College of Repose

The College of Repose instructs students in the bardic traditions of honoring the dead and the ancestors of those that have come before them. They have a stronger resolve in their beliefs, than other bards. They believe honoring the dead to be a sacred duty and take it sincerely. These bards command respect and honor wherever they travel. They typically provide burial ritual performances at no cost to the families of the recently departed. This bardic tradition considers it an honor to be asked to perform for a loved ones family and friends.

Wisdom of the Forebears

At 3rd level when you join The College of Repose you learn the traditional ways of honoring the dead. You gain proficiency in History.

Edge of Lament

At 3rd level the College of Repose teaches you how to make your weapon attacks magically influence a creature’s emotional state. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the target to become overcome with grief. The creature must make a Constitution Saving throw versus your spell DC or be paralyzed until the end of your next turn. You can do so only once per round on your turn.

Dirge of the Dead

Starting at 3rd level, you can charge your performance with emotions of solace, praise, or remembrance.

If you perform for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to console, encourage, or relieve your audience by singing a dirge, reciting a poem, or dancing in honor of those that have past. At the end of the performance, choose a number of humanoids within 60 feet of you who watched and listened to all of it, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, if the creature fails it becomes friendly toward you for 1 hour. For the duration, you have advantage on all Charisma checks directed at creatures of your choice that are affected and aren’t hostile toward you.

While friendly in this way, the creature speaks fondly of you to anyone who talks to it, and it discourages anyone who opposes you, although it avoids violence unless it was already inclined to fight on your behalf. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour, if it takes any damage, if you attack it, or if it witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies.

When the spell ends, the creatures do not realize that you used magic to influence their mood and do not become hostile toward you.

If a target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to influence it.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Mantle of Death

At 6th level, you gain the ability to cloak yourself in a visage of the grave that makes others fear you. As a bonus action, you cast the spell fear, without expending a spell slot, and you take on an appearance of Death for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). During this time, you can cast fear as a bonus action on each of your turns, without expending a spell slot.

If the target succeeds on its saving throw, it is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours .

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

You gain the ability to cast the gentle repose spell at will.

Prayer of Valhalla

At 14th level you may recite a prayer of honor to the souls of warriors that have come before you. Fearless souls who fought and died with honor, while making a final stand in wars long ago.

“Lo there do I see my father; Lo there do I see my mother, my sisters and my brothers; Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.”

A creature or creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you, that hear this prayer and understands you gain the following benefits. The creature becomes immune to being frightened, and makes all Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Its hit point maximum also increases by hit points equal to your level + your Charisma modifier, and gains that amount of hit points. These benefits last for 8 hours.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.