Bard College

At 3rd level, a bard gains the Bard College feature. Here

is a new option for that feature: the College of Blades.

College of Blades

Bards of the College of Blades are called, surprisingly, 'Blades', and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing, juggling, mock combats and exotic blade dances. But, though they use their weapons to entertain, they are also highly trained and skilled warriors in their own right.

Their talent with weapons inspires many Blades to lead double lives. One Blade might use a circus troupe as cover for nefarious deeds such as assassination, robbery, or blackmail. Other Blades strike at the wicked, bringing justice to bear against the cruel and powerful. Most troupes are happy to accept a Blade's talent for the excitement it adds to a performance, but few entertainers fully trust them.

Blades who abandon lives as entertainers have often run into trouble that makes maintaining their secret activities impossible. A Blade caught stealing or engaging in vigilante justice is too great a liability for most performer troupes. With their weapon skills as their greatest asset, these Blades either take up work as enforcers for thieves' guilds or strike out on their own as adventurers.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Swords at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armour and with scimitars.

If you're proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you may use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Additionally, you add the following spells to your Bard spell list:

Spell Level Spells Cantrip booming blade , sword burst 1st compelled duel, shield 2nd magic weapon, flame blade 3rd elemental weapon, haste

Fighting Style

The College of Swords emphasizes mastery with weapons, encouraging its members to learn a specialty to better impress the crowds and defend oneself.

At 3rd level, choose one of the following options (noting you cannot take a Fighting Style you have already learned):

Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Thrown Weapons. You gain a +2 bonus to ranged attack rolls you make with a thrown weapon. Whenever you make a ranged attack with a thrown weapon, you may immediately draw a weapon as part of the attack.

Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.



































Arcane Gambits

At 3rd level, you learn to conduct impressive displays of skill in the heat of battle, weaving your magic and swordplay together.

Gambits. You learn two gambits of your choice, which are detailed under "Gambits" below. Gambits can enhance your attacks or your defense. You can only use one gambit on your turn. You learn an additional gambit of your choice at 6th and 14th level. Each time you learn a new gambit, you can also replace one gambit you know with a different one.

Saving Throws. Some of your gambits require your target to make a saving throw to resist the gambit's effects. Use your Bard spell save DC for these gambits, calculated as follows:

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +

your Charisma modifier

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action.

Blade Dancer

Though always an able hand in a melee, Blades are performers first and foremost. Weaving their weapons together with their spellcasting, a Blade can captivate an audience, making them a sought-after attraction for high courts and common faires alike. But it also through these performances that Blades prove to be one of the deadliest forces on the battlefield.

Starting at level 14, as a bonus action you can start a Blade Dance. Your speed decreases to 15 feet for the duration of the dance, and Opportunity Attacks against you gain disadvantage. You may use a bonus action on subsequent turns to maintain your dance, keeping the performance going; you can only maintain the Blade Dance for a number of turns equal to your Charisma modifier.

Each turn you maintain the Blade Dance, you must decide what steps of the dance you will take this turn: