Merrick makes a weapon attack with his rapier or dagger.

You gain the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. As an action, you can start a performance lasting until the end of your next turn. During it, you and friendly creatures within 30 feet have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. A creature already frightened or charmed can repeat its saving throw with advantage.

Merrick uses a bonus action to inspire a creature within 60 feet that can hear him, granting one Bardic Inspiration d8.

Merrick uses a reaction and expends Bardic Inspiration to subtract a d8 from a creature's attack roll, ability check, or damage roll within 60 feet.

You can inspire others through stirring words or music. A creature within 60 feet that can hear you gains one Bardic Inspiration die, a d8, usable within 10 minutes to add the die to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain all expended uses after a long rest.

You can use a musical instrument or an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus. Charisma is your spellcasting ability. You know four cantrips and ten bard spells, and can change one known bard spell whenever you gain a bard level.

You can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that does not already include your proficiency bonus.

If you or a friendly creature can hear your performance, you can restore hit points to that creature at the end of a short rest by expending one or more Hit Dice. Each creature regains an extra 1d6 hit points.

Choose two skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check using either chosen proficiency. Merrick has Expertise in Deception and Stealth.

You join the College of Lore and gain proficiency with three skills of your choice. Merrick gains proficiency in Insight, Investigation, and Persuasion.

Increase one ability score by 2, or two ability scores by 1. Merrick increases his Charisma by 2, raising it to 18.

You regain all expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.

You gain access to two spells from any class. These spells count as bard spells for you and do not count against your number of bard spells known. Merrick knows Counterspell and Pass without Trace through Additional Magical Secrets.

Bardic Inspiration improves to a d8 at this level, and Merrick knows four bard cantrips and ten bard spells.

Merrick has a reliable contact among criminals who can provide information, introductions, warnings, or assistance, though such favors are not guaranteed and may carry a price.