College of Empathy

While bards are typically extremely capable of inspiring an emotional response, there is a lesser-known tradition that emphasizes the perception of how others are feeling, gathering extremely useful information from a creature from their extraordinary emotional insight. Sensing the feelings of others in this way not only enables the compassionate to be able to tend to the issues afflicting their allies in unique ways, but also enables the more manipulative among them to better persuade and convince their marks to do as they'd wish. The most experienced of this College can make huge audiences feel the way they'd choose, including potentially quelling entire riots, or even inciting one, instead.

In Avalestra, this College of bardic lore is virtually unheard of, and is considered potentially a "lost art." Sevell Woods is the only purveyor anyone has heard of in the current era, and he's been a highly-demanded troubadour for decades who would likely take some very special convincing to take the time out to handle a pupil.

Inspired Empathy
3rd level College of Empathy feature

When you use your Bardic Inspiration, you may also choose the target of that feature or another creature you can see within 30 ft of that creature. You immediately sense the current emotional state of that creature, and you can judge its pain or status accurately to know some information regarding its health. When you use this feature you learn the current remaining hit points and any current conditions of the target. If you affect a hostile creature with this feature, this insight into its emotional state gives you a brief warning of its intention, and it suffers disadvantage on its first attack roll against you until the beginning of your next turn.

Song of the Heart's Tide

3rd-level College of Empathy feature

As an action, choose a creature within 60 feet who can hear you, and that creature must make a Charisma save against your spell save DC, which they can choose to fail. You can choose to Inspire Rage, Inspire Calm, or Inspire Love.
- Targets of Inspire Rage gain Rage, as the Barbarian class feature, as if they were a Barbarian of their class level.
- Targets of Inspire Calm become charmed, and while charmed in this way, their speed is reduced by half and they won't attack nearby creatures unless they're attacked, which ends this effect. This effect also ends if the creature witnesses its allies being attacked.
- Targets of Inspire Love become infatuated with you, and become charmed, and while charmed in this way will follow you relentlessly within 10 ft, and obey any commands that would not cause it to harm itself or force it to attack its allies.

At the end of the creature's turns, it may choose to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC, and success ends the effects of this feature. Only one creature may receive an effect from this feature at any one time, and you must continually sing or play an instrument on your turn for the effect to persist. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier before you must finish a long rest to use it again.

Empathic Aptitude

6th-level College of Empathy feature

Your sensitivity to the feelings and emotions of others has reached a finely honed point, and you now have advantage on Wisdom (insight) checks.

Additionally, whenever you cast Calm Emotions, the area of effect increases by 10 feet, and you can also suppress any effect causing a target to be stunned.

Emotional Supersalience

14th-level College of Empathy feature

You are now able to manipulate the feelings of small audiences to the point where they become pliable to your suggestions. While you are singing or playing an instrument, you may expend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice as an action to cast Mass Suggestion without expending a spell slot. When you cast Mass Suggestion in this way, choose one target of the spell and roll your Bardic Inspiration die. The chosen creature suffers a penalty to the initial saving throw equal to the number rolled.