College of Tempo
While most bards may master the expression of the senses — whether that is hearing, sight, or taste — other bards aim to master the comprehension of another, secret sense; one that we rarely notice: the sense of time. These masters use the innate capacity music has to punctuate time in a fundamental way, enhancing their perception of it and its myriad subtleties.
While clockwork devices may be able to keep objective track of time, these maestros do something far grander. They aim not to capture the minuteness of time for posterity, but to directly perceive it with their own minds, feel it in their skin. Using this cultivated talent, bards that belong to the College of Tempo are able to accelerate or decelerate the passage of time for other creatures, and manipulate their sense of time.
Direct Tempo
When you join the College of Tempo at 3rd level, you gain the ability to influence a creature's tempo. When you see a creature move, you can use your reaction to expend a bardic inspiration die and increase or decrease the creature's speed by the roll of your bardic inspiration die x 5. This change lasts until the end of the creature's turn.
Synchronize
Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to allow others to synchronize with you. When you roll for initiative, you can attempt to synchronize another creature's sense of time with yours. Select a creature within 60 feet of you that can hear you. Unless it is willing, the creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or change its initiative so that it acts on the same initiative count as you. You can use this ability even after you've seen your initiative roll. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses when you complete a long rest.
Life's Tempo
Starting at 6th level, you begin to see reality differently based on the internal tempo you've set for yourself. When you complete a long rest, you may choose to either set your internal tempo for the day on Largo (slow) or Allegro (fast). The benefits you gain last until the end of your next long rest.
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Allegro. You know the haste spell. Once per long rest, you can cast the spell without expending a spell slot. This spell counts as a bard spell for you, but doesn't count against the number of bard spells you know.
Additionally, your speed increases by 10 feet, and when a creature adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to a Dexterity saving throw, it can reroll the die once, and take the higher result. -
Largo. You know the slow spell. Once per long rest, you can cast the spell without expending a spell slot. This spell counts as a bard spell for you, but doesn't count against the number of bard spells you know.
Additionally, when you see a creature attempt to use its reaction, you may use your own reaction to stall its tempo and spoil the opportunity. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or waste its reaction that turn doing nothing.
Tempo of the Cosmos
At 14th level, you have mastered the expression of time in music. Once per long rest, when you cast either of the spells you learn from Life's Tempo, you don't need to concentrate on the spell for the duration.
Additionally, you can set a new internal tempo over the course of a short rest, and you gain the following benefits depending on the tempo:
- Allegro. You and any creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you have advantage on initiative rolls while they can hear you.
- Largo. Enemy creatures within 5 feet of you are unable to take reactions, as your aura of time muddles their senses.
Into the Dreams by Elia Pellegrini
