D&D 5E Cantor (Bard Variant - Draft) PEACH

[Michael Morris]

I'm writing again (yay)

Trying to keep this writeup small - it's a variant, not a whole new class. Outside of my own setting (where magic is color based) a cantor continues to use the bard spell list - so just ignore the mention of colors and invocations.

[h=2]Cantor (class variant)[/h]A cantor is anofficer of a religious order charged with maintaining the musicalliturgy of the faith Apply these changes.

• Invoker: A cantor is a divine caster. They can use spells of the invocation school within their colors. Their spell powers are divinely powered and subject to the whim of a divine entity that grants them. They have no spells known list but instead prepare spells through ritual as a cleric does.
  
• No Bardic College.
  
• Divine Domain: At 3^rd level, when a bard normally chooses their college, cantors choose a divine domain. They may use this domain as a cleric of their level. Abilities of the domain that require the character to channel divinity require the cantor to use his bardic inspiration instead. Cantors gain divine domain powers at the same levels as clerics – these replace the bardic college powers they would have received.

Ok, I just worked this up in about 20 minutes. I think one drawback is there will be dead levels - bard college features and divine powers usually arrive on the same levels but not always. I skimmed the two lists. The largest gap I saw was 2 levels - figured it's close enough.

One balance concern is a bard has more uses of bardic inspiration than a cleric does - but clerics regain on short rest where bards regain on long rest. I think this will balance out long term but I'm not sure without playing it.

But again, this is meant to be something short and sweet to plug into a larger book, not a whole new writeup. I've worked as a real life cantor in the Catholic church so what amounts to a singing cleric doesn't feel odd to me.

 

[Redthistle]

Intriguing concept, and worth developing further.

 

[gyor]

I'd personally stay away from borrowing clerics divine domains, as it undermines the clerics uniqueness, while making your subclass just feel like another way to multiclass.

I'd focus more on what fuction a Cantor would take in a Church as opposed to a Cleric, and tie the abilities to that.

A Cantor I think would focus not on miracles of divine power like a Clerics channel divinity, but rather on moving the faithful emotionally.

Truth be told the Bard as is makes a good divine class, as it can steal spells from other classes like the cleric.

Still maybe an increase in dice for Song of Rest, a convert ability that functions like animate undead, but with living converts instead of undead, and an ability to spend inspiration dice to heal converts created/summoned by convert ability.

 

[Redthistle]

I'd personally stay away from borrowing clerics divine domains, as it undermines the clerics uniqueness, while making your subclass just feel like another way to multiclass.

I'd focus more on what fuction a Cantor would take in a Church as opposed to a Cleric, and tie the abilities to that.

A Cantor I think would focus not on miracles of divine power like a Clerics channel divinity, but rather on moving the faithful emotionally.

Truth be told the Bard as is makes a good divine class, as it can steal spells from other classes like the cleric.

Still maybe an increase in dice for Song of Rest, a convert ability that functions like animate undead, but with living converts instead of undead, and an ability to spend inspiration dice to heal converts created/summoned by convert ability.

Good suggestions.

Maybe incorporating a variant Magic Initiate feat into the Cantor's 3rd-level features, with the feature taking a 1st-level spell granted by the favored Domain, but not getting the Domain itself. The two cantrips and the spell would then count as bard spells, so Charisma would be the spellcasting ability for them.

This then keeps open the Bardic College level-schedule of potential features. Gyor's suggestions are fueling my cogitative processes, but I haven't come up with something solid so far ...

 

[Michael Morris]

Stuff worth chewing on at least. Trying to keep the writeup somewhat simple. Then again, I have a warlock writeup that's getting biggish.

 

[Redthistle]

Outside of my own setting (where magic is color based) a cantor continues to use the bard spell list - so just ignore the mention of colors and invocations.

I just noticed your mention of color-based magic.

Recently, I read one of Brandon Sanderson's recent novels about a world in which magic is also color-based. It's a pretty good tale; perhaps you've already read it.

If not, the unfolding explanations of how color is incorporated into magic and culture were quite fascinating. You might enjoy it just to do a comparison/contrast with how your world's magic works.