Every. Single. Time.

System: Monster of the Week TTRPG

Bard: College of Metagaming

Bards of the College of Metagaming understand that a bardic performance is not merely a song or a story, but an active negotiation with the game engine. While other bards waste time with "emotion" and "artistic integrity," these performers understand that the purpose of a game is to win it at any cost.

Playtest Note: The College of Metagaming is intended for players who enjoy engaging deeply with the rules. DMs should be mindful that restricting these features may undermine player agency. During playtesting, several DMs expressed concerns about the balance of this subclass. We have elected not to incorporate their feedback, as it appeared to stem primarily from an adversarial DM-versus-player mindset.

Level 3: Schrödinger's Feature Selection

Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you may assume that the DM has forgotten about any skill proficiency, expertise, language, or spell selection that has not been used for more than two sessions. Mark the selected feature as blank, to be filled in later.

At any point during the session, you may fill a blank feature with a valid selection (no action required).

If the DM insists that they do remember you having a different feature, you may instead argue that you have an alternative build in mind that is much more thematically fitting. Roll Charisma (Deception) opposed by the DM's Wisdom (Insight). If you succeed, you may overrule the DM and replace the feature anyway.

Designer's Note: It is often difficult to predict if learning situational spells like Counterspell is worth it, and nobody keeps track of what languages a character knows anyway. Quantum superposition eliminates 'buyer's remorse' during character optimization.

Level 3: Retroactive Preparation

When you encounter a problem that could have been avoided by reasonable preparation, you may declare that your character anticipated it.

You may retroactively purchase equipment, prepare spells, or take other actions that would have been available to you during your last Long Rest.

You must pay any associated gold costs, unless you succeed on a Charisma (Persuasion) check against the DM's Wisdom (Insight).

Additionally, when you roll initiative, you may declare that your character would have cast spells or used abilities during the most recent scene transition. You may retroactively use these abilities.

Designer's Note: Players should not be punished for failing to remember information that their characters would reasonably have known.

Level 3: Talking is a Free Action

You cannot be silenced.

If you talk during another player's turn, you may give them the Help action as a free action.

Designer's Note: We found during playtesting that this quality of life feature is popular with other players, who become much less likely to get mad at us for giving them helpful advice if this comes with a mechanical benefit.

Level 5: Rules Lawyering

As a ten minute ritual (real time, not in game), you may show the DM a popular homebrew rule, RAW interpretation, RAI interpretation, a tweet on Twitter, or a precedent set by Critical Role.

The DM has to make a Wisdom Saving Throw against your Spell Save DC. If the DM has social anxiety, they have disadvantage on this Saving Throw. On a failure, your rule becomes canonical for the remainder of the session. On a success, you may not propose the same rule again until you have finished a Long Rest.

Designer's Note: D&D is a collaborative storytelling game. This feature prevents a single player (the DM) from dominating the narrative direction.

Designer's Note: Bards normally don't get subclass features at level 5, but we saw a homebrew that did it once, and it was very cool.

Level 6: Plot Optimization

Whenever you roll on a random encounter table, a loot table, or a weather table, you roll with Advantage. You decide which result is more advantageous.

If you get a result you don't like, you may use your reaction and expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to reroll. You must pick the cooler result.

Designer's Note: D&D is all about getting your character decked out in legendary items. However, these are sometimes unreasonably hard to get. This feature lets you become epic faster.

Level 14: Simplified Resource Tracking

When you use a spell slot, an ability with limited uses, or a consumable magic item, you may roll a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) or Dexterity (Stealth) check opposed by the DM's Wisdom (Perception) check. If you succeed on the check, the spell slot, ability or item is not expended.

Designer's Note: D&D characters have a lot of features to keep track of at higher levels. This feature helps simplify these things by replacing feature expenditure with more dice rolls, which increases player agency and participation

From the Oath of the Ebon Blade subclass in the World of Warcraft D&D sourcebook.

One of the possible effects of this ability is spending a 5th level spell slot in order to temporarily gain the ability to spend a 4th level spell slot in order to gain the ability to not require concentration when you spend the 3rd level spell slot to cast Summon Undead.

Or, if you are using the Blood ability, spend a 5th level spell slot so you can spend a 4th level spell slot to refresh your ability to take 20 damage.

System: Monster of the Week TTRPG

First 6 characters are from our current Strahd campaign, last 6 characters are from an older Heckna campaign. All art is from myself

System: VtM TTRPG

Make sure to find a club where the people actually like to dance. Otherwise it's no fun 😆

System: Cartel TTRPG