College of Kings

Bards of the College of Kings are graceful, regal, and nearly always nobility in training, though they are occasionally bandit leaders or important members of rebellions.

Cohort

Starting at 3rd level, you gain two aides that follow you and obey you faithfully. You have one mentor and one companion of your choice. Both aides are of your race, but lack racial traits. You add your Charisma modifier to their attacks, damage rolls, and saving throws so long as you are within 120 feet of them and they are aware of your presence. If a member of your cohort ever dies, another takes its place within one month's time, so long as you properly inform the faction you represent.

Members of your cohort take their turn on your initiative, though they don't take hostile action unless you command them to. They will generally move to keep themselves between you and the enemy, unless you command them to go elsewhere (no action required by you). You can use the appropriate action to verbally command them to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action, or to use a class feature. If you gain the Extra Attack feature somehow, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command them to take the attack action.

Your aides may use either the Mentor and Companion statblocks we have homebrewed as monsters or one of the three sidekick classes from the Sidekick Unearthed Arcana- Warrior, Expert, or Spellcaster. If you choose a sidekick class, you can allocate your sidekick's stats as if making a normal character, but without the racial bonuses or backgrounds. However, your companion cannot be a Warrior, and one or both of your aides must use the statblocks provided.

You can give your sidekick-class aide any equipment they are proficient with, but they arrive with a basic weapon and no armor when you first meet. Your aides only gain sidekick levels for each bard level you have.

Noble Rights

Starting at 6th level, you can use your Bardic Inspiration to do a number of unusual things. You know a number of rights equal to your proficiency bonus. Any ability that requires a saving throw uses your spellcasting save DC.

All Eyes on Me

You can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration as an action to force all eyes on you through dramatic action, such as singing, playing an instrument, or throwing back a veil or cloak. All creatures that can see you within 30 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw or become incredibly distracted. Attacks against creatures distracted in this way have advantage, and their attacks have disadvantage.

Animal Companion

You can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action to summon a beast of CR 1/4 or lower that acts on its own turn and fights with you, or acts as a mount or messenger outside of combat. If it is an attacking beast, you add your proficiency bonus to its AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws or skills it is proficient in. Its stats are otherwise the same as the chosen creature.

The beast you call is always the same beast after the first summoning, unless it has died. Next time you spend a long rest after the beast dies, you spend it bonding with a new beast of your choice.

Assert Yourself

As an action, you can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to end charm and fright effects on yourself by reminding yourself of something important to yourself, be it your noble pedigree, your duty to your people, or a person who is important you.

Berating Words

You have realized your inspiring bearing can have the reverse effect on a foe. You can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration as a reaction to yourself or an ally within 60 feet of you being targeted by an attack that requires an attack roll. You may subtract the number rolled on the bardic inspiration die from the triggering attack.

Charismatic Instructions

You may use your sheer presence to request, order, demand, or persuade someone to do something. As an action you may expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to cast the suggestion spell on one creature as a 2nd level spell. You can expend a spell slot to cast it at higher levels, with a single level discount (To cast it at 3rd level, you expend a 2nd level slot, 4th level is a 3rd level slot, etc.)

Destroy Morale

You can utilize the defeat of a foe to change the tide of battle. As a reaction to an ally defeating a hostile creature, you can expend a Bardic Inspiration die to force all other hostile creatures to make a Wisdom saving throw. The DC increases by one for each enemy that has fallen in the encounter.

On a failed save, they are compelled to flee combat if above half health, and fall unconscious (but are stable) if they are below half health. Creatures who have advantage against charmed conditions may roll the save with advantage, and creatures who are immune to being charmed are immune to this effect.

Do Something!

As a bonus action, you may expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to grant an ally the ability to make an attack, cast a spell, or make a skill check as a reaction. The number rolled on your Bardic Inspiration is added to the result of their check. However, despite the help, they get disadvantage on whatever they choose to do because they are surprised and rushed by your insistence.

Influence of Grace

You can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to grant yourself advantage on your next Deception or Persuasion skill check made within 10 minutes. When you make the roll, you also add the number rolled on your Bardic Inspiration die.

My Hero

As an action you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to cast heroism on an ally. However, this use of heroism does not require concentration, must be cast on a creature within 30 feet of you that can see and hear you, and the target gains temporary hit points equal your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Royal Shield

As a reaction to being the target of an attack that would take you below half health, you can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to cast Sanctuary on yourself without expending a spell slot.

Well-Known

Starting at 6th level, you may create a bond with a number if creatures that you can near-telepathically convey messages to through body language. Choose a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier+ half your bard level (rounded down) that you have spent at least one week with. Whenever those creatures can see you, they can understand basic commands and ideas simply by reading your body language. You can tell them things like "no", "yes", "that's bad", "I don't like that", "this is a great idea", etc. You cannot reveal complex information in this way. Other creatures can determine your messages this way, but only if they spend at least one minute observing you and roll make an Insight check vs your spell save DC.

God Save the Queen/King

Starting at 14th level, if you ever drop to 0 HP you inspire all allies within 30 feet of you for a number of round up to your Charisma modifier or until you're back on your feet. All creatures inspired in this way gain advantage on all attack rolls and skill checks.