College of Lament
B
ards follow many paths in these lands. Some fill
the traditional role of the wandering troubadour,
singing of their own harrowing adventures in
the Land of Mists. Others are tortured artists,
madly attempting to realize the perfect song
that echoes in their minds. A haunted few
pursue a darker path still, one that draws them
inexorably towards places of the dead. Such bards are
obsessed with death, and often feel most at home (if not
entirely at ease) in crumbling graveyards and dusty vaults.
These dirgists are not necessarily evil, mind you. Indeed ,
they have been profoundly touched by death, and feel the
pain of mortal loss more deeply that others, their songs speak
of the sorrow of youth cut short, old age wasted, and the
numbing finality of the fate that all men share. Such is the
dirgist’s closeness to the grave, that it is rumored that the
dead whisper their secrets to him while he sleeps..
Grim Secrets
When you join the College of Lament at 3rd level, you chose
to learn one of the following cantrips: Chill Touch, Spare the
Dying or Toll the Dead, which counts as a bard cantrip for
you, but not towards your cantrips known. You also gain
proficiency in the Religion skill.
Additionally, when your Spellcasting feature lets you learn or
replace a bard cantrip or bard spell of 1st level or higher, you
can instead learn or replace it with a necromancy spell of
your choice, and it becomes a bard spell for you if it isn’t
already. You must otherwise obey all the restrictions for
selecting spells, and you cannot choose spells this way that
return creatures to life.
Haunted Eyes
Also at 3rd level, you gain resistance to necrotic damage, and
have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Missa Defunctorum
When you select this bardic school as 3rd level, you learn 2
dirgist songs of your choice, which are detailed under
“Graveyard’s Repertory” below. All songs require at last one
musical instrument or sing to utilize. For these musical
abilities to function, you must be able to see your target, and
they must be able to hear you. You learn one additional song
of your choice at 6th and 14th level. Each time you learn a
new song, you can also replace one song you know with a
different one in your repertory.
Graveyard’s Repertory
Lament for the fallen: A dirgist can sing a litany of ancient
kings and fallen heroes, troubling his foes with the
melancholy of the past. Foes within 30 feet of the dirgist
must succeed a wisdom saving throw (DC spell save from the
bard) or suffer disadvantage on attack rolls and skill checks.
This penalty persists for as long the dirgist continues to sing,
or until the foe leaves the area of effect. A foe that fails the
save, leaves the area of effect, and then enters it again must
make another save with disadvantage. A foe that successfully
saves cannot be affected by that particular dirgist’s lament
for the fallen ability for 24 hours. While singing, the dirgist
can fight but cannot cast spells or use magic items (with
verbal component).
Graveyard Sonata: A dirgist can wrap himself in an
unearthly tune, concealing his presence from the undead.
The dirgist cannot perform any action while singing or
playing other than walking at his base speed. As long as he
continues to sing or playing, the dirgist is affected though by
invisibility to undead. This effect lasts for as long as the
dirgist continues to sing or play. The dirgist’s performance
can still be heard, but it sounds only like faint, ethereal music
without a specific source. Nonintelligent undead cannot hear
this music at all, and intelligent undead can only detected it
with a successful perception check.
Crescendo of Blood: A dirgist can bolster her allies in battle
as their enemies fall one by one. To be effective, an ally must
hear the dirgist sing for a full round. Whenever a living foe is
slain, the dirgist’s allies receive a bonus from a roll of bardic
inspiration in his next attack and damage rolls. The dirgist
cannot perform any other action while singing/playing other
than walking at his base speed. The effect lasts as long as the
dirgist continues to sing/play. The bonus ends when all
nearby foes are defeated and does not carry over to the next
encounter.
PART 1 | College of Lament
1
 Requiem: A dirgist can unleash a terrifying dirge when one
of her allies falls in battle, smiting her foe with her own
anguish. One of the dirgist’s allies must be reduced to 0 hit
points during an encounter. The dirgist makes a Performance
check, with advantage if the fallen ally is a PC. All foes within
30 feet of the dirgist must succeed at a wisdom saving throw
(DC = the dirgist Perform check) or suffer 1d6 points of
thunder damage each round the dirgist continues to sing. If
the foe that struck the killing bow against the dirgist’s ally is
within the area of affect, he suffers 2d6 thunder damage
each round. Foes must make the saving throw each round
they remain within the area of effect. The dirgist cannot
perform any other action while sing other than move at his
base speed. The effect lasts as long the dirgist continues to
sing, until all nearby foes are defeated, or until the fallen ally
is restored to at last 1 hit point or stabilized. If more than one
ally falls in battle, the effects of the damage rises by +1d6 for
each fallen ally.
Finale of Dread: A dirgist plays a terrifying dirge to
accompany a deathblow, striking fear into the hearts of your
nearby enemies. When an ally brings a creature within 60
feet to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction and expend a
use of Bardic inspiration. All creatures of your choice within
15 feet of the fallen foe must make a wisdom saving throw
against your Spell save DC or become frightened of your ally
until the end of that ally’s next turn. If the saving throw is
successful, or the duration ends, affected creatures are
immune to Finale Dirge of Dread.
Vital Vivace: Pulled from the darkness, you muster an
uplifting melody that bolsters the resolve of your allies. You
can expend and roll a Bardic Inspiration die as an action, and
all other creatures you choose within 60 ft gain temporary hit
points equal to the number rolled plus your Charisma
modifier (minimum of 1). These temporary hit points last
until the end of your next turn.
Rule the Still Heart
At 14th level, you become a master of commanding the dead
with your music. As an action, choose one undead you can
see within 60 feet of you that can hear you. That creature
must make a Charisma saving throw against your bard spell
save DC. If it fails, it becomes friendly to you and obeys your
commands until you use this feature again. Undead with a
CR greater than half your bard level (rounded down) have
advantage on the saving throw and can repeat it at the end of
every turn. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again
until you finish a long rest.
Whispers of the Dead
When a dirgist sleeps, it is said that the dead murmur their
darkest secrets to his slumbering mind. A dirgist may make a
special whispers of the dead check with a bonus equal to his
dirgist level + his Intelligence modifier to see whether he
knows some relevant information about a dead (or undead)
creature. This might include how a creature died, the location
of an ancient Baron's tomb, the habits of particular vampire,
or the emotions mat are causing a ghost to linger in the living
world. Even information that no living creature could know
(such as the information normally revealed by speak with
dead) can be learned. This ability otherwise functions as the
bardic knowledge ability. The bardic knowledge and whispers
of the dead abilities do not stack. Unlike the bardic knowledge
ability, the whispers of the dead ability does not suffer a
circumstance penalty when the topic relates to a domain with
which the dirgist is unfamiliar.

Accepting of death
When you become a Dirgist at 6th level, you learn to accept
that death is inevitable, even if you are brought back by magic
or other unnatural means. You accept that nothing, not even
reality itself is truly eternal, and as such, lose any fear of life,
death or even suffering. As such, you become immune to all
fear based effects, including the frightened condition,
intimidation or the effects of spells such as Phantasmal
Killer.

PART 2 | College of Lament

2