New Bard College [WIP]

The following homebrew content represents my attempt at creating a bardic college focused on musical performance. If you have any suggestions that you think could improve the subclass, I would very much appreciate it if you could leave a comment on my Reddit post. Thank you!

The Conservatory

Bards of the Conservatory are consummate musicians who blah blah blah... (flavor text to be added in later drafts)

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join The Conservatory at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with all musical instruments.

Student of the Conservatory

Also at 3rd level, you learn a series of short musical compositions designed to help you perfect your technique. These pieces, called etudes, can have curious effects on your audience, as well.

You know the Prelude etude and one other bardic etude of your choice, which are listed in the "Bardic Etudes" section below. You learn one additional bardic etude of your choice at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Whenever you learn a new bardic etude, you can also replace one bardic etude that you already know with a different etude.

Performing Bardic Etudes. Each of the bardic etudes comes with two effects, one associated with a major key and another with its relative minor key. As an action, you can expend a use of Bardic Inspiration and select one of the etudes you know and begin performing it in either key (you may only choose one at a time). The etude's effect can be applied to a number of creatures within 30 feet of you that you choose, up to a maximum of the result of your Bardic Inspiration die roll.

On subsequent turns, you can use a bonus action to continue performing the etude and maintaining its effect on the creatures you chose. Doing so requires concentration, as if you were concentrating on a spell. The performance ends early if you are incapacitated or if you voluntarily end it (no action required).

Each creature targeted by one of your etudes can choose to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC to resist its effects. A creature gets to make another saving throw at the end of each of its turns while you maintain concentration on your performance. On a success, the effect ends for that creature and it gains immunity to that etude until it finishes a long rest, though it may still be affected by the other key of the same etude. Creatures that cannot hear cannot be affected by an etude.

Bardic Etudes

The bardic etudes are presented in order of the level required to learn them. If an etude requires a level, you must be that level in this class to learn the etude.

Prelude. (C maj.) Add +1 to attack rolls. (a min.) Add +1 to saving throws.

Allegro con fuoco. (F maj.) Weapon attacks deal an extra 1d4 fire damage. (d min.) Creatures hit by a melee attack deal 1d4 fire damage to their attacker.

Vivace. (G maj.) Gain 1d4 temporary hit points every turn. (e min.) Take 1d4 thunder damage every turn.

Rubato. (Bb maj.) Can take the Dash action as a bonus action. (g min.) Movement speed is halved.

Courante. (D maj.) Movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. (b min.) Climbing, swimming, and nonmagical difficult terrain do not cost extra movement.

Largo (6th Level Required). (Eb maj.) Cannot take reactions. (c min.) Spells require twice as long to cast.

Aria (6th Level Required). (A maj.) Creatures gain a flying speed, if they don't have one already, equal to their walking speed. Creatures that do not have a flying speed from another source must begin and end each of their turns on the ground or else they are knocked prone and fall. (f# min.) Creatures with a flying speed have it reduced to 0. Creatures in the air are knocked prone and, unless held aloft by magic, fall.

Nocturne (10th Level Required). (Ab maj.) Creatures concentrating on a spell or similar effect make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw every turn to maintain concentration. (f min.) Creatures must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or drop whatever they are holding.

Dolce (10th Level Required). (E maj.) Target is charmed by you. Creatures with immunity to charm effects automatically succeed on their saving throw. (c# min.) Disadvantage on weapon attack rolls.

Ballade (14th Level Required). (Db/C# maj.) Gain resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage. (bb/a# min.) Gain vulnerability to nonmagical bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage.

Fantasia (14th Level Required). (B/Cb maj.) Gain truesight to a range of 30 ft. (g#/ab min.) Disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made to detect illusions.

Caprice (18th Level Required). (Gb/F# maj.) Advantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws (choose one). (eb/d# min.) Disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws (choose one).

Cadenza (18th Level Required). (atonal) You can individually assign one effect each to targets from etudes you already know.

Resonance

Starting at 6th level, while you maintain concentration on a spell or bardic etude, you and your allies have advantage on Constitution saving throws. Creatures that cannot hear do not benefit from this feature.

Virtuoso

At 14th level, choose one type of musical instrument. Whenever you make a Charisma(Performance) check with this type of instrument you can add double your proficiency bonus to the check and can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

Credits

Homebrew content for 5th Edition D&D by /u/incrediblehulf. Find more great unofficial content for D&D at /r/UnearthedArcana, part of Reddit's Unearthed Arcana Network.