Bard Class

As a Bard, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per bard level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per bard level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, short swords
Tools: Three musical instruments of your choice
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose any three

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	Max Spell Level	Bardic Inspiration Die
1st	2	Spellcasting, Sorcerous Origin, Bardic Inspiration(d6)	2	4	1	1d6
2nd	2	Jack of all Trades, Song of Rest(d6)	2		1	1d6
3rd	2	Bard College, Expertise	2	6	2	1d6
4th	2	Ability Score Improvement	3	7	2	1d6
5th	3	Vicious Mastery	3	8	3	1d8
6th	3	Countercharm, Bard College Feature	3	9	3	1d8
7th	3	Greater Spellsong	3	10	4	1d8
8th	3	Ability Score Improvement	3	11	4	1d8
9th	4	Song of rest(d8)	3	12	5	1d8
10th	4	Expertise, Magical Secrets	4	13	5	1d10
11th	4	Critical Inspiration	4	14	6	1d10
12th	4	Ability Score Improvement	4	15	6	1d10
13th	5	Song of Rest(d10)	4	16	7	1d10
14th	5	Bard College Feature	4	17	7	1d10
15th	5	Well of Morale	4	18	8	1d12
16th	5	Ability Score Increase	4	19	8	1d12
17th	6	Song of rest(d12)	4	20	9	1d12
18th	6		4	22	9	1d12
19th	6	Ability Score Improvement	4	22	9	1d12
20th	6	Beacon of Inspiration	4	22	9	1d12

Bardic Inspiration

At 1st level, You can inspire others through stirring words or music. To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic Inspiration die, a d6.

Once within the next hour, when the creature fails a d20 test, they may roll the bardic inspiration die and add it to the result potentially turning it into a success. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.

You have a number of bardic inspiration die equal to half your level rounded up. You regain any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. Some subclasses also provides conditions to regain inspiration, while others make each use last longer.

Your Bardic Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.

Spellcasting

You have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your wishes and music. Your spells are part of your vast repertoire, magic that you can tune to different situations.
- Cantrips
At 1st level, you know four cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list. You learn additional sorcerer cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Bard table. You may replace a cantrip known with another whenever you gain a level in this class.
- Quick Performance
You may expend a Bardic Inspiration to attempt to cast a spell of 1st level or higher from your spells known with a max spell slot lower than your max spell level as shown on the bard table. Doing so requires you to make a Charisma(Musical Instruments) check against a DC (12 + (2 * spell level)). On success you cast the spell, if you succeed by 5 or more you may choose to cast the spell with a spell slot 1 level higher than you intended, and on failure you expend the Bardic Inspiration die without casting the spell.
- Spell-Song
you gain the ability to begin a magical performance, conducting arcane magic to your tune. When you roll initiative, or on later turns as an action at the start of your turn you may choose to begin your Spellsong, doing so starts it at level 1. At the end of each turn while your Spellsong is active, you must succeed a Charisma(musical Instrument) check to maintain it, The DC of this check is (10 + (2 * whatever level your spell song is)). If you fail this check, your Spellsong goes down a level.
Your Spellsong ends if:
> it drops below 1st level
> you are incapacitated, or are prevented from making performance checks
> You choose to end it as a free action.
Your Spellsong can never be increased to a level above your "max spell level" shown on the Bard table
- Resonant Inspiration
Whenever a creature uses your inspiration to turn a failing d20 test into a successful one, You may make a Charisma(Musical Instruments) Check with the same DC used to maintain it. On a successful check, your Spellsong gains an Arcane Note. If you exceed the DC by 5 or more, you also increase your current Spellsong Level by 1.
- Arcane Note
You may use your action, bonus action, or reaction to expend a note from your spell song. You may then cast a spell with a level equal to or lower than your current spell song level, using a spell slot level which is the same as your spell song level.
- Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the bard spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Bard table shows when you learn more Bard spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level which is at most your maximum spell level. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the bard spells you know and replace it with another spell from the bard spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
- Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your bard spells, since the power of your magic relies on your ability to project your will into the world. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a sorcerer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
- Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
- Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
- Ritual Casting You can cast any bard spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.
-Spellcasting Focus You can use a musical instrument as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells. Some specialized musical instruments can function as different spell foci, in which case you function as being proficient in that foci, as long as it is also an instrument you are proficient in.

Out of Combat
When you leave initiative, you may choose to maintain your spell song as well as any arcane notes you accrued. Which has the following effects:
- You automatically fail stealth and sleight of hand checks against creatures that can hear you, and those same creatures cannot fail perception checks against you.
- Creatures that can see you understand you are able to cast spells.
- Whenever you take any damage, you must make a Concentration save DC 10 + (3 * Spellsong current level)
- At the end of each hour you maintain the Spellsong out of combat, you must remake the Musical Instruments check, losing hold on failure.

Jack of All Trades

Starting at 2nd level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus.

Song of Rest

Beginning at 2nd level, you can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize your wounded allies during a short rest. If you or any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain hit points at the end of the short rest by spending one or more Hit Dice, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points.

The extra Hit Points increase when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 at 9th level, to 1d10 at 13th level, and to 1d12 at 17th level.

Bard College

At 3rd level, you delve into the advanced techniques of a bard college of your choice. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th and 14th level.
- Announcer
- Creation
- Eloquence
- Glamor
- Lore
- Spirits
- Swords
- Valor
- Whispers

Expertise

At 3rd level, choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

At 10th level, you can choose another two skill proficiencies to gain this benefit.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Vicious Mastery

At 5th level, You gain a masterful portfolio of insults that you can use in combat. You learn the Vicious mockery cantrip, which does not Count against the number of cantrips known.

In addition, you learn all basic spell masteries for the vicious mockery cantrip.

Countercharm

At 6th level, you gain the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. As a reaction to a creature failing a saving throw against a mind altering effect, you allow them to roll the save again, taking the higher result. The creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit, and you cannot take this reaction if you are incapacitated or silenced.

Greater Spellsong

Beginning at 7th level, your use of spell song becomes even stronger and better in tune with the inspiration you grant your allies. Whenever you use a bonus action to grant an ally a bardic inspiration die, you may make the Musical instrument check DC (10 + (3 * Spellsong Level), on success you increase your spell song level by one.

Magical Secrets

By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Whenever you gain a level in this class(including this class) you may learn spells from the Druid, cleric and wizard spell list, in addition to the bard spell list whenever you would gain or replace a spell known.

Alternatively, you may reduce your number of spells known up to your proficiency bonus. For each reduction, choose one of your spells known and learn up to Cha mod spell masteries for that spell. You may reduce, regain or relearn spell masteries and spells known whenever you gain a level in this class.

Critical Inspiration

Starting at 11th level, the legendary exploits of you and your party echo within your song. Whenever you or a party member rolls a natural 20 on an attack roll, you regain a use of bardic inspiration.

Well of Morale

Beginning at 14th level, you may use a bonus action to regain a number of bardic inspiration die equal to your charisma modifier(for a minimum of 1). Once you have done so, you cannot again until you have completed a long rest.

Beacon of Inspiration

At 20th level, Your performance inspires the battle field, You gain the following benefits:
- While you are within initiative, you regain one bardic inspiration at the start of each turn. You cannot regain more than your maximum inspiration with this feature
- When you take bonus action to grant a bardic inspiration die, expend up to 3 dice, choosing an equal amount of creatures to grant bardic die.
- Whenever you would raise your spell song level, you may choose to raise it by an additional level.

Spell Song Flow:

At first glance, the new spellcasting mechanic for the bard is alot to grasp, especially with the various different conditions, checks, and charges. Here is a broken down guide of what spell casting looks like for a bard

Outside of combat, or whenever the bard needs to pull off a more spontaneous spell cast, they can use Quick Performance. It Consumes a bardic inspiration die, and has a chance to fail if the check isnt met, however it returns versatility to the bards casting and allows easier out of combat spells

Once Initiative is rolled, the bard uses their action to start the spell song, realistically it wont end unless the bard is knocked down, or wants to end it. At the end of each turn, they make a musical instruments check to maintain the spell song.

Over the course of combat the bard grants allies bardic inspiration, planting the "seeds" for their spells later in the encounter.

Whenever an ally uses that inspiration to succeed, Resonant Inspiration triggers. Doing so allows you to hit the same DC as maintaining to gain an Arcane Note. These are your spell slots, which encourage you to be granting as much inspiration as possible, to start gaining your ability to cast spells.

Additionally, doing well on the checks for Resonant Inspiration also improves the level of spell you can cast using those arcane notes

On your turn, you may consume an Arcane Note, casting one of your spells known just as any other caster would. However, the slot level you use when casting is current level of your spell song.

The concept behind the bard as an off caster, is gaining returns from its party support abilities. As levels progress, and the bard gains more class, and subclass features, it gains more and more ways to proc Resonant Inspiration, Allowing bard to have the highest potential spell output of all the off casters.

To balance this, the bard has to make checks, and "charge" up the spell song, before they can cast their higher level spells.

It also causes the bard to lean greater into the flavor of the class, and allow the player more creativity.