Bard: College of the Apocalypse
Bard: College of the Apocalypse
Apocalypse bards are masters at conjuring forth the ancient powers of eldritch gods, summoning forth their
otherworldly might to wreak havoc on the mortal realm. All who hear their aberrant harmonies fear and revere them – they understand that with a single whisper, these bards can cause the end of all things. Apocalypse bards are often found on the front lines of battle, their music serving as a rallying cry for their allies and a death knell for their enemies. With each stanza they produce, a member of the College of the Apocalypse draws closer to the ultimate revelation of the horrors that lie beyond the veil. Many fear the day when they will finally succumb to the madness that gnaws within their mind. As they progress in their studies, members of this Bard College gain the ability to summon forth devastating powers with their music. They can call down swarms of pain, tear open rifts in reality, and unleash waves of madness upon their foes. They know the apocalypse is coming, for they are the ones bringing it.
Endless Symphony: When you join the College of the Apocalypse at 3rd level, you gain one additional use of your Bardic Inspiration feature. You also gain another additional use of Bardic Inspiration at 6th level, and again at 14th level. In exchange, your Bardic Inspiration die doesn’t change at 5th level, remaining a d6; it becomes a d8 at 10th level, and a d10 at 15th level.
Eldritch Choir: At 3rd level, you understand how to use your bardic magic to conjure forth the power of the Great Ones. You learn two Eldritch Melodies of your choice, which are detailed under "Eldritch Melodies" below. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class. You can use a melody as an action, expending one use of your Bardic Inspiration. After you use a melody, you can’t use that melody again until you finish a short or long rest. If a melody requires a saving throw, it uses your spell save DC. For a creature to become affected by one of your melodies, it must be able to hear you when you take the action. You learn one additional Eldritch Melody of your choice at 6th and 14th level.
When you finish a long rest, you can delve into what lies beyond the veil, replacing one or more melodies you know with another one. Each time you attempt to replace a melody, make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, you lose control over your mental journey into the void you gain a level of exhaustion and fail in replacing that melody, you can’t replace any other melodies until you finish another long rest.
Knowledge from beyond the Stars: At 6th level, the maddening revelations that haunt your mind guide you through the treacherous void. You learn to speak, read, and write Deep Speech. Additionally, whenever you make an Intelligence check that relates to the cosmos or the eldritch, you gain a bonus on that
check equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die (this doesn’t expend the die).
Devouring Maw: Starting at 6th level, your words can call beings from beyond the veil. When a creature that possesses a Bardic Inspiration die from you is targeted by attack, they can use their reaction to expend it, summoning an eldritch maw that engulfs and protects them. Until the start of their next turn, they gain a bonus to their AC equal to the number rolled. If this causes the triggering attack to miss, your ally can choose to be ripped through space by the maw, teleporting them to a point within 30 feet of
them that they can see; if they do so, they lose the bonus to their AC.
Song of the Apocalypse: Starting at 14th level, you learn the spell divine order: transcend. It doesn't count against the number of spells you know. You can also cast it once without expending a spell slot, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you cast the spell in this way, the apocalypse flows through you; damage can't break your concentration on this spell and you automatically succeed on the saving throws to keep control over the spell.
Divine Order: Transcend
7th-level divination (bard, cleric, warlock)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You call upon the power of the Great Ones, seeking
their guidance and power. Until the spell ends, you gain
the ability to cast any spell from the warlock spell list of
5th level or lower without expending a spell slot or
needing to prepare the spell. As part of casting this
spell, you can cast a spell with a casting time of an
action from your newfound spell list. However, the cost
of using this power is steep. At the end of each of your
turns, you must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving
throw or take 2d10 psychic damage. If you fail this
saving throw two times, the spell ends early and you
gain a level of exhaustion.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a
spell slot of 9th level, it no longer requires concentration,
though you can choose to end the spell whenever.
Eldritch Melodies:
Ballad of the Nameless City, Prerequisite: 3rd level You channel the name of the lost city of the Great
Ones, warping reality. Each creature within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be
pushed up to 10 feet in the direction of your choice and knocked prone. The number of feet up to which a creature is pushed increases to 20 feet at 6th level, and 30 feet at 14th level in this class.
Concord of the Depths, Prerequisite: 3rd level You sing a hypnotic melody that evokes the presence of
the sleeping horrors beneath the waves. Choose one creature within 60 feet of you. It must make a Wisdom saving throw or become incapacitated and have its speed reduced to 0 for 1 minute, until it takes damage, or until someone uses an action to shake or slap it out of its stupor. Starting at 6th level, you can target two creatures, and at 14th level, you can target a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of three).
Epode For Whom the Bell Tolls, Prerequisite: 3rd level You toll the bells of death, bolstering your allies.
Choose up to five creatures within 30 feet of you. Each creature gains a bonus to their attack and damage rolls equal to half your Charisma modifier (rounded up) for 2 rounds, ending at the end of your subsequent turn. Starting at 6th level, the bonus to damage rolls equals your Charisma modifier, and at 14th level, the bonus to both attack and damage rolls becomes equal to your Charisma modifier.
Transcendence of Flesh, Prerequisite: 3rd level You sing a gloria in the name of corruption, calling forth
writhing tentacles that surround and protect your allies. Each willing creature of your choice within 30
feet of you gains temporary hit points equal to half your bard level + your Charisma modifier, as tentacles
sprout from its mouth, eyes, and ears, defending them without impeding their abilities. In addition, they have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws until the end of your next turn.
Aria of the Reviled Stalker, Prerequisite: 6th level You sing a haunting melody that evokes the presence of the lurking horrors beyond the veil. Choose one creature within 30 feet of you. They are partially
absorbed by the cosmos for 1 hour, gaining a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks and becoming unable to be tracked except by magical means. In addition, as an action, the target can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain until the end of the turn. If they end the turn inside an object, they take 5 (1d10) force damage and are immediately shunted to the nearest unoccupied space. Once the target uses this action, they can’t do so again for the duration of the transformation.
Starting at 14th level, the effects of the action the target takes last 10 minutes instead.
Ode to Subjugation, Prerequisite: 6th level You invoke the power of a devouring Great One, summoning forth a horde of writhing tentacles to ensnare your enemies. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw, becoming restrained for 1
minute on a failed save. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the
effect on itself on a success. Starting at 14th level, a restrained creature takes 3d6
necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns.
Requiem of Chaos, Prerequisite: 6th level You don the visage of the Crawling Chaos, whispering
your enemies’ demise. Choose up to two creatures within 60 feet of you. They have disadvantage on
Wisdom checks and Wisdom saving throws until the end of your next turn. Starting at 14th level, you can target a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 3).
Assonance of Dreams, Prerequisite: 14th level You sing a melody that allows travel through the dream
realm. You conjure a portal linking an unoccupied space you can see within 10 feet of you to a precise location within 1 mile of you. The portal is a circular opening, which you can make 5 to 20 feet in diameter. You can orient the portal in any direction you choose. The portal lasts for 1 minute. Anything that travels through the portal is instantly transported to the location you chose, appearing in the unoccupied space nearest to the location.
Euphony of Self-Destruction ,Prerequisite: 14th level You carve the ancient symbol of the convergence of light, unleashing a portal to realms untold. Choose one creature within 60 feet of you. It must succeed
on a Charisma saving throw or be drawn through it to an unknown destination. At the end of your next
turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the
target isn’t an aberration, it takes 5d12 psychic damage and must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw
or gain a level of exhaustion.
Nightmare of the Abyss, Prerequisite: 14th level You recite the forbidden incantations of He Who Lies
Dreaming, summoning forth a vision of the being’s power. Each creature of your choice within 60 feet of
you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Whispers of the Flesh-Defiler, Prerequisite: 14th level You recite forbidden lore learned from a tome of flesh, summoning forth a swarm of buzzing, entrail eating creatures. For 1 minute, a 30-foot-radius sphere of writhing worms appears at a point that you can see within 60 feet of you. When a creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it is devoured by it and must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 5d6 necrotic damage and is poisoned for 1 minute on a failure, or it takes half as much damage and isn’t poisoned on a success. A poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. On each of your turns after you summon the
swarm, you can use a bonus action to move it up to 30 feet in any direction. This effect ends early if you take fire or radiant damage.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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