College of the Dead

Some who choose to purse necromancy do so from an arcane angle; others yet attempt to gain power over death throw prayer to any number of dieties with domain over life and death. However, perhaps the most unique in their pursuit of necromantic power are those who come from the bardic college of the Dead.

Calling it a College is somewhat misleading, as those who pursue this path usually either are tutored by a single individual or discover the forbidden knowlege necessary on their own. One thning common among all of them, however, is their use of music to manipulate life death, and what lies between.

College of the Dead Features

Bard Level Feature 3rd Unnatural Fortitude, Masked Presence 6th Undead Puppets, Puppeteer 14th Drain Undead

Unnatural Fortitude

Starting at 3rd level, You understand the nuances of life and death enough to imbue creatures with unnatural fortitude. You can expend a use of bardic inspiration to give any number of creatures you can see within 30 feet a number of temporary hit points equal to the number you roll on your bardic inspiration die. Undead creatures gain twice as many temporary hit points from this feature.

Masked Presence

Starting at 3rd level, you can manipulate the presence of creatures both living and dead to hide them from detection. You may alter the presence of a number of creatures up to your charisma modifier (minimum of 1) within 60 feet of you to appear living, dead, or undead. Until you choose otherwise, those creatures appear as such to magical detection, and to the senses of most creatures. This does not, however, alter their visual appearance.

Undead Puppets

You’ve studied the magical forces behind death and undeath, and have mastered the techniques of creating undead Puppets. At 6th level, you learn the spell Animate Dead, if you didn’t know it already. It is considered a bard spell for you.

Whenever you create an undead using a necromancy spell, it has additional benefits:

Whenever you cast a spell, you may cast it as if you were at the creature’s location.

The creature may use your intelligence, wisdom, and charisma for saving throws.

When you move, you may have the creature simultaneously move up to its movement in the same direction, or to the same general location. Additionally, you may have the creature mimmic simple actions and jestures.

This puppet may add your proficiency bonus to any attack roll it makes.

spells that you cast that normally have no effect on undead do affect the creature.

Puppeteer

Also at 6th level, you can expend a use of your bardic inspiration to increase the duration of your control over all of your puppets by a number of hours equal to the highest number on your bardic inspiration die.

Drain Undead

At 14th level, You can not only animate the dead, but drain the false life from them to your own benefit. As an action, you may force an undead creature you can see within 30 feet with a challenge rating of 4 or lower to make a constitution saving throw against your bard spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature becomes inanimate once more and you regain one of your bardic inspiration dice. Creatures under your control automatically fail the saving throw. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your charisma modifier (Minimum of 1).

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