Bard

College of Echoes

The world remembers. I merely give it voice. And sometimes, the voices scream, or drag you into the past with them.

— A scarred Echo-Weaver, after a performance near a forgotten battlefield, haunted by lingering shadows.

In Novendragos, where time spirals and memory is etched into the very bones of the world, some bards, known as Echo-Weavers, learn to pluck the resonant strings of history, myth, and soul. Tapping into leyline harmonics, psychic reverberations, and even the faint dream-echoes of the Ninefold Dragon, they give voice to forgotten truths, ancient songs, and the lingering impressions of past lives. Their performances are not merely entertainment, but a precarious bridge to the past, capable of profound insight, but always risking dangerous psychic backlash or unwanted attention from entities that dwell in the echoes.

Echo-Weavers are rare and often viewed with a mix of awe and profound trepidation. In Kendron, their ability to recall forgotten lore might be prized by scholars, but their unpredictable connection to the past can make them unsettling. The Chiryu Sovereignty views their direct manipulation of memory and dreams with deep suspicion, seeing it as a violation of controlled order. Some Dragon Overlords might seek their services to uncover ancient secrets, while Azhra cults might attempt to corrupt their echoes, twisting memories into tools of chaos or seeking to exploit their connection to primordial entities.

College of Echoes Features

Echoing Performance (3rd Level)

When you join this college, you learn to channel the resonant echoes of the past through your music and magic. When you use your Bardic Inspiration, you can choose to imbue it with an Echo. The creature that receives it gains one of the following effects (your choice). As you channel these echoes, allies might perceive ghostly afterimages of past heroes, or faint, ancient whispers accompanying your song.

• Echo of Valor: The creature gains temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your bard level.
• Echo of Precision: The creature can roll the Bardic Inspiration die twice and choose which result to use. If the creature chooses the higher roll, you suffer 1d4 psychic damage as the echo briefly overwhelms you.
• Echo of Memory: The creature can immediately recall a piece of forgotten lore (at the DM's discretion, appropriate to the situation) or gain advantage on one Intelligence (History or Arcana) check made within the next minute. If the check is successful, you must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or become confused (as per the confusion spell) until the end of your next turn, as the memory momentarily disorients you.

You also learn the dissonant whispers spell, which doesn’t count against your spells known.

Resonant Attunement (3rd Level)

You learn to attune your performance to the ambient magic and historical imprints of a location. As an action, you can make a DC 15 Charisma (Performance) check while within a place of strong magical resonance (such as a leyline nexus, a site of profound historical significance like a battlefield or ancient ruin, or a place where powerful emotions have recently transpired). On a success, for the next 10 minutes, you gain one of the following benefits:

• You can cast detect thoughts at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.
• You can use one of your Bardic Inspiration dice as a reaction when a creature within 60 feet of you fails a saving throw. This expends the Bardic Inspiration die and provides its bonus to the failed saving throw.
• You can speak, read, and understand any language you encounter while the effect lasts.

You can use this feature once per long rest. This attunement may cause the air to shimmer with faint images of the past, or create a subtle, echoing hum around you, sometimes even drawing the attention of minor, ephemeral spirits (DM's discretion).

Soul Echo (6th Level)

You can momentarily channel the voice and essence of a soul long passed, allowing it to briefly influence the present. As a bonus action, you can evoke a Soul Echo, choosing one of the following effects. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

• Echo of the Hero: For 1 minute, you and allies within 10 feet of you can’t be frightened and have advantage on death saving throws. As this echo manifests, you might feel the surge of an ancient champion's courage or hear the distant clang of a forgotten battle.
• Echo of the Tyrant: You can cast command without expending a spell slot. When you do, the target hears the resonant, authoritative voice of a long-dead conqueror or potentate, making your command feel utterly undeniable.
• Echo of the Seer: You can cast augury without material components, flavored as a trance-like performance that offers fleeting glimpses of fate. This vision is often accompanied by an uncanny sense of déjà vu.

Psychic Backlash (6th Level)

Tapping into the raw echoes of Novendragos carries inherent risk. When you use your Soul Echo feature, you must immediately roll on the Echo Backlash Table (d6). The effect is involuntary.

• Echo Backlash Table (d6)
• 1: Mental Static. You have disadvantage on all Charisma checks and saving throws until the end of your next turn.
• 2: Disorienting Flash. You are blinded until the end of your next turn.
• 3: Psychic Strain. You take 2d6 psychic damage.
• 4: Lingering Dread. You are frightened of the nearest hostile creature until the end of your next turn.
• 5: Unwanted Memory. You gain a random, vivid, and unsettling memory from a past event (DM's discretion). This memory might cause you to act strangely (e.g., hesitate, speak an ancient phrase) for 1 round.
• 6: Fleeting Vision. You gain a cryptic, symbolic vision of a future event (DM's discretion). This vision might grant you advantage on your next Wisdom (Insight) check, or disadvantage on your next attack roll, as it distracts you.

Memory Weave (10th Level)

Your mind becomes a conduit for the world's collective memory, allowing you to manipulate its echoes with greater precision, but with heightened sensitivity to its dangers.

• You gain proficiency in Intelligence (History) checks. If you already have proficiency, you gain expertise.
• When you make an Intelligence (History) check related to an event that occurred within 1 mile of your current location, you can choose to experience a brief, vivid sensory "echo" of that event (DM's discretion). This might be a flash of sound, a scent, a brief visual distortion, or a sudden emotional surge.
• You can cast modify memory once per long rest without expending a spell slot or material components. If you cast modify memory using this feature, you must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or gain 1 level of exhaustion, as the act of altering memory strains your connection to the Flow.

Lingering Echo (10th Level)

When you use your Soul Echo feature, the chosen echo persists for 1 round after its initial effect, creating a minor environmental manifestation.

• Hero: A faint, shimmering aura of courage surrounds you and allies within 10 feet, granting them a +1 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.
• Tyrant: The area within 10 feet of the commanded target becomes difficult terrain until the end of its next turn, as if the will of the tyrant momentarily warps the ground.
• Seer: A faint, ethereal glow surrounds you, granting advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks for you and allies within 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

Chorus of the Ninefold (14th Level)

You become a living conduit for the powerful, primordial echoes of the Ninefold Dragon’s dream, allowing you to unleash a grand chorus that benefits your allies, but pushes your connection to the Flow to its absolute limits. When you use your Bardic Inspiration, you can choose to unleash a Chorus instead of targeting a single creature.

When you do so, you can target up to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) creatures within 30 feet of you. Each targeted creature gains the Bardic Inspiration die. Additionally, each targeted creature also gains resistance to one damage type of your choice (acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, or radiant) for 1 minute.

After using this feature, you must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or gain 2 levels of exhaustion. If you are in an area of Leyline Instability or within 60 feet of a Primordial Dragocite deposit, this saving throw is made with disadvantage.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it again (and still suffer the exhaustion risk and potential disadvantage). The Chorus is a momentous display of your power, potentially manifesting as shimmering draconic scales appearing on your allies, or a resonant hum that vibrates with ancient power, briefly drawing the attention of distant, powerful entities.