5E – Bardic College – The Delian Academy

NOTE: Members of the Delian College operate in significantly different manner from normal Bards. Primarily, their “Inspiration” is not as a result of stirring language but is instead representative of their ability to manipulate destiny and fate for individuals. This ability is also not a Arcane or Divine ability, but a Psychic one – the DM can decide if this means that no Focus is needed or if Psychics need a Psychic Focus (typically a crystal or a piece of jewelry of some sort). Lastly, in the original setting, the Timedancer Feat is needed to be allowed to study at the Academy – meaning that begin play as a member of the Order requires either a Common Human with a Charisma of 13+ who takes that feat at 1st Level, or being a member of the variant human race, the Delian (who would have a similar Feature).

The Delian Academy

The majority of the members of the Delian Order study at the Delian Academy, brought there from wherever in time and space they are found. The Delian Academy is found in the Citadel of Eternity in the great city of Aeon where it sits in the Deep Time. There the prospective members of the Order study both arms and temporal science and mysticism, preparing themselves to be sent out into the River of Time as agents of the Delian Council, looking for threats to Creation – from either within or without. The Delian Order tends to place agents in one of two situations, those who watch places or locations defined by some combination of spatial or temporal significance (e.g. the Battle of Ebionstark or the Siyahchal) and those who are set to watch particular individuals (e.g. Ashanden the Solitaire or the Necromancer). In either case they act as the eyes and ears of the Order, and can take action if it is deemed necessary. Rare agents operate as roam the River of Time freely, looking for evidence of the Dearth, or the Ichneumon Vorre, or the any of a handful of threats considered so dire that the Delian will take action.

NOTE: Instead of Three Instruments at Level One, students of the Delian Academy are skilled in the Arcana, History, and the use of the Astrolabe (Tool). Also, at 1st Level, they may only apply Inspiration to themselves, not to others.

Bonus Proficiencies

Agents of the Delian gain the Insight, Investigation, and Perception skills.

Timespinner

At 3rd level the Agent learns to apply Inspiration to others, and anyone under the effect of their Inspiration may use it to increase their damage (as per the College of Valor) as well as use a Reaction to use the Inspiration die to increase their AC (also as per the College of Valor).

Extra Attack

At 6th Level the Agent attacks twice rather than once when the Attack action is taken on their turn.

Temporal Warrior

Upon reaching 14th Level, the Agent can blend their manipulation of time and combat together seamlessly. When using their action to cast a Bard spell they may also take a single weapon attack as a bonus action.

A pair of Feats – “Timedancer” & “True Speech Mastery”

Timedancer Feat

Prerequisite: Charisma 13+, and permission of the Dungeon Master

Timedancers are connected on a fundamental level to the Temporal Flow, aware of it in ways that the Slow cannot even imagine. Their flashes of insight and ability to manipulate Time in a minor manner grants them the following benefits.

• Always win Initiative (save vs. other Timedancers with whom they must dice off with).
• Have Advantage to detect Temporal effects.
• Have Advantage to all Saves against Temporal effects that normally grant Saving Throws.
• Gain Saving Throws (without Advantage) against Temporal Effects that normally have no Saving Throw.

True Speech Mastery

Requires Arcane Spellcaster

Gain double Proficiency Bonus in one spell, that spell level cannot be higher than one third the caster’s level at the time of taking this feat. It is always considered memorized.

• Choose One Metamagic Ability
• Can convert spell slots into Sorcery Points, these last (unless spent) until next long sleep

(This Feat may be taken multiple times)

The Pact of the Hourglass – with associated Eldritch Invocations

Pact of the Hourglass

Mostly commonly found among those Warlocks who serve the Delian, the Pact of Hourglass grants a small level of mastery of time, both the perception and manipulation of it. As a result, the Warlock is never surprised and they always win Initiative.

 

Eldritch Invocations

Timedancer’s Luck

(Prerequisite: Pact of the Hourglass)

The Warlock may either take Advantage on a single roll, or force Disadvantage on a target for a single roll. This ability may not be used again until after either a Short of Long Rest.

Delian Speed

(Prerequisite: 5th Level, Pact of the Hourglass)

The Warlock may use a spell slot to cast Haste.

Timedancer’s Grace

(Prerequisite: 9th Level, Pact of the Hourglass)

The Warlock may use their Reaction to take half damage from attacks that cause damage – weapons, damage-causing spells, etc.

5E – Warlock Patron – The Delian

The Delian

You have made your pact with one of the Delian Powers, the Hidden Masters behind the Delian Order, the Lords of Time. Becoming one of their agents, a “grey cloak” the character leaves the River of Time and moves to the heart of the Deep Time, able to travel across all of Creation, as protectors from threats both esoteric and dire. The Hidden Masters of the Delian Council send agents across time and space to act as observers, looking through their eyes, hearing through their ears, and using them to maintain a presence at crucial junctions of fate and destiny.

Expanded Spell List

The Delian allow you to choose from an expanded spell list when you learn Warlock spells. The following spells are added to the Warlock spell list for you.

• 1st Level: Alarm, Feather Fall
• 2nd Level: Aid, Blur
• 3rd Level: Haste, Slow
• 4th Level: Confusion, Freedom of Movement
• 5th Level: Mass Cure Wounds, Raise Dead

Unseen Observer

At 1st Level the patronage of the Delian means that the Warlock has learned to hide within the currents of the River of Time. They may become Invisible at will and all attempts at divining their location or presence have Disadvantage.

Hard to Kill

Existing outside of the normal River of Time, starting at 1st Level, the Warlock Stabilizes automatically upon dropping to 0 HP. The Warlock also regenerates 5HP every hour and is Resistant to Disease and Poison. The Warlock can also grant a small bit of this blessing to others – the Warlock learns the Spare the Dying cantrip.

Leywalk

At 10th Level, the Warlock may tap into and ride the Ley Lines to Teleport as a Reaction. This ability may not be used again until after a Long Rest.

Timestorm

Upon reaching 14th Level the character can touch a target and send a target on a hellish trip through multiple timelines until the end of the characters next turn. If the target is not a Timedancer of some sort it takes 5d10 necrotic damage and 5d10 psychic damage. This feature cannot be used again until the character finishes a long rest.

 

 

5E Background – The Winter Soldier (Campaign Specific Variant)

Shamelessly ganked but credited to the fantastic blog Hack and Slash at http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.ca/ I have adapted slightly to make it more applicable to my own campaign world. Used without permission but not in challenge to copyright.

Background: Winter Soldier
You once lived a life that is now gone. Through sorcery, magic, or chance everyone you once knew is dead and you lived in a long distant time. You have dim memories of the passage of history, flashes of insight and knowledge into what has passed during your long sleep, that while profound are also somewhat random and unpredictable. There is also a strong possibility you are not the only one to be out of time. Perhaps a companion or an old enemy who knows secrets long forgotten by those people in the modern age.

• Skill Proficiency: History with Expertise (Double Proficiency Bonus), but always with Disadvantage.
• Tool Proficiency: Select any one gaming set
• Languages: Select any one old or ancient language
• Equipment: Costume Clothes (any archaic people/uniform), a trinket of historical significance unknown to you, your gaming set, beltpouch of 10sp

Specialty: There are lots of reasons you could be pulled out of time. Roll randomly, or choose one from the following list.

1. You were turned into stone, and recently revivified with a stone to flesh spell.
2. You were imprisoned by a powerful wizard and the enchantment was recently broken.
3. You were adrift, unconscious, in the astral plane for many years and were rescued by a hunting band of the Old Race who were going to eat you, luckily you escaped alive.
4. Sleeping curse. Wouldn’t you know it?
5. Frozen in the ice.
6. Entered a portal and it transported you through time.
7. Sent through time by the Delian. It was for a reason, though when you arrived you had no recollection of what that was.
8. You weren’t magically transported. You spent the whole time in prison.

Feature: Living Legend
People see you as larger than life due to your survival. Some fear you, some seek you out, some fete you, and some will try to capture you to torture or vivisect the source of your miraculous survival out of you. In any case your presence tends to polarize people when they recognize you, and if you are willing to capitalize on this you can live a Wealthy Lifestyle at no cost.

Suggested Characteristics
You don’t understand a lot of unfamiliar things. Perhaps races, language, and customs are all strange. But you are no stranger to human nature. People are always the same. Being from the past doesn’t make you stupid. You also carry the burden of everyone you ever knew being gone or drastically changed from when you knew them. It is very likely you may have amnesia of one kind or another.

d8 Personality

1. I am this way because I volunteered. The reasons I did so are just as true today as they were then!
2. I hate everything the way it is now. By leaving I’ve disgraced or lost everything that was important to me.
3. Everything is so different here, you have no frame of reference for anything. Your home culture was radically different from what you experience.
4. Everything in your day was golden and you love to tell people about it!
5. I’m young enough that I’m loving being in the future.
6. I’m just a normal guy thrust into an extraordinary experience.
7. Why is this happening to me!
8. I have no idea what the future or my life holds, but I will meet it with a level head.

d6 Ideal

1. Duty: My goal has not changed. (Lawful)
2. Honor: I struggle to do what is right, no matter the time. (Good)
3. Loss: Everything is different, so it doesn’t matter what I do! I’m truly free. (Chaos)
4. Revenge: All that matters is making whoever did this to me pay. (Evil)
5. Discovery: I will figure out how the three seashells work! (Unaligned)
6. Escape: I just want to extract myself from whatever I’ve gotten into and live the rest of my life in peace. (Unaligned)

d6 Bond

1. You just really want to get your old stuff back.
2. You hung out with some marginalized group because you blended in. It wouldn’t be right if anything happened to them.
3. You have an enemy that you still seek to destroy.
4. You were experimented on by aliens. Either they, or a robot servant of theirs is your friend.
5. Something that existed in the past exists now, and it is your focus. Either you must protect it or serve it. Perhaps it is a creature, a god, or just the symbol or earthly representation of such a thing.
6. You founded an order and discover the current incarnation of such an order to have drifted so far from it’s original purpose, that it nearly serves what it was founded to combat.

d6 Flaw

1. What no one knows is that I traveled through time intentionally, because I was a screw-up where I was from.
2. The future is so radically different that you are suffering from one or several mental illnesses (Anxiety, Depression, etc.)
3. You frequently misunderstand what people say.
4. Whatever happened to send you through time was a punishment. If anyone knew what you did, they would say you got off easy.
5. You are overcome by apathy and don’t have anything to care for in this new and strange world.
6. A different government is in power then when you left. You were a hero for the vanquished rulers.

Again, adapted from <http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2014/08/on-5e-backgrounds-winter-soldier.html&gt;