Scorpion_Strike
2017-06-21, 07:58 PM
Just an idea that came to me earlier today that I just had to elaborate on. It's a bit of a joke, yes, but I'd like to actually make a balanced subclass out of it so any comments and critique would be appreciated.
The Armchair General – Bard College
Many bards operate under the hope that the information and knowledge they gather and spread will be useful to other people, whether in exposing and overthrowing tyrants or inspiring the heroes of the present and future with tales from heroes of the past. The bards of the College of the Armchair General take this one step further, however: they know for a fact that, with their wealth of knowledge and experience, their advice will be useful in any situation, and they are more insistent than anyone else that it be applied, reasoning that information known but not used might as well not be known at all. When an armchair general happens upon a situation that they believe they know how to solve (and those are many), they endeavor to unload all information that they believe pertinent to the situation in a rapid but elaborate series of suggestions and orders that, if followed, will ensure that the situation is expediently resolved. Whether or not their advice is actually called for is beside the point, as the armchair general knows that those who heed it will learn in their success the value of the information provided and that those who fail to heed it are fools who would see good advice go to waste. Though at times they may be derisively referred to as “backseat drivers” and worse, the armchair general’s conviction in their own intellect keeps them devoted to their task. Knowledge is power, and it must be distributed… regardless of whether the subjects are willing.
Incessant Advice
The armchair general’s creed to make their knowledge valuable in every conceivable situation drives them to constantly provide advice on everything. At 3rd level, you learn the Guidance cantrip. For you, the cantrip has a range of 60 feet so long as the target can hear you, and the target can apply the die awarded by the cantrip to an attack roll or saving throw.
Armchair
The armchair general always sees themselves as directing a situation as it develops, and this is done best when seated comfortably in a way that conveys authority: from a well-positioned armchair. If necessary, the armchair can be anything from a rock to a tree stump to an overturned feeding trough, but many armchair generals carry with them a piece of furniture to ensure that, wherever they go, they will always have a way to assert their intellectual authority from a comfortably seated position in which they need not get their hands dirty. Starting at 3rd level, you can sit down or stand up from a seated position without using any of your movement speed. In addition, when you are seated and do not use any of your movement, make a weapon attack, or cast a spell that directly damages another creature during your turn, you gain the following benefits:
The armchair, in addition to being comfortable, provides you with a degree of distance and security from the chaos around you. You gain the benefits of the Sanctuary spell until the beginning of your next turn. The saving throw DC for the spell is your spell save DC. If a creature succeeds on the saving throw against this feature, it is immune to its effects for the next 24 hours.
Without having to worry about mundane things like standing up and moving around, you can focus your attention on dispensing your most valuable asset: your knowledge. You can cast the Guidance Cantrip as a bonus action.
Commander’s Presence
The armchair general’s success in their craft bolsters their gravitas and ego to the point where, whenever they sit down in the armchair, their throne of wisdom and authority, they automatically take on a commanding presence that bolsters their allies even from afar. Beginning at 6th level, if you are seated and do not use any of your movement during your turn, the range of your Countercharm feature increases to 60 feet.
Vindicated Ego
For the armchair general, nothing is more rewarding than seeing another creature heed their advice and succeed at what they set out to do because of it. Starting at 14th level, when a creature utilizes a Bardic Inspiration die that you provided and manages to succeed on an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that they would have failed if it were not for the Bardic Inspiration die, you can immediately use your reaction to regain one use of the Bardic Inspiration feature.
The Armchair General – Bard College
Many bards operate under the hope that the information and knowledge they gather and spread will be useful to other people, whether in exposing and overthrowing tyrants or inspiring the heroes of the present and future with tales from heroes of the past. The bards of the College of the Armchair General take this one step further, however: they know for a fact that, with their wealth of knowledge and experience, their advice will be useful in any situation, and they are more insistent than anyone else that it be applied, reasoning that information known but not used might as well not be known at all. When an armchair general happens upon a situation that they believe they know how to solve (and those are many), they endeavor to unload all information that they believe pertinent to the situation in a rapid but elaborate series of suggestions and orders that, if followed, will ensure that the situation is expediently resolved. Whether or not their advice is actually called for is beside the point, as the armchair general knows that those who heed it will learn in their success the value of the information provided and that those who fail to heed it are fools who would see good advice go to waste. Though at times they may be derisively referred to as “backseat drivers” and worse, the armchair general’s conviction in their own intellect keeps them devoted to their task. Knowledge is power, and it must be distributed… regardless of whether the subjects are willing.
Incessant Advice
The armchair general’s creed to make their knowledge valuable in every conceivable situation drives them to constantly provide advice on everything. At 3rd level, you learn the Guidance cantrip. For you, the cantrip has a range of 60 feet so long as the target can hear you, and the target can apply the die awarded by the cantrip to an attack roll or saving throw.
Armchair
The armchair general always sees themselves as directing a situation as it develops, and this is done best when seated comfortably in a way that conveys authority: from a well-positioned armchair. If necessary, the armchair can be anything from a rock to a tree stump to an overturned feeding trough, but many armchair generals carry with them a piece of furniture to ensure that, wherever they go, they will always have a way to assert their intellectual authority from a comfortably seated position in which they need not get their hands dirty. Starting at 3rd level, you can sit down or stand up from a seated position without using any of your movement speed. In addition, when you are seated and do not use any of your movement, make a weapon attack, or cast a spell that directly damages another creature during your turn, you gain the following benefits:
The armchair, in addition to being comfortable, provides you with a degree of distance and security from the chaos around you. You gain the benefits of the Sanctuary spell until the beginning of your next turn. The saving throw DC for the spell is your spell save DC. If a creature succeeds on the saving throw against this feature, it is immune to its effects for the next 24 hours.
Without having to worry about mundane things like standing up and moving around, you can focus your attention on dispensing your most valuable asset: your knowledge. You can cast the Guidance Cantrip as a bonus action.
Commander’s Presence
The armchair general’s success in their craft bolsters their gravitas and ego to the point where, whenever they sit down in the armchair, their throne of wisdom and authority, they automatically take on a commanding presence that bolsters their allies even from afar. Beginning at 6th level, if you are seated and do not use any of your movement during your turn, the range of your Countercharm feature increases to 60 feet.
Vindicated Ego
For the armchair general, nothing is more rewarding than seeing another creature heed their advice and succeed at what they set out to do because of it. Starting at 14th level, when a creature utilizes a Bardic Inspiration die that you provided and manages to succeed on an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that they would have failed if it were not for the Bardic Inspiration die, you can immediately use your reaction to regain one use of the Bardic Inspiration feature.