Bard College Creation Guide

Create-A-College
A how-to guide for creating a bard College in 5e
Written by MATTHEW GRAVELYN
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Create-A-College: A Bard College Creation Guide by Matthew Gravelyn 1
INTRODUCTION USING THIS SOURCEBOOK
This book is meant to be a template, a guide to help
you create your very own bard College that is
COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE compatible with virtually any 5e setting or campaign.
In this way, you have nearly limitless potential to
entertain yourself and find new ways to bring the bard
Hello and welcome to bard subclasses 101. to life in your game.
No, sorry, that’s lame. I’m sorry for that. You’re Each section covers an area of College creation,
here because you have an affinity for the bard class including an overview of existing options, concepts to
and you’re looking to spice things up by creating your consider during creation, and how to balance the
very own subclass: a bard College. In this guide I will features that go into a College.
offer you my take on how to approach this task with a This book is based on research of the official bard
step-by-step approach and a number of examples College options as well as many other homebrew and
along the way. self-published options. Using that research as a
I have researched the official bard Colleges along framework, I created this guide to help you create a
with a few more notable homebrews to figure out College as quickly and easily as possible.
what makes the bard College tick, boil it down to the
core essence, and compiled those insights here for you
to follow along with. By the end of this guide you will EXAMPLES
have all the tools you need to homebrew a new and Included at the end of each section are two example
exciting College for your bard to utilize in their next Colleges that I have created following this guide. Feel
adventure. free to use these Colleges in your game, but their true
purpose is to illustrate the practical application of the
guide.
Examples are found in blue boxes at the end of each
section and detail the choices of that section. Complete
versions of College of Chance and College of Hands can
be found at the end of this guide.
CLASS OVERVIEW SONG OF REST
At 2nd level the bard can increase the healing done by
Bards are not an overly complex class, but they do hit dice during short rests. Any creature that regains
have some unique aspects to their progression. I hit points in this way gains an additional 1d6 hit
always recommend brushing up on the base class points.
before jumping into subclass creation, so take a minute The die used for Song of Rest increases later to a d8
to refresh yourself. For convenience I have added a at 9th level, a d10 at 13th level, and finally a d12 at 17th
brief overview of the bard’s standard class features level.
here for easy reference.
EXPERTISE
SPELLCASTING At 3rd level the bard chooses any two of their skill
Bards start with the ability to cast spells and begin proficiencies and doubles them. They can choose
with two cantrips, four spells, and two 1st level spell another two skill proficiencies at 10th level as well.
slots. When gaining levels, the bard gains additional
cantrips and spells that are of a level they have spell
slots for. These increase steadily throughout the bard’s FONT OF INSPIRATION
progression. This ability is gained at 5th level and augments the
bard’s Bardic Inspiration. Expended uses of Bardic
Inspiration are now regained after a short rest in
BARDIC INSPIRATION addition to a long rest.
Bards also come out of the gate with a support ability
that allows them to grant a d6 to an ally who can then
use it to increase an attack roll, skill check, or saving COUNTERCHARM
throw. The bard can do this a number of times equal to At 6th level, the bard can spend a turn performing to
their Charisma modifier and regain spent uses after a grant them and their allies advantage on saving throws
long rest. against being frightened or charmed.
The die used for Bardic Inspiration increase later to
a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and finally a d12 at
15th level. MAGICAL SECRETS
Ever the dabblers, bards gain access to additional
spells at 10th, 14th, and 18th level, even those outside
JACK OF ALL TRADES the bard spell list. At each of these levels the bard can
At 2nd level bards are already skilled in a wide array of learn two spells from any list, as long as the bard can
abilities. Any skill that the bard doesn’t already have a cast it. These become bard spells for the bard.
proficiency in still benefits from half the bard’s
proficiency bonus.
SUPERIOR INSPIRATION
At 20th level is another bonus to Bardic Inspiration.
When the bard rolls initiative, if they have no uses of
Bardic Inspiration left, they can one use.
COLLEGE CREATION Example: College of Chance
The first thing to do when creating a subclass is to
There are those performances that you are aware of:
come up with a theme or guiding principle to base
sweeping ballads, passionate acting, and even that of a
your features around. This will help your subclass feel
court juggler. Then there are performances so perfect and
cohesive and also add a rich layer of theme and
backstory to your character. cunning that you scarcely know they happened at all. Such
is the way of bards who make up the College of Chance, a
collection of gamblers, con artists, and grifters. These
COUSE GUIDE performers can affect an emotion or physical response so
Puns aside, the term “college” here is not the convincing they can make you remember them forever or
institutions of higher learning that probably spring to forget them instantly.
mind. For a bard, their College is simply a gathering of Bard of this College are keen observers of people,
bards, a loose affiliation with one another to learn spotting tells and seeing through deceptions with ease.
from one another, gossip, and trade secrets. In this They are also able to adjust their body language and
way, bards of the same College or small factions within speech to effectively disguise themselves and their
share a style of performance, combat, and magic. intentions. These skills also serve them if their scam comes
When thinking about the history and backstory to light and they need to fight their way out of danger.
that comes along with your College, there doesn’t have Knowing when and how someone will throw a punch
to be a lot in the way of grand history or prestigious makes it all the easier to dodge it.
leaders. A College can be as simple as a secret society
of bards based out of a tavern basement or as
widespread as a network of bards across the land. Example: College of Hands
There are virtually no limitations to the size and scope
Found in both royal courts and street corners, the noble
of your College but remember that bards don’t much
profession of the juggler is one that entertains the rich and
go in for strict rules and overbearing leaders. Keep it
poor alike. Their nimble hands move with speed and
casual and open to interpretation.
precision unmatched by even the most skilled fighters or
martial artists. They seem to have a sixth sense for the
NAMING YOUR COLLEGE floating objects around them and pluck them from the air
Like many subclasses, the naming scheme for bard without so much as a glance. Skilled performers also spice
Colleges is very straightforward: College of ____________. up their routines by tossing daggers and other dangerous
You’ll fill in the blank with a single word that is items.
evocative of the College’s theme and may also indicate Bards of the College of Hands are masters of their craft.
what the bard will be doing. As with all aspects of the Despite the frivolous appearance of their performances,
bard, ensure this is catchy and inspiring. We can’t have seasoned jugglers can translate their dexterity and aim into
your College founded on a mere pun or synonym. a deadly fighting style, blending the lines between melee
and ranged combat. It is said that the more skilled bards
can pluck an arrow out of the air and with one swift
COMBAT FEATURES movement send it back where it came from. Some
I wanted to offer a general piece of advice at the top speculate that there is more to these jugglers’ abilities than
here that impacts all features in a College. While some just skilled hands, suggesting there may some magic to
subclasses offer features that add or modify non- their routines.
combat abilities, the bard College focuses entirely on
combat. My guess is that this is due to the bard base
class already having a lot in the way of skill and non-
combat abilities. Whatever the reason, I suggest also
following this trend to help maintain overall balance
and viability of your subclass.
BONUS PROFICIENCIES Example: College of Chance
Several of the official Colleges grant one or more
This was an easy pick as I want the College to be based
proficiencies on top of those granted by the bard’s
around gamblers, so what better tool proficiency than that
base class. These are optional and could be swapped
of gaming devices. I also wanted to guarantee a
out for an extra feature at 3rd level. I recommend using
bonus proficiencies when you have a solid 3rd level proficiency in either Deception or Persuasion so the bard
feature but need just a little more oomph to start out can truly play like a con artist.
the College.
Bonus Proficiencies: Starting at 3rd level, you gain
proficiency in either Deception or Persuasion. You also
FOUNDATIONAL gain proficiency in your choice of either a gaming set,
The first thing to consider here is what does your bard playing cards, or gaming dice.
need to properly embody their College. The simplest
route is to add weapon or armor proficiencies that
might help the bard in combat, should your College
focus on that sort of thing.
Alternatively, if your College explicitly focuses on
the art of persuasion, making sure the bard definitely
has proficiency in the Persuasion skill would be handy.
If being a talented manipulator isn’t strictly necessary
for the playstyle but might be one of a few skills that
would help, then you could offer a choice of one or two
proficiencies from a short list.
THEMATIC
If you want to add more character and non-combat
elements to your College, and I fully support you doing
so, you could look to add other proficiencies here that
might otherwise be viewed as unhelpful. This could
include tools like chef’s utensils or even a gaming set.
You could even use this as the seed for you whole
subclass. For example, starting with a proficiency with
a gaming set, your College could be built around
gambling, bluffing, and reading a person’s body
language. That’s actually a great idea…
ALTERNATIVES
If proficiencies just aren’t doing it for you here, there
are other options that carry about the same weight
that you could offer at this level. Consider options like
languages or even non-combat and cosmetic cantrips,
like prestidigitation or thaumaturgy.
ORIGIN FEATURE Example: College of Chance
As far as initial subclass features go, the bard usually
For this feature I wanted to create a unique way for the
gets a substantial ability out of the gate at 3rd level.
bard to use their Bardic Inspiration. I decided on an ability
This feature should be the bard’s bread and butter, a
that would allow the bard to effectively “read” someone
tool they will reach for often to navigate tense or
difficult situations. Obviously, the ability needs to be and anticipate their next move, allowing them to better
balanced but don’t be shy about giving your College a prepare for it.
feature that packs a little punch.
Gambler’s Eye: Starting at 3rd level, your time spent
hustling folks has given you keen eye for tells and body
INSPIRING FEATURES language. When a creature targets you with a weapon or
The majority of the official Colleges I looked into spell attack you can use your reaction to expend one use
leverage the Bardic Inspiration ability in this first of your Bardic Inspiration to anticipate their moves. Roll a
College feature. Usually this follows a pattern of Bardic Inspiration die and add the result to either your AC
“expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to…” do a new or your saving throw against the spell. You can choose to
and interesting thing that is thematic to the College. use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before
Past this structure, these abilities range from ally the DM determines whether the attack succeeds or fails.
support and healing to bonus combat effects to
hindering the bard’s enemies.
In some cases, the Bardic Inspiration die itself is Example: College of Hands
rolled and used in the ability, either to augment a roll For this College I decided not to include proficiency
or deal additional damage. Sometimes though it is bonuses as the bard class already includes all the weapons
merely the use of Bardic Inspiration that is called into
I expect this character to use. Instead, I wrote up two 3rd
play here and the amount, if any, is outlined in this
level features, one to improve the bard’s throwing attacks
feature. This gives you control to write out a more
and one to improve their defense against such attacks.
balanced scaling of effects rather than relying on the
Bardic Inspiration die.
Expert Throw: Starting at 3rd level, when you make a
ranged attack with a melee weapon that has the Thrown
NOT SO PROFICIENT property you add double your proficiency bonus to the
As mentioned in the previous section, if you chose not attack roll instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
to offer bonus proficiencies you can instead double up
here and offer two features. If you choose this route, Catch and Return: Starting at 3rd level, your quick hands
there are two things to keep in mind: serve you well in a fight. When you are the target of a
First, you need to ensure that these features are ranged weapon attack you can use your reaction to
balanced in terms of their effectiveness, power, and expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration, rolling the
limitations. Having two very strong and very available Bardic Inspiration die and adding the result to your AC
features at 3rd level will make the bard overpowered against the attack. If the attack roll fails, you can catch the
compared the other game elements, like monsters and projectile and make a ranged attack against the creature
the other characters. If you’re doing two features here, who targeted you.
aim a little lower in terms of power or place strict
limitations on when and how often they can be used.
Second, it is my opinion that the two features
should be distinct and unique from one another. Since
these are two separate features, they should feel like it,
and give the bard’s player interesting decisions to
make. These features can certainly compliment each
other, but I like to aim for variety.
UTILITY FEATURE Example: College of Chance
At 6th level, shortly after choosing the College, the bard
Sometimes, despite your well-laid plans and careful
gains another feature. This feature is generally geared
manipulations, your con just doesn’t work out. While a
toward utility and support rather than direct action.
bard never doubts their skill, they also don’t want to be
These are supplemental abilities that the bard can
leverage in support of their allies or to augment their caught without a backup plan. This feature gives them an
own effects. option for fight or flight when their skills don’t go quite as
planned.
SIMPLE IS BEST Escape Plan: Starting at 6th level, you can anticipate when
Across all the official Colleges, one thing stood out to a scam has gone south. When you fail either a Charisma
me immediately: all of the 6th level features are very (Deception) or Charisma (Persuasion) skill check you can
simple, both thematically and mechanically. These use your reaction to either move half your movement
features are straight to the point and often may not speed or make one weapon attack.
seem as powerful or useful as other features. That said,
they are typically available in a number of situations
and can be used with regularity. So, while it may not be Example: College of Hands
a show-stopping feature, they aren’t gated to uses or I see this bard as someone who seems to throw daggers
long rests. and darts out of nowhere. Even in regular combat, they can
produce a weapon and launch it with deadly accuracy. I
ADDITIONAL ACTIONS also wanted to lean a bit more into the magical aspects of
the bard by having them create the dagger.
Many of the features at this level are outside of the
normal action, either as a bonus action or a reaction.
This can make an ability that isn’t very powerful on its Quick Toss: Starting at 6th level, you always seem to have
own and, by combining it with a normal action or an extra dagger in hand. As a bonus action you can
allowing you to act as a reaction, can lead to some produce a dagger out of thin air and make a ranged
powerful combinations of effects. weapon attack with it. This dagger disappears at the end of
The way I consider bonus actions versus reactions your turn.
is to think about whether the ability is something
quick the bard does proactively (bonus action) or
something the bard would do reflexively and
instinctively (reaction). Whichever makes the most
sense thematically is likely the best choice
mechanically.
REPLICATE EXISTING MECHANICS

For simpler features like this one I often look to other
rules and mechanics in the game to see if there is
something I can leverage. I comb through other
classes, spell lists, feats, and even magic items looking
for a single effect or ability that might make sense in
the context of the subclass I’m working on.
For example, if you’re trying to create a College of
brawler bards you might look to the fighter class or
melee combat feats for inspiration. On the other hand,
if you want your College to be more thoughtful and
mystical, looking at non-bard spell lists or magic items
would be a great place to start.
BONUS FEATURE Example: College of Chance
Unlike many subclasses, a bard College doesn’t tend to
I decided to add a more proactive feature as the previous
have a monumental feature at the top. Instead, the 14th
ones have both been reactions. Here I’ve tried to take the
level feature for your College will likely be a
bard’s natural ability to bluff and translate that to combat,
allowing the bard to make subtle gestures and expressions
BONUS ACTIONS that fool their target and help them land their attack.
Several of official Colleges offer this feature as a bonus
action, a smaller ability that the bard can leverage in Poker Face: Starting at 14th level, your ability to bluff has
addition to the standard action and movement of their translated to your combat style. As a bonus action you can
turn. If you want to go this route, consider an action expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic
that a bard of your College does a lot and choose a Inspiration die and adding the number rolled to a weapon
bonus action that would compliment or improve that or spell attack roll as you fake out your target. You must
playstyle. For example, if your College focuses on use this feature before you make your attack roll.
melee combat you could create a feature that uses a
bonus action to help defend the bard by imposing
disadvantage on the next enemy attack that targets Example: College of Hands
them. This feature emulates the captivating nature of a juggler’s
Keep in mind that a character can only utilize one performance and, combined with their innate magic, allows
bonus action per turn, so if there are already a lot of the bard to temporarily stun their enemies, allowing their
bonus actions in your College, it might be less allies to strike.
impactful to add another.
What Goes Up: Starting at 14th level, as an action you
IMPROVING FEATURES create a glamour on a small object you can touch and then
Another common use of this feature is to improve toss it high into the air. All creatures of your choice within
upon previous abilities from the College or the base 30 feet that can see the object must make a Wisdom
class itself. There are a number of options here, saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, a
everything from augmenting damage, extending range creature is fixated by the object, becoming Stunned until
or duration, or increasing the number of times a the beginning of your next turn.
feature could be used. Once you have used this feature you cannot use it
A good place to start is parts of the features that again until you have finished a short or long rest.
involve numbers: number of dice, number of feet,
number of minutes, etc. These are easy places to
increase a little without drastically changing the feel or
playstyle.
ALTERNATE INSPIRATION
One of the original bard Colleges uses this feature to
offer additional ways for the bard to make use of their
Bardic Inspiration. For example, instead of only
applying the bonus to your allies, this feature might
allow you to do so for yourself. As with the origin
feature you can either leverage the actual Bardic
Inspiration die or simply consume a use of it to create
a defined effect, like automatically charming a target or
imposing disadvantage on an incoming spell attack.
COLLEGE OF CHANCE GAMBLER’S EYE
Starting at 3rd level, your time spent hustling folks has
There are those performances that you are aware of: given you keen eye for tells and body language. When a
sweeping ballads, passionate acting, and even that of a creature targets you with a weapon or spell attack you
court juggler. Then there are performances so perfect can use your reaction to expend one use of your Bardic
and cunning that you scarcely know they happened at Inspiration to anticipate their moves. Roll a Bardic
all. Such is the way of bards who make up the College Inspiration die and add the result to either your AC or
of Chance, a collection of gamblers, con artists, and your saving throw against the spell. You can choose to
grifters. These performers can affect an emotion or use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but
physical response so convincing they can make you before the DM determines whether the attack succeeds
remember them forever or forget them instantly. or fails.
Bard of this College are keen observers of people,
spotting tells and seeing through deceptions with ease.
They are also able to adjust their body language and ESCAPE PLAN
speech to effectively disguise themselves and their Starting at 6th level, you can anticipate when a scam
intentions. These skills also serve them if their scam has gone south. When you fail either a Charisma
comes to light and they need to fight their way out of (Deception) or Charisma (Persuasion) skill check you
danger. Knowing when and how someone will throw a can use your reaction to either move half your
punch makes it all the easier to dodge it. movement speed or make one weapon attack.
COLLEGE FEATURES POKER FACE

Bard Level Features Starting at 14th level, your ability to bluff has
3rd Bonus Proficiencies, Gambler’s Eye translated to your combat style. As a bonus action you
can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration, rolling
6th Escape Plan a Bardic Inspiration die and adding the number rolled
14th Poker Face to a weapon or spell attack roll as you fake out your
target. You must use this feature before you make your
BONUS PROFICIENCIES attack roll.
Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in either

Deception or Persuasion. You also gain proficiency in
your choice of either a gaming set, playing cards, or
gaming dice.
COLLEGE OF HANDS CATCH AND RETURN
Starting at 3rd level, your quick hands serve you well in
Found in both royal courts and street corners, the a fight. When you are the target of a ranged weapon
noble profession of the juggler is one that entertains attack you can use your reaction to expend one use of
the rich and poor alike. Their nimble hands move with your Bardic Inspiration, rolling the Bardic Inspiration
speed and precision unmatched by even the most die and adding the result to your AC against the attack.
skilled fighters or martial artists. They seem to have a If the attack roll fails, you can catch the projectile and
sixth sense for the floating objects around them and make a ranged attack against the creature who
pluck them from the air without so much as a glance. targeted you.
Skilled performers also spice up their routines by
tossing daggers and other dangerous items.
Bards of the College of Hands are masters of their QUICK TOSS
craft. Despite the frivolous appearance of their Starting at 6th level, you always seem to have an extra
performances, seasoned jugglers can translate their dagger in hand. As a bonus action you can produce a
dexterity and aim into a deadly fighting style, blending dagger out of thin air and make a ranged weapon
the lines between melee and ranged combat. It is said attack with it. This dagger disappears at the end of
that the more skilled bards can pluck an arrow out of your turn.
the air and with one swift movement send it back
where it came from. Some speculate that there is more
to these jugglers’ abilities than just skilled hands, WHAT GOES UP
suggesting there may some magic to their routines. Starting at 14th level, as an action you create a glamour
on a small object you can touch and then toss it high
COLLEGE FEATURES into the air. All creatures of your choice within 30 feet
that can see the object must make a Wisdom saving
Bard Level Features throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, a
3rd Expert Throw, Catch and Return creature is fixated by the object, becoming Stunned
until the beginning of your next turn.
6th Quick Toss Once you have used this feature you cannot use it
14th What Goes Up again until you have finished a short or long rest.
EXPERT THROW
Starting at 3rd level, when you make a ranged attack
with a melee weapon that has the Thrown property
you add double your proficiency bonus to the attack
roll instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
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Buy downloading this book you are free to use and Nodestro Caps Condensed Font by /u/Solbera
reproduce it for personal use. You are not allowed to
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You are also allowed to use this guide to create a
class archetype for commercial purposes. I ask that
you please credit and link to this guide in your finished
product. Thank you!
FEEDBACK
Thank you for downloading this sourcebook! It was a
lot of fun to create.
If you have any feedback or suggestions for this
sourcebook, please send it to me via email at
matthew@gravelyn.com with the subject line “Create-
A-College Feedback”. Your input will help to make this
sourcebook even better for future players!

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What is the purpose of this guide?

What are the core aspects of creating a bard college?

Create-A-College

A how-to guide for creating a bard College in 5e

Written by MATTHEW GRAVELYN

REPLICATE EXISTING MECHANICS

COLLEGE FEATURES POKER FACE

Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in either

USAGE FONT CREDITS

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