This is my first time being in a campaign with my friends that is more than just a one-shot. Everybody else has many more years experience than me. Our group is unique in that 4 out of 5 of us have Charisma between 17-18, so despite me playing as the bard I have not been playing the face of the party. This works for me because I'm not great with improv or role-play and prefer the planning, strategy, and fighting aspects (though I'm slowly growing to enjoy the other aspects as I become more comfortable). We're a high-Charisma, low-Wisdom party (our highest Wis is our barbarian with 14). This leaves me trying to figure out how to best support my party in and out of fights.
I am a 3rd level Tabaxi bard with the following stats: STR (8), DEX (16), CON (15), INT (14), WIS (13), CHA (18). The other members of my party are a Warlock, Sorcerer, Paladin, and Barbarian. The Sorcerer role-plays a tiefling who doesn't like to fight, so picks up a lot of the healing spells and has been mostly playing the healer. The Warlock and Paladin have mostly been the faces outside of battle.
Due to the party's composition, I've been trying to focus on Wisdom and Stealth where I can (I expertised Stealth and Perception, and I think in the future I will expertise Insight). Outside of battle, I figure that I can primarily do Insight checks and maybe message the info to my party members who talk more (and perhaps contribute more as I get more comfortable with talking). And the Bard's support spells, buffs, debuffs, and inspiration would still be great in battle.
For level 4, I'm thinking that the +2 CHA would be best to help my spells to land and because my homebrew College depends a lot on Inspiration slots now. I'm debating whether a feat or a +1 CON/+1 WIS would be better though, and saving the +2 CHA for level 8.
I would appreciate any recommendations for my level 4, and any thoughts on how I could better support my team in and out of battle.
And for anyone who's curious, these are the two features I gained for my College.
FOUNDATIONAL TEMPO
Your equations let you calculate the steady beat pulsing within the Material Plane.
When you grant others a Bardic Inspiration die you gain the ability to, as a reaction, prevent any 1 roll from being affected by advantage or disadvantage. Each time you grant Inspiration you gain additional use of this ability, even if you have one or more stored up. However you lose all unused uses at your next long rest.
PROTECTIVE CHORD
You have worked out the series of notes needed to form a protective barrier from the ether.
As an action, you may expend a Bardic Inspiration to create a magical ward around yourself or another creature you can see within 30 feet of you.
The ward lasts until you finish a long rest or until you use this feature again. The ward is represented by a number of d8s equal to your Charisma modifier. When the warded creature takes damage, they can expend a number of those dice, roll them, and reduce the damage taken by the total rolled on those dice.
If the sorceror mostly doesn't like to fight, you can split some off your attention in combat away from supporting to using offensive spells like Heat Metal, Shatter, and Cloud of Daggers.
Ought of combat, you probably have access to more utility spells than the sorceror like identify, comprehend languages, and detect magic.
You can especially focus on such dedicated combat/utility spells since you have strong support uses for your bardic inspirations and another support/healer on the team.
For roleplay, you could focus your character on being a sort of adaptable fixer of the group. Supporting, but also stepping in with the powerful enchantment and destructive magic the others seem not to have when needed. Sort of like the Covert operator to the rest of the party's militancy and direct negotiation.
If you are playing a homebrew Subclass, there is little advice I can provide.
My cantrips are Prestidigitation and Vicious Mockery (thematic, not power build), and Mending
My first level spells are Bane, Charm Person (thematic), Dissonant Whispers and Healing Word
My second level spells are a selection from Phantasmal Force, Heat Metal, Invisibility and Silence
My third level spells include Dispel Magic and Tiny Hut, sometimes I use Sending
Other third level spells come from being in the College of Lore
Song of Rest is very important, and Font of Inspiration (at 5th) to help your party. Cutting Words was a great ability granted by being in the College of Lore that used Bardic Inspiration to fuel the power.
Other than that, I recommend getting your Charisma Score up to 20 as quickly as possible and then taking a hard look at Resilient (Con) Feat to help you with constitution saves. You may also be able to cajole your DM into allowing you to find an Elven Chain Shirt (+1) which is a medium armor chain shirt that you may wear without being proficient in medium armors. You can get your AC up to 16 I think wearing this item if you have dexterity of 14 or higher; more with a Ring of Protection, etc.
Thank you both very much for these suggestions! I'll take a closer look at the offensive and utility spells available to me. And I agree with the suggestion to getting my CHA to 20 at level 4 and then taking the Resilient (Con) feat at level 8.
This is my first time being in a campaign with my friends that is more than just a one-shot. Everybody else has many more years experience than me. Our group is unique in that 4 out of 5 of us have Charisma between 17-18, so despite me playing as the bard I have not been playing the face of the party. This works for me because I'm not great with improv or role-play and prefer the planning, strategy, and fighting aspects (though I'm slowly growing to enjoy the other aspects as I become more comfortable). We're a high-Charisma, low-Wisdom party (our highest Wis is our barbarian with 14). This leaves me trying to figure out how to best support my party in and out of fights.
I am a 3rd level Tabaxi bard with the following stats: STR (8), DEX (16), CON (15), INT (14), WIS (13), CHA (18). The other members of my party are a Warlock, Sorcerer, Paladin, and Barbarian. The Sorcerer role-plays a tiefling who doesn't like to fight, so picks up a lot of the healing spells and has been mostly playing the healer. The Warlock and Paladin have mostly been the faces outside of battle.
Due to the party's composition, I've been trying to focus on Wisdom and Stealth where I can (I expertised Stealth and Perception, and I think in the future I will expertise Insight). Outside of battle, I figure that I can primarily do Insight checks and maybe message the info to my party members who talk more (and perhaps contribute more as I get more comfortable with talking). And the Bard's support spells, buffs, debuffs, and inspiration would still be great in battle.
For level 4, I'm thinking that the +2 CHA would be best to help my spells to land and because my homebrew College depends a lot on Inspiration slots now. I'm debating whether a feat or a +1 CON/+1 WIS would be better though, and saving the +2 CHA for level 8.
I would appreciate any recommendations for my level 4, and any thoughts on how I could better support my team in and out of battle.
And for anyone who's curious, these are the two features I gained for my College.
If the sorceror mostly doesn't like to fight, you can split some off your attention in combat away from supporting to using offensive spells like Heat Metal, Shatter, and Cloud of Daggers.
Ought of combat, you probably have access to more utility spells than the sorceror like identify, comprehend languages, and detect magic.
You can especially focus on such dedicated combat/utility spells since you have strong support uses for your bardic inspirations and another support/healer on the team.
For roleplay, you could focus your character on being a sort of adaptable fixer of the group. Supporting, but also stepping in with the powerful enchantment and destructive magic the others seem not to have when needed. Sort of like the Covert operator to the rest of the party's militancy and direct negotiation.
If you are playing a homebrew Subclass, there is little advice I can provide.
My cantrips are Prestidigitation and Vicious Mockery (thematic, not power build), and Mending
My first level spells are Bane, Charm Person (thematic), Dissonant Whispers and Healing Word
My second level spells are a selection from Phantasmal Force, Heat Metal, Invisibility and Silence
My third level spells include Dispel Magic and Tiny Hut, sometimes I use Sending
Other third level spells come from being in the College of Lore
Song of Rest is very important, and Font of Inspiration (at 5th) to help your party. Cutting Words was a great ability granted by being in the College of Lore that used Bardic Inspiration to fuel the power.
Other than that, I recommend getting your Charisma Score up to 20 as quickly as possible and then taking a hard look at Resilient (Con) Feat to help you with constitution saves. You may also be able to cajole your DM into allowing you to find an Elven Chain Shirt (+1) which is a medium armor chain shirt that you may wear without being proficient in medium armors. You can get your AC up to 16 I think wearing this item if you have dexterity of 14 or higher; more with a Ring of Protection, etc.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Thank you both very much for these suggestions! I'll take a closer look at the offensive and utility spells available to me. And I agree with the suggestion to getting my CHA to 20 at level 4 and then taking the Resilient (Con) feat at level 8.
Just stay back and buff or get up into the front lines and charm everything.