College of The Kingmaker (5e Subclass)
College of The Kingmaker[edit]
Bard Subclass
Bards of the College of The Kingmaker are master tacticians, blending the art of music with the precision of a battlefield strategist. These bards view combat as a grand game of chess, where every move must be calculated and every piece is vital to the success of the whole. Trained in the strategic use of their magical influence, they guide their allies with cunning and foresight, shifting them around the battlefield like pieces on a chessboard to gain the upper hand.
With an innate understanding of position and timing, Kingmaker Bards can use their Bardic Inspiration to manipulate the battlefield, granting their allies the opportunity to move freely without fear of reprisal. Their mastery of movement and battlefield control extends to their ultimate ability: Checkmate, where they mark a powerful enemy as the "King" and manipulate the battlefield to corner and incapacitate the target, leaving their allies with a clear path to victory.
- Strategic Thinking
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the dragonchess gaming set, and can use your Charisma, rather than Intelligence, when using it. In addition, you have Advantage on Insight checks made to discern a tactic or strategic in a foe on a game or battle.
- Move Pieces
Starting at 3rd level, you can move your allies through the battlefield as pieces in a chessboard. As a bonus action you can spend a Bardic Inspiration die to cause an ally you can see within 30 feet to move without provoking opportunity attacks. The type of movement allowed depends on the number rolled on the die:
- 1-2 (Pawn): Move up to 10 feet in a straight line
- 3-4 (Knight): Move up to 10 feet in a straight line and 5 feet immediately to the side (or vice versa). You can pass through spaces occupied by other creatures.
- 5-6 (Bishop): Move up to 30 feet in a diagonal.
- 7-8 (Hook): Move up to 30 feet in a straight line.
- 9-10 (Queen): Move either as a Hook or a Bishop.
- 11-12: Choose any movement.
- Piece Promotion
At 6th level, whenever you roll 1-2 on the Die, you treat that as a roll of 11-12 on the die. In addition, if the moved allied would end its turn on the same space as a hostile creature, it can immediately make an attack using its reaction, and push the target 5 feet towards an unoccupied space. This attack adds the number rolled to the attack roll.
- Checkmate
As an action, you can mark a target within 60 feet as the "King" for 1 minute. While marked, the target becomes vulnerable to all attacks from creatures you are currently allies with.
Additionally, if you use your Move Pieces ability and the movement would allow an ally to make an attack against the King, that ally can choose not to move or attack and, instead, use their reaction to force the "King" to move 5 feet in any direction of their choice. If the King is incapable of moving, it is incapacitated for the remainder of the effect's duration.
Once the King is reduced to 0 hit points or incapacitated due to a lack of movement, all creatures within 30 feet of the King must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus) or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
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