can continue concentrating on a bard spell even if you cast another spell that normally requires concentration (only one can last after this ends).
• Whenever you or an ally within 30 feet uses a Bardic Inspiration die, that creature regains hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus.
• The first time you take damage each round, you can reduce that damage by your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

When the minute ends, the adrenaline crash hits you:

• You immediately take 2d8 psychic damage as your mind reels from overexertion. If this brings you down to under one hit point, you go down to one hit point instead.
• You gain two levels of exhaustion.

You can use this feature once per long rest.