Bard College

College of Masks

Bards of the College of Masks are a mysterious bunch. They specialize in disguises and deception, while carrying an array of masks that seem to grant them special powers. It is unknown where they learned the magic that they imbue into their masks, though some believe that it comes from an ancient, forgotten god, or perhaps a being from another realm.

Bards of this college are regarded with distrust and fear, though they often have a friendly, outgoing personality, their meddling with these unknown powers had left an eerie aura around them. Villainous Bards of this college use their masks to spread fear and dissent among innocent people, while heroic Bards of this college wish only to spread the joy of their excellent craftsmanship, often settling down as merchants, selling the masks they don’t use for themselves.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Masks at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Artisan’s Tools as well as your choice of three of the following skills: Deception, History, Insight, Perception, Sleight of Hand or Stealth.

Mask of The College

Upon joining the College of Masks at 3rd level, you craft two masks for yourself, what the masks are made of and how they look is up to you.

The masks are imbued with certain magical effects that only you can benefit from. To anyone else, they are just normal masks and wearing them has no effect, but to you, they are powerful relics that grant you power when you wear them.

Donning and switching between Masks of The College is a Bonus Action, taking a Mask off is a Free Action.

When you join the College at 3rd level, you create two of the following masks, and when you gain a new College Feature at 6th and 14th level, you create one more. You can only wear one mask at a time.

Mask of Many Faces: While wearing this mask, you can cast Disguise Self a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, once you have expended all uses, you must finish a Long Rest before you can use this feature again.

Mask of Sight: While wearing this mask, you have Darkvision out to 30 ft., if you already have darkvision, it is improved by 30 ft. You can see and discern color normally as if it were broad daylight.

Mask of The Beast: While wearing this mask, can cast Speak With Animals a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, once you have expended all uses, you must finish a Long Rest before you can use this feature again.

Mask of The Sea: While wearing this mask, your physical features become more aquatic. You can breathe, cast spells and talk freely underwater, and you gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed. If you already have a swim speed, your swim speed is doubled.

Mask of Truth: While wearing this mask, you can cast Detect Thoughts a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, once you have expended all uses, you must finish a Long Rest before you can use this feature again.

Mask of Wings: While wearing this mask, you sprout a pair of wings, what these wings look like is up to you. You gain a fly speed equal to your base walking speed. If you already have a fly speed, your fly speed is doubled.

Redead Mask: While wearing this mask, you can cast Speak With Dead a number of times equal to half your Charisma modifier (rounded up), once you have expended all uses, you must finish a Long Rest before you can use this feature again.

Soul Mask: While wearing this mask, you cast Detect Evil and Good a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, once you have expended all uses, you must finish a Long Rest before you can use this feature again.

Mask of Fearlessness

At 6th level, while wearing any of your Masks of the College, the range of your Countercharm is doubled.

Song of Healing

At 14th level you learn the Song of Healing, which allows you turn the souls of the fallen into masks for you to wear. When a creature with a Size Category no larger than one greater than your own and a Challenge Rating equal to your Bard level divided by 3, rounded down, dies, you can spend an action on your turn to play the Song of Healing, the song takes 2 rounds to finish, and if it is interrupted in any way, the attempt to seal the creature’s soul within a mask fails and the soul passes on.

If you finish the song, the creature may make a Wisdom Saving Throw against your Bard Spell Save DC, if it succeeds, it’s soul passes on, if it fails, it’s soul is sealed within a mask that looks exactly like the face of the creature. Upon sealing a creature’s soul within a mask, you can wear it as an action to transform into that creature.

While transformed, your Strength, Dexterity and Constitution are changed to that of the creature, however, your Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma stay the same. You lose all features you normally gained from your Race, except for Ability Score Adjustments, and instead gain those of the creature you transformed into.

You retain your alignment, skills and Saving Throws while transformed, and are otherwise subject to the same limitations as a Druid using Wild Shape.

You can at any time remove the mask as an action to turn back into yourself, your clothes and items are unharmed by the transformation, any clothing you wear will be warped to fit your new body. Like your Masks of the College, only you can benefit from these masks, to everyone else, they are just normal masks.

Transforming your body in such an extreme way takes a toll on your body, and you can only do this a number of times equal to your Charisma Modifier, after which you must finish a Long Rest before you can do it again.