College of Hambone

For generations, the obscure art of hambone has been perfected by a secretive order of minstrels and performance artists. By rhythmically beating their arms, chests, legs and face with a pair of open palms, bards of this college create percussive musical performances capable of casting spells and producing magical effects without a spellcasting focus. 

The art of hambone requires intense focus and physical coordination. Bards of the College of Hambone are dedicated to their craft. While outsiders may see their art as bizarre or even humorous, the skill required to hambone, even without using it as an instrument of magic, is no laughing matter. 

Bonus Proficiency

When you join the College of Hambone at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with drums. Your proficiency in drums applies to Performance (Cha) checks made while hamboning. If you already have proficiency in drums, you can choose to take proficiency in another musical instrument of your choice. 

Hambone Casting

At 3rd level, you learn how to cast spells by rhythmically slapping yourself with a pair of open hands. While both of your hands are empty, you can hambone to cast your spells. Doing so replaces the function of your arcane focus, and spells casted this way require no material components to cast, so long as the listed materials have no gold cost. 

Meaty Thwacks

At 3rd level, your hambone hands can strike with the more force than the average punch. Once per turn, you may expend one use of your bardic inspiration. Roll your bardic inspiration die; you may either add the rolled number to the damage of an unarmed strike you make before the end of your turn or make that many unarmed strike attacks before the end of your turn. 

Master's Moves

At 6th level, you can unleash powerful magical powers by replicating the moves created by the progenitors of hambone. Choose two of the listed Master's Moves. Every morning at dawn, you may change one of your chosen moves. You must expend one use of your bardic inspiration to use one of your chosen moves. You cannot use more than one Master's Move per turn. 

Bombur's Belly Drum

You beat your belly to inspire laziness in your foes. As an action, you can target a number of creatures, that can hear you, equal to or less than your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier, within 30 feet of you. They must make Wisdom saving throws, the save DC equal to your spell save DC. On failed save, the target's speed is reduced by 15 ft for 1d3 rounds. 

Chester's Chest Beating

You beat your chest like an enraged gorilla. As an action, you transform into a giant ape. You can stay in this form for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. You then revert to your normal form unless you use this move again. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a Bonus Action on Your Turn. You automatically revert if you fall Unconscious, drop to 0 Hit Points, die, enter an area of antimagic or are targeted by dispel magic or a similar effect. 

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game Statistics are replaced by the Statistics of the giant ape, but you retain your Alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw Proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the giant ape has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the giant ape's bonus instead of yours. 
• When you transform, you assume the giant ape's Hit Points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of Hit Points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of Dropping to 0 Hit Points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 Hit Points, you aren't knocked Unconscious.
• You can't cast Spells, and your ability to speak is limited to the capabilities of a giant ape. Transforming doesn't break your Concentration on a spell you've already cast, however, or prevent you from taking Actions that are part of a spell, such as Call Lightning, that you've already cast.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the giant ape is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your Special Senses, such as Darkvision, unless the giant ape also has that sense.
• You choose whether your Equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn Equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of Equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your Equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the giant ape, and any Equipment that the giant ape can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the giant ape has no Effect until you leave the form.

 

Finlay's Magnificent Misdirect

You perform a rousing hambone routine, projecting the percussive cacophony elsewhere. You can choose a point up to 100 feet away from you. As you use this move, the sounds you would be producing emerge from that point, rather than your current position, for as long as you continue to hambone. 

Gerti's Thunderous Thighs

You produce a deafening sonic boom with your thighs as an action. All creatures within a 15 foot radius must make a constitution saving throw, the save DC equal to your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature is deafened for a number of rounds equal to your charisma modifier and takes 2d10 thunder damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. 

Helga's Hypnotic Slapstorm

By hamboning at the speed of sound, you put the target into a trance, lulling them into a mental assault. As an action, you can cast hypnotic pattern at will (without expending any spell slots). When the spell ends, the target creature takes psychic damage equal to 3d6 plus your charisma modifier. 

Ingrid's Inspiring Jubilee

You perform a hambone routine that sparks inspiration. As an action, you can expend a 3rd level or higher spell slot to regain 1d4+1 uses of your bardic inspiration. You must complete a long rest before you can use Ingrid's Inspiring Jubilee again. 

Nedrim's Knee-Slapper

You beat your knees repeatedly, bringing the targets to erupt in laughter. As an action, you can cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter (without expending a spell slot) on up to 1d4+1 targets instead of one. 

Penelope's Blistered Palms

You slap your palms raw in a blistering blur of hambone, causing them to burst into flame. As a bonus action, you can ignite your hands for the rest of the turn. Until the end of your turn, your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage plus fire damage equal to 1d6 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. 

Sigmund's Swift Spankings

You let fly a flurry of spankings that boost your swiftness.  As an action, you can increase your walking or swimming speed by 20 ft for a number of rounds equal to 1d6 + your proficiency bonus. 

Taliesin's Tavern Wench

You hambone so intensely that it charges enough magical energy to launch a foe with a single spank of the rump. As an action, you can begin continuously hamboning until the start of your next turn. While doing so, you cannot move or use actions. You can use your bonus action to stop continuously hamboning. If a creature enters a space within 5 feet you, you can use your reaction to make a magical melee attack on the creature, dealing 5d8 force damage. If the creature is one size class larger than you or smaller, the creature must make a dexterity saving throw equal to your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature is pushed 20 feet away from you and knocked prone. On a successful save, the creature is pushed 10 feet away and is not knocked prone. If you take damage while continuously hamboning or you have done so undisturbed for one round, you stop continuously hamboning. 

Hambone Savant

At 14th level, you can have three chosen Master's Moves at a time. In addition, when changing your Master's Moves at dawn, you can change all three at a time.