Bard College: College of Flavor

by Subjectivesloth

Search GM Binder Visit User Profile

Bard College of Flavor

Many bards study the arts of song, poetry, theater, and even the canvas, but bards of the college of flavor add another, oft-forgotten discipline to this list: the art of food and cooking. These bards travel the world sampling decadent delights and searching for long-forgotten tastes in order to hone their craft. Along the way they also learn to weave magic into their cooking, creating vibrant and unbelievable flavors, or nasty side-effects.

Because of their usefulness in the world of food, bards of the college of flavor tend to be specialists of conjuration, transmutation, and illusionary magic. Learning to conjure flavorful ingredients is one of the first hurdles of this art, but transmutation is often used as a crutch by beginners, as it can turn even the most bland ingredient into a treat for the senses. Once the dish is completed, illusion magic can transform its presentation, however extravagant it began, into a masterpiece fit for only the most prestigious of kings.

Because of their special talents, bards of this college are sometimes called upon to prepare poisons or tricks built into their cuisine. While most find this corruption of their craft to be sacrilege, some take pleasure in experimenting with the magical possibilities of their foods, harmful or otherwise.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Flavor at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the use of Cook's Utencils and Brewer's supplies

Iron Stomach

You have tasted all manner of foul and vile foods in your training and in the training of others, and have developed a certain tolerance. At 3rd level when you choose this college, you gain advantage on Constitution saving throws to resist effects caused by substances you have ingested.

Inspirational Treat

At 3rd level, you can conjure a small enchanted treat for your companions. When you are within melee range of a creature, you can expend one use of your bardic inspiration in order to conjure a small treat for them. On that creature's turn they can eat the treat as a bonus action. A creature that ingests this treat gains a number of temporary hit points equal to your bardic inspiration die + your spellcasting modifier. These hit points last for up to 1 hour.

The enchanted treats created by this ability lose their magical properties 1 minute after they are created.

Conjure Cuisine

By 6th level, your skills of conjuration have evolved, allowing you to conjure entire feasts rather than simple ingredients. You learn the spell create food and water and it is a bard spell for you. This spell does not count against your number of spells known. Additionally, you can manifest the following special properties when casting it:

  • You can cast this spell as a ritual
  • The food you create is delightfully tasty, though not more so than that you create by hand
  • You can create wine or mead in place of water

Enchanted Seasoning

Your culinary skill and magical aptitude lends you the ability to apply several different enchantments to the foods you create. When you reach 6th level, you learn all of the enchanted seasonings from the list below. You can apply only one these enchantments to any food or drink you can touch, magical or nonmagical, with a 10-minute ritual. Each enchantment's effects persist for up to 8 hours after it is prepared. Once you use this feature to apply one of these enchantments, you cannot apply another until you finish a short or long rest.


  • Alluring Aroma. This enchantment adds an irresistible scent to the dish. Creatures within 30 feet of the dish that can smell must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw versus your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature is enthralled by the scent for up to 1 minute, and must use all its movement on its turns to pursue and attempt to consume the enchanted item, taking no other actions besides those serving that goal. The creature can repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a successful save, or when it is allowed to ingest the enchanted dish.
  • Pungent Poison. This enchantment twists the craft at its most base level, granting it a poisoned core, undetectable by all but magical means. A creature that ingests food or drink enchanted in this way must make on a Constitution saving throw versus your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature takes poison damage equal to 2d10 + your bard level and is poisoned for up to 8 hours. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not poisoned. A poisoned creature can repeat its saving throw at the end of every hour, ending the effect on a successful save.
  • Rejuvinating Richness. This enchantment adds a special depth to the flavor of the dish, leaving those who eat it with a satisfying warmth that rejuvenates their spirit. A creature that ingests food or drink enchanted in this way while they are taking a long rest recovers from one additional level of exhaustion, or ends one disease or nonmagical effect on themselves. If a creature eats the dish and cannot benefit from either these effects, it instead gains a number of temporary hit points equal to your bardic inspiration die + your spellcasting modifier.

Explosion of Flavor

By 14th level, you have learned an enchantment to supercharge the flavors of a dish to a level too extreme for mortal mouths. As an action, you can expend your enchanted seasoning feature to apply a special enchantment to a dish. This enchantment adds a mildly spicy flavor, but is otherwise undetectable by nonmagical means. This enchantment persists upon the dish for up to 24 hours. As an action at any point during this time, you can cause the dish to overflow with magical energy and unleash a wave of force. Creatures within a 10-foot sphere centered on the enchanted dish must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 10d8 force damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. If a creature has ingested the treat when it explodes, it automatically fails the save and takes double the damage.

Bard College of Flavor

This version of the College of Flavor is functionally complete.

Art


All uncredited art is from DMsGuild Free Creators Resources.

Background

A quick subclass made for a friend. This is my take on a chef-style bard. The concept has been done before, of course, but this was extremely fun to make nonetheless.

I hope you enjoy this delicious subclass!

/u/SubjectiveSloth

My Other Works:
 

This document was lovingly created using GM Binder.


If you would like to support the GM Binder developers, consider joining our Patreon community.