College of the Stars
A Bard College that gains darkvision and a sky-reading benefit, adds constellation riders to Bardic Inspiration and strengthens spells cast under open sky.
Identity
The College of the Stars is the Bard College tuned to the sky. Stars Bards carry a stellar focus, such as a sky-disc, a tuning fork or a holo-lens, and tune their instruments to the local star or a familiar constellation. Their performances are best at certain hours and altitudes, and a Stars Bard will play at the open hatch of a docked freighter at three in the morning because the angle is correct. The College's channeling weakens when its constellation is below the horizon.
Features
- L3 Star-Sight
You carry a stellar focus (an inscribed sky-disc, a tuning fork tuned to a star, a holo-lens) that lets you read the sky as a working instrument. You gain darkvision out to 60 feet if you do not already have it. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 30 feet. In addition, you can spend 1 minute observing the sky (the unobstructed local star or constellation, or a sufficiently detailed stellar projection) to gain one of the following benefits of your choice, which lasts until your next long rest: You have advantage on Perception checks made at ranges beyond Close, and on Investigation checks made to recognize landmarks, ships or objects at long distance. You mentally overlay a named constellation pattern on the battlefield as a tactical aid. Allies within 30 feet of you can add your Charisma modifier (minimum +1) to a single attack roll once per round, choosing to do so after the d20 is rolled but before the result is declared. This benefit can be used a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus. Only one Star-Sight benefit is active at a time.
- L7 Constellation Inspiration
Each Bardic Inspiration die you grant gains one constellation rider of your choice from the following list, chosen when you grant it: Archer's Inspiration. The holder can add the rolled die to the damage of one successful ranged attack made within the next 10 minutes. The rider does not cost a second use of Bardic Inspiration, and the holder chooses whether the die is used for its standard purpose or for the rider. Chalice Inspiration. When the rolled die is used for any purpose, the holder also regains hit points equal to the die's result. Wyrm Inspiration. When the rolled die is used on a successful saving throw or ability check, the next attack roll against the holder before the start of your next turn has disadvantage. Wanderer Inspiration. The holder can add the rolled die to a Dexterity, Wisdom or Intelligence check related to travel, navigation or finding a hidden creature or object. If used this way, the holder also moves up to half their speed without provoking opportunity attacks immediately after the check is resolved. Riders do not cost additional uses of Bardic Inspiration.
- L11 Astral Spell
Once per turn, when you cast a spell under an unobstructed sky, you can channel starlight through it. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest. An unobstructed sky is open atmosphere with visible stars, a low-light environment where stars are visible, or any vacuum outside a solid hull. The spell's damage rolls deal an additional 1d8 radiant damage per two spell levels, rounded up (cantrips deal an additional 1d8). If the spell deals no damage, its save DC increases by 1 for that casting. As a 10-minute ritual, you can attune a portable Astral Lens to the local star or a constellation pattern. For 24 hours, while the lens is on your person, the unobstructed-sky requirement counts as met indoors as well. You can hold one Astral Lens attunement at a time.
- L15 Voice of the Spheres
Once per long rest, as an action, choose either Mass Charm or Mass Alert. Mass Charm. Each humanoid within 60 feet that can hear you and understand a language you speak must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the target is Charmed by you for 10 minutes or until you or an ally harms it. On a success, the target is unaffected and immune to this feature from you for 24 hours. The Charmed condition ends if you ask the target to take an action that is obviously and seriously harmful to the target or a close associate. Until then, Charmed targets are friendly and likely to comply with reasonable requests. Mass Alert. Each ally within 60 feet that can hear you has advantage on their next initiative roll and gains a number of d4s equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). The ally can add these dice to attack rolls or saving throws made within the next 1 minute, and can split the dice among several rolls.
- L18 Singer of the Stars Capstone
Once per long rest, as an action, you begin a Stellar Resonance performance that lasts up to 1 minute. The performance ends early if you are Incapacitated, silenced, or end it as a free action. Sustaining the performance after the initial action requires a bonus action each round. While the performance is sustained, all allies within 120 feet of you who can hear you (or receive transmitted communication from you, in vacuum or other comm-only environments) gain the following benefits: +1 to attack rolls, damage rolls and saving throws. Resistance to radiant and necrotic damage. Whenever an ally finishes a turn within the performance's range with fewer than half their hit points remaining, they regain hit points equal to your Charisma modifier plus their proficiency bonus. This triggers at most once per ally per turn. Once per round per ally, when an attack would reduce the ally to 0 hit points, the ally is instead reduced to 1 hit point and immediately gains a Bardic Inspiration die of your current die size. This effect can trigger only once per ally per casting of Singer of the Stars. While sustaining the performance, you can also cast a Bard spell of 5th level or lower as a bonus action once per round, in addition to your normal action.
