College of Weighted Rhythms

The College of Weighted Rhythms teaches that gravity is not merely a force to be endured, but a rhythm to be felt and expressed. Its bards channel magic through deliberate movement—steps, spins, pauses, and flowing motion that cause gravity itself to pulse in time with their performance. To watch a bard of the College of Weighted Rhythms dance is to feel the world subtly respond, as weight, balance, and momentum bend to their will.

When light, these bards move with effortless grace, skimming across terrain as though the ground barely acknowledges them. Their dances are fluid and untethered, allowing them to glide over hazards, drift through crowded spaces, and command attention without sound. When they choose to ground themselves, however, every motion gains substance. Footsteps land heavier than expected, the air thickens, and nearby creatures feel the pull of gravity aligning with the bard’s stance and intent.

In combat, a bard of the College of Weighted Rhythms does not simply fight—they perform. Their dances send rhythmic gravitational pulses that slow, disorient, and reposition enemies, shaping the battlefield through motion rather than brute force. Outside of battle, their presence is just as commanding, whether captivating an audience, dominating a space, or turning a simple step into a moment of undeniable gravity.

The College of Weighted Rhythms is for bards who believe that magic lives in motion—that every dance can change the world, and every pause can make it hold its breath.

Level 3: Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Weighted Rhythms at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance and Acrobatics skills.

Level 3: Gravitic Dance

As a bonus action, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to enter a Gravitic Dance for 1 minute. The dance ends early if you are incapacitated.

While performing a Gravitic Dance:
• Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
• You gain a bonus to AC equal to your Charisma modifier (maximum +5).
• You can move through the space of creatures one size larger than you.

Each time you cast a gravity spell, the duration of your Gravitic Dance refreshes to 1 minute.

DM NOTE: The AC bonus only applies while the dance is active.

Level 3: Feather and Weight

Your relationship with gravity is expressive rather than constant.

FEATHERED STATE (DEFAULT)
While you are not deliberately grounding yourself, you are considered to be lightly hovering just above the surface beneath you.

While in this feathered state:
• You hover a few inches above the ground, never fully touching it.
• You can move across difficult terrain without it costing extra movement.
• You can move across liquids, unstable surfaces, shallow hazards, loose debris, snow, sand, or fragile ground as though they were normal terrain.
• You may cross gaps, pits, pressure plates, caltrops, ball bearings, and similar ground-based hazards without triggering them, provided the gap is no wider than 5 feet.
• You leave minimal physical trace of movement (no footprints, reduced sound), at the DM’s discretion.

This hovering movement does not grant a flying speed and cannot be used to gain altitude.

WEIGHTED STATE (DELIBERATE CHOICE)
At any time (no action required), you may choose to fully commit your weight to the surface beneath you.

While weighted:
• You are considered firmly grounded.
• You interact normally with terrain and ground-based hazards.
• You may activate features that require grounding, such as Gravitational Presence and Directed Gravity.
• Your presence is tangible, audible, and felt.

You may switch freely between Feathered and Weighted states at any time, provided you are not incapacitated.

 

**DM note: This feature does not grant flight or increased speed. It allows terrain interaction and narrative movement at the DM’s discretion. This feature intentionally relies on rules text rather than automated modifiers. 

 

Level 3: Gravitational Presence

While you are weighted and in contact with a solid surface, you project a gravitational presence. Creatures of your choice that start their turn within 10 feet of you have their speed reduced by 5 feet until the end of that turn. This effect does not create difficult terrain.

 

DM NOTE: This is a soft control aura and should not stack with difficult terrain.

Level 3: Directed Gravity

While your Gravitational Presence is active, you can issue a focused gravitational directive.

As a bonus action, choose one creature, object, or point of terrain you can see within 30 feet that is in contact with the same surface or a connected surface. If the target is a creature, it must make a Strength saving throw against your bard spell save DC.

On a failed save, choose one of the following effects:
• Anchor: The creature’s speed becomes 0 until the start of its next turn.
• Press: The creature is knocked prone.
• Draw: The creature is pulled up to 10 feet along the surface.

On a successful save, the creature’s speed is reduced by 5 feet until the end of its next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.

 

DM NOTE: The target must be grounded or touching a connected surface.

Expanded Gravity Spell List

Beginning when you join the College of Gravitas, your mastery of gravitational magic expands the bard spell list for you.

The following spells are added to the bard spell list for you and are considered bard spells when you learn them. You must still follow all normal rules for learning and casting spells, and these spells count against the number of bard spells you know unless otherwise noted.

1st Level: Catapult, Feather Fall, Magnify Gravity
2nd Level: Hold Person, Immovable Object, Levitate, Sapping Sting
3rd Level: Gravity Smash, Pulse Wave, Slow
4th Level: Gravity Sinkhole
5th Level: Gravity Fissure, Hold Monster, Telekinesis, Wall of Force
6th Level: Dark Star
7th Level: Forcecage, Reverse Gravity, Ravenous Void

Level 6: Sustained Rhythm

While performing a Gravitic Dance, once per dance, you may use Directed Gravity or Graviton Pulse without expending a use of that feature.

Level 6: Graviton Pulse

While you are performing a Gravitic Dance, creatures that start their turn within 10 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw against your bard spell save DC.

On a failed save, choose one effect until the end of the creature’s next turn:
• The creature’s speed is reduced by 10 feet and it cannot take reactions.
• The creature has disadvantage on the first attack roll it makes on its turn.
• The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.

On a success, the creature is unaffected and immune to this feature until the start of its next turn.

You can use this feature once per round a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, regaining all uses on a long rest.

Level 14: Endless Cadence

When you begin a Gravitic Dance, choose one:
• Enduring Rhythm: The dance does not expend Bardic Inspiration.
• Unbroken Flow: The dance lasts up to 10 minutes.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

At 16th level, you can use this feature twice per long rest.
At 18th level, you can use this feature three times per long rest.