A new Dungeons & Dragons supplement lets players try out a new type of bard – that of a mime. David Flor recently released a new supplement on the DMs Guild that details the “College of Silence,” a bardic school dedicated to casting spells using only hand movements and gestures. This new bard subclass frames the art of miming into a mystic art, repurposing performances that requires a mastery of body language and facial expression into actual magic.The new bardic tradition incorporates several classic mime abilities (such as walking in place or trapping one’s self in an invisible box) in ways that actually make sense in terms of combat.
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The College of Silence’s core ability is the ability to cast Silence. By expending a use of Bardic Inspiration, a Mime Bard can cast Silence without requiring Concentration, which in turn allows the bard to cast other spells. This gives the mime a HUGE advantage on the battlefield, as most other spellcasters still need to verbalize spells in order to cast. Of course, those spellcasters can always move outside of the range of silence, but it still makes the bard shockingly effective in combat.
At higher levels, the mime can block ranged attacks by creating an invisible wall of force around them, can use an invisible rope to pull enemies closer, or can resist certain types of damage by miming walking in a strong wind. Eventually, the mime can also mimic any spell they see cast (provided they have a corresponding spell slot available) or cast the silence spell without using a spell slot. Mimes can also communicate with the use of charades, allowing their allies and passerbys to understand them without any disruption in communication.
The College of Silence looks like an impressive subclass, one with the ability to disrupt foes while maintaining a specific theme for roleplaying. Bards always seem to have the most fun in Dungeons & Dragons, and the College of Silence seems to keep that tradition going with gusto.
The “College of Silence” is available to purchase for $1.99 on the DMs Guild.
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