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Subclass Bard College of Swords
The College of Swords is a Bard subclass that trades the usual Bard support role for melee combat proficiency. Medium Armor, additional weapon training, and a Fighting Style at Level 3 give the Swords Bard a martial foundation. Blade Flourish channels Bardic Inspiration into weapon attacks with flexible effects — push, damage splash, or temporary AC. Extra Attack arrives at Level 6.
| LEVEL | FEATURE |
|---|---|
| 3 | Blade Flourish, Fighting Style, Weapon Proficiencies |
| 6 | Extra Attack |
Weapon Proficiencies You gain proficiency with Medium Armor, Daggers, Sickles, Shortswords, and Scimitars.
Fighting Style Choose one Fighting Style.
Blade Flourish When you take the Attack action on your turn, your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the turn, and if a weapon attack that you make as part of this action hits a creature, you can use one of the following Blade Flourish options of your choice. You can use each Blade Flourish option only once per turn.
- Defensive Flourish. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. You also add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn.
- Mobile Flourish. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. You can also push the target up to 5 feet plus a number of feet equal to the number you rolled. You can then move up to your walking speed toward the target without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
- Slashing Flourish. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit and to any other creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.
Extra Attack You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
The College of Swords is the melee martial Bard. Blade Flourish at Level 3 is the defining mechanic — every hit can spend a Bardic Inspiration die for one of three effects. Defensive Flourish adds die roll to both damage and your AC until next turn, creating a self-buffing cycle. Mobile Flourish pushes enemies up to 5 + die roll feet and lets you follow without Opportunity Attacks. Slashing Flourish damages two targets for the cost of one Inspiration die.
With Font of Inspiration at Level 5 recovering uses on Short Rest, Blade Flourish is available throughout a dungeon rather than rationed per Long Rest. The Swords Bard functions as a secondary melee combatant with the Bard spell list as backup — less spell power than Lore, more damage than Dance, more martial options than Glamour.