College of Communication

Bards of the College of Communication, often called "News Bards," excel at bringing news to the public and informing various citizens of gossip or conspiracy. Their words are able to influence both powerful and simple-minded people alike. With their natural ability to spread information quickly and influence opinions, they are able to affect their enemies with their fabrications to a detrimental extent while also being able to benefit their party members with positive headlines. 

 

Natural Gossip

When you join the College of Communication at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Persuasion and Deception. 

Reliable Source

Beginning at 3rd level, when a Persuasion or Deception check made against a creature fails, you may expend a Bardic Inspiration die in order to re-roll your check. You must keep the new roll. 

Fake News

Also at 3rd level, you have the power to create falsehoods and misleading information. Once per long rest, choose one illusion spell from the following list. The spell you pick must be at a level for which you can cast it. 

• Disguise Self
• Distort Value
• Illusory Script
• Silent Image
• Fear
• Major Image
• Mislead

You may cast the spell you pick once without expending a spell slot. After that, you cannot cast it again until after you finish a long rest. Additionally, you may switch out your previous illusion spell for another one from the list after you finish a long rest. 

Good News

Starting at 6th level, your tidings of joy and inspirational announcements have a positive effect on your allies. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to grant an ally within range Good News for 1 minute. In addition to a normal Bardic Inspiration's effects, you may choose one of the following effects: 

• As an action, you may choose to heal an ally with Good News for twice the value of your Bardic Inspiration die
• When an ally with Good News is healed, they heal an additional amount equal to your Charisma modifier. 
• When an ally is given Good News, they can choose to invoke the power of Good News as a bonus action in order to grant them additional damage on one attack. When an ally affected with Good News hits with an attack, they can expend and roll the Good News die. The target takes psychic damage equal to the number rolled.

Bad News

Also at 6th level, your fabrications are powerful enough to affect your enemies. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to impose Bad News for 1 minute on an enemy you can see within range. When you declare Bad News, you may choose one of the following effects to be imposed against the enemy:

• As a reaction, you can activate Bad News on a creature attacking an ally. When you do this, roll your Bardic Inspiration die and subtract the total from the attack roll of the creature. 
• The next time a creature affected by Bad News makes a saving throw, roll a Bardic Inspiration die and subtract the total from the saving throw.
• When a creature affected by Bad News hits an ally with an attack, they must make a Charisma saving throw. If they fail, roll a d4 and impose a status condition equal to the value rolled from the list below. The condition lasts until the end of their next turn. 
  • 1 = Poisoned
  • 2 = Blinded
  • 3 = Restrained
  • 4 = Frightened

Elite Communicator

Starting at 14th level, your communication skills have an even greater influence. Bard cantrips and spells that require verbal components have their range doubled, and the range for Bardic Inspiration is extended by 30 feet. Also, when you decide to declare Good News or Bad News, you can choose to do both in the same bonus action while only expending one Bardic Inspiration to do so.