*"Listen, an idol's job isn't to show people their smiles, it is to make people smile. Never forget that!" -- Yaza Niconi, legendary bardic idol* ## College of the Idol While some bards pursue the study of magical secrets, and others devote themselves to the rakish audacity of swordplay, there are some bards who prefer to focus on what they see as the true heart of their calling: music. Rather than becoming what they see as discount-rate fighters or knockoff wizards, these bards seek to harness the true power of music and performance. These bards, called idols, believe that music is a driving force in the world, and that it can bring people together and inspire them, and not in the way you roll an extra die for. To an idol, performing is the way they leave their mark on the world. This college's members can be found in performance halls, taverns, and amphitheaters, and often form close personal organizations called groups or units. The head of any given group or unit is called the "center," and it often rotates, though it is not unheard of to have one member be the center far longer than their teammates. Idol bards tend to be broadly good-aligned and well-meaning, and are often, though not exclusively, women. #### Bonus Proficiencies When you choose the College of the Idol at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill. You also gain proficiency with two additional musical instruments of your choice, two languages of your choice, and with the Lightblade weapon (detailed at the end of this section). You always know the *dancing lights* cantrip. It does not count against the number of spells you know. #### Listen to My Song! Also at 3rd level, you can infuse an entire performance with your power to inspire others. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to begin a performance of singing, dancing, or playing an instrument. On subsequent turns, you can continue the performance as a bonus action. You can also grant Bardic Inspiration as part of the same bonus action. As long as you maintain this performance, all creatures you choose within 60 feet add damage equal to half the maximum of your Bardic Inspiration die the first time they deal damage every round. The performance ends if you use your bonus action to do anything other than to continue the performance or grant Bardic Inspiration. When you take damage while performing, you must make a Concentration check to continue performing. However, performing does not prevent you from concentrating on spells that require it. You can cast spells while performing, provided they have a cast time of 1 action, and do so ignoring either verbal or somatic components, but not both, as you work the other one into your performance. An idol performance can be freely sustained for up to 10 minutes; the duration is instead 1 hour provided it is the only strenuous activity you do that day. Maintaining the performance past this limit requires a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a success, you can maintain the performance for an additional 5 minutes or 30 minutes, respectively. Every further attempt raises the DC by 5. On a failure, the performance ends and you gain one level of Exhaustion. #### Our Feelings As One Starting at 6th level, you begin to understand how you can use your music to understand others. You can use an action to cast *detect thoughts* as a Bard spell. If you are singing or dancing while you cast the spell, you ignore verbal, somatic, or material components. You use your Charisma score for *detect thoughts* instead of Intelligence, and as long as you only read surface thoughts, a creature does not know that you have read its mind. Casting a spell in this way does not spend a spell slot. You regain the use of this feature after finishing a long rest. Also at 6th level, when you use a bonus action to start or maintain the performance, you can choose to inspire resiliency instead of potency. Creatures who benefit from your magical performance add half the maximum on your Bardic Inspiration die to saving throws instead of damage. You can switch between performance types at will. A creature can only benefit from one effect of an idol performance at once, even if multiple idols are performing. #### The Show Must Go On At 14th level, your Bardic Inspiration performances (as detailed in the college's 3rd level feature) become even more potent. While performing in this manner, the range of this feature, and the range of your Bardic Inspiration feature, increases to 300 feet. Any creature that attacks you while you are performing does so at disadvantage, and you no longer need to make Concentration checks for the performance if you take damage. Whenever you grant another creature a Bardic Inspiration die, you gain one for yourself. This die is always a d6, regardless of your bard level. ##### Lightblade *Martial weapon, finesse* These small colored tubes are powered by a bard's magical music and can change color repeatedly. You can use your Charisma modifier for attack and damage rolls using a lightblade. A lightblade deals 1d4 damage; you can choose to deal piercing damage or a special damage type. Every morning, roll a d8 to determine the lightblade's special damage type. As a bonus action, you can roll a d8 to change the lightblade's damage type. * 1: Fire * 2: Cold * 3: Lightning * 4: Thunder * 5: Force * 6: Psychic * 7: Necrotic * 8: Radiant \pagebreak ## Other Idol Magical Items ### Niconi's Charm of Smiles *Wondrous item, rare* This small, heart-shaped charm seems like a child's toy at first glance. Once per day, recharging every dawn, you can invoke its power with a command gesture. The target must make a Charisma saving throw (DC 16) or be charmed by you for up to one hour, regarding you as a friend. Even on a successful save or after the spell fades, the target does not know they were charmed by you. ### Yohane's Mantle of Descent *Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)* This cloak covers the wearer's shoulders with thick dark feathers. As a bonus action, you can harness the mantle's power to surround yourself in a dark majesty. All creatures hostile to you within 60 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 15) or be frightened of you for 1 minute. While frightened of you, all creatures have disadvantage on saving throws against spells you make. For the next minute, you have a flying speed of 30 feet. You can use this property twice, recharging every day at midnight. **Curse.** This mantle is cursed, a fact which is not revealed until you attune to it. After attuning to this mantle, you become cursed with terrible luck. When you use a d20 to make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, you automatically fail if you roll a 1 or 2 on the die. You do not know the *darkness* spell, but you think you do. ### Wraps of Hatsune *Wondrous item, rare* These tubelike pieces of cloth fasten over your upper arm, because apparently detached sleeves are considered stylish by College of the Idol Singer bards. While wearing them, you can choose to have your voice appear to originate from a point within 60 feet that you can see. ### Minmei's Shining Rod *Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a bard)* This silver rod is about two feet in length and lined with small precious stones, including opals, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. Any gem pried out of the rod immediately shatters into nonmagical dust. The rod has 12 charges, and regains 1d6+2 charges every sunrise. While holding and attuned to this rod, you can choose to have your voice be heard up to 1 mile away, though it does not sound any louder than normal to nearby creatures. When you grant another creature a Bardic Inspiration die, you can expend up to 3 charges from the rod to grant the same number of additional creatures Bardic Inspiration dice at no extra cost (a maximum of 4 creatures in total, including the original target). A creature can still only possess one Bardic Inspiration die at a time. You have advantage on all Charisma ability checks. \columnbreak ### Basara's Lute *Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a bard)* This purple-bodied, long-necked lute is twice as loud as a normal lute, and is designed after the instrument played by a legendary power-lutist, one of the few famous male idols. While holding and attuned to this lute, all of your damage-dealing Bard spells deal an extra 2d6 of thunder damage. Creatures have disadvantage on saving throws made to resist Charm effects caused by spells you cast. While attuned to this lute, consuming plant matter such as tree leaves will fulfill all your nutritional requirements.