College of Society

Bards in the College of Society come from the upper class, often from royal families, nobility, patricians, and other backgrounds of similar wealth. These bards have not necessarily had to pick up their talents as a way of living or thriving, but rather have been classically trained in the arts and schools that they know.  While many bards tend to travel around, picking up their talents or using them to get their way, bards of the College of Society are more likely to be stationary and rely on their class knowledge to keep up with those around them rather than get ahead.

High Society Behavior

Upon joining College of Society at 3rd level, your socialite background gives you expertise in the Charisma (Performance) skill and proficiency in the Wisdom (Insight) skill.

Patrician Grace

At the 3rd level, you also gain the ability to save face when you fail to uphold your societal standards.  You can expend a bardic inspiration point whenever you fail a Charisma or Wisdom Saving Throw to re-roll your save.  As well, you gain a bonus of +2 to your Charisma and Wisdom Saving Throw modifiers. 

Whenever you roll a natural 1 on a Charisma Saving throw, you utterly fail to uphold the standards you have set for yourself, and permanently lose 1 Hit Point from your Hit Point total.  You may use a bardic inspiration point to re-roll the throw, but it does not negate the loss of that hit point.

Classical Melodies

Starting at 6th level, your classically trained musical talents gain a boost from magic, allowing you to play melodies that cause a shift of emotion in your allies.  You gain the ability to give your allies within 60 ft. or yourself boosts based on the emotional nature of the melodies you play on your instrument.  There are five melodies you can use to boost your allies or yourself, which are the following:

Joyful Melody. You play a melody that sparks joy.  Either you or your allies' spirits are lifted by this melody, allowing the target of the melody to move more energetically.  Any targeted creatures gain advantage on all Dexterity checks for 1 minute.

Intense Melody. You play a fast, determined melody that instills a passionate determination in either you or your allies.  Any targets of this melody gain an extra 1d6 on their next damage to an enemy.

Amusing Melody. You play a melody of sheer entertainment and amusement, releasing tension in the situation.  You or your allies gain advantage on the next saving throw.

Triumphant Melody. You play a melody that gives you or your allies a renewed feeling of confidence in achieving victory.  All targets of this melody find new life in it and gain 1d4 + your charisma modifier worth of hit points.

Harrowing Melody. You play a low, distressing melody that attacks an enemy of your choice.  You do 1d8 + you charisma modifier in damage to an enemy within 60 ft.

With a bonus action, you can play a boosting melody.  You choose anyone in your party (you may choose yourself), and mark off 1 boost for each person you are boosting.  Each person who is boosted gains the benefit of the boost (excepting Harrowing Melody, in which case you can only boost yourself).  You have 3 boosted melodies at 6th level, so you can choose 1 or 2 boosted melodies, and have spots left over to play another melody in the future, or you can use all 3 boosts at once on the same melody.  Once you expend all your boosts, you must wait to regain them until a long rest.  At 14th level, you gain 2 more boosts, totaling 5 boosts.

Noble Cause

At 14th level, you have become experienced enough in your high society ways to be charming even to those you would harm.  When you make a weapon attack with your action, you can choose to use your bonus action immediately after to try and charm the creature you just attacked, provided they understand at least one language you speak.  They must roll a wisdom save that beats 10 + your spell casting modifier.  If they fail, they are charmed by you for one minute.  This charm ends early when you or an ally causes damage to the creature. 

You can charm only one creature in this fashion at a time, and can have up to two total creatures charmed in this fashion.  If you roll a natural 20 on an attack roll against a third creature, you may attempt to charm them as well.  You can only have three total creatures charmed when the third is charmed by a natural 20.