This campaign hasnt started yet. It is a small party (3 players) starting at level 1, me planning to play a bard (which will eventually take the college of spirits subclass). The other players are a warlock and the other is playing a character i dont know yet. My character is a variant human so they are taking a feat, and I am still trying to consider what feat would be best. I was thinking Fey Touched with bless but i was still considering other options.
His stats are STR: 7 DEX: 14 CON: 11 (+1 from variant human for 12) INT: 13 WIS: 13 (+1 from variant human for 14) CHA: 17
Inspiring Leader could be fun/bard-like, but I would suggest using human bonus on charisma then. Or you could try telekinetic or telepathic or the ones Beardsinger suggested.
The above comments both have great takes, here are a couple of additional ideas:
Actor (+1 Charisma)- Adv on deception when pretending to be someone else, plus the ability to mimic speech. Depending on your game setting it is a fun social feat, as well we very fitting for a bard.
Resilient (+1 Constitution & apply your +1 race bonus to Charisma)- this way you get 12 Con and 18 Charisma. Additionally proficiency on Con saves which is a great buff for maintaining concentration and defending against various abilities and conditions.
I like fey and shadow touched because of the limited amount of spells that bards have. An extra 2 spells is great.
Resilient Con or Resilient Wis I think are both great. However I don't think they are needed right away. Saving throws get more important as you level up. I think grabbing it at either level 4 or 8 is good. You could do +2 cha and the feat at both 4 and 8.
Whichever one you pick swap your +1 to int for the skill checks.
this will rely on which subclass you went with. Inspiring Leader is very good. You can also go with warlock initiate to get some more useful spells. When I play a bard I embrace the full caster roll whether i play more as a support or a blaster.
If you plan to dip Warlock down the line, take Eldritch Initiate and pick a useful Invocation like Devil's Sight or Eldritch Mind. Then, when you take your level of Warlock you can switch it out for Agonizing blast and continue as normal.
If you don't plan to do the warlock thing, then I'd recommend Fey Touched. 18CH at 1st level, Misty Step, and a spare spell to cast (Good place to put Dissonant Whispers to open up a Bard standard that works so well). Bards don't get Misty Step and it's incredibly, incredibly useful. Grappled? Misty Step. Swallowed whole? Misty Step. Need to outrun a badguy? Move, Dash, Misty Step. Can't reach the ledge? Misty Step. Fall down a pit and can't get up? Misty step. Chasm too wide to jump? Misty step.
Moderately armored will give you a much better AC. You can use it to even up STR or add to DEX to even DEX and CHA both at 4th level. STR might not matter to you; however, if it does then fey touched or shadow touched at 4th level will expand your spells and even up your CHA while keep caster stat progression up.
Another option is resilient CON to increase hp at 4th level by evening up CON and CHA to get on concentration checks early.
Depends a lot on the role you're going to be playing, and bards can choose from a lot of those. I'm wishing I'd taken Keen Mind for spying/scrying reasons, but I took Tough and it's pretty solid. I have more HP than the Paladin (we roll HP).
Honestly, see if any leap out at you like "this fits the narrative of my character." You can't really go wrong.
Lucky is basically a universally applicable feat that literally any class or race combination would benefit from... it's the ultimate safe bet for a feat that will definitely, 100% get used by you regularly... but it won't really change your gameplay in any significant way. A lot of people overestimate how game changing of a feat it could be, but it's still a good choice.
Fey Touched is probably the other safest bet to make. Shadow Touched is also a good option... honestly, the major difference between them are the schools of magic they give access to. If you've got a 1st level spell in mind that you really want, but it's not on the Bard spell list, if it qualifies for one of these feat, go for whichever one pairs with it.
Warcaster is another safe bet spell... I don't think I've ever played at a table where at least one person didn't have Warcaster.
Observant is a real game changer of a feat... that +5 to passive Perception will come up a LOT. Plus you can use it to bump INT with a +1, which won't be a huge difference, but as long as your DM makes good use of Passive skills you'll get a ton of use out of this. It's one of those feats that really changes your entire character... if you take Perception as one of your Expertises you'll consistently get on your DM's nerves because your Passive will make you virtually impossible to be surprised. And don't underestimate the ability to read lips.
Actor is a classic Bard staple for rounding out your CHA, but you really need to be in a game with a lot of social interactions and subterfuge to get good use out of it. If you know exactly what you're getting into and you can visualize a lot of uses for this feat, it could be a ton of fun, but if you're not sure it might be worth waiting to grab this one... at the very least it's good for rounding out your CHA.
Inspiring Leader adds up very quickly over time. Level+CHA Temp HP doesn't seem like a lot at first, but keep in mind that right at level 1 with your stats that's a free 4 Temp HP for everyone in your party every short/long rest... consider that, for you, that's about how much health you can expect to gain at a level up, and the Temp HP only gets higher as you gain levels and CHA. I think it also pairs well for the Roleplay of a Spirits Bard.... you can easily reflavor your Inspiring Speech as being part of your mystical tales or fortune telling.
Magic Initiate (Sorcerer). For your level 1 spell take Mage Armor, which will give you AC13+dex for 8 hours a day. Slap it on as your first action in your first encounter. Take Chill Touch and another cantrip, maybe Shocking Grasp. Bard already has the utility cantrips, so the the feat just fills in the shortfall.
I'd put the 13+1 in constitution, and +1 in charisma so you can start with 18 charisma. Stats 7,14,14,11,13,18. You have free on demand damage at range and in melee.
Change your variant human ASI +1 from WIS to CHA to get an 18.
As for feats, I would highly recommend Chef. It stacks really well with Song of Rest and thematically fits really well with the bard that wants to be the buffer / party support / morale booster etc. The treats are good for temp HP too.
When I made a Bard for an AL game, I took Inspiring Leader. The 4 temp HP's for everyone at level 1 saved a TPK. It also afforded lots of RP for my bard.
I would do Fey Touched, but there are a few solid choices.
Get CHA to 18
Get a second level spell (misty step) plus functionally a second level spell slot. Misty step is amazing defensively, and Bards don't normally get teleport spells. Gain a 1st level spell (some solid choices) plus another 1st level spell slot.
On a bard, Fey Touched in my opinion is a top tier feat. It's a reason to specifically build it with an odd Charisma score.
This campaign hasnt started yet. It is a small party (3 players) starting at level 1, me planning to play a bard (which will eventually take the college of spirits subclass). The other players are a warlock and the other is playing a character i dont know yet. My character is a variant human so they are taking a feat, and I am still trying to consider what feat would be best. I was thinking Fey Touched with bless but i was still considering other options.
His stats are
STR: 7
DEX: 14
CON: 11 (+1 from variant human for 12)
INT: 13
WIS: 13 (+1 from variant human for 14)
CHA: 17
Something that gives you +1 Charisma such as fae touched, shadow touched
Inspiring Leader could be fun/bard-like, but I would suggest using human bonus on charisma then. Or you could try telekinetic or telepathic or the ones Beardsinger suggested.
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
The above comments both have great takes, here are a couple of additional ideas:
I like fey and shadow touched because of the limited amount of spells that bards have. An extra 2 spells is great.
Resilient Con or Resilient Wis I think are both great. However I don't think they are needed right away. Saving throws get more important as you level up. I think grabbing it at either level 4 or 8 is good. You could do +2 cha and the feat at both 4 and 8.
Whichever one you pick swap your +1 to int for the skill checks.
You are heavily dependent on skills, so Lucky is especially beneficial.
this will rely on which subclass you went with. Inspiring Leader is very good. You can also go with warlock initiate to get some more useful spells. When I play a bard I embrace the full caster roll whether i play more as a support or a blaster.
If you plan to dip Warlock down the line, take Eldritch Initiate and pick a useful Invocation like Devil's Sight or Eldritch Mind. Then, when you take your level of Warlock you can switch it out for Agonizing blast and continue as normal.
If you don't plan to do the warlock thing, then I'd recommend Fey Touched. 18CH at 1st level, Misty Step, and a spare spell to cast (Good place to put Dissonant Whispers to open up a Bard standard that works so well). Bards don't get Misty Step and it's incredibly, incredibly useful. Grappled? Misty Step. Swallowed whole? Misty Step. Need to outrun a badguy? Move, Dash, Misty Step. Can't reach the ledge? Misty Step. Fall down a pit and can't get up? Misty step. Chasm too wide to jump? Misty step.
Moderately armored will give you a much better AC. You can use it to even up STR or add to DEX to even DEX and CHA both at 4th level. STR might not matter to you; however, if it does then fey touched or shadow touched at 4th level will expand your spells and even up your CHA while keep caster stat progression up.
Another option is resilient CON to increase hp at 4th level by evening up CON and CHA to get on concentration checks early.
Depends a lot on the role you're going to be playing, and bards can choose from a lot of those. I'm wishing I'd taken Keen Mind for spying/scrying reasons, but I took Tough and it's pretty solid. I have more HP than the Paladin (we roll HP).
Honestly, see if any leap out at you like "this fits the narrative of my character." You can't really go wrong.
Lucky is basically a universally applicable feat that literally any class or race combination would benefit from... it's the ultimate safe bet for a feat that will definitely, 100% get used by you regularly... but it won't really change your gameplay in any significant way. A lot of people overestimate how game changing of a feat it could be, but it's still a good choice.
Fey Touched is probably the other safest bet to make. Shadow Touched is also a good option... honestly, the major difference between them are the schools of magic they give access to. If you've got a 1st level spell in mind that you really want, but it's not on the Bard spell list, if it qualifies for one of these feat, go for whichever one pairs with it.
Warcaster is another safe bet spell... I don't think I've ever played at a table where at least one person didn't have Warcaster.
Observant is a real game changer of a feat... that +5 to passive Perception will come up a LOT. Plus you can use it to bump INT with a +1, which won't be a huge difference, but as long as your DM makes good use of Passive skills you'll get a ton of use out of this. It's one of those feats that really changes your entire character... if you take Perception as one of your Expertises you'll consistently get on your DM's nerves because your Passive will make you virtually impossible to be surprised. And don't underestimate the ability to read lips.
Actor is a classic Bard staple for rounding out your CHA, but you really need to be in a game with a lot of social interactions and subterfuge to get good use out of it. If you know exactly what you're getting into and you can visualize a lot of uses for this feat, it could be a ton of fun, but if you're not sure it might be worth waiting to grab this one... at the very least it's good for rounding out your CHA.
Inspiring Leader adds up very quickly over time. Level+CHA Temp HP doesn't seem like a lot at first, but keep in mind that right at level 1 with your stats that's a free 4 Temp HP for everyone in your party every short/long rest... consider that, for you, that's about how much health you can expect to gain at a level up, and the Temp HP only gets higher as you gain levels and CHA. I think it also pairs well for the Roleplay of a Spirits Bard.... you can easily reflavor your Inspiring Speech as being part of your mystical tales or fortune telling.
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Magic Initiate (Sorcerer). For your level 1 spell take Mage Armor, which will give you AC13+dex for 8 hours a day. Slap it on as your first action in your first encounter. Take Chill Touch and another cantrip, maybe Shocking Grasp. Bard already has the utility cantrips, so the the feat just fills in the shortfall.
I'd put the 13+1 in constitution, and +1 in charisma so you can start with 18 charisma. Stats 7,14,14,11,13,18. You have free on demand damage at range and in melee.
Change your variant human ASI +1 from WIS to CHA to get an 18.
As for feats, I would highly recommend Chef. It stacks really well with Song of Rest and thematically fits really well with the bard that wants to be the buffer / party support / morale booster etc. The treats are good for temp HP too.
When I made a Bard for an AL game, I took Inspiring Leader. The 4 temp HP's for everyone at level 1 saved a TPK. It also afforded lots of RP for my bard.
I would do Fey Touched, but there are a few solid choices.
Get CHA to 18
Get a second level spell (misty step) plus functionally a second level spell slot. Misty step is amazing defensively, and Bards don't normally get teleport spells. Gain a 1st level spell (some solid choices) plus another 1st level spell slot.
On a bard, Fey Touched in my opinion is a top tier feat. It's a reason to specifically build it with an odd Charisma score.
I'd get +1 CON/CHA and Inspiring Leader for every rest granting up to six creatures a number of Temporary Hit Point equal 4 +1/level