Bardic College
At 3rd level, a bard gains the Bardic College feature, which offers you the choice of a subclass. The College of Comedy and the College of Critics are options available to a bard making that choice.
College of Comedy
Life is tough, and filled with too much tragedy to be taken seriously all the time. Those bards who recognize this fact often join the College of Comedy in order to spread humor and silliness in the world to distract others from the sorrows of life. These bards often dress in vibrant, colorful outfits and work as court jesters, clowns, or comedians. Some even use their familiarity with makeup and clothing to play the part of undercover investigators, relying on their humor to play off any slip-ups that might otherwise reveal them.
Members of the College of Comedy are not inclined towards violence, and typically avoid combat when possible. When fighting becomes inevitable, they try to use their humor to distract their aggressors until a vector of escape presents itself.
What tragic moment or realization led you to pursue the path of Comedy? Do you tell jokes to distract others from their woes, or to distract yourself from your own trauma?
Jester's Training
3rd-level College of Comedy feature
When you join the College of Comedy at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Disguise Kit, Playing Cards, and the Performance skill. If you are already proficient in this skill, you gain proficiency in another skill of your choice instead.
Additionally, whenever you would choose two of your skill proficiencies to benefit from your Expertise feature, you may instead choose one skill proficiency and your proficiency in the Disguise Kit.
The Joker
3rd-level College of Comedy feature
When a creature you can see makes an attack roll against you or an ally within 15 feet of you, you can use your reaction to allow the target to magically swap places with someone else. Choose another willing creature within 15 feet of you and roll your Bardic Inspiration die. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to the roll. It then magically swaps places with the original target and becomes the new target of the triggering attack.
Art: 'The Joker' by Nanaki Wen on coolvibe.com
Comical Conduct
6th-level College of Comedy feature
At 6th level, you learn to put on a comical performance to entertain or distract others. As an action, you can force a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier within 10 feet of you who can see or hear you to make a Wisdom saving throw. A creature which fails this save falls prone and is incapacitated until the start of your next turn as it begins to laugh hysterically.
If a creature succeeds on its saving throw against this effect, you cannot target it with this feature again for 24 hours. A creature with an Intelligence score of 4 or lower is immune to the effects of this feature.
Once you use this feature, your speed is reduced to 0 until the start of your next turn.
Laugh It Off
14th-level College of Comedy feature
When you reach 14th level in this class, you can laugh off serious injuries. When you take damage, you can use your reaction and expend one use of Bardic Inspiration. Roll your Bardic Inspiration die. The damage you take is reduced by an amount equal to the roll plus half your bard level (to a minimum of 0 damage).
College of Critics
Bards are collectors of stories, legends, and lore. Their collections typically serve to inspire awe and wonder in themselves and others, but not every story is inspirational. Some bards have the misfortune of encountering a tale so vile and wicked that it shatters their faith in the goodwill of others entirely. These individuals find themselves constantly questioning the motives of those who seem to be acting out of kindness, and they often harbor a bitter resentment towards figures who present themselves as paragons of virtue.
Members of the College of Critics often meet to vindicate their perspective with rumors of public figures falling to temptation, or long-forgotten legends of dark times when even Bahamut himself condescended to wickedness.
What story or experience led you down the path of the critic? Do you try to make others see the world the way you do, or do you let your frustrations with the world simmer silently under the surface?
Skeptical Eye
3rd-level College of Critics feature
When you join the College of Critics at 3rd level, you learn to guard yourself against malign enchantments and deception. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Additionally, you gain proficiency in the Insight skill.
Jeering Cry
3rd-level College of Critics feature
Also at 3rd level, you can criticize and distract others with your words. You can use an action to expend one use of Bardic Inspiration and target one creature within 60 feet of you which can hear you. Roll the Bardic Inspiration die. The target takes psychic damage equal to the number rolled, and until the start of your next turn, it has disadvantage on intelligence (investigation) and wisdom (perception) checks made to perceive anything other than you and on attack rolls against creatures other than you.
Critical Assessment
6th-level College of Critics feature
At 6th level, you learn to correct others' techniques on the fly. When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to its ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll fails, you can spend your reaction to allow the creature to re-roll your bardic inspiration die and use the new roll, possibly changing the outcome of the roll.
Constructive Criticism
14th-level College of Critics feature
When you reach 14th level in this class, your critiques take on a more constructive tone, working to further empower your allies. If a creature within 60 feet of you adds one of your Bardic Inspiration dice to an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the roll succeeds, one damage roll that creature makes before the end of its next turn deals extra damage equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die.
Art: 'Bard's Tale IV - Tavern' by CONCEPT4 on artstation.com
