College of Hard Epic
Before the universe began, there was a sound. It went:
"One, two, ONE, two, three, four..."
Bards of the College of Hard Epic dedicates their life in learning, savoring, and spreading the greatest of all epic tales. They would sing of fearless warriors who never flinched at the shiny devil who played what is later tributed as the best song in the world; of a tragic warrior, who, after his misadventures in attempt to save his people from impending doom, trapped in a violent magical storm only to become the doom he tried to prevent; and of the court of the crimson king, the fire witch, the yellow jester, and the pattern juggler.
Despite their search for the lost legends and epics, the bards of College of Hard Epic never forget that the best aspect of the epic is being a tale that entertains those who stops to take a listen. As such, often these bards would take more aggressive and violent attitudes in performing, with mixed results. It is, therefore, no wonder that some of the more elderly members of the community would frown at what the younger generations would enjoy.
Bonus Cantrip
Starting at 3rd level when you join this college, you gain the vicious mockery cantrip, if you do not know it already. If you already know this cantrip, you can learn one cantrip of your choice from the bard spell list. This cantrip does not count against the number of bard cantrips you know.
Music with Rocks in It
Also starting at 3rd level, you pick up the unorthodox attitudes of the singers of hard epic. You gain the following benefits:
Crowd Pleaser. As a bonus action or a reaction when it takes damage from an attack or a spell, a creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you can roll that die and gain temporary hit points equal to the die roll plus your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). When used as a reaction, the temporary hit points gained this way absorbs as much the triggering damage as possible.
Percussive Performance. You can use a musical instrument you are proficient in as a weapon. For this purpose, the instrument counts as a melee weapon that has the heavy and two-handed properties and deals 1d12 bludgeoning damage on a hit. A nonmagical instrument is destroyed immediately after you hit the target with it.
Shoegazer. While you are maintaining concentration on a bard spell, you can add half your proficiency bonus to your Armor Class and saving throws, if you do not add it already. When you reach 6th level and gain the Countercharm feature, you gain this benefit while you are maintaining concentration on your Countercharm.
Troubadour of Hard Epic
Starting at 6th level, when you use your Countercharm feature as an action, you can make one weapon attack with a musical instrument as a bonus action.
Additionally, when you start your Countercharm, choose one of the following options to apply:
Attention Getter. When a creature that can hear you within 30 feet of you attacks a creature other than you, it must make a Wisdom saving throw against your bard spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose you as the target, or the attack automatically misses. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw becomes immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Ear Blaster. Each hostile creature that can hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw against your bard spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes thunder damage equal to your Charisma modifier + half your bard level (minimum of 1) and becomes deafened until your Countercharm ends. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage, is not deafened, and becomes immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Face Melter. When you choose this option, you can choose either awe or fear. Each hostile creature that can hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your bard spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature becomes charmed (awe) or frightened (fear) by you until your Countercharm ends. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw becomes immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Power Epic. During the duration of your Countercharm, all friendly creatures that can hear you within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being stunned or falling unconscious, and cannot be magically put to sleep.
Mosh Pit
At 14th level, when you cast a bard spell as an action, you can make one weapon attack with a musical instrument as a bonus action.
Additionally, when you hit a creature with a musical instrument, each creature within 5 feet of the target that are friendly to you can use its reaction to make one melee weapon attack against the target.
Credits
All contents are created by Weirdo Whoever unless noted otherwise. Special thanks to D&D Wiki and NaturalCrit Homebrewery tool for providing the templates for my imaginations.
Artworks. Credit for the awesome artwork go to the concept art of the videogame Brutal Legend, found in the Legendary Fan Site.
Watercolor. Credit for the clever watercolor goes to Full Page Watercolor Stains by fellow GM Binder users.
Quotes. Credits for the witty quotes go to as follows:
- The forewords and the feature name "Music with Rocks in It" are shamelessly stolen from Soul Music by Sir Terry Pratchett (mayherestsinpeace).
- The bit with the shiny devil and the best song in the world is a reference to "Tribute" by Tenacious D.
- The bit with the misadventure of a tragic man who became the doom he tried to prevent is a reference to "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath.
- The bit with the court is a reference to "The Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson.