College of Strokes (5e Subclass)

College of Strokes

By Sandara

Bard Subclass

For tables where the Sacred Artist is not an option, this bard subclass is meant to emulate that magical whimsy of a visual arts user on the battlefield and off.

Bards are commonly well-versed in song and acting, as those were more efficient ways to tell stories when on the go. Normally, hauling inks, paints, and brushes with you is nothing but burdensome on an adventure through the most grueling of environments. However, the college of strokes emphasizes a sort of visual art that requires very little material. In Grisaire, a sort of art known as "essence painting" is known to utilize forces present in the world around and infuse them into a still picture, loaded with power. This is not limited to pretty pictures, but extends also to logographic writing, in which symbols and letters are pieces of visual art as well. Bards of this college utilize these pictures to construct their wondrous craft, whether composed of color, or just strokes.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join this college at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with painter’s supplies. You can use painter’s supplies as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

A Thousand Words

Starting at 3rd level, you can inspire others with a glance from your spectacular art, without needing to sing endless praise or something long-winded like that. As a reaction, when a creature within 60 feet of you that can see you must make a saving throw or ability check, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to add to their roll immediately. You must have your painter's supplies in hand to use this feature.

Converted Depiction

Starting at 6th level, you gain the following option to use for your painter's supplies:

Create an art piece laced with magic

As part of a short or long rest, you can infuse your bardic magic of story essence into an art piece with your painter's supplies. You infuse a single spell into the art piece. The spell must be a spell you know and can cast, or from a spell scroll you deciphered. The magically infused painting gains the properties of a spell scroll for the purposes of casting. Because it does not use the typical magical formulae of words, this spell cannot be copied by wizards into spellbooks. Deciphering your spell also requires a bit of artistic knowledge, and so requires proficiency in painter's supplies to use.

Rapid Conversion

Starting at 14th level, your amazing master strokes allow you to quickly capture something's essence and send it right back. While your painter's supplies are on hand, you can expend your reaction when you are targeted by an attack requiring an attack roll. Depending on what the attack is, an effect happens, as shown below:

• If the attack is a ranged spell attack, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a success, the spell is absorbed into your canvas, which becomes a temporary spell scroll, same as the art pieces you make with Converted Depiction. However, this spell only lasts 1 minute, after which the canvas disintegrates. You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (minimum 1), regaining all use when you finish a long rest.
• If the attack is a melee spell attack, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a success, the spell's damage is reflected immediately onto the attacker instead, though any additional effects from the spell still affect you. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), regaining all use when you finish a long rest.
• If the attack is a ranged weapon attack, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Charisma modifier + your bard level.

If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile within your canvas, converting it into an image. If you catch a missile in this way, you can make a ranged spell attack with the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack using your spellcaster modifier and the weapon's original range.

• If the attack is a melee weapon attack, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Charisma modifier + your bard level.

After the attack concludes, the essence of the weapon that was used to attack you appears in a floating, spectral form within 5 feet of you in an unoccupied space. It lasts until the end of your next turn. As a bonus action, you can move this weapon up to 20 feet from you and have it attack a creature within 5 feet of it. This attack counts as if you made a melee spell attack. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier.

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