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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next College of Requiems - Revised



Chevallaine
2018-01-09, 01:53 PM
Hey everyone, this is a revised attempt at an earlier post for a bard archetype and I would like to get the community's opinion on it! The theme is not quite "undead slaying" but more "Study, research, learn, and combat the undead," A little bit of fight fire with fire. The inspiration came from one of my players who wanted a reason to bring her bard to Barovia for a Curse of Strahd campaign so we hashed this out together and then I would blend it into the module. We did our absolute dardnest to make it as RAW as possible but we know some things will be out of place so please help us point them out and correct them. Also we know the final ability is powerful, but it is also specific. We thought a drawback for it was appropriate but we're open to all constructive criticism.

Oh, and one last important note; as fans of 3rd, 3.5 D&D, and Pathfinder we loved the "song" aspect of bards and believe that their ability to continually inspire is what made them unique. So the College of Requiems focuses on playing and maintaining songs to help or hinder.

COLLEGE OF REQUIEMS
In desperation to turn the ever mounting tide of undeath in their ancestral lands, Barovia established the College of Requiems to combat and even utilize death itself to gain an advantage against the unliving. By harnessing the more macabre and solemn qualities of verse and melody, they weave music that reaches through the veil to beckon far flung spirits or to afflict, allay, or manipulate the deceased or living to necessary ends...

SPECTRAL INSTRUMENT
When joining the College of Requiems at 3rd level, you learn the ability to conjure a ghostly instrument which haunting sonancy can permeate the spirits of the dead. As an action you may summon a single spectral instrument of your choosing, with which you are proficient in, while dismissing it requires no action at all. This instrument floats in your space and is considered incorporeal to everyone but you. With but a whim, the instrument receives your mental commands playing songs and tunes that you know, yet is still subjected to your Charisma (Performance) skill when applicable. Should you ever fall unconscious, become incapacitated, or die the instrument dissipates.

Optionally, as an action the bard can choose to imbue one existing instrument they own with spectral essence making that instrument gain the same qualities as a spectral instrument. Only one instrument can be imbued at a given time and the imbuement can be dismissed with no action required.

SONGS
At 3rd level as a bonus action, the bard can expend a bardic inspiration die to make their spectral instrument perform a specific song for one minute that can aid you and your allies or hinder your enemies in combat and is subject to concentration checks. Only one song can be maintained with the spectral instrument at a time and changing songs will negate the effects of the previous song.

Bitter Dirge: You may use your Charisma modifier with all attack and damage rolls for the duration of this song. Once per turn on a successful hit, the bard may add 1d6 Radiant or Necrotic Damage to a successful strike, or 2d6 if the target is undead.

Uplifting Hymn: Each ally who begins their turn within 30 feet of you is granted Advantage vs. being Frightened or Charmed until the end of their turn. In addition, their movement speed is increased by 5 feet until the end of their turn.

Woeful Lacrimosa: As a reaction, whenever an enemy within 60 feet of you makes an attack against an ally, you may force that enemy to make a Wisdom saving throw. On failure, they are filled with grief dulling their will to harm and if their attack is successful, their damage is halved.

Grave Harmonics: You know the location of any undead within 60 feet of you that isn’t behind total cover and that isn’t protected by divination magic. This song doesn’t tell you anything about the creature’s capabilities or identity.

These songs can be interrupted or stopped by silence or anti-magic effects. In the presence of a silencing effect the song continues to play, but does not grant its ability. It resumes its song should any duration remain when the silencing effect ends. If affected by anti-magic, the spectral instrument and song is simply dispelled and must be resummoned.

WRAITHTOUCHED
At 6th level, your knowledge and understanding expands into the otherworldly. As an action, you can invite a willing spirit that has not found peace to possess you. You may use a medium in the form of a corpse, haunt, belongings, or resting place to find the spirit (DM may include more options at their discretion). If no spirits are present or willing your attempt fails, but does not expend the ability.
While possessed, you are in control of your own body and retain all of your stats, skills, abilities, and spells, yet you may permit the occupying spirit to willingly reveal their memories and thoughts through the use of your faculties, including any languages you may share. You may override any of their actions at any time. In addition while possessed, you may use the Speak with Dead spell once with the spirit without the limitations regarding a corpse or undead or duration and with the number of questions you are able to ask expanded to 5 + your Charisma modifier.

You may also take on the guise of the spirit as it was in life, granting you the chance to pass yourself off as it. This guise only works against the undead, and any who looks upon you may attempt to see through it with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check against your Charisma (Deception) check, though you gain a +5 bonus to your roll.

The possession ends when one hour passes, if you will the effect to end (no action required), or if the spirit grows hostile. Regardless, the spirit is either expelled 10 ft from your body and acts accordingly or can choose to return from where it came. If some tasks are left unfinished, the spirit may yet linger in the hopes of renewing the possession. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain all uses of this ability after a long rest.

SONG: KEENING OF THE BEREAVED
At 14th level, you have discovered the greatest secret the college possesses; a weapon of pure anguish and lament that emboldens the living and counters the undead: The Keening. As an action, you take ahold of your spectral instrument and perform a song that pierces the very essence of all undead within 60 feet, giving them disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. Yet, while the undead languish, the living find strength, renewal, and hope. All living allies within 60 feet of you are instantly granted a bardic inspiration die (for free) as their hearts and minds fiercely deny their heartache, pain, and regret. Only one inspiration die may be granted per ally for the duration of this song.

Unlike your other songs, you must use your action every round to maintain the Keening, and your instrument gains immunity to being dispelled (though it is still susceptible to silence). Once the song ends (whether completely or interrupted by any means), you gain 2 levels of exhaustion.

Once this song has been performed you regain its use after a long rest.

Chevallaine
2018-01-11, 01:24 PM
*One more thought: Wraithtouched is meant for flavor and utility to represent the college's purpose for study and laying to rest.

Chevallaine
2018-01-13, 10:48 AM
Added concentration to songs.

Sariel Vailo
2018-01-13, 01:30 PM
Its intresting but setting dependant but i lime it still well done

Requilac
2018-01-13, 05:47 PM
WRAITHTOUCHED
At 6th level, your knowledge and understanding expands into the otherworldly. As an action, you can invite a willing spirit that has not found peace to possess you. You may use a medium in the form of a corpse, haunt, belongings, or resting place to find the spirit (DM may include more options at their discretion). If no spirits are present or willing your attempt fails, but does not expend the ability.
While possessed, you are in control of your own body and retain all of your stats, skills, abilities, and spells, yet you may permit the occupying spirit to willingly reveal their memories and thoughts through the use of your faculties, including any languages you may share. You may override any of their actions at any time. In addition while possessed, you may use the Speak with Dead spell once with the spirit without the limitations regarding a corpse or undead or duration and with the number of questions you are able to ask expanded to 5 + your Charisma modifier.

Giving them the ability to cast speak with dead is a bad idea. They are already gaining all the information from the spirit that is possessing them, which should be enough. To properly balance out this feature you should probably get rid of the ability to speak with dead. Otherwise, you are risking granting too much power to an already very questionable feature.



You may also take on the guise of the spirit as it was in life, granting you the chance to pass yourself off as it. This guise only works against the undead, and any who looks upon you may attempt to see through it with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check against your Charisma (Deception) check, though you gain a +5 bonus to your roll.

At first it says that the guise only works against undead, but then it says any who looks upon you may attempt to see through the guise. This is kind of confusing to me. Can you please explain to me what this feature does, because what I am thinking it does is that the guise only works against undead. That seems much too niche of an ability to me. The wording of this confuses me very much, I would recommend clarifying this.



The possession ends when one hour passes, if you will the effect to end (no action required), or if the spirit grows hostile. Regardless, the spirit is either expelled 10 ft from your body and acts accordingly or can choose to return from where it came. If some tasks are left unfinished, the spirit may yet linger in the hopes of renewing the possession. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain all uses of this ability after a long rest.

Under the conditions that the spirit decides to attack you or vice versa, what are its statistics? Are they all ghosts or could they be any type of incorporeal undead such as wraiths, poltergeists, banshees, etc.? If they can be any type of incorporeal undead, then does the DM, you or randomization decide which type it is? I think that a feature with a duration of 1 hour should not be able to be used up to five times per long rest. I would recommending to just making it so that you can only use it once but you regain the ability to do so after a short or long rest. Otherwise, it is way too overpowered and the spammability of it is going to become boring very quickly.




SONG: KEENING OF THE BEREAVED
At 14th level, you have discovered the greatest secret the college possesses; a weapon of pure anguish and lament that emboldens the living and counters the undead: The Keening. As an action, you take ahold of your spectral instrument and perform a song that pierces the very essence of all undead within 60 feet, giving them disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. Yet, while the undead languish, the living find strength, renewal, and hope. All living allies within 60 feet of you are instantly granted a bardic inspiration die (for free) as their hearts and minds fiercely deny their heartache, pain, and regret. Only one inspiration die may be granted per ally for the duration of this song.

Unlike your other songs, you must use your action every round to maintain the Keening, and your instrument gains immunity to being dispelled (though it is still susceptible to silence). Once the song ends (whether completely or interrupted by any means), you gain 2 levels of exhaustion.

Once this song has been performed you regain its use after a long rest.

I would make it so that you have to maintain concentration to perform the keening, but other than it seems fine to me.

Chevallaine
2018-01-16, 04:06 PM
Giving them the ability to cast speak with dead is a bad idea. They are already gaining all the information from the spirit that is possessing them, which should be enough. To properly balance out this feature you should probably get rid of the ability to speak with dead. Otherwise, you are risking granting too much power to an already very questionable feature.

I do not see Speak with Dead being too powerful in this case since it is limited to the spirit possessing you. "It may reveal it's thoughts and memories to you" (you do NOT know everything it knows, only what it wishes to reveal). Speak with Dead prompts the spirit to be more forthcoming if asked appropriately.



At first it says that the guise only works against undead, but then it says any who looks upon you may attempt to see through the guise. This is kind of confusing to me. Can you please explain to me what this feature does, because what I am thinking it does is that the guise only works against undead. That seems much too niche of an ability to me. The wording of this confuses me very much, I would recommend clarifying this.

Grammatically, 'any' refers to the undead. You have to read it in context, but yes it can be worded better.




Under the conditions that the spirit decides to attack you or vice versa, what are its statistics? Are they all ghosts or could they be any type of incorporeal undead such as wraiths, poltergeists, banshees, etc.? If they can be any type of incorporeal undead, then does the DM, you or randomization decide which type it is? I think that a feature with a duration of 1 hour should not be able to be used up to five times per long rest. I would recommending to just making it so that you can only use it once but you regain the ability to do so after a short or long rest. Otherwise, it is way too overpowered and the spammability of it is going to become boring very quickly.

It depends on the spirit, leaving this up to DM prerogative. The player doesn't create the encounter, the DM does.

Chevallaine
2018-01-16, 04:07 PM
Its intresting but setting dependant but i lime it still well done

Indeed it's setting-dependent, but that is its purpose. Otherwise it ~should~ fit well in any undead campaign, not just the Curse of Strahd.

Requilac
2018-01-16, 06:31 PM
I do not see Speak with Dead being too powerful in this case since it is limited to the spirit possessing you. "It may reveal it's thoughts and memories to you" (you do NOT know everything it knows, only what it wishes to reveal). Speak with Dead prompts the spirit to be more forthcoming if asked appropriately.

Yes, that makes much more sense now. Especially considering the fact that a target you cast speak with dead on does not even need to be honest, this seems like more of a balanced feature to me. It gives you the oppurtunity to learn a lot of information, but that does not mean the information you are getting is ever accurate. That seems fair to me.



Grammatically, 'any' refers to the undead. You have to read it in context, but yes it can be worded better.

It only works against undead then? That is an oddly specific feature. I mean its not overpowered or anything but it is kind of strange to have something so extremely situational. Fair enough then I suppose, I can hardly ever see this feature getting much use though.



It depends on the spirit, leaving this up to DM prerogative. The player doesn't create the encounter, the DM does.

That is what I assumed, I just wanted to make sure. You may want to mention that in the spell's description then.



This seems cool to me. I feel as if it is much more complicated then it needs to be, but that is just my perogative. As a DM i would totally let a player play as one of these. Nice work here.