Dance to your own tune with this collection of six music-themed archetypes!
In the many worlds of D&D, words and music contain actual, exploitable power. Those in the know can harness these mysterious, ancient forces, drawing forth the magic of music to bring tangible change into the world around them.
Bards are the archetypal hero of song, but they aren’t the only heroes to tap into the raw power music. Heroes of Song introduces six new archetypes, two for the Bard class, and four which introduce the power of music to other classes!
In this supplement you will find:
The Battle Skald (a Barbarian Primal Path)
The uncivilised tribes of the world lack written records, so their histories are recorded in the form of song and story, passed down through the generations by the tribe’s skalds.
Battle skalds are warrior-poets belonging to more militant tribes. Not content to simply retell legends and record new stories in times of peace, in times of battle the battle skald marches alongside the other warriors of his or her tribe, singing songs of past victories to ignite a fire within their hearts.
Battle Skalds are the heart of any band they belong to. They can channel their inner rage in more constructive, creative directions—performing war songs that boost the spirits of their allies.
The College of Choristers (a Bard College)
Bards of the College of Choristers give themselves into the service of a deity or pantheon, similar to a cleric or paladin. A chorister’s divine calling is to lead a congregation in worshipful song.
While many choristers are attached to a church or temple where they lead the choirs of the faithful, others travel the countryside, using their performer’s arts to spread the word of their religion.
A Chorister is a religious figure, and they gain a certain amount of divine spellcasting to help them perform their duties. They can draw on their faith in their deity for personal inspiration, and they can channel their divine power through their vocals.
The College of Creation (a Bard College)
All bards know that music is inherently magical and have learned to draw out that power. Bards of the College of Creation believe that music itself underpins all reality, and is the sound of creation—or at least, the closest to that primal score that mortals can comprehend and produce. By finding the right music, a Creator can manipulate the elemental forces that make up existence.
A Creator taps into the elements, able to use their music to cast evocation spells associated with air, earth, fire, ice, water, lightning, and thunder.
The Clarion (a Warlock Patron)
The entity known as the Clarion, sometimes also referred to as the Muse, is an insubstantial being of pure music. It thrives off of melodies, and leaps from performer to performer where it lurks in their subconscious to inspire feverish acts of creation
Forming a pact with the Clarion is the desperate act of a musician or composer who has lost faith in their ability to leave a musical legacy. They gain inspiration, fame, fortune, and even a measure of the Clarion’s own traits such as ability to control the minds of others and to avoid detection. In return, they have willingly given the Clarion access into their own mind.
A Clarion Pact warlock is able to summon a pact instrument whenever they wish (similar to a pact weapon), and can imbue their recitals with hidden meaning that resonates in the minds of the audience, subtly persuading them without a word being spoken.
The Warsinger (a Fighter Archetype)
Warsingers are warriors who learn bardic secrets and channel their music and magic as tools of war. Warsingers often play instruments as well, serving as their regiment’s drummer or bugler. Marching drums and horns are therefore preferred instruments of many Warsingers.
A Warsinger gains access to a limited amount of bardic spellcasting (similar to an eldritch knight’s access to wizard spellcasting), and can sacrifice spell slots to perform battle anthems which briefly inspire nearby allies.
The Way of Splendid Song (a Monk Monastic Tradition)
Monks of the Way of Splendid Song, sometimes known as Chanters, use rhythmic chanting and harmonious songs as meditative tools. With practice, their mantras become as second-nature as breathing, and a Chanter can perform other tasks without the mantra distracting them. Indeed, the mantra serves as a shield against outside distractions, allowing the monk to focus their mind and better channel their ki.
A Chanter learns mantras, activated by spending ki. While continuing to focus on reciting a mantra, the Chanter gains special strengths associated with the mantra being performed.
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