College of Improvisation

Performing songs that one has practiced and memorized is an admirable act, be it profession or pastime. Many musicians, however, find great joy in improvising their music in the moment. This may take the form of an impressive solo, but more often than not, improvisation entails harmonizing with and backing up the other members of a group as you work together to create a fresh new sound. Bards of the College of Improvisation take this idea and implement it into the adventuring party.

Playing by Ear

As an artist of improv, you are well used to doing things off the cuff.

At 3 level, when you make an ability check using a skill you are not proficient in, you may add double your proficiency bonus to it anyway. You can use this feature once per short rest.

Counting Off

You’ve learned how to use your musical prowess to set the pace of an encounter.

At 3 level, when initiative is rolled, you can add or subtract your proficiency bonus to or from the roll of a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier within 30 feet.

Comping

You can’t be in the spotlight all the time; a good musician knows how to back up the rest of the ensemble. At 6 level, you can accompany the rest of your party as they act. As an action, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to start a performance that lasts until your next turn. Choose one these options (ideally one that corresponds to an instrument you can play):

• Rhythm. You lay down the beat and control the tempo of the fight. For the duration of the performance, either any creature friendly to you has their movement increased by 5 feet plus the number of the Bardic Inspiration die or any creature hostile to you has their movement decreased by 5 feet plus the number of the Bardic Inspiration die.
• Chords. Your voicings strengthen the harmonic structure of the group. For the duration of the performance, all creatures friendly to you within 30 feet gain +1 to AC and attack rolls. Once during the performance, when a creature benefitting from this effect is hit, it loses the +1, but regains a Bardic Inspiration die of hit points. Even if this doesn't happen, the use of Bardic inspiration is still lost.
• Countermelody. Your music plays off the melody of an ally’s actions. Once during the performance, you may use your bonus action at the end of a friendly creature’s turn to add a Bardic Inspiration die of thunder damage to an attack they have made. This damage can only affect one target. Attacks against the creature you have chosen have disadvantage for the duration of the performance.

Solo

At 14 level, you have honed the art of improvising with your magic and unleash it in a unique solo rather than as a spell you have learned previously. This solo counts as a bard spell but does not count against the number of bard spells you know.

You use one spell slot to play your solo. The attack deals a number of d10 equal to the level of the spell slot used, and targets a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier. Each creature must make a saving throw, and on a success, take half the damage. You choose the type of damage, and the kind of saving throw that must be made. On a failed save, choose one of the following effects, reflecting the style of the solo played:

• Hot: The creature takes an additional 1d6 fire damage on the start of each of its turns.
• Cool: The creature is incapacitated (but still capable of making the saving throw to end this effect).
• Sweet: When the creature is hit with a weapon attack, the attacker regains 1d4 HP.
• Experimental: The creature becomes vulnerable to a random type of damage, determined by rolling a d20 according to the table below. If the creature is already vulnerable to that type, roll again. If the creature has resistance to that type, attacks of that type ignore resistance, but the creature does not gain vulnerability. If the creature is immune, then it is treated as if it is only resistant.

Die Result	Damage Type	Die Result	Damage Type
1	Slashing	7	Poison
2	Piercing	8	Acid
3	Bludgeoning	9	Psychic
4	Fire	10	Force
5	Cold	11	Radiant
6	Lightning	12	Necrotic

 

The creature can make a saving throw of the same kind it made after the initial solo at the start of each turn to end the effect.

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