College of Visual Arts

Song is not the only art form that can tell a story. After all, an image is worth a thousand words, and bards from the College of Visual Arts know this better than anyone. Their extraordinary talent as visual artists is second to none, as is their power to bring to life their creations as helpful companions. In addition to their arsenal of spells, their equally impressive repertoire of sketched magical summons is their key to thrive as dependable explorers, adventurers, and unorthodox heroes.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Visual Arts at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Painter's Tools and either the Perception or Nature skill. You can use a set of Painter's Tools as a spellcasting focus for your Bard spells and class features that require an instrument.

Sketchbook of Summons

Starting at 3rd level, you gain a book filled with enchanted blank pages known as a Sketchbook of Summons. Your talent as an artist allows you to sketch from life, and bring forth your creations as magical summons. Choose one type of creature between beasts, fey, humanoids, or monstrosities. As part of a long rest, you can sketch a number of creatures that you've seen in the past week of your chosen type, and an accumulated Challenge Rating equal to half your level in this class, unto your Sketchbook. The number of creatures you can sketch is limited only by their accumulated Challenge Rating. For example, at 3rd level, you could have one CR 1 creature and one CR 1/2 creature, or three CR 1/2 creatures, on your Sketchbook. The GM has the creatures' statistics. You gain one additional type of creature you can sketch at 6th and 14th level in this class.

As an action you can choose one of your sketched creatures and channel your magic to summon it within 5 feet of you. The summoned creature is friendly to you and your companions, and it has its turn on initiative immediately after yours. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to it, it defends itself from hostile creatures, but otherwise takes no actions. Your summon lasts a number of rounds equal to twice your Charisma modifier, after which it disappears, and its summon is expended. You can summon each of your sketches once, and can only have one summon up at a time. You regain your summons after a long rest. If you wish to change your stored sketches, you can wipe your Sketchbook clean, and start from scratch as part of a long rest.

Beasts

You are able to summon any beast creature you've seen and sketched.

Fey

You are able to summon any fey creature you've seen and sketched.

Humanoids

You are able to summon any humanoid creature you've seen and sketched.

Monstrosities

You are able to summon any monstrous creature you've seen and sketched.

Inspiring Scenery

At 6th level, you learn how to enhance your sketches with the surrounding environment, granting benefits to your summons accordingly. As part of your action to perform a summon, you can expend one Bardic Inspiration die. Your summon deals extra damage with its weapon attacks equal to your Bardic Inspiration die. Additionally, you and your summons gain a bonus depending on the type of terrain unto which you summoned your sketch. The effect is determined as follows:

Arctic, Coast: Waterbreathing and cold resistance.
Desert, Grassland: 10 feet extra movement speed.
Forest, Swamp: Difficult terrain immunity and poison resistance. 
Mountain, Underdark: Darkvision and +1 AC.

The bonus  ends once your summon disappears.

Summoning Maestro

Starting at 14th level, you now recover your sketch summons after a short rest. Additionally, the bonus of your Inspiring Scenery feature now applies to an extra number of friendly creatures of your choice up to to your Charisma modifier, and your summons now last a number of rounds equal to three times your Charisma modifier.