College of Kayfabe

Bards of the College of Kayfabe are called talents, with a variety of ranks from the lowly “young lions” and “jobbers” to the elite “blue chippers” and “top guys”. Talents use their own bodies as instruments, combining an unarmed fighting style of strikes, holds and throws with elements of performance and drama to enthral audiences in travelling shows.

Ultimately the performance of talents blurs the line between real combat and mock battles, as a technique designed to entertain and intrigue can be used to injure just as well. It's this blurred line that is known as the kayfabe, from which the college draws its name. Talents, while happy to play the role of hero (“face”) or villain (“heel”) for a performance, often require carefully planned collaboration with a fellow performer, routinely rehearsed to minimise the risk of injury, and endeavour to earn the trust of any and all who would work with them.

A talent can be just as impactful in real combat as they are in performance, with their toughened bodies more resilient to harm, and a greater willingness to throw themselves in harm's way to end a fight, drawing on tales of other warriors to inspire themselves in battle.

Bard Level	Feature
3rd	Bonus Proficiencies, Workrate
6th	Freedom of Movement, Workrate
14th	Workrate

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Kayfabe at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with improvised weapons. You may also add your Charisma modifier to all damage rolls for unarmed attacks, and use an improvised weapon as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells. Finally, you can read, write and speak the language of kayfabe, allowing you to communicate with fellow talents in confidence.

Freedom of Movement

At 6th level, you may add your Charisma modifier to your Armor Class when barechested. Note that this is distinct from being unarmored.

Workrate

At 3rd level, 6th level and 14th level, your training as a talent allows you to gain a new Workrate feature from the list below. These cannot be changed once learned.

Workrate Features

The features are presented in alphabetical order.

Blading

Any time you receive at least one Slashing damage, as a bonus action you may smear your face with blood, granting Advantage in all Performance checks. This effect lasts until you next recover hit points.

Getting Over

Once per day while in combat, you may make a Performance check as a bonus action. On a success, you may regain half your Charisma bonus in Bardic Inspiration dice, to a minimum of one. If this check is made in sight of non-combatant onlookers, you regain your full Charisma bonus in Bardic Inspiration dice, to a minimum of two.

Highflyer

Add 1d6 to any damage roll for every 5ft of movement downwards made in the act of attacking, eg jumping down from a roof or ladder.

Mist

As a bonus action, you may expend one Bardic Inspiration die and vial of any coloured liquid to ready a Mist attack. As a reaction or bonus action, you may use the readied Mist to spray a coloured mist from your mouth as a breath weapon in a 5-foot space in front of you, with anyone in range forced to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or become blinded (green), charmed (pink), frightened (black), incapacitated (blue) or poisoned (red).

No-Selling

Once per round, you may expend one Bardic Inspiration die to reduce any damage taken by one Bardic Inspiration die.

Outta Nowhere!

When an incoming attack misses, you may expend one Bardic Inspiration die to deal one Bardic Inspiration die of damage to the attacking creature, and render the creature prone.

Powerhouse

Whenever you are asked to make a Strength or Athletics check, including but not limited to attempts to grapple or break grapple, you may instead make a Performance check.

Strong Booking

Expend one Bardic Inspiration die to declare one creature as your Jobber, and deal one extra Bardic Inspiration die worth of damage to the creature with each unarmed attack or improvised weapon attack within the next minute.

Submission

When grappling a creature, for each saving throw the creature makes to break the grapple, the grappled creature must make a Charisma saving throw (DC 10 + the grappler's Performance bonus), taking one Bardic Inspiration die worth of non-lethal damage on a failed save. The damage is halved on a successful saving throw.

Tag Team

When within 5ft of allied creatures in combat, any unarmed attacks and improvised weapon attacks you make gain Advantage. Your ally does not need to be conscious for this effect to be in place.