College of Pain (5e Subclass)

College of Pain

Some bards revel in entertaining their entire audience, playing to the crowd and giving a good show for all involved. Bards of the College of Pain take a different approach. They single out a single member of the audience and direct the song to that one individual. The College of Pain specializes in music that deals with loss, pain, and regret and genres of music which contain that subject matter. They prefer to use their music to tug at the heartstrings of that one individual member of the audience through specific lyrics and song styles directed solely at that listener. This talent extends into their adventuring career as well.

Strumming Their Pain with Your fingers

At 3rd level, you learn how to cause pain in others with your music which has a negative effect on the creature’s ability to function effectively. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.

Stay Awhile and Listen

Also at 3rd level, you can distract your opponent’s focus, restraining them from moving while you are directing your song at them. As an action, you can direct this effect at a creature you can see within 60 feet. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be restrained by the music for up to one minute. A creature restrained by the song can use its action to make a Wisdom check against your spell save DC. On a success, it frees itself and the effect ends. Once a creature saves versus this effect it is immune for 24 hours. It is also immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed. You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.

Singing Their Life with Your Words

Upon reaching 6th level, when you make an intelligence check in a skill that helps you recall specific knowledge about an individual creature, you gain an advantage on your next roll against this creature. You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.

Killing Them Softly with Your Song

Upon reaching 14th level, the prolonged effect of your song can have deadly consequences. As an action, you can cause 1d6 psychic damage per round to one creature you can see within 60 feet. This damage is imperceptible until the creature has lost more than half its hit points at which time it can make a Constitution save to detect the loss in hit points. You can continue this song for one round per level of bard. Creatures that are immune to psychic damage are not affected. It is also immune to the damage if it can't hear you. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

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