Ventruenox
2020-01-03, 02:09 PM
So I have a player who wants a homebrew subclass for my upcoming Spelljammer campaign, with a heavy metal feel. His goals were to inspire a mosh pit and to deal thunder damage with his attacks. I am blatantly stealing from other bardic colleges I have seen written up, but I am not going to publish this or use it anywhere but at my table, and I have modified the text of copyrighted content. I have a feeling that it is a bit overpowered, so I am looking for tweaks.
College of Metal
Bards are generally known for their witty ballads, harmonious madrigals, and fancy foppish hats. They wear charming smiles and will sweet talk their way to their heart's desire. Then there are those of a persuasion who considers these performers as lily-livered gutless worms. The world is BRUTAL, and sound and style demonstrated by these audacious artistes reflects that intensity. Don your spiked leather, face paint, and horned helmets; primal scream your power chords; this is Metal.
Metäl Träppings
When you choose this college at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, battleaxes and greataxes. You are able to customize a melee weapon you are proficient with to double as a musical instrument, this serves as your Signature Bardic Weapon.
Deäthgrind
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to provoke those the area around you by amplifying aggressive tendencies and inspiring forceful physical contact. As a Bonus Action, you may expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to select a number of humanoid targets who can hear you other than yourself up to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). These targets may immediately use their reaction to move up to half of their movement speed to within 5' of an enemy and make one unarmed attack or athletics ability check. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Deäthcøre
Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to turn your weapon strokes into concussive blasts transmitted through the air. For one minute when you take the Attack action with your Signature Bardic Weapon, you may replace a weapon attack with a melee spell attack using your Charisma score instead of your Strength or Dexterity score. This spell attack may target creatures up to 20 feet away from you, and the attacks do thunder damage instead of their usual damage type. You may use this ability a number of times up to your Charisma modifier, and regain all spent uses on a long rest.
At 6th level, you may select one of the Brütäl Mäjesty, Shred Härder, or Døømcøver class features.
Brütäl Mäjesty
At 6th level, your awe-inspiring onstage personality carries a force of will that makes others want to serve you. As a bonus action, you cast Command, without expending a spell slot, and you manifest an intense domineering presence for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). During this time, you can cast Command as a bonus action on each of your turns, without expending a spell slot.
Any creature charmed by you automatically fails its saving throw against the Command you cast with this feature.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Shred Härder
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Your weapon attacks count as magical for purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Døømcøver
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.
Metälpøcälypse
At 14th level, your brutal legend warps the localized reality around you in dysphonic chaos audible to 300' away when you perform. Using your action to activate this feature, you create a 30-foot radius centered on yourself of acoustic pandemonium which requires concentration and lasts for 1 minute.
Half of the creatures within this field experience the effects of the Haste spell. The other half experience the effects of the Slow spell. When you activate this ability, select a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). You may determine whether each target is under the haste or slow effect, but the number of hasted creatures within the field may not exceed the number of slowed creatures within the field. Creatures entering the field after activation have a 50% chance of being hasted or slowed, and the effects last until this ability ends.
When this ability ends, you can’t move or take actions until after your next turn, as a wave of exhaustion sweeps over you. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
College of Metal
Bards are generally known for their witty ballads, harmonious madrigals, and fancy foppish hats. They wear charming smiles and will sweet talk their way to their heart's desire. Then there are those of a persuasion who considers these performers as lily-livered gutless worms. The world is BRUTAL, and sound and style demonstrated by these audacious artistes reflects that intensity. Don your spiked leather, face paint, and horned helmets; primal scream your power chords; this is Metal.
Metäl Träppings
When you choose this college at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, battleaxes and greataxes. You are able to customize a melee weapon you are proficient with to double as a musical instrument, this serves as your Signature Bardic Weapon.
Deäthgrind
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to provoke those the area around you by amplifying aggressive tendencies and inspiring forceful physical contact. As a Bonus Action, you may expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to select a number of humanoid targets who can hear you other than yourself up to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). These targets may immediately use their reaction to move up to half of their movement speed to within 5' of an enemy and make one unarmed attack or athletics ability check. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Deäthcøre
Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to turn your weapon strokes into concussive blasts transmitted through the air. For one minute when you take the Attack action with your Signature Bardic Weapon, you may replace a weapon attack with a melee spell attack using your Charisma score instead of your Strength or Dexterity score. This spell attack may target creatures up to 20 feet away from you, and the attacks do thunder damage instead of their usual damage type. You may use this ability a number of times up to your Charisma modifier, and regain all spent uses on a long rest.
At 6th level, you may select one of the Brütäl Mäjesty, Shred Härder, or Døømcøver class features.
Brütäl Mäjesty
At 6th level, your awe-inspiring onstage personality carries a force of will that makes others want to serve you. As a bonus action, you cast Command, without expending a spell slot, and you manifest an intense domineering presence for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). During this time, you can cast Command as a bonus action on each of your turns, without expending a spell slot.
Any creature charmed by you automatically fails its saving throw against the Command you cast with this feature.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Shred Härder
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Your weapon attacks count as magical for purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Døømcøver
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.
Metälpøcälypse
At 14th level, your brutal legend warps the localized reality around you in dysphonic chaos audible to 300' away when you perform. Using your action to activate this feature, you create a 30-foot radius centered on yourself of acoustic pandemonium which requires concentration and lasts for 1 minute.
Half of the creatures within this field experience the effects of the Haste spell. The other half experience the effects of the Slow spell. When you activate this ability, select a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). You may determine whether each target is under the haste or slow effect, but the number of hasted creatures within the field may not exceed the number of slowed creatures within the field. Creatures entering the field after activation have a 50% chance of being hasted or slowed, and the effects last until this ability ends.
When this ability ends, you can’t move or take actions until after your next turn, as a wave of exhaustion sweeps over you. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.