The College of Eloquence: History, Features, and Playstyles
Bards have always been known as storytellers and poets, not just musicians. The College of Eloquence emphasizes this aspect, focusing on the power of words to persuade, inspire, and control. This article explores the history of this Bard College and its unique features, as well as different ways to play this subclass in Dungeons & Dragons.
The Essence of Eloquence
The College of Eloquence is for bards who are orators, diplomats, or actors. Their ability to speak, convince, and enthrall is unparalleled. In battle, their ability to make enemies fail their saving throws puts them high on the list of dangerous classes in D&D. Within the bounded accuracy rules of 5e D&D, the ability to reduce a saving throw makes College of Eloquence Bards one of the strongest subclasses in the game.
Core Features of the College of Eloquence
The College of Eloquence offers a unique set of abilities that enhance a bard's capacity for social interaction and battlefield control. These features, gained at various levels, allow players to exploit their Bardic Inspiration to a terrific degree.
Silver Tongue
This feature ensures that a College of Eloquence bard is a master of social interactions (excluding Intimidation). When combined with the core class Expertise feature, a bard can achieve unparalleled diplomatic skill. With a +10 bonus to Persuasion and Deception, even indifferent creatures will likely comply with requests that involve no significant risks or sacrifices.
Unsettling Words
This ability empowers Bardic Inspiration, allowing bards to hinder their enemies' saving throws. Though it functions as a reaction, the potential for the affected creature to die or for plans to change before the bard's next turn makes it a situational ability.
Read also: Exploring Bard Bronx
Unfailing Inspiration
This feature ensures that Bardic Inspiration remains active until it successfully inspires the creature or until 10 minutes have passed. This makes the Bardic Inspiration mechanic crucial for these bards, and allows players to exploit it to a terrific degree.
Universal Speech
The bard gains the ability to speak and be understood by any creature. This opens doors to resolving conflicts through dialogue and influencing even the most hostile adversaries. However, some creatures are so ill-disposed that no check can sway them, and any attempts to influence them fail automatically.
Infectious Inspiration
This feature allows a College of Eloquence bard to squeeze an extra dispensation of Bardic Inspiration into a situation.
Roleplaying a College of Eloquence Bard
The storytelling aspect of this Bard College can be approached in different ways. Some players might use every potential combat encounter as an opportunity to parley and make new friends and allies. Others might focus on how the class features can be used in combat, treating the non-combat abilities as secondary.
A College of Eloquence bard can be more than just a musician. They can be scholars, historians, or even private investigators. Replacing musical instruments with tools like Cartographer's Tools, a Forgery Kit, or a Poisoner's Kit can further enhance this non-traditional approach.
Read also: 5e Tragedy Bard Build
Build Options and Customization
Creating the perfect Bard is hard work, between creating the right backstory and choosing feats and spells to fit your character. But, the most important part of making any character is choosing the perfect Archetype. A bard’s power is tied to their Bardic College, the way their power has been schooled, not unlike a wizard. This is what determines how your individual character is going to differ from the Bard as a base class. College of Eloquence bards require some buy in from the DM and other players to fully realize this Bard College’s place. Employing social interaction rules seems reasonable although the features neuter them quite a lot. This causes a conundrum as I see it. A 5E D&D campaign focusing heavily on social interaction can wind up with similar problems as an exploration heavy game does with a ranger involved.
Multiclassing Options
To enhance their capabilities, College of Eloquence bards may consider multiclassing. Here are two popular options:
Hexblade Warlock
Taking two levels in Hexblade Warlock grants proficiency in medium armor and shields, as well as access to the shield spell. The eldritch blast cantrip, along with the Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast invocations, provides at-will damage and control.
Divine Soul Sorcerer
A one-level dip into Divine Soul Sorcerer offers defensive insurance in the form of the absorb elements spell and the Favored by the Gods subclass feature, which provides a bonus to a critical saving throw once per short rest.
Feat Selection
Several feats can further optimize a College of Eloquence bard:
Read also: Comprehensive Choir Repertoire
- Fey Touched: This feat increases Charisma, grants the misty step spell, and provides another 1st-level spell, such as gift of alacrity.
- Resilient (Constitution): This feat improves Constitution saving throws, which is crucial for maintaining concentration on spells.
- Moderately Armored: This feat grants proficiency in medium armor and shields, increasing survivability.
Spell Selection
A College of Eloquence bard benefits from a diverse selection of spells:
- Bless: Adding 1d4 to attacks and saves.
- Gift of alacrity: +1d8 to initiative.
- Shield: +5 AC for a round, is often the difference between taking the full brunt of a monster’s attacks and going unscathed, taking no damage at all.
- Absorb elements: Damage resistance.
- Misty step: Escape enemy reach, break out of grapples, and get past inaccessible terrain with just a bonus action and without having to Disengage to fully retreat.
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