College of Lore — Bard Subclass

The bard of Lore collects the world the way others collect coin — a saying here, a forbidden verse there, the true name of a thing best left unnamed. Knowledge, in this college, is not an ornament to conversation but the sharpest weapon in the pack. A whispered fact can end a duel before it starts; a well-placed word, offered at the exact wrong moment for the enemy, can unmake a triumph mid-swing.

Lore-bards wander wide and listen hard. They sit in on councils they were never invited to, remember the songs that kings would rather were forgotten, and borrow freely from every tradition of magic they can talk their way near. To them the whole of learning is a single open library, and the party's problems are merely questions with answers they happen to already know.

College Features

Bard Level	Feature
3rd	Bonus Proficiencies
3rd	Cutting Words
6th	Magical Discoveries
14th	Peerless Skill

3rd Level

Bonus Proficiencies

Your restless study leaves its mark. You gain proficiency with three skills of your choice — three more doors the collector can now open, three more subjects on which you are, quietly, an expert.

3rd Level

Cutting Words

You wield wit to distract, confuse, and unpick another's confidence. When a creature you can see within 60 feet makes a damage roll or succeeds on a D20 Test, you can take a Reaction and expend one use of Bardic Inspiration; roll the die and subtract the number rolled from the creature's roll — softening the blow, or turning a hard-won success into failure.

A single perfectly-timed remark, and the enemy's finest moment simply... doesn't land.

6th Level

Magical Discoveries

You learn two spells of your choice drawn from the Cleric, Druid, or Wizard lists, in any combination — each a cantrip or a level for which you have spell slots. They are always prepared, and don't count against the number you know. Whenever you gain a Bard level, you can trade one of them for another that qualifies, forever curating your stolen repertoire.

14th Level

Peerless Skill

When you fail an ability check or an attack roll, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration; roll the die and add the number to your d20, potentially turning the failure into a success. Should it still fall short, the use isn't expended — so the attempt costs you nothing but the trying.