Hello, everyone! This month’s subclass is coming to you a week early because of some logistical issues for the fourth article this month. As a result, the subclass hasn’t had the chance to be playtested as thoroughly as I’d like, so I’d certainly appreciate your help and feedback in improving it. Moving down the list, this month’s subclass is a new bard College, the College of Justice. Unlike the typical supporting bard, the College of Justice is intended to wade into combat, using a whip, spiked chain, or polearm to pull an enemy into close quarters combat and not let go.

Bard College

College of Justice

Some evils are far more insidious than others – it’s easy to point to a rampaging beast and declare it a threat to the people, but truly monstrous evils hide behind authority and legitimacy, controlling the innocent and ignorant from the shadows. These outspoken demagogues offer both safety and tyranny in the same hand. Few will challenge them, and none of those challengers’ reputations will survive. For these reasons, you have donned your mask, and will stop at nothing to force tyrants to remove theirs. These villains may declare you a scofflaw or a vigilante, but that just demonstrates their fear of someone willing to stand against them.

Bards take on the mantle of the College of Justice for a variety of reasons, typically in the face of a personal tragedy such as the loss of a loved one or recognition of some other failure of the society in which they live. Drawing strength and daring from their anonymity, these bards may go to extreme lengths to right the wrongs of their society, breaking any law they feel has become a barrier to their cause. However, these bards aren’t unethical – each must decide for themselves the lines they’ll draw between right and wrong, and may find themselves regularly forced to confront the consequences of these decisions and test the limits of their moral resolve.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Justice, you gain proficiency with martial weapons and a disguise kit. If you do not already have a disguise kit, you may create one during a short rest using found materials.

Controlling Maneuvers

Starting when you choose this Bard College at 3rd level, you develop a knack for maneuvers involving flexible weapons as an extension of your reach, imposing control on your foes. When a creature is within 5 feet of you while you are wielding a martial weapon with the reach property, you gain advantage on melee weapon attacks against that creature.

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack using a martial weapon with the reach property, you may expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration die to add the number rolled to your damage and pull the creature 5 feet towards you. The creature cannot move until the end of your next turn.

Behind the Mask

Also starting at 3rd level, you have crafted a secret identity for yourself wearing a mask made from components in your disguise kit. While your identity is concealed behind a mask of your design, you gain advantage when making Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation checks against creatures who don’t know your true identity.

Additionally, you may add your bard level to any ability checks you make to create a disguise.

Unarmored Defense

Beginning at 6th level, your masked alter ego unnerves and dissuades your foes from attacking you. While you are wearing a mask and not wearing armor or wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier.

False Proxy

Starting at 14th level, your bardic magic and rumors of your alter ego’s exploits mingle, allowing you to cast doubt on those who might guess your true identity by creating unwitting proxies.

As an action, you and a creature you can see teleport into each other’s respective spaces. The targeted creature does not have to be willing to make this movement. You become invisible until the end of your next turn, and the targeted creature takes on a glamer of your appearance until you become visible. While the target is under the effects of this glamer, you may psychically issue the target total and precise commands on its turn, which it must obey to the best of its ability.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short rest.