College of Hymnals

A man in rough brown robes gives his choir their opening note on a tuning fork. Something unspeakable scratches at the locked door of their chapel, but their voices ring out strong and true. As they harmonize into one voice a sense of serenity falls over the rest of the village; maybe things will turn out alright.

A smartly dressed halfling adjusts the stool of a cathedral’s organ so her whole body can get involved. Her mastery of the complex legion of pipes is sure to impress the visiting duke. With luck it might even persuade him to leave a donation large enough to fix the gaping hole in the roof.

A deformed tiefling swings about his home high in the belltower, ringing in the new festival day with clanging joy. Though he may never be seen by the townsfolk, he prays they can grow to know him through the peals of music that resound through the whole valley.

Throughout time, music has been an active and vital part of worship. There are those who say that music is the most honest connection to the divine we have. The instruments used to sing praise to the gods may have started simply, but as time marches on so does the size and grandeur of mortal ingenuity. Sometimes big feelings require really big instruments.

Your chosen instrument of praise is loud enough for the entire community to hear. Such musical skill is useful for calling in the masses of faithful, but is less conducive to an adventuring life. Fortunately, there are ways around such limitations; if one has the patience and faith of a hymnist.

Acapella

As your chosen instrument is decidedly stationary, you have trained to use the first and greatest instrument ever invoked to sing the praises of a god. The human voice. Whenever you cast a bard spell, you can ignore any material components without a listed cost in gold. If a spell has a somatic but no verbal component, you can choose to cast it using a verbal component instead of the somatic component

Gregorian chant

At third level your liturgical training focuses on the unaccompanied choirs of monasteries. When you’re a monk, your body is both your instrument and your weapon. You gain proficiency in medium armor and unarmed strikes. Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8.

In addition to increasing your own physical prowess, monastic life instills a musical sense of community. You can use your bardic inspiration to harmonize with your allies, allowing them to take special bonus actions on their turn. When you give an ally bardic inspiration they can expend it as a bonus action to:

  • Perform an unarmed strike using their strength or dexterity modifier. This strike deals bludgeoning damage equal to one roll of your bardic inspiration die plus their strength or dexterity modifier.
  • Move a number of feet equal to 5 times the roll of your bardic inspiration die.
  • Enter a defensive stance lasting until the end of their next turn. This stance reduces the next source of incoming damage by an amount equal to one roll of your bardic inspiration die

Kyrie

At 6th level your understanding of the divine deepens, riviling that of even priests. Often these melancholic revelations are best communicated through dissonant song.

You learn the cantrip Toll the Dead and two spells of your choice from the cleric spell list. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or another cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don't count against the number of bard spells you know.

1

Art Credits | Village Bellringer, David Palumbo Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck

Gloria in Excelsis

At 14th level you become a true champion of your faith, able to summon a divine manifestation of your chosen instrument. As an action, you magically summon a massive, stationary, holy instrument such as a Carillon, Pipe Organ, Organistrum or a Celestial Choir.

This holy instrument is Huge and can be up to 40 feet tall (minimum 5 feet tall). It appears centered on you, harmlessly shunting any nearby creatures to the nearest unoccupied space. If there is not enough empty space for the instrument to appear around you without harming another creature, the summoning simply fails. The instrument is spectral in appearance and only lightly obscures vision. Its exterior can be climbed, and its structure is sturdy enough to support several tons. As it is spectral and divine in nature, it is immune to all damage and cannot be dispelled except by divine intervention.

When you summon it, your character shares its space, sitting or standing in the exact center of the gigantic apparatus where there is a stool, a music stand and a narrow rope ladder down to the ground. While within your instrument you have ¾ cover but full visibility, as the gaps between pipes, bells or choristers act as arrow slits. You may play your instrument as an action on your turn while you are within it. You may choose to leave your instrument at any time by spending half your movement to lower the ladder and climb down to an adjacent space.

When you play your instrument, creatures of your choice gain a variety of benefits (or face a variety of dangers) based on how close they are to the instrument when they start their turn:

  • Creatures within 60 feet cannot be charmed, frightened, or possessed while you play. If they are already under such an effect, it is suppressed for as long as you continue playing. They can repeat any save to end such effects at the start of their turn.
  • Creatures within 30 feet gain temporary hit points equal to one roll of your bardic inspiration die plus your charisma modifier. While they have these temporary hit points, they have advantage on saves against being blinded, paralyzed or poisoned.
  • Creatures within 15 feet may add 1d4 thunder or radiant damage to all damage rolls until the start of their next turn.
  • Enemy creatures within 60 feet have disadvantage on concentration checks.
  • Enemy creatures within 30 feet gain no benefit from invisibility and cannot teleport or travel between planes.
  • Enemy creatures with 15 feet are deafened and must make a concentration check before attempting to cast a spell. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a failure, the creature’s spell fails. Their spell slot is expended but it has no effect

Being at the center of such a cacophony of holy noise disrupts harmful arcana. While you play your instrument you cannot be affected by any spell of 5th level or lower unless you wish to be, and you have advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.

Your instrument lasts for 5 minutes or until you pass three rounds without actively playing it. Once you summon your holy instrument, you must finish a long rest before you can summon it again.

2

Art Credit | Carillon , Arnold van Westerhout 19th Century Singing Angels Greeting Card, Unknown Artist