Bardic College
Comments from the Finger: Anyone who utters the phrase “Step right up, step right up!” is automatically a bard. Try it. See? You’re a bard now.
College of the Big Top
Bards who join the college of the Big Top are renowned traveling entertainers, who bring exotic and thrilling spectacles to everyday people far and wide. As the name suggests, most of these bards travel in circus caravans, setting up and tearing down huge tents, and displaying all manner of exotic animals, unbelievable skills, and dangerous stunts. But not all are relegated to life in the circus; many bards of the Big Top will find company with adventurers to provide entertainment during their travels and to direct the group in combat with the same speed and drama as a three-ring circus.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this college at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill. If you already have proficiency in this skill, you can choose to gain proficiency with another skill of your choice. Additionally, you gain proficiency with nets, whips, and a gaming set of your choice.
Ring Leader
At 3rd level, you can use your personality to embolden others to take risks with little downside. When a creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you makes and ability check or attack roll with disadvantage, it can expend that die without rolling it to remove disadvantage on that roll.
Lion Tamer
By 6th level, you have trained and formed a magical bond with a lion, which has become your loyal companion. Your tamed lion uses the statistics of a lion (included in the SRD), but loses its Pack Tactics trait and gains the benefits of the Tamed Beast feature.
If your tamed lion is ever slain, you can return it to life with a ritual requiring 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of rare herbs and fine meats. This ritual creates a new body for your trained lion.
Tamed Beast
Also at 6th level, while your tamed lion is in your company, it gains a number of benefits.
The lion obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, the lion acts on its own.
Your tamed lion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your lion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, a tamed lion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls.
Your tamed lion gains proficiency in four skills of your choice. For each level you gain after 6th, your tamed lion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.
Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your lion’s abilities also improve. Your lion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your lion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.
Your lion shares your alignment and its bond is always, “I will follow any command my bard gives me.”
Main Attraction
By 14th level, you can use your action to place a magical spotlight on yourself and your lion. Until the beginning of your next turn, each creature within 5 feet of you or your tamed lion has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you or your tamed lion.
6/19/17: Typos
