<style> .phb:after { content: ""; } </style> # Bard: College of Encores ## Bard College At 3rd level, a bard gains the Bard College feature. The following option is available to a bard, in addition to those offered in the *Player's Handbook*. ### College of Encores Bards of the College of Encores are masters of forbidden magic that allows their performances to captivate even the dead. These bards study under necromancers and travel to haunted places to hone their abilities, and through song or speech they can exhort the bodies of the dead to rise once more. Bards of this college are generally reviled by others, and for this reason they tend to disguise their work. These bards can hide their thralls behind illusions, and control their actions so precisely that they are indistinguishable from the living. Some use their abilities for infiltration and deception, killing and controlling key members of an organization. Others use their undead as ideal accompanists and supporting actors, never straying from the performance the bard dictates. ##### College of Encores Features | Bard Level | Feature | |:---:|:-----------:| | 3rd | Repeat Performance, Dread Conductor | | 6th | Secrets of the Dead | | 14th | Dance of Death | #### Repeat Performance When you join the College of Encores at 3rd level, you gain the ability to temporarily grant a corpse a semblance of life. As an action, you can reanimate a number of Small or Medium corpses you can see within 60 feet up to half your proficiency bonus, raising them as macabre performers. See the stat block for their statistics. When you do so, you can weave an illusion around them to make them appear as it did in life, hiding any wounds or damaged equipment. A performer is animated for 1 hour, until it is reduced to 0 hit points, until you use this feature again, or until you die. The performers take their turns on your initiative. As a bonus action, you can mentally issue a general command to any number of these performers within 120 feet of you, which they will carry out to the best of their ability until it is complete. If you issue no commands, a performer only defends itself against hostile creatures. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you complete a long rest. #### Dread Conductor Also at 3rd level, you can compel the undead to bolster your performance. When one of your macabre performers that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll or an ability check, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and adding the number to the performer's roll. You can choose to <div> </div> use this feature after the performer makes its roll, but before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. #### Secrets of the Dead At 6th level, you learn three necromancy spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don't count against the number of bard spells you know. In addition, when you cast a spell with a range other than self, you can have the spell originate from you or one of your macabre performers. #### Dance of Death Starting at 14th level, your morbid performance becomes all but unstoppable. When one of your macabre performers is reduced to 0 hit points and is not incapacitated, it instead drops to 1 hit point, falls prone, and is incapacitated until the start of your next turn. ___ > ## Macabre Performer >*Small or Medium undead* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 9 + PB > - **Hit Points** 5 + three times your bard level > - **Speed** 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|11 (+0)|8 (-1)|16 (+3)|3 (-4)|6 (-2)|5 (-3)| >___ > - **Damage Immunities** poison > - **Condition Immunities** poisoned > - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8 > - **Languages** understands the languages you speak > - **Challenge** — **Proficiency Bonus (PB)** equals your own > ___ > > ***Puppet.*** The performer is proficient in any skills and musical instruments you are, and it uses your ability scores and proficiency bonus for any Charisma checks it makes as well as any ability checks it makes using a musical instrument. Additionally, you can speak through the performer in its own voice, if it spoke at least one language in life (no action required). > > ### Actions > > ***Slam.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 1d6 + PB bludgeoning damage. >