Variant Bard

When you gain your first level in the variant bard class, you do not gain the following bard class features:

• Jack of All Trades
• Song of Rest
• Countercharm

You instead gain the following features at the levels shown in the Variant Bard table.

In addition, you gain the Spellcasting feature at 2nd level instead of 1st level. You ignore the Spells Known, Cantrips Known, and Spell Slots per Spell Level columns in the Bard Table, instead using the corresponding columns in the Variant Bard table whenever those features are referenced.

Bardic Performance

Starting at 1st level, you have mastered magically influencing others through oration, music, or other exceptional performance.

You know two such performances: Call to Battle and one other of your choice. Your performance options are detailed at the end of this class description. You gain additional performances of your choice at 3rd, 7th, and 14th level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the performances you know and replace it with another performance that you could learn at that level.

To start one of these magical performances, you use an action on your turn to speak, dance, or play an instrument. You must continue performing on each of your turns to maintain the performance (no action required). You can switch to a different performance you know as an action on your turn.

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1st	+2	Bardic performance	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2nd	+2	Folklore repertoire, spellcasting	2	2	2	–	–	–	–
3rd	+2	–	2	3	3	–	–	–	–
4th	+2	–	2	3	3	–	–	–	–
5th	+3	Martial fanfare	2	4	4	2	–	–	–
6th	+3	Converse performance	2	4	4	2	–	–	–
7th	+3	–	2	5	4	3	–	–	–
8th	+3	–	3	5	4	3	–	–	–
9th	+4	–	3	6	4	3	2	–	–
10th	+4	–	3	6	4	3	2	–	–
11th	+4	–	3	7	4	3	3	–	–
12th	+4	–	3	7	4	3	3	–	–
13th	+5	–	3	8	4	3	3	1	–
14th	+5	–	3	8	4	3	3	1	–
15th	+5	Unflappable	4	9	4	3	3	2	–
16th	+5	–	4	9	4	3	3	2	–
17th	+6	–	4	10	4	3	3	3	1
18th	+6	–	4	10	4	3	3	3	1
19th	+6	–	4	11	4	3	3	3	2
20th	+6	–	4	11	4	3	3	3	2

A creature must be able to see or hear you to be affected by your magical performance. A creature can only be affected by one performance at a time.

If two or more bards try to affect the same creature with such performances, the creature is affected by neither.

The entire performance, whether composed of one performance or several, has a possible duration of 10 minutes, and ends early if you are incapacitated or silenced. If a spell cast with your Bardic Performance has an ongoing duration, it ends when your performance ends. Once your Bardic Performance ends, you can’t use this feature again until you rest for at least 10 minutes.

Folklore Repertoire

Starting at 2nd level, you possess extensive knowledge of myths, legends, and oral traditions few can equal. If you hear the name of a person, place, or object of significance, you might glean information about the subject from your repertoire.

Roll d%. If you roll a number equal to or lower than your bard level times three, you recall lore about the subject. The Gm determines the nature of this knowledge. The lore might exist in your repertoire in the form of a line in a heroic poem, a verse of a folk song, or even fairytales stories.

The lore you recall using this feature is always accurate, even while contained in figurative language.

If you already have information about the subject, the lore in your repertoire can provide further context and detail.

Once you use this feature to try and recall lore about a specific subject, you cannot do so again until you spend at least 4 hours researching it. You can research either in established places of learning such as monastery, or by collecting folk tales and other lore in an area populated with creatures familiar with the subject.

Martial Fanfare

Starting at 5th level, despite the clamor of battle, you can communicate with your allies and distract your foes. When you take the Help action, you can grant advantage on an attack roll to an ally up to 60 feet away. You can then make a weapon attack or cast a cantrip as part of the same action.

Converse Performance

Starting at 6th level, the pitch and rhythm of your performance can interfere with the casting of a spell. You can cast counterspell without expending a spell slot. In order to do so, you must either be engaged in a Bardic Performance or you can start a performance as part of the same reaction you used to cast counterspell. If you start a new performance in order to cast the spell none of its effects take place. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell, and you also add your proficiency bonus to the check you make while casting counterspell.

Once you use this feature to successfully counter a spell, your performance ends, and you cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest. Starting at 11th level, you can use this feature twice between long rests, and starting at 17th level you can use it three times between long rests.

Starting at 15th level, you can cast the glibness spell once without expending a spell slot. One you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before using it again.

Bardic Performances

The available bardic performances following in alphabetical order. If a Bardic Performance has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the performance at the same time that you meet its prerequisites.

Baffling Rhapsody

Prerequisite(s): 7th level

When you start this performance, you cast the confusion spell without expending a spell slot or providing material components. Additionally, as long as any creature is affected by a confusion spell that you cast, you can use your action to choose one of the behaviors the spell creates. Until the start of your next turn, all creatures affected by your confusion spell must adhere to the behavior you chose, instead of rolling to randomly determine at the start of its turn.

Call to Battle

While you perform Call to Battle, friendly creatures within 60 feet of you, including yourself, are inspired to fight with greater zeal. Once per turn, an affected creature can roll one additional d4 when rolling damage for a melee or ranged attack, adding it to the total. This extra damage die increases in size when your bard level reaches 6th (1d6), 9th (1d8), 13th (1d10), and 17th (1d12).

Countercurse

Any time while you are performing Countercurse, you can choose to end one of the following conditions on a friendly creature within 60 feet of you: blinded, deafened, or poisoned. The chosen condition must be a result of a spell or another magical effect.

Once you use this performance to remove a condition, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Dissipating performance

Prerequisite(s): 7th level

Any time while you are performing Dissipating Performance, you can attempt to end one magical effect within 60 feet of you as per the dispel magic spell. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell, and you add your proficiency bonus to the Charisma check you make as a part of the dispel magic spell.

If you successfully dispel the effect, you cannot benefit from this performance again until you finish a long rest.

Starting at 11th level, you can use this performance twice between long rests, and at 17th level you can use it three times between long rests.

Enhanced presentation

Prerequisite(s): 11th level

Your mastery of showmanship causes your spells to have an enhanced effect. You can start this performance or switch to it as part of casting a bard spell. While using Enhanced Presentation, if you cast a bard spell by expending a spell slot, you can choose one style from the list below to affect that spell. You can only affect one spell this way during each of your bardic performances.

• Encore. If the spell has a duration of at least 1 minute, you can extend the duration until your performance ends.
• Mindful. If you cast a spell that requires a saving throw, you can choose one creature to automatically succeed on its saving throw against the spell.
• Projecting. If the spell has a range of at least 5 feet, you can increase the range by 30 feet.
• Tandem. If the spell can only target one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you can now target a second creature when you cast the spell.

Eviscerating Wit

You perform using barbed insults and scathing satire to undermine your foes’ confidence. While you use this performance, each hostile creature within 30 feet of you must make a Charisma saving throw against your bard spell save DC at the start of its turn.

On a failed save, the creature has disadvantage on all ability checks and saving throws while it is in the performance’s radius. On a successful save, the creature becomes immune to this performance for 10 minutes.

Fascinating performance

Prerequisite(s): 5th level

While using this performance, each creature within 120 feet of you that isn’t hostile to you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your bard spell save DC at the start of its turn. On a failed save, the target is charmed by you until this performance ends or the target leaves its radius. A charmed target cannot move or take actions and makes Wisdom (Perception) checks with disadvantage.

If you or another allied creature draws or brandishes a weapon or casts a spell affecting a charmed creature, each charmed creature can make a new Wisdom saving throw to end the effect. If any affected creature takes damage or is otherwise harmed, this effect ends for all affected creatures. If you make an attack or cast a spell that affects anyone but yourself, this effect ends.

Hymn of healing

A friendly creature that comes within 60 feet of you and can hear part of this performance during a short rest is filled with soothing magic. An affected creature can add your Charisma modifier to any Hit Dice rolled to restore hit points at the end of a short rest.

Inspire Dread

Prerequisite(s): 7th level

You can cause a feeling of terror. While performing Inspire Dread, each hostile creature within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your bard spell save DC at the start of its turn. On a failed save, the creature becomes frightened or despondent (your choice) until the start of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature becomes immune to this performance for 10 minutes.

Inspire Resolve

Your words and music fill your companions with courage and the will to resist mind-altering effects. While using this performance, each friendly creature within 60 feet of you has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Rallying Performance

Prerequisite(s): 9th level

When you start this performance or as a reaction to a friendly creature within 60 feet of you taking damage while you are performing, you can cast mass cure wounds without expending a spell slot.

Beginning at 15th level, when you cast this spell using this performance, it ends the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, and stunned conditions on its targets. Each target can also use its reaction to stand up or move up to its speed.

Once you use this performance to cast the spell you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Seeds of Doubt

Prerequisite(s): 13th level

You sow the seeds of doubt in your enemies, making them reluctant to attack you. When you start this performance, choose a creature within 60 feet of you. While using this performance, the next time the target creature attempts to target you with an attack or harmful spell, it must first make a Wisdom saving throw against your bard spell save DC. On a failed save, it must choose a new target or lose its action.

This effect doesn’t protect you from spell effects that don’t target you directly, such as the explosion of a fireball.

If you make an attack or cast a spell that affects anyone but yourself, this effect ends. Creatures that cannot be charmed are immune to this effect.

Song of Creation

Prerequisite(s): 17th level

Your music and lyrics echo the very founding of the multiverse. When you start performing Song of Creation, choose one of the following effects:

• The body of one creature you can see is restored to life as though by the resurrection spell. The creature can’t have been dead for more than 100 years, can’t have died of old age, can’t be undead, and the soul must be free and willing to return.
• You create one non-magical object no larger than a 100 foot cube that is worth less than 25,000 gp.
• You can cast control weather, earthquake, storm of vengeance, or fire storm without expending a spell slot and without the need for material components.
• This performance taxes you greatly. After the chosen effect takes place, your Bardic Performance ends and you cannot use this or any other performance until you finish a long rest.

Stupendous Improvisation

Prerequisite(s): 11th level

When you start this performance, choose any spell from the bard spell list of 6th level or lower. Anytime while using this performance, you can cast the chosen spell once without expending a spell slot, as long as the casting time doesn’t exceed the time remaining on your bardic performance. You must provide the material components, if any.

Starting at 17th level, you can choose any spell of 7th level or lower.

Once you cast a spell using this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest, and your bardic performance ends.

Suppressing Performance

Prerequisite(s): 15th level

When you start this performance, you cast antimagic field without expending a spell slot and without the need for any material components.

Once you use this performance, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.