Knight of the Chord College

The sound and the fury, the music of battle, and the songs of war-these elements make up the life of a Knight of the Chord. The Knights of the Chord are a group that uses the magic of music to aid their fighting skills. It is a loosely organized order of knighthood, as each member remains a free spirit and highly individualistic.

The order’s code is simple: defend the downtrodden, and preserve freedom above all else. The knights sing and focus on music, but they are not performers. They do not sing to entertain, but to call upon music’s hidden power. Nevertheless, their practiced voices make them more than a match for any professional minstrel, and fortunate is anyone blessed to hear a knight’s daily song-meditations.

Knights of the Chord travel alone or in small groups, only occasionally returning to one of the order’s strongholds. As the knights rarely recognize local authorities (members usually have a nonlawful alignment), magistrates and law enforcers do not exactly welcome their presence. However, the common folk look upon them as champions and defenders.

Bards who choose Knight of the Chord as their bard college at 3rd level gain the following class features:

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the Knights of the Chord at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.

When you reach 5th level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor.

Thunder Resistance

At 3rd level, you also gain resistance to thunder damage.

Smiting Song

At 6th level, you gain a powerful smiting song that harms or even incapacitates an opponent.

When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to enhance the attack with thunder damage. You add your Bardic Inspiration die to the attack’s damage roll (as thunder damage), and the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Imbue Vibration

When you reach 6th level, you can spend an hour singing a magical song that imbues your melee weapon with a specific magical vibration, granting it a special ability when you (and only you) wield it. The choice of abilities available to you depend on your bard level.

Bard Level Vibration Ability
6th The weapon’s attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
7th When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it’s holding. You add your Bardic Inspiration die to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it drops the object, which lands at its feet.
8th When you are blind, your attack rolls do not have disadvantage, and enemies do not have advantage on attacks against you.
9th When you move, you can expend one Bardic Inspiration die, rolling the die and adding the number rolled to your AC until you stop moving.

Once you use Imbue Vibration, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

Because warlocks have so few spell slots, they gain little benefit from the first option of the Spell Weaving ability, but the second option can come in handy. Likewise, Spell Emphasis is rarely used by warlock members of the guild. Overall, the few warlocks who advance to Adept or Master rank do so mainly for the privilege and status among their peers rather than for the power.

Mage of the Inverted Pyramid is not a subclass. Unlike a wild magic sorcerer or a diviner wizard, it is not a choice that the character has to make at a particular level, and it doesn’t take the place of any subclass abilities. Any qualified arcane spellcaster-sorcerer, warlock, or wizard-who meets the requirements can join the guild and learn its secrets without giving up any other opportunities from their innate magic, pact, or school of magic.

Singblade

At 14th level, you can use your action to expend one use of Bardic Inspiration and sing a magical song that lasts for one minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell). While this song is active, add your Charisma bonus to your melee attack rolls and Armor Class. Once you use this song, you cannot do so again until you have completed a long rest.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Ptolus Monte Cooks City by the Spire (5e) Copyright 2021 Monte Cook Games. Author Monte Cook. 5e Conversion Sean K. Reynolds, Bruce R. Cordell

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