College of Resonance: Radley (Subclass)

Some bards don’t just play music — they become it. Members of the College of Resonance unlock the fundamental link between sound and substance. Through a pianist’s precision, a guitarist’s emotion, and a dancer’s rhythm, they learn to manipulate vibration itself, turning waves of energy into tangible forces that shape both matter and mood.

 

Level 3: Prelude of Manifestation

When you join the College of Resonance, your music escapes the intangible — every note you play conjures light, sound, and touch across the Weave.

Manifest Instrument: As a bonus action, you conjure your Resonant Instrument, a magical embodiment of your creative voice — most often a spectral grand piano that floats and turns in midair like the reflection of a memory. You can choose another form (guitar, harp, drum set, etc.), but its properties mirror a piano: broad range, physical presence, and percussive precision. The Resonant Instrument takes up a 10 by 10 square in a space directly next to you and lasts 10 minutes. It can be used as a spellcasting focus, and cannot be moved. If you are flying, the piano manifests on the ground below you. The Resonant Instrument doesn't touch the ground and is otherwise unaffected by aoe conditions on the round it is summoned; it hovers one foot off the ground.

Resonant Instrument (Summoned Piano)

Large Construct, unaligned
(Your summoned Resonant Instrument can take many forms: an ornate grand piano of shimmering light, a levitating harp made of glass, a suspended vibraphone of molten bronze, etc.)

Armor Class: 14 + your Proficiency Bonus (harmonic shielding)

Hit Points: 5 + five times your bard level (it disappears if reduced to 0 HP or you fall unconscious)

STR 14 (+2) DEX 10 (+0) CON 14 (+2) INT 6 (–2) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 16 (+3)

It is immune to poison and psychic damage; and immune to the charmed, frightened, and poisoned conditions.

When the Instrument is present, you can use half of your speed to mount onto the piano's bench. When doing so, you gain 90 feet of Blindsight. When on the piano, you also have access to new abilities. When mounted, you can choose to forgo your action and instead use a Performance Action to do one of the following:

• Movement I - Allegro Tempest: Every creature within 60 feet of the piano has their AC forcibly lowered by 2 until the Resonant Instrument is destroyed. A creature's AC cannot be reduced by over 5 in this way.
• Movement II - Andante Veil: Every creature within 60 feet of the Piano suffers a -2 penalty to every future spell save DC until the Resonant Instrument is destroyed. A creature's spell save DC cannot be reduced by over 5 in this way.
• Movement III - Scherzo of Echoes: Every creature within 60 feet must succeed on a Strength saving throw equal to your spell save DC or take damage equal to your the max roll of your Bardic Inspiration die plus your Charisma modifier and be pushed 10 feet away. On a successful save, a creature still takes half damage.
• Movement IV - Coda Convergence: Every creature within 60 feet has their speed forcibly lowered by 5. A creature's speed cannot be reduced over 10 in this way.

The piano counts as Half Cover if you are mounted on it. Every time you take a Performance Action in a row, all allies with 60 feet gain Temporary Hit Points equal to half your Bard level (round down). You are able to cast spells from the Resonant Instrument's bench, and when you do, the spells range increases by 30 feet if it originally had a range of 10 feet or above. 

Enemies that are Deafened or cannot hear you in any possible way is not affected by any of these actions. You can use half your speed to unmount your Resonant Instrument. You can summon your Resonant Instrument once per long rest, or spend a level 2+ slot to replenish it again (no action needed). If your Resonant Instrument is destroyed, it cannot be resummoned until a full turn of yours has passed.

Level 3: Creative Inspiration

You have revolutionized your talents; weaving the vibrations in the air like threads.

Vibrational Weaving: You can use your Bardic inspiration die on yourself. When you or an ally is hit by an attack roll, you can use a reaction to expend one use of Bardic Inspiration and increase the AC of the victim by the number rolled until the end of your next turn, potentially causing the attack to miss. If the attack hits anyway, you don't expend that use of Bardic Inspiration. 

Resonant Echoes: Additionally, whenever a Bardic Inspiration die is burned, a Lesser Instrument appears above you, manifesting as a glowing stringed instrument, such as a guitar or violin. It plays a random melody for one hour before disappearing naturally. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you can treat its point of origin as either your position or one of your Lesser Instruments'. If you or an ally is underneath a Lesser Instrument, they can absorb it to gain advantage on their next spell saving throw. When they do so, the instrument disappears.

You can have a maximum number of 3 Lesser Instruments active at one time. If you spawn a new one, the oldest disappears. All Lesser Instruments disappear at the end of a Short or Long Rest.

Level 6: Glissando Sweep

Your melodies sweep across minds like a conductor's sweeping gesture, bending wills to your rhythm.

You always have the spell Hypnotic Pattern prepared, and it doesn't count against your spells prepared.

When you cast Hypnotic Pattern, you can modify it by expending one additional spell slot of any level you can cast. When you modify the spell in this way:

• You choose a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) to be unaffected by the spell.
• The spell ignores resistance and immunity to the Charmed condition. Creatures normally immune to being charmed can still be affected by this modified casting.

You can modify Hypnotic Pattern in this way a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier per Long Rest.

Rhythmic Cascade: If two or more creatures are Charmed by a single instance of this spell at a time, your next Performance Action can be made as a Bonus Action. You can't take more than one Performance Action on a single turn.

Level 6: Cadence of Duality

Your lesser instruments dance to classical masterpieces, each note a weapon of elegance or fury.

When you finish a Short or Long Rest, choose one Classic Vibration that resonates through all Lesser Instruments you create until your next rest: Bach Fugue or Mozart Sonata.

Flourishing Command. As a bonus action, you can command one of your Lesser Instruments to flourish. It streaks toward you in a straight line. Each creature it passes through must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (your spell save DC) or fall prone. The instrument stops within 5 feet of you.

You can then absorb it to gain one effect based on your Classic Vibration:

Bach Fugue (Combative, fast-paced efficiency):

• Dissonant Chord. You become invisible until the end of your next turn or until you attack or cast a spell. While invisible this way, your Resonant Instrument becomes intangible (immune to damage and targeting).
• Whispering Waltz. You teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet.

Mozart Sonata (Elegance and depth):

• Crescendo Surge. You gain advantage on your next ability check.
• Arpeggio Guard. You regain hit points equal to the maximum roll of your Bardic Inspiration die.

Level 14: Opus of Living Sound

Your symphony becomes a living force — reality bends to the score you compose in the moment.

Virtuoso Momentum. For each action or bonus action you spend on a Performance Action with your Resonant Instrument during combat, gain 1 Virtuoso point. You can also gain 1 Virtuoso point by expending a Bardic Inspiration die (this also spawns a Lesser Instrument, but provides no other benefit).

Haunting Performance. Spend 1 Virtuoso point to take a Performance Action as a free action on your turn (once per turn). The Performance Action from Haunting Performance affects you as well.

Enhanced Movements:

• Movement III now knocks creatures prone in addition to pushing them back.
• Whenever you hit the maximum debuffs of Movement II or Movement IV on a creature within the range of your Resonant Instrument, you can choose an ally (including yourself) to become immune to the Resonant Instrument's effects. Their immunity ends if they step out of range of your Resonant Instrument, or if it is destroyed.

Living Symphony. Your Resonant Instrument reveals all vibrations within 60 feet:

• You can see the origin of all magic (as if affected by detect magic).
• No hostile creature can benefit from invisibility (their vibrations are revealed).
• Mount/dismount is now free (no movement cost).
• As a bonus action, teleport the Resonant Instrument to an unoccupied 10-ft. square adjacent to you.