College of Undead (5e Subclass)
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College of Undead[edit]
This College is for those Bards who wish to use their power of unholy music to create bands of undead. Whether these bands fight for them or give them an epic backing track, these bards are not to be messed with. Most Bards in this college are into Rock and Roll, which is why it has such a connection to the undead.
- Bonus Proficiency
When you join the College of Undead at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Religion and Medicine skills. If you have proficiency already with one of them, you can pick any other skill. You learn the Sapping Sting and Toll the Dead cantrips, and these do not count against the number of cantrips known.
- Shredding Shock
Beginning at level 3, you learn how to use your intense music to blast foes away from you. Once per long rest, as an action you can create a booming blast around yourself and all creatures within 15ft of you must make a Constitution Saving Throw (DC Equals your Spell Save DC) or take 3d6 Necrotic Damage and be stunned until the end of their next turn. On a successful save, they take half damage and are not stunned. You may choose up to 5 creatures of this spell doesn't effect. Any creature that you summon is unaffected and doesn't count against the number chosen. Creatures that can't hear you are unaffected. At level 10 you can do it 2 times per long rest, and level 20 you can do it 3 times per long rest.
- Undead Band
At 6th level, your playing is so intense that the dead become half alive to help create your one alive man band. Once per long rest, as an action, you may summon an amount of skeletons or zombies equal to your proficiency bonus anywhere within 15ft of you on solid ground for the next 3 minutes. These undead all appear with one instrument each that you have seen and heard and all have proficiency with the summoned instruments. They use your initiative in combat, and disappear after reaching 0 hit points. On your turn, you may command the undead band as you see fit. The band is dismissed if a spell is cast that requires concentration. If this is used while a spell with concentration is active, the concentration spell effect ends.
These summoned undead have the following Stats: 11 Str., 6 Dex., 16 Con., 3 Int., 6 Wis., 12 Cha. Their health equals 10 + your bard level + your Cha bonus (ex. a level 6 bard with 18 Cha, would summon a zombie with 20hp) and their AC is 10 and movement is 20ft. They are immune to poison and the poisoned and charmed conditions and have 60ft of Darkvision.
As an action they can make a slam attack, (Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d6) bludgeoning damage.)
As an action the undead can choose to play their instrument with focus, you and any friendly creatures to you that can hear the music and are within 80ft gain +1 to all attack rolls, ability checks and saving throws. This effect ends if the undead uses its action to do something else, the friendly creature can no longer hear the music, or leaves range. This effect stacks with each undead using it.
As a action, the undead may also cast any cantrip that you know. It uses your spell attack and spell save dc.
While this effect is active, If a creature within 80ft of you rolls below half on your bardic inspiration dice, it is brought up to half the max on the die as the minimum (ex. If your bardic inspiration uses a d8, the minimum roll becomes 4). You gain advantage on all performance checks while this is active.
You also learn the Animate Dead spell. The spell counts as a Bard spell for you but doesn’t count against the number of Bard spells you know.
- Song of Grief
At 14th level, you learn how to channel your own hurt into hurting other people. After you, your companion or one of your summoned monsters takes damage, you can channel music into revenge against the attacker and as a reaction you can target the person who successfully dealt damage, and curse them. While cursed, the target takes 2d4 necrotic damage at the start of each of their turns and has disadvantage on all attack rolls, saving throws and ability checks for the next minute. If this effect drops the target to 0 Hit Points, regain a bardic inspiration die, and you and all allies gain +1d4 temp HP. The curse ends after the minute passes or a remove curse spell is cast.
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