The Godsforge Chronicles

College of the Gilded Blade

Bards of Khassid Subclass

“Every duel is a dance, every parry a performance. Why merely win when you can dazzle?”
—Tavian Solenne, Duelmaster Laureate of the Gilded Chamber

In the opulent salons of Khassid, where politics and performance share a stage, the College of the Gilded Blade trains artists whose medium is steel. These bards blend music, movement, and martial prowess into a style as elegant as it is deadly. To duel with a Gilded Blade is to fight a mirror’s edge—razor-sharp and blinding with brilliance.

Bards of this college are admired for their radiant confidence and poetic cruelty. A flourish from one of these virtuosos might end in applause… or in a blade sliding between ribs. Whether performing before nobles or confronting tyrants on the battlefield, they strike with both charm and steel, bending the will of audiences and enemies alike.

Gilded Flourish

3rd-Level College of the Gilded Blade Feature

You turn combat into a choreographed masterpiece, leaving foes dazed by your elegant strikes.

  • Gilded Strike. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can envelop them in an illusory aura. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or have disadvantage on its next attack roll or ability check before the end of its next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
  • Dueling Performer. You gain proficiency with rapiers, longswords, scimitars, and whips. You can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for attack rolls with melee weapons you are proficient with.
  • Weapon Mastery. Choose one weapon you are proficient with from the list above. You gain access to its Mastery property (see One D&D rules). You may choose a different weapon each time you finish a long rest.

Enchanted Demeanor

6th-Level College of the Gilded Blade Feature

Your grace becomes an almost magical force, captivating the battlefield with sheer presence.

  • Beguiling Presence. As an action, you may target one creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be charmed by you for 1 minute. The charm ends early if the creature takes damage from you or your allies. A creature that succeeds is immune to this effect for 24 hours. You may use this feature once per long rest.
  • Focused Charms. When you cast a spell that charms a creature, the first time you take damage while concentrating on that spell, you do not need to make a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration.
  • Enhanced Bardic Presence. When you grant Bardic Inspiration, you may choose an additional effect based on the recipient’s combat role:
    • Duelists: Gain temporary hit points equal to the Bardic Inspiration die.
    • Archers: Can reroll one missed ranged attack before the end of their next turn.
    • Defenders: Can force a creature within 5 feet to reroll its attack roll once before the end of its next turn.

Blade’s Radiance

14th-Level College of the Gilded Blade Feature

You unleash your full brilliance, becoming a spectacle of beauty and terror on the battlefield.

  • Radiant Aura. As an action, you emit a golden aura in a 30-foot radius centered on yourself that lasts for 1 minute. While the aura is active:
    • Blinding Presence: Hostile creatures in the aura must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be blinded until the start of their next turn.
    • Psychic Precision: You and allies within the aura deal an additional 1d6 psychic damage with weapon attacks against blinded creatures.
    • Reaction Disruption: When you hit a blinded creature with a weapon attack, it cannot take reactions until the start of its next turn.

You may use this feature once per long rest.