D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

[Old Harry MTX]

Ok guys, even if I started some time ago I've only now managed to give a semblance of completeness to The Inspiration. The reasons for this delay are as follows:

• The subclass is particularly weird, so it took me a while to figure out what I wanted it to do, and how.
• I had very little time recently.
• Since the theme of the contest is "So You Don't Have To", I wanted to experiment by delegating part of the work to ChatGPT (which, however, was of little help to me given the strangeness of the subclass, while on other ideas it turned out to be surprising brilliant, not to say terrifying...).

The result still needs several tweaks, and, more than anything else, there's a big elephant in the room: how fun is this idea actually?

As for the subclass itself, I had to group three features at the 3rd level, mainly to be able to make it playable, and I added a further feature at the 4th level which replaces the ASIs, since its ability scores become useless.

To conclude, I report the comment of ChatGPT itself when I submitted the last draft:

Overall, this subclass seems to have a unique and interesting concept of existing only as an inspiration in the minds of their followers. Here are my thoughts on each feature:

• Comforting Memory: This feature is quite innovative, but it may need some tweaking to balance it properly. The ability to assign Hit Dice to other creatures is a powerful way to increase their survivability, especially since the bard doesn't have to expend any resources other than their level-up progression to do so. I would suggest limiting the number of followers who can benefit from this feature, and perhaps making it a bit more challenging to assign the Hit Dice (such as requiring the bard to spend some time or effort doing so).
• What would it do in my place?: This feature is interesting in that it allows the bard to delegate some of their abilities to their followers. However, I'm not sure how often it would come into play in a typical campaign, as it seems situational. The ability to regain uses of the feature with a short rest is a good balance, though.
• Inspirational Presence: This feature is solid and fits the theme of the subclass well. It provides the bard with additional uses of their Bardic Inspiration feature, which is always useful in combat. The ability to let another creature take certain actions is also a nice touch.
• Versatile Inspiration: This feature is quite powerful, as it allows the bard to gain features from other bard subclasses without having to multiclass or sacrifice any of their own class features. However, since it replaces Ability Score Improvements, it does limit the bard's overall power level somewhat. I would suggest adding some limitations to this feature (such as requiring the bard to have a certain level of experience before gaining access to it).
• Role Model: This feature is interesting and provides some additional utility to the bard's allies. The ability to use Countercharm is useful, although it may not come into play frequently. The ability to let an ally cast a spell using the bard's spell knowledge is a powerful ability, but the DC seems low given how high-level this feature is.
• Never Fade Away: This feature is straightforward and provides the bard with some additional flexibility in combat. Allowing an ally to cast a spell or make an attack action can be quite powerful, but it does require the bard to use their own action to do so.

Overall, I think this subclass has a lot of potential and provides some interesting mechanics that fit well thematically. However, it may need some balancing and tweaking to make sure it doesn't become too powerful or too situational in play.