three 5e subclasses
bard college • the circus
You, whether to your embarassment or as a point of pride, learned the bardic arts neither on the stage nor in a tavern. For better or for worse, you travelled with a circus and learned a little bit about a lot of disciplines. You’ve dabbled in lion-taming, fire breathing, and sword swallowing, but you’ve mastered the art of bringing people joy in a harsh world.
bonus proficiencies
When you join the Circus at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Performance and with the whip. You can use a whip as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.
tricks of the trade
At 3rd level, you learn two tricks from the following list. You learn two additional tricks at 6th and 14th level.
Balance. You can walk on surfaces and objects as narrow as one inch wide as long as they can support your weight. You have resistance to falling damage.
Contortion. You can squeeze through spaces as narrow as one foot wide. If your size is Small, you can fit in containers as small as a one-foot cube. If your size is Medium, you can fit in containers as small as a two-foot cube.
Distraction. As an action, you may attempt to distract a creature who can see or hear you. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed 3 save, they cannot take actions on their next turn. You may use this feature a number of times each day equal to your proficiency bonus.
Escapology. When you make a check or saving throw to avoid or escape an effect that would restrain you, you may make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check with advantage instead. Additionally, you may use a bonus action to attempt to escape restraint.
Fire Breathing. You can cast burning hands once per long rest. It is a bard spell for you.
Knife Throwing. The range of a dagger is doubled for you. You have advantage on ranged attacks with a dagger against inanimate objects.
Levity. No matter the situation, you have an uncanny ability to make people laugh. Up to four creatures who can see or hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, they are charmed by you for one minute. You may use this feature once per long rest.
Lion Taming. You can cast beast bond once per long rest. It is a bard spell for you.
Pantomime. You gain two sorcery points and learn the subtle spell Metamagic option.
Regurgitation. You can swallow objects no larger than three inches in any dimension. At any point afterward you may regurgitate the object as an action. You may only store one object this way at a time.
Tumbling. Your movement is unaffected by difficult terrain
Ventriloquism. You learn the minor illusion cantrip. It doesn’t count against the number of cantrips you know.
Starting at 6th level, you may learn the following tricks:
Menagerie. You can cast conjure animals once per long rest. It is a bard spell for you.
Ringmastery. You are the master of ceremonies for your adventuring party, and you know that when it comes to inspiration brevity and hyperbole go hand in hand. Once per long rest, you can expend any number of Bardic Inspiration dice as a bonus action.
Trapeze. You can cast rope trick once per long rest. It is a bard spell for you.
Whipmastery. You gain one superiority die (a d6) and learn the Disarming Strike maneuver.
the best medicine
By 6th level, your gags can lift spirits in even the most dire circumstances. As a bonus action, a creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you may roll that die and gain a number of hit points equal to the number rolled plus your Charisma modifier. If the creature is healed to their maximum hit points, they gain any excess healing as temporary hit points.
the show must go on
When you reach 14th level, you are able to inspire your allies to continue a fight even when the odds are stacked against them. As an action, choose any number of creatures within 30 feet of you and expend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice. You restore a number of hit points equal to twice the number rolled plus your Charisma modifier to each creature you chose, end one condition affecting each of those creatures, and they may move up to their speed as a reaction without provoking attacks of oppoutunity. You may use this feature once per long rest.
roguish archetype • con artist
Deception is an art and you have mastered the craft. Your wit is as sharp as your knife and your charm as dazzling as a pile of gems. Whether swindling nobles, manipulating the city watch, or engaging in espionage, you make calculated moves and execute intricate schemes.
quick change
When you select this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in deception and with the disguise kit if you aren’t proficient already. Additionally, you can obfuscate your identity on the fly. As an action, you can use your disguise kit or other mundane materials to alter your appearance enough to go unrecognized by a casual observer. You may not attempt to disguise yourself as someone else in this way. While disguised in this way, a creature must suceed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check with a DC equal to 10 plus your Deception modifier in order to recognize you.
shill
Starting at 3rd level, you have learned to utilize an accomplice to great effect. As a bonus action on your turn you may designate an ally as your shill. You gain advantage on persuasion and deception checks while they are within 15 feet of you. Additionally, you gain a new way to use your Sneak Attack; If your shill attacked or targeted a creature with a spell or ability since your last turn and they are not incapacitated, you do not need advantage on attacks against that creature in order to use your Sneak Attack. Only one creature may be your shill at a time, and you may select a new one after a long rest.
snuff
Starting at 9th level, you charms are so mesmerizing that others let their guard down around you remarkably easily. You have advantage on melee attack rolls against non-hostile creatures whose attention you have. If you hit an attack in this way, it automatically critically hits.
long con
At 13th level you can spend downtime ingratiating yourself with a mark, playing on their desires, weaknesses, and insecurities in order to encourage them to do things they ordinarily would never do. As long as you participate in no other downtime activites, you can spend one week convincing one creature who isn’t hostile toward you to take a course of action that you specify that wouldn’t result in the target’s certain death and takes no longer than one year to complete. Make a Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check contested by the target’s Wisdom (Insight). If you succeed, the target performs your specified course of action to the best of their ability. If they succeed, they resist your manipulation and cannot be affected by this ability in the future. A creature affected by this ability remains friendly toward you indefinitely unless your machinations are revealed to them.
lights out
At 17th level, you are utterly lethal against unsuspecting targets. When you use your Snuff ability, you may deal maximum damage instead of rolling. You may use this feature once per short rest.
arcane tradition • dualist
Many wizards choose to specialize in just one of the eight schools of magic. Some opt instead to investigate the relationship between opposing schools to the exclusion of the other six.
twin disciplines
At 2nd level, you may choose one of the following pairs of opposing schools of magic:
Abjuration and transmutation
Conjuration and divination
Enchantment and evocation
Illusion and necromancy
Whenever you would gain an arcane tradition feature, you instead gain the features associated with both of your schools of magic.
myopic scholar
Starting at 2nd level and before you select your new known spells for 2nd level, you lose the ability to learn spells that do not belong to either of your chosen schools of magic.
