WrittenInBlood
2016-05-17, 12:46 PM
Bardic Music Tweak (Invocations-like songs)
This homebrew is thought for those who want their Bards to sing more and stepping on other classes toes less. I’ve decided to replace Magical Secrets, feature guilty of allowing some cheesy trick, with a list of sub-features to choose, similar to Warlock invocations or Battlemaster maneuvers, and design them in a manner reinforcing Bard’s role as a support and face. The result you can see below, and I'll be glad to see your opinion on it. :smallwink:
Thanks to AngryJesusMan for a load of input!
CLASS FEATURES MODIFICATION
Your Song of Rest, Countercharm, and Magical Secrets features are replaced with Bardic Music, described below. Note that Lore bards keep their Additional Magical Secrets feature unaltered. Song of Rest and Countercharm become Bardic song options.
CLASS FEATURE: BARDIC MUSIC
During your journeys, you have acquired repertoire of songs, some of which hold the power over mortal minds and hearts, move the clouds out of the sky or even awake the dead.
At 2nd level, you gain two Bardic songs of your choice. Your song options are detailed below. You gain additional songs of your choice at 6th, 10th, 14th and 18th bard level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the songs you know and replace it with another song that you could learn at that level.
Songs affects creatures within 30 feet of you that aren’t deafened. The range of your song is increased to 45 feet at 6th level, 60 feet at 10th level, 75 feet at 14th level, and 90 feet at 18th level.
You may only perform one song at a time, though multiple bards may each use a different song simultaneously. Multiple uses of the same song targeting the same creature have no extra effect.
Some songs require concentration on performance, identically as spells. If you are concentrating on a song, you may not also concentrate on a spell, and vice versa. All of the normal rules for concentrating on a spell apply to any song that requires concentration. Song effects generally don’t stretch to you, unless the description explicitly states otherwise.
Song fulfills the verbal and somatic components for a spell it casts, if any. You must still fulfill material component requirements as normal.
Performance
Song descriptions have a Performance line that indicates when the song takes effect.
Ongoing. As an action, you start a performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. The song takes immediate effect, which remains in effect until the performance ends. The Performance ends when you are incapacitated or silenced, or when you voluntarily end it (no action required).
Complete. Your song takes effect after given amount of time. Once you begin performing, your performance must continue uninterrupted until the allotted time is completed, spending your action on each of your turns dedicated to the sole task of performing the song.
BARDIC SONGS LIST
Call to Arms (2nd level, Valor College feature)
Performance: Complete, 1 action
Any number of your allies who are surprised at the beginning of the combat, aren't incapacitated, and who rolled initiative lower than you can act normally on their first turn. At 10th level, you may grant all of your allies an advantage to their Initiative as long as they are under the effects of this song. Once this song ends, their Initiative score returns to its original position in the Initiative roster.
Countercharm (6th level)
Performance: Ongoing
*As described in PHB, p.54*
Discordant Tut (10thlevel)
Performance: Complete, 1 bonus action
Enemies cannot take reactions until their next turn. Additionally, all hostile creatures that are concentrating on spells or similar effects must make a successful Concentration check (DC equal your spell save DC) at the beginning of their turn to avoid breaking concentration.
Elegy for the Fallen (2nd level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
You cast Gentle repose without expending a spell slot. At 6th level, you can choose to cast Revivify instead, but spell takes effect only if you started performance within one minute of target’s death.
Ghastly Nocturne (6th level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
You cast Animate Dead without expending a spell slot. At 14th level, you may instead cast Create Undead without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Marching Song (2nd level)
Performance: Ongoing, 1 hour
You and your allies gain advantage on saving throws against exhaustion. This song is travelling activity, as foraging or navigating (see PHB, p.182-183).
Song of Exclusion (14th level)
Performance: Complete, 1 hour
You cast Forbiddance without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Song of Magical Echoes (6th level)
Performance: Ongoing, requires concentration
When someone loses concentration on a spell, you can concentrate on that spell yourself and seize control over it. Make a Charisma check against a DC equal to 10 + that spell’s level. You have advantage on the check if the spell appears on the Bard spell list, and you succeed automatically if it is a spell that you know. On a successful roll, the spell is seized by you and considered cast by you. When it is seized, you may choose to have the spell continue to affect the original target(s) or area, or you may choose a new target(s) or area. You can keep concentration on that spell up to the time given by the spell’s description, minus the amount of time that has already elapsed. Note that because starting the performance of this song requires the use of your action, you need to use a Ready action when you expect an opportunity to use this song may arise.
Song of Rest (2nd level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
*As described in PHB, p.54*
Song of Self-Confidence (2nd level)
Performance: Ongoing
Creatures of your choice cannot suffer disadvantage to their ability checks and attack rolls. Creature that fails an ability check or attack roll under song effect can’t benefit from this song anymore until it ends a long rest.
Song of Stars (10th level, Lore College feature)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
You cast Contact Other Plane without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Song of Steel (18th level, Valor College feature)
Performance: Ongoing, requires concentration
Allies hearing you can make an additional attack when taking an Attack action. When your performance ends, you can’t start it again until you finish a long rest.
Song of the Heart (2nd level)
Performance: Ongoing, requires concentration
Any creature able to understand at least one language can understand you. This is one-way communication, only able to allow those creatures to understand you as if under the effects of the Comprehend Languages spell.
Song of the Planes (14th level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
You cast Planar Ally without expending a spell slot, with the additional option of summoning a creature of fey type. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Song of the Sky (18th level)
Performance: Complete, 1 hour
You cast Control Weather without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Song of the Wild (6th level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
Your song lures beasts to you. Choose one of the following options for what appears: one beast of challenge rating 4 or lower, two beasts of challenge rating 2 or lower, four beasts of challenge rating 1 or lower, or eight beasts of challenge rating 1/2 or lower. You can also draw a certain beasts you can see, within limits given above. They are indifferent to you and your allies and will follow you in 300ft limit, until you or one of your allies take hostile action against them or until you start a short or long rest – at that moment beasts can act at their normal manner. You can’t use this song again until you finish a long rest.
Soul melody (2nd level, Lore college feature)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
Choose a single alignment aspect from Good, Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic or Evil. You can discern, if humanoids among your audience – chosen by you, in number up to your Bard level + your Wisdom modifier – share that alignment aspect. You can’t use this song again until you finish a long rest.
Stalwart Song (2nd level)
Performance: Ongoing, requires concentration
You may spend Bardic Inspiration dice in order to temporarily cancel exhaustion for other creatures. For each level of exhaustion you wish to cancel, you must spend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice (no matter how many creatures you affect). This song affects extra creatures as your level increases: one creature at 2nd level, two creatures at 6th level, three creatures at 10th level, four creatures at 14th level, and five creatures at 18th level. Creatures can’t benefit from this song more often than once between long rests.
This homebrew is thought for those who want their Bards to sing more and stepping on other classes toes less. I’ve decided to replace Magical Secrets, feature guilty of allowing some cheesy trick, with a list of sub-features to choose, similar to Warlock invocations or Battlemaster maneuvers, and design them in a manner reinforcing Bard’s role as a support and face. The result you can see below, and I'll be glad to see your opinion on it. :smallwink:
Thanks to AngryJesusMan for a load of input!
CLASS FEATURES MODIFICATION
Your Song of Rest, Countercharm, and Magical Secrets features are replaced with Bardic Music, described below. Note that Lore bards keep their Additional Magical Secrets feature unaltered. Song of Rest and Countercharm become Bardic song options.
CLASS FEATURE: BARDIC MUSIC
During your journeys, you have acquired repertoire of songs, some of which hold the power over mortal minds and hearts, move the clouds out of the sky or even awake the dead.
At 2nd level, you gain two Bardic songs of your choice. Your song options are detailed below. You gain additional songs of your choice at 6th, 10th, 14th and 18th bard level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the songs you know and replace it with another song that you could learn at that level.
Songs affects creatures within 30 feet of you that aren’t deafened. The range of your song is increased to 45 feet at 6th level, 60 feet at 10th level, 75 feet at 14th level, and 90 feet at 18th level.
You may only perform one song at a time, though multiple bards may each use a different song simultaneously. Multiple uses of the same song targeting the same creature have no extra effect.
Some songs require concentration on performance, identically as spells. If you are concentrating on a song, you may not also concentrate on a spell, and vice versa. All of the normal rules for concentrating on a spell apply to any song that requires concentration. Song effects generally don’t stretch to you, unless the description explicitly states otherwise.
Song fulfills the verbal and somatic components for a spell it casts, if any. You must still fulfill material component requirements as normal.
Performance
Song descriptions have a Performance line that indicates when the song takes effect.
Ongoing. As an action, you start a performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. The song takes immediate effect, which remains in effect until the performance ends. The Performance ends when you are incapacitated or silenced, or when you voluntarily end it (no action required).
Complete. Your song takes effect after given amount of time. Once you begin performing, your performance must continue uninterrupted until the allotted time is completed, spending your action on each of your turns dedicated to the sole task of performing the song.
BARDIC SONGS LIST
Call to Arms (2nd level, Valor College feature)
Performance: Complete, 1 action
Any number of your allies who are surprised at the beginning of the combat, aren't incapacitated, and who rolled initiative lower than you can act normally on their first turn. At 10th level, you may grant all of your allies an advantage to their Initiative as long as they are under the effects of this song. Once this song ends, their Initiative score returns to its original position in the Initiative roster.
Countercharm (6th level)
Performance: Ongoing
*As described in PHB, p.54*
Discordant Tut (10thlevel)
Performance: Complete, 1 bonus action
Enemies cannot take reactions until their next turn. Additionally, all hostile creatures that are concentrating on spells or similar effects must make a successful Concentration check (DC equal your spell save DC) at the beginning of their turn to avoid breaking concentration.
Elegy for the Fallen (2nd level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
You cast Gentle repose without expending a spell slot. At 6th level, you can choose to cast Revivify instead, but spell takes effect only if you started performance within one minute of target’s death.
Ghastly Nocturne (6th level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
You cast Animate Dead without expending a spell slot. At 14th level, you may instead cast Create Undead without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Marching Song (2nd level)
Performance: Ongoing, 1 hour
You and your allies gain advantage on saving throws against exhaustion. This song is travelling activity, as foraging or navigating (see PHB, p.182-183).
Song of Exclusion (14th level)
Performance: Complete, 1 hour
You cast Forbiddance without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Song of Magical Echoes (6th level)
Performance: Ongoing, requires concentration
When someone loses concentration on a spell, you can concentrate on that spell yourself and seize control over it. Make a Charisma check against a DC equal to 10 + that spell’s level. You have advantage on the check if the spell appears on the Bard spell list, and you succeed automatically if it is a spell that you know. On a successful roll, the spell is seized by you and considered cast by you. When it is seized, you may choose to have the spell continue to affect the original target(s) or area, or you may choose a new target(s) or area. You can keep concentration on that spell up to the time given by the spell’s description, minus the amount of time that has already elapsed. Note that because starting the performance of this song requires the use of your action, you need to use a Ready action when you expect an opportunity to use this song may arise.
Song of Rest (2nd level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
*As described in PHB, p.54*
Song of Self-Confidence (2nd level)
Performance: Ongoing
Creatures of your choice cannot suffer disadvantage to their ability checks and attack rolls. Creature that fails an ability check or attack roll under song effect can’t benefit from this song anymore until it ends a long rest.
Song of Stars (10th level, Lore College feature)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
You cast Contact Other Plane without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Song of Steel (18th level, Valor College feature)
Performance: Ongoing, requires concentration
Allies hearing you can make an additional attack when taking an Attack action. When your performance ends, you can’t start it again until you finish a long rest.
Song of the Heart (2nd level)
Performance: Ongoing, requires concentration
Any creature able to understand at least one language can understand you. This is one-way communication, only able to allow those creatures to understand you as if under the effects of the Comprehend Languages spell.
Song of the Planes (14th level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
You cast Planar Ally without expending a spell slot, with the additional option of summoning a creature of fey type. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Song of the Sky (18th level)
Performance: Complete, 1 hour
You cast Control Weather without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Song of the Wild (6th level)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
Your song lures beasts to you. Choose one of the following options for what appears: one beast of challenge rating 4 or lower, two beasts of challenge rating 2 or lower, four beasts of challenge rating 1 or lower, or eight beasts of challenge rating 1/2 or lower. You can also draw a certain beasts you can see, within limits given above. They are indifferent to you and your allies and will follow you in 300ft limit, until you or one of your allies take hostile action against them or until you start a short or long rest – at that moment beasts can act at their normal manner. You can’t use this song again until you finish a long rest.
Soul melody (2nd level, Lore college feature)
Performance: Complete, 10 minutes
Choose a single alignment aspect from Good, Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic or Evil. You can discern, if humanoids among your audience – chosen by you, in number up to your Bard level + your Wisdom modifier – share that alignment aspect. You can’t use this song again until you finish a long rest.
Stalwart Song (2nd level)
Performance: Ongoing, requires concentration
You may spend Bardic Inspiration dice in order to temporarily cancel exhaustion for other creatures. For each level of exhaustion you wish to cancel, you must spend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice (no matter how many creatures you affect). This song affects extra creatures as your level increases: one creature at 2nd level, two creatures at 6th level, three creatures at 10th level, four creatures at 14th level, and five creatures at 18th level. Creatures can’t benefit from this song more often than once between long rests.