College of Promises

The College of Promises is not a discipline widely taught in bardic schools, mostly for the reason that its' power is difficult to harness and fickle to use. A bard who studies this path must be willing to uphold any promise they make, or to suffer the consequences of a broken one. Many Bards of Promise end up joining royal courts due to the trustworthiness and reliability among their kind, though don't take that as an example for how they all are, as some are nasty and manipulative with an ability to twist your words against you that rivals even genies.

Weighted Words

The power of promises is a tricky thing to master. Starting at third level when you choose this bardic discipline, you may make a deal with a creature of your choice, prompting a charisma check with a DC of 10, with a failure resulting in the creature refusing the deal. Upon a success however, you and the creature may determine the details of the promise. The creature you are making a deal with sets the deadline for your promise. If the promise is completed before the deadline, you may roll on the Solidarity Table, of which the power increases at 6th, 11th, 15th, and 18th levels. If the promise is incomplete or broken before the deadline, you must roll on the Broken Promises Table, which also increases in potency along with its counterpart.

Veracious Lifestyle

Bards who study the discipline of promises are taught to speak lies only when necessary, as a result many swear themselves to tell only the truth. Starting at 3rd level, when you choose this subclass, you will have disadvantage on all deception checks. However, truth is your existence, at least in the form of promises. As much as you can suck at lying, you are much better at discerning when someone else is being dishonest. If you have proficiency in the insight skill, you will gain expertise. If you do not have proficiency, you will gain proficiency.

Deadline Extension

At 6th level, your control over your pledges becomes stronger. Once per promise, during a short rest, you can extend the deadline of your vow by a random amount of time depending on the initial time supposed to pass between the forging of the deal and the deadline. This is further explained below.

Time between deal and deadline |  Deadline Extension

1-4 days                                             |  1d4+1 extra days

5 days to a week                               |  1d6+2 extra days

2-3 weeks                                           |  1d12+Cha Mod extra days

1-2 Months                                         |  1d20+Cha Mod extra days

3 or more months                              |  2d20+Cha Mod extra days

Unto Oneself

At 14th level, your mastery of promises has come so far that you may now even make a promise with yourself. These promises are special, and have no deadline, making one will create a number of passive or active effects. The player is completely free to custom-craft their own self-promise, as long as it has a limitation and an effect and is okayed by your DM. However, for less loose-ruled DMs, or just for examples sake, there are a list of common promises below. If a player wishes to break a promise made through this feature, they must willingly suffer two levels of exhaustion OR have another Bard of Promises of 18th level or higher preform the proper ceremony. You can have one of these special promises at a time, however that number raises to two at level 17.

Promise of Good Fortune

Effect: The player gains an extra 4d10 of the appropriate currency when looting, being paid, or finding treasure.

Condition: The player cannot spend gold on food, water, and housing.

Promise of Pinpoint Accuracy

Effect: The player gains an extra +5 to hit on any weapon they are proficient in.

Condition: The player can no longer become proficient in any weapons through training.

Promise of Quasi-immortal Constitution

Effect: The player no longer has to eat, sleep or drink water. The player does not physically age, and cannot die of old age.

Condition: The player's mental health slowly degrades as they get older, becoming unbearably mentally unhealthy (at least for the average person) at around age 150. Even if this promise is broken, the effect it has already had on the player will linger.

Promise of Spellsinging

Effect: Once per short rest, the player may make a performance check to cast a spell that they know in a slot of up to two levels higher than they currently have access to.

Condition: Upon making a performance check out of combat, the player casts a random spell determined by rolling on a d20 table of their current 20 highest level spells.