College of Artistes (5A)
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A bard with a focus on creating artworks rather than on performance. An artiste inspires by making sketches and artworks. During adventures you make sketches such as drawings, clay models, stick figures, or wire frames, that you then turn into artworks once you have the time. The artiste learns magic to create artworks but also to change the world to be more like the artiste's artistic vision.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you become an artiste at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with two types of artisan's tools of your choice.
Eternal Inspiration
Also at 3rd level, a creature you inspires feels the the prospect of eternal fame by being included in future art. When a creature uses your bardic inspiration die, they also gain temporary hit points equal to the result of the bardic inspiration die roll. These temporary hit points last 10 minutes.
Masterpieces of Art
At 6th level, and each time you advance in level bard past level 6, can you create one masterpiece of art. These are artworks of such power and magnificence that they inspire people by their mere presence. What kind of artwork you create is up to you and depends on your tool proficiencies. Listed here are typical masterpieces and the tools to make them.
- A building (mason’s and carpenter’s tools)
- A crown or piece of regalia (jeweler’s tools)
- An artful door (smith’s tools)
- A fresco (painter’s supplies)
- A new type of wine, beer, or spirits (brewer’s supplies)
- A new dish (cook’s utensils)
- A new model of footwear (cobbler’s tools)
- A new fashion (weaver’s tools)
- A paining (painter’s supplies)
- A sign or wall inscription (calligrapher’s supplies)
- A stained glass window (glassblower’s tools)
- A metal statue (smith’s tools)
- A stone statue (mason’s tools)
- A tapestry (weaver’s tools)
- A vehicle (carpenter’s tools)
- A wooden statue (woodcarver’s tools)
In game terms, a masterpiece has the following benefits.
- You dedicate your masterpiece to a patron, an NPC noble or dignitary. This patron pays the cost of construction and owns the masterpiece. This gives you lifetime advantage on Charisma checks against that patron. You can stay at the patron's court in a wealthy lifestyle at no cost.
- You can depict up to six people in each masterpiece. This usually starts with the members of your party. When you use Bardic Inspiration on these people, they roll two dice to see what benefit they get.
- When you, the patron, or anyone depicted in the art is in the presence of the original artwork itself, you cannot suffer disadvantage on Charisma checks. This does not apply to copies, imitations, or things following a style you created.
Art Made Real
Starting at 14th level, when you cast a spell of the illusion school that depicts terrain or construction, you can make it real. This can involve terrain, statuary, buildings, wall and floor decorations, plants, and other inanimate, stationary matter without magical abilities.
If you create natural terrain or other natural phenomenon that can reasonably exist where you place it, the duration is instantaneous and the creation becomes a part of reality. If you create something with a gold piece value, such as a building or park, you have two choices. You can either use artist materials of exquisite quality with a gold piece value equal to the cost of the creation, making the duration instantaneous and the object a part of reality. Or you can not spend these resources. The creation becomes real but of limited durability. After a number of days equal to your bard level it becomes a ruin, and an equal number of days later it is gone.
The practical utility of this in adventures is to set the scene, create defensive fortifications, make terrain easy or hard to travel in, and such.
You can use this ability once, and regain the ability when you finish a long rest.
Designer's Notes
An attempt to expand the bard out of the performer role.