College of Ink
Art becomes song and ink becomes spell. Bards of the College of Ink channel their arcane creativity through quill and skin, etching arcane symbols, lyrical stanzas, and living tattoos onto themselves and others. Their tattoos sing, whisper, and dance, extending the bard’s magic across the battlefield and beyond.
Living Ink (3rd Level)
You learn to bind magic into writing with Inkbound Spellcasting. When you cast a Bard spell using a spell slot, you can choose to delay the spell's effect by "inking" it into a visible surface or your own skin. As a bonus action on a later turn within 1 minute, you or a creature touching the inked glyph can activate it, casting the spell from that location. The spell uses your spell save DC and spell attack bonus.
You can have a number of inked spells equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). After you reach this limit, inking a new spell ends the oldest inked one.
Tattoo Tools (3rd Level)
You gain proficiency with Calligrapher’s Supplies. You can use them as a spellcasting focus.
Ink of Warding (10th Level)
Your tattoos shield you from harm. You gain resistance to force damage.
When you take damage from a spell, you can use your reaction to have one of your tattoos absorb the spell’s essence. Until the end of your next turn, you have advantage on saving throws against spells of the same school.
Masterpiece Tattoo (14th Level)
You inscribe a permanent arcane design - your masterpiece - into your skin. Choose one Bard spell you know of 3rd level or lower. It is always prepared and doesn’t count against your prepared spells.
Once per Long Rest, you can cast this spell without expending a spell slot and without verbal or somatic components. The tattoo visibly glows as the magic is invoked.