# Path of the Skald (Barbarian Subclass) ### Inspired Rage A skald is trained to use music, oration, and similar performances to inspire his allies to feats of strength and ferocity Starting at 3rd level when you enter a rage, friendly creatures within 60 feet of you and can hear you may accept your Inspired Rage. If they do they gain the following benefits * You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws. * When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table. * at the beginning of your turn you gain 2 temporary hit points ( This increases to 3 at 9th level and 4 at 16th level) Additionally if you are able to cast spells, you can't cast them or concentrate on them while raging. ### Bonus Proficiencies At 3rd level you become proficient in 2 instruments of your choice. ### Spellcasting When you take this path you have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your magic and rage. A skald's spells are drawn from the bard spell list. #### Cantrips You know two cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list. You learn additional bard cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Skald table. #### Spell Slots The Bard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. #### Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the bard spell list. The Spells Known column of the Skald table shows when you learn more bard spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the table. 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 skald spells. Your magic comes from the rage you pour into the performance of your music or oration. 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 bard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. Additionally you can use your instruments as an arcane focus. <div style='margin-top:20px'></div> <font face='scalysans' size='2'> <center> **Spell Save DC** </font> = <font face='scalysans' size='2'> 8 + your proficiency bonus </center> <div style='margin-top:-8px'></div> <center> your Charisma modifier </center> <div style='margin-top:12px'></div> <center> **Spell attack modifier** </font> = <font face='scalysans' size='2'> your proficiency bonus + </center> <div style='margin-top:-8px'></div> <center> your Charisma modifier </center> </font> <div class='classTable'> ##### Path of the Skald Spellcasting | Level | Spells known | Cantrips Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | 3rd | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | | 4th | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | | 5th | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | | 6th | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | | 7th | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | | 8th | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | | 9th | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | | 10th | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | | 11th | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | | 12th | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | | 13th | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | | 14th | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | | 15th | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | | 16th | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | | 17th | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | | 18th | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | | 19th | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | | 20th | 13 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | </div> ### Song of Marching When you reach 6th level, you can perform a series of verses that invigorates you and your allies during long travels. While traveling for an hour or more, difficult terrain does not slow your group's travel, and your group has advantage on saving throws made to resist the effect of any harsh terrains or climates while traveling. In addition, while raging, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain no longer cost extra movement for you. \pagebreak ### Shared Rage The path of the Skald is a path of camaraderie, music, and inspired action. As you learn and grow you become better at inspiring your allies to greater feats. At 6th level choose one of the following options to improve your inspired rage **Infernal blood** when you take infernal blood any time you start raging you grow a large pair of flaming horns. Anyone who accepts your inspired rage also grows a pair of large flaming horns. If you used the attack action you may make a gore attack as a bonus action (1d8 Piercing + 1d6 fire + Strength). The horns fade and disappear when the inspired rage ends. This damage increases to 2d6 fire at 14th level **Inspired recklessness** those accepting inspired rage can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When they make their first attack on their turn, they can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives them advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against them have advantage until their next turn **Raging Inspiration** Once you start raging, You and anyone who accepts your Inspired Rage are granted a 1d6 inspiration die. The Inspiration die lasts until used or the rage ends. It can grants a 1d6 bonus on any d20 roll you have just made. You can use the inspiration die after seeing the result of the d20 roll but before its success or failure is decided. ### Dirge of Doom At 10th level, You can create a sense of growing dread in your enemies. When you use this song you must choose which debuff to try to give your enemies: disadvantage on attacks, skill checks, or saving throws. They must make a will save against your spell save DC or suffer the negative effect. This only affects enemies that are within 30 feet and able to hear your performance. The effect persists for as long as the enemy is within 30 feet and you continue your performance (up to 1 minute). Creatures that are immune to being frightened are not affected by this feature. Dirge of Doom expends one use of your rage. You can use Song of the Fallen while maintaining Inspired Rage ### Inspired Call at 10th level Choose one of the following features to improve your inspired rage. **Fiend Totem** - When you start Raging you may activate Fiend totem. If you do you and anyone who accepts inspired rage with Fiend Totem active sprouts dozens of wicked barbs from their body. Anyone striking a character affected Fiend Totem with a melee attack takes 1d6 points of piercing damage. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest **Absorb magic** - At 10th level, when any creature accepting inspired rage fails a saving throw against a spell or spell-like ability, you may use your reaction to have them reroll the saving throw against the effect, they must use the new roll. If they succeed the saving throw, they are not affected by the spell or spell-like ability. Once you use this ability you can not use it again until you have finished a long rest. **Boastful taunt** while raging, the skald can incite a creature to attack them by using an action to taunt them. The target must make a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. If the target fails the check, the target has disadvantage on attacks as long as the skald is visible and raging or until it makes a melee attack against the skald. **Inspired Resilience** Anyone accepting your inspired rage gains resistence to piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning damage. Additionally you gain resistance to all damage types except psychic damage. ### Song of the Fallen At 14th level, You can invigorate allies to continue fighting, you can use an action to sing the song of the fallen. This song restores 1 hit point to each ally within 60 ft of you and gives them each temporary hit points equal to your skald level. Song of the Fallen expends one use of your rage. You can use Song of the Fallen while maintaining Inspired Rage ### Raging Song at 14th level Choose one of the following features to improve your inspired rage. **Unexpected strike** - other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach if you are raging or accepting Inspired Rage. **Skald’s Vigor** - your inspired rage invigorates everyone that accepts it so much that they gain temporary hit-points equal to your charisma modifier +3 at the beginning of each of your turns while you maintain inspired rage. (this increases to your charisma modifier +4 at 16th level) **We know no fear** - anyone accepting the Skald's Inspired Rage is immune to the frightened condition, and gain gains a bonus to saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1) **Inspired Disemboweling** - when you start an raging you can activate Inspired Disemboweling. Inspired Disemboweling lasts for the length of the Rage. While Inspired Disemboweling is active you and anyone accepting your inspired rage scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 with weapon attacks. After you use Inspired Disemboweling you must finish a long rest before you can use it again. ## Credits Most content is created by [u/psychicmilkshake](https://www.reddit.com/user/psychicmilkshake) unless noted otherwise. Special thanks to [D&D Wiki](https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Skald_(5e_Class)), and [GM Binder](https://www.gmbinder.com/) for providing the templates for my imaginations. Many features are taken from the [Skald](http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/skald/) class from [d20 Pathfinder SRD](http://www.d20pfsrd.com/). Shout out goes to [u/WeirdoWhoever](https://www.reddit.com/user/WeirdoWhoever) for his great feedback to help me improve this homebrew.