College of Puns

Where most bards would take a call to get off the stage as an insult, bards of the College of Puns revel in the boos and groans of those subjected to their jokes. Experts at taking any situation and twisting it around to make a joke about it they weave power into their words, their wordplay on a level few can manage without years of practice and dedication.

The power of a College of Puns bard’s jokes are situational and precise, hitting at just the right moment to bring a full stop to the current situation or to cause a distraction. These bards know exactly how terrible their jokes are, but they take pleasure in the reactions they receive.

While those that travel with them typically start out annoyed at the antics, over time they tend to lean into it and even begin to add their own twist to things in an act of encouragement. In a love-hate relationship they come to realize that puns are meant to be hated, but being hated also makes them loved in some strange way.

Punitive Words

When you join the College of Puns at 3rd level, you gain the ability to amplify the natural effects of your puns, causing actual pain to those that hear them.

As a bonus action, you can expend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to speak a pun relevant to the situation. When you do so, choose 1 creature you can see within 60 feet of you that can hear you. That creature makes a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, taking damage equal to your roll of the Bardic Inspiration die.

Punchy Reactions

Also at 3rd level, the power behind your jokes can draw the ire of those they’re aimed at. When an ally is hit with an attack by a creature within 60 feet of you that can hear you, you may use your reaction to utter a pun directed at the attacker to make you their focus in the fight. The target of your pun must make a wisdom saving throw against your spellcasting DC and is overcome with the urge to slap you on a failure. Until the target has hit you with a melee attack, they must spend their turns moving towards you and attempting to attack you.

The effect on the target ends if you use this ability on another creature, or if there is no way to reach you. The target may remake the saving throw at the end of each of their turns to end the effect.

Spun Stories

At 3rd level you can fully bring the puns you speak to life, the build ups on point and the puns themselves hitting just the way you want. You gain proficiency in the performance skill.

Impunity to Retaliation

At 6th level you may use your action to let loose a particularly powerful pun. Choose targets up to your charisma modifier (minimum of one) within 60 feet of you that can hear you. The targets make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, the pun so bad it makes them facepalm hard enough to impose disadvantage on their next attack on a failure. Once you use this ability you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Punishing Cascades

Starting at 14th level when you Use your Punitive Words feature, you also spend your action to amplify the effects. When you do so a surge of energy and comedic inspiration washes over you and those around you. Your allies may use their reaction to add to the pun you speak. For each that does you may speak additional puns up to your charisma modifier (minimum of one), adding 1 dice to the damage for every pun spoken.

Each ally that participates in this pun chain gains 5 temp hp. Once you use this ability you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.