System	
  Reference	
   Document	
  5.1 	
   13	
  
Expertise 
At	
  3rd	
  level,	
  choose	
  two	
  of	
  your	
  skill	
  proficiencies.	
  
Your	
  proficiency	
  bonus	
  is	
   doubled	
  for	
  any	
  ability	
  
check	
  you	
  make	
  that	
  uses	
  either	
  of	
  the	
  chosen	
  
proficiencies.	
  
	
   At	
  10th	
  level,	
  you	
  can	
  choose	
  another	
  two	
  skill	
  
proficiencies	
  to	
  gain	
  this	
  benefit. 	
  
Ability Score Improvement 
When	
  you	
  reach	
  4th	
  level,	
  and	
  again	
  at	
  8th,	
  12th,	
  
16th,	
  and	
  19th	
  level,	
  you	
  can	
  increase	
  one	
  ability	
  
score	
  of	
  your	
  choice	
  by	
  2,	
  or	
  you	
  can	
  increase	
  two	
  
ability	
  scores	
  of	
  your	
  choice	
  by	
  1.	
  As	
  normal,	
  you	
  
can’t	
  increase	
  an	
  ability	
  score	
  above	
  20	
  using	
  this	
  
feature.	
  
Font of Inspiration 
Beginning	
  when	
  you	
  reach	
  5th	
  lev el,	
  you	
  regain	
  all	
  of	
  
your	
  expended	
  uses	
  of	
  Bardic	
  Inspiration	
  when	
  you	
  
finish	
  a	
  short	
  or	
  long	
  rest. 	
  
Countercharm 
At	
  6th	
  level,	
  you	
  gain	
  the	
  ability	
  to	
  use	
  musical	
  notes	
  
or	
  words	
  of	
  power	
  to	
  disrupt	
  mind -­‐‑influencing	
  
effects.	
  As	
  an	
  action,	
  you	
  can	
  start	
  a	
  p erformance	
  
that	
  lasts	
  until	
  the	
  end	
  of	
  your	
  next	
  turn.	
  During	
  that	
  
time,	
  you	
  and	
  any	
  friendly	
  creatures	
  within	
  30	
  feet	
  
of	
  you	
  have	
  advantage	
  on	
  saving	
  throws	
  against	
  
being	
  frightened	
  or	
  charmed.	
  A	
  creature	
  must	
  be	
  
able	
  to	
  hear	
  you	
  to	
  gain	
  this	
  benefit.	
  The 	
  
performance	
  ends	
  early	
  if	
  you	
  are	
  incapacitated	
  or	
  
silenced	
  or	
  if	
  you	
  voluntarily	
  end	
  it	
  (no	
  action	
  
required).	
  
Magical Secrets 
By	
  10th	
  level,	
  you	
  have	
  plundered	
  magical	
  
knowledge	
  from	
  a	
  wide	
  spectrum	
  of	
  disciplines.	
  
Choose	
  two	
  spells	
  from	
  any	
  class,	
  inclu ding	
  this	
  one.	
  
A	
  spell	
  you	
  choose	
  must	
  be	
  of	
  a	
  level	
  you	
  can	
  cast,	
  as	
  
shown	
  on	
  the	
  Bard	
  table,	
  or	
  a	
  cantrip. 	
  
	
   The	
  chosen	
  spells	
  count	
  as	
  bard	
  spells	
  for	
  you	
  and	
  
are	
  included	
  in	
  the	
  number	
  in	
  the	
  Spells	
  Known	
  
column	
  of	
  the	
  Bard	
  table. 	
  
	
   You	
  learn	
  two	
  additio nal	
  spells	
  from	
  any	
  class	
  at	
  
14th	
  level	
  and	
  again	
  at	
  18th	
  level. 	
  
Superior Inspiration 
At	
  20th	
  level,	
  when	
  you	
  roll	
  initiative	
  and	
  have	
  no	
  
uses	
  of	
  Bardic	
  Inspiration	
  left,	
  you	
  regain	
  one	
  use. 	
  
College of Lore 
Bards	
  of	
  the	
  College	
  of	
  Lore	
  know	
  something	
  about 	
  
most	
  things,	
  collecting	
  bits	
  of	
  knowledge	
  from	
  
sources	
  as	
  diverse	
  as	
  scholarly	
  tomes	
  and	
  peasant	
  
tales.	
  Whether	
  singing	
  folk	
  ballads	
  in	
  taverns	
  or	
  
elaborate	
  compositions	
  in	
  royal	
  courts,	
  these	
  bards	
  
use	
  their	
  gifts	
  to	
  hold	
  audiences	
  spellbound.	
  When	
  
the	
  applause	
  dies	
  down,	
  the	
  audience	
  members	
  
might	
  find	
  themselves	
  questioning	
  everything	
  they	
  
held	
  to	
  be	
  true,	
  from	
  their	
  faith	
  in	
  the	
  priesthood	
  of	
  
the	
  local	
  temple	
  to	
  their	
  loyalty	
  to	
  the	
  king. 	
  
	
   The	
  loyalty	
  of	
  these	
  bards	
  lies	
  in	
  the	
  pursuit	
  of	
  
beauty	
  and	
  truth,	
  not	
  in	
  fealty	
  to	
  a	
  monarch	
  or	
  
following	
  the	
  tenets	
  of	
  a	
  deity.	
  A	
  noble	
  who	
  keeps	
  
such	
  a	
  bard	
  as	
  a	
  herald	
  or	
  advisor	
  knows	
  that	
  the	
  
bard	
  would	
  rather	
  be	
  honest	
  than	
  politic. 	
  
	
   The	
  college’s	
  members	
  gather	
  in	
  libraries	
  and	
  
sometimes	
  in	
  actual	
  colleges,	
  c omplete	
  with	
  
classrooms	
  and	
  dormitories,	
  to	
  share	
  their	
  lore	
  with	
  
one	
  another.	
  They	
  also	
  meet	
  at	
  festivals	
  or	
  affairs	
  of	
  
state,	
  where	
  they	
  can	
  expose	
  corruption,	
  unravel	
  lies,	
  
and	
  poke	
  fun	
  at	
  self -­‐‑important	
  figures	
  of	
  authority. 	
  
Bonus Proficiencies 
When	
  you	
  join	
  the	
  College	
  of	
  Lore	
  at	
  3rd	
  level,	
  you	
  
gain	
  proficiency	
  with	
  three	
  skills	
  of	
  your	
  choice. 	
  
Cutting Words 
Also	
  at	
  3rd	
  level,	
  you	
  learn	
  how	
  to	
  use	
  your	
  wit	
  to	
  
distract,	
  confuse,	
  and	
  otherwise	
  sap	
  the	
  confidence	
  
and	
  competence	
  of	
  others.	
  When	
  a	
  creature	
   that	
  you	
  
can	
  see	
  within	
  60	
  feet	
  of	
  you	
  makes	
  an	
  attack	
  roll,	
  an	
  
ability	
  check,	
  or	
  a	
  damage	
  roll,	
  you	
  can	
  use	
  your	
  
reaction	
  to	
  expend	
  one	
  of	
  your	
  uses	
  of	
  Bardic	
  
Inspiration,	
  rolling	
  a	
  Bardic	
  Inspiration	
  die	
  and	
  
subtracting	
  the	
  number	
  rolled	
  from	
  the	
  creatur e’s	
  
roll.	
  You	
  can	
  choose	
  to	
  use	
  this	
  feature	
  after	
  the	
  
creature	
  makes	
  its	
  roll,	
  but	
  before	
  the	
  GM	
  
determines	
  whether	
  the	
  attack	
  roll	
  or	
  ability	
  check	
  
succeeds	
  or	
  fails,	
  or	
  before	
  the	
  creature	
  deals	
  its	
  
damage.	
  The	
  creature	
  is	
  immune	
  if	
  it	
  can’t	
  hear	
  you	
  
or	
  if	
  it’s	
  immune	
  to	
  being	
  charmed. 	
  
Additional Magical Secrets 
At	
  6th	
  level,	
  you	
  learn	
  two	
  spells	
  of	
  your	
  choice	
  from	
  
any	
  class.	
  A	
  spell	
  you	
  choose	
  must	
  be	
  of	
  a	
  level	
  you	
  
can	
  cast,	
  as	
  shown	
  on	
  the	
  Bard	
  table,	
  or	
  a	
  cantrip.	
  
The	
  chosen	
  spells	
  count	
  as	
  bard	
   spells	
  for	
  you	
  but	
  
don’t	
  count	
  against	
  the	
  number	
  of	
  bard	
  spells	
  you	
  
know.	
  