Cutting words or lucky? I'd say Lucky at lower levels, cutting words at higher. Assuming you're using point buy. Lucky's more all around useful since you can use it on anything (if I remember correctly), but you can use cutting words more with a higher charisma mod (and regain it after a short rest).
At least, these are my first thoughts. Hadn't really given that much thought before.
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Elven Accuracy: Hands down one of the best feats in the game, especially if combined with either greater invisibility or some form of see-through darkness (Devil's Sight/Shadow Magic). Note that half elves can take this feat, which makes this even better since you can get a +4 Charisma using standard array/point buy at level 4 while still taking a feat.
I'm confused on this, how can i get +4 if i have to choose the optional feats rule instead of ability score improvement at level4?
Elven Accuracy: Hands down one of the best feats in the game, especially if combined with either greater invisibility or some form of see-through darkness (Devil's Sight/Shadow Magic). Note that half elves can take this feat, which makes this even better since you can get a +4 Charisma using standard array/point buy at level 4 while still taking a feat.
I'm confused on this, how can i get +4 if i have to choose the optional feats rule instead of ability score improvement at level4?
If you start off with 17 Charisma (which you can as a half-elf even with point buy, they have +2 Cha), Elven Accuracy increases it (or dex, wis or int) by one.
You also might not have access to this feat which might be causing some confusion, it's from XGtE.
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
I know people trashed Peerless Skill, but I think maybe they haven't thought about what ability checks it can be used on. Initiative is an ability check. Initiating, avoiding, and escaping a grapple is an ability check. As mentioned earlier, Counterspell calls for an ability check.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
I know people trashed Peerless Skill, but I think maybe they haven't thought about what ability checks it can be used on. Initiative is an ability check. Initiating, avoiding, and escaping a grapple is an ability check. As mentioned earlier, Counterspell calls for an ability check.
It's not that Peerless Skill is horrible, it just doesn't seem like it should be a level 14 subclass capstone. Especially since it requires burning inspiration dice, and you already have a lot of good options for that—normal use, Cutting Words, etc.
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
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I'm not trying to be rude, but I think this guide has some very bad advice. I skimmed through it first and was thinking to myself "Did this guy even play a bard", so I wasn't surprised when I read the introduction where you admitted to having little experience with the class. The question is, why would you write a guide for a class you have litle experience with in the first place. Also you have been offered plenty of advice in the comments, but seem unwilling to listen to it.
To start with the core features: You rank countercharm at an equal rank as magical secrets. Magical secrets are game changing and character defining abilities. Countercharm is a terrible ability that is'nt unlikely to never to find a use in an entire campaign. You might have to read countercharm again, it might not do what you think it does. It is BAD, borderline useless.
Next you seriously overestimate the martial powers of the bard in relation to the martially oriented subclasses. You seem to think that extra attack is a big deal for bards, but it really isn't. Did you notice what other attack-enhancing abilities the bard have? They have nothing. Extra attack means you will do 1d8+3 (assuming 16 dexterity, which is high) extra damage if you hit when you make an attack action. That still makes attacking an ineffective use of your action, when you could be casting your spells. It is not useless, because sometimes you will run out of or need to restrain your resources, and making 2 attack actions might be better than casting a cantrip, but that's about it. It doesn't make you a good or decent damage dealer, it just makes you a little bit more effecient at something you are very bad at.
On the same note, battle magic isn't a great capstone. It means you can do an extra 1d8+3 damage as a bonus action when you cast a spell. That is not useless, but it means very little at 14th level, and a lot of the time you will be better of staying away from melee and holding a shield (rather than plinking with bow).
Valour bard isn't a bad subclass, but it strenght almost entierly comes from its bonus profencies at level 3 (medium armour + shield, which is amazing for a full caster)
Swords bards can add some extra damage, true, but they have to give up their support role to use them, and you are not even getting profiency in shields. Blade flourish certainly isn't "gold" - again it just makes you a little better at doing something you aren't very good at. Even with a swords bard, attacking is a suboptimal option for a bard from mid - high levels. "Master flourish" isn't a great capstone at all. Sure, you can get that bonus on every attack, but why are you wasting your actions attacking when you could be casting 7th level spells? Again it just makes you a little better if yoiu are out of- or restraining your resources.
In contrast, you seem to think peerless skill is a terrible capstone. It certainly isn't, and unlike the above mentions abilities it makes you better at what you are actually good at. Adding a d10/d12 to your initiative when you need it is huge for a full caster. Adding d10/d12 to counterspell is equally huge. Then there is dispel magic etc., and adding the die to any key skill (after you roll the die!) can also be huge. All of this is in one ability - it is certinly more impactfull than the slight increase in offensive abilites the swords and valour offer.
Glamour is a great subclass, but isnt because you of mantle of majesty (that you rank as gold) What are you doing with your action while you are spending your concentration and bonus action on command? You can't cast spells other than cantrips. Again it's just another ability to conserve some resources + some utility use. I'd take magical secrets at level 6 over it any day.
I'm not gonna nitpick to much on your spell and feat rankings , but you completely fail to take into account ritual casting in your guide. The most of the rails spell ranking, is tiny hut. It is often regarded as one of the best spells in the game, and with good reason. You also seems to not be taking concentration into account (which should increase the rating of spells like blindness/deafness and plant growth). Your ranking of moderatly armored as red (it's like having a permanent shield spell) frankly makes no sence at all.
Dont get me wrong, you offer some good advice as well, but I really think you should fix your guide, as it is currently likely to mislead a new player.
"Master flourish" isn't a great capstone at all. Sure, you can get that bonus on every attack, but why are you wasting your actions attacking when you could be casting 7th level spells? Again it just makes you a little better if yoiu are out of- or restraining your resources.
I absolutely love my Swords Bard and I still agree with this.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Swords bard is in a tough spot. Obviously doing an extra 13 damage a round isn't game breaking. However masters flourish with extra attack can be 2(1d8+3+2)+1d6 + any magic weapon or buff. This could get up to around 15 damage a round for just a +2 sword and 16 dexterity. You then push your armor class up 3 points each round which is not nothing. However high level enemies tend to have huge to hit bonuses so going from 17ac up to 20ac may not help a lot.
I guess for me I know I appreciate my sword bard because yes I can cast high level magic but I can't cast a lot of high level magic. With only around a 15 spell slots mid game and possibly over 20 combat rounds each day that extra 15 damage each round can turn into 150 but probably around 100 damage once you factor in accuracy.
Bards are also hindered by spells known. I have a lot of out of combat spells as I am used for a lot of party utility. I get even less mileage out of my spells in combat. Cast a concentration spell and start swinging which makes the little bit of extra damage from swords bard start to add up.
The comparison should not be a high level spell or a melee attack. The spell wins every time. What about 6 melee attacks or a spell and two cantrips? It can get cloudier. Luckily for bards we have the option of doing either or depending on what is needed.
I have taken my role as not being the best spell user or the best melee in the group and just decided to be a 7 or 8 out of 10 at everything that way no matter what we do I always feel like I can contribute in some way.
Glamour is a great subclass, but isnt because you of mantle of majesty (that you rank as gold) What are you doing with your action while you are spending your concentration and bonus action on command? You can't cast spells other than cantrips. Again it's just another ability to conserve some resources + some utility use. I'd take magical secrets at level 6 over it any day.
the 6th level ability is not bad i won a fight using it one time it is up to 10 extra 1st level spell slots for command as a bonus action now tell me again how it is bad and also i think you can cast spells but not sure
Glamour is a great subclass, but isnt because you of mantle of majesty (that you rank as gold) What are you doing with your action while you are spending your concentration and bonus action on command? You can't cast spells other than cantrips. Again it's just another ability to conserve some resources + some utility use. I'd take magical secrets at level 6 over it any day.
the 6th level ability is not bad i won a fight using it one time it is up to 10 extra 1st level spell slots for command as a bonus action now tell me again how it is bad and also i think you can cast spells but not sure
Im not saying it is bad, im saying it doesnt deserve a gold rating and isnt conerstone to what makes the glamour bard great. You definetly can't cast spells other than cantrips - i don't blame you for thinking it is super strong if you thought you could, but you've been playing it wrong unfortunately.
Honestly i think both the level 3 abilities are better, but I can see that some groups play very combat focused to make an extremely power full and versatile ability such as enthralling perfomance be regarded as "situational".
I'm building my Lore bard, Cadenza, who is currently at level 5. At level 4 he took +2 CHR ASI, bringing him up to 18. I like Ritual Caster as a feat, getting another +2 Chr so I can get to 20, Elven Accuracy and Resilient to improve my chances of passing concentration checks during combat. Unfortunately this would only bring my Constitution up to 13, but I would have advantage.
My first question, this would be all of the remaining improvements I can make at levels 8, 12, 16 and 19. Is there another feat/ASI upgrade I should consider other than what I have here?
Second question; in what order do you think I should make these upgrades?
Level 5: Str 10, Dex 14, Wis 14, Int 12, Con 12, Chr 18 - Half Elf - wearing Elven Chain so he has an AC of 18 due to the armor and his dex. I will take Magical Secrets: Counterspell and probably Thunder Step at level 6. Current Spell List: Cantrips - Mending, Prestidigitation, Vicious Mockery 1st Lvl - Bane, Charm Person, Healing Word, Dissonant Whispers 2nd Lvl - Heat Metal, Invisibility, Silence 3rd Lvl - Dispel Magic
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So Resilient doesn’t give advantage on the saves, just proficiency. I generally prefer War Caster, especially if you won’t go up a full Con mod. I’d say 20 Cha is definitely worth, but I’m not so sure about Ritual Caster. Elven Accuracy is amazing, I would preference either that or War Caster first. That said, what order you do it in would honestly probably depend on what campaign you’re in, what level it goes to, what role you’re filling, personal preference etc.
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
I'm building my Lore bard, Cadenza, who is currently at level 5. At level 4 he took +2 CHR ASI, bringing him up to 18. I like Ritual Caster as a feat, getting another +2 Chr so I can get to 20, Elven Accuracy and Resilient to improve my chances of passing concentration checks during combat. Unfortunately this would only bring my Constitution up to 13, but I would have advantage.
My first question, this would be all of the remaining improvements I can make at levels 8, 12, 16 and 19. Is there another feat/ASI upgrade I should consider other than what I have here?
Second question; in what order do you think I should make these upgrades?
Level 5: Str 10, Dex 14, Wis 14, Int 12, Con 12, Chr 18 - Half Elf - wearing Elven Chain so he has an AC of 18 due to the armor and his dex. I will take Magical Secrets: Counterspell and probably Thunder Step at level 6. Current Spell List: Cantrips - Mending, Prestidigitation, Vicious Mockery 1st Lvl - Bane, Charm Person, Healing Word, Dissonant Whispers 2nd Lvl - Heat Metal, Invisibility, Silence 3rd Lvl - Dispel Magic
Don't Brother with elven accuracy, it is a very bad feat for you. What attack rolls are you even rolling - at all?
Some other feats to consider are moderartly armoreded, inspiring leader or lucky.
You could do something like 8: lucky/moderartly armored 12 resilent 16 +2chr 19 whatever.
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
I'm building my Lore bard, Cadenza, who is currently at level 5. At level 4 he took +2 CHR ASI, bringing him up to 18. I like Ritual Caster as a feat, getting another +2 Chr so I can get to 20, Elven Accuracy and Resilient to improve my chances of passing concentration checks during combat. Unfortunately this would only bring my Constitution up to 13, but I would have advantage.
My first question, this would be all of the remaining improvements I can make at levels 8, 12, 16 and 19. Is there another feat/ASI upgrade I should consider other than what I have here?
Second question; in what order do you think I should make these upgrades?
Level 5: Str 10, Dex 14, Wis 14, Int 12, Con 12, Chr 18 - Half Elf - wearing Elven Chain so he has an AC of 18 due to the armor and his dex. I will take Magical Secrets: Counterspell and probably Thunder Step at level 6. Current Spell List: Cantrips - Mending, Prestidigitation, Vicious Mockery 1st Lvl - Bane, Charm Person, Healing Word, Dissonant Whispers 2nd Lvl - Heat Metal, Invisibility, Silence 3rd Lvl - Dispel Magic
Don't Brother with elven accuracy, it is a very bad feat for you. What attack rolls are you even rolling - at all?
Some other feats to consider are moderartly armoreded, inspiring leader or lucky.
You could do something like 8: lucky/moderartly armored 12 resilent 16 +2chr 19 whatever.
Thanks for the observations. I'm not sure moderately armored will help me because I have Elven Chain. Unless I desired to switch to another medium armor, I would benefit by getting +1 to Str or Dex and proficiency with shields. So I will need to think about that. But my AC as a Bard, even a Lore Bard, has been a concern of mine since the beginning.
Lucky has always been on my radar, because getting to reroll is just super sweet even when I am roleplaying and I roll poorly on something relatively inconsequential.
Inspiring Leader is also a nice feat, so I'll give that a good look. Unfortunately I don't see this campaign going much past level 12, so I'll probably not fill all the ASI slots, but I like to have a plan.
Having the best saves (Spell DC) is really impactful and adding another bardic inspiration would increase the impact of my bard, so I am leaning toward taking the next ASI as the +2 Chr to max out at 20. But midway through level 5, I got a lot of ground to cover before then. Waiting for lvl 12 though, to get Resilient, is a long time, so I may have to see if I even wat to use that. It seems like ASIs at level 16 and 19 are anticlimatic because there is little distance to go before the campaign is over at that point. I just don't imagine many campaigns going to level 20.
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Cutting words or lucky? I'd say Lucky at lower levels, cutting words at higher. Assuming you're using point buy. Lucky's more all around useful since you can use it on anything (if I remember correctly), but you can use cutting words more with a higher charisma mod (and regain it after a short rest).
At least, these are my first thoughts. Hadn't really given that much thought before.
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Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
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Guide is done, I'll start on a PvP one tomorrow.
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Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
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I'm confused on this, how can i get +4 if i have to choose the optional feats rule instead of ability score improvement at level4?
If you start off with 17 Charisma (which you can as a half-elf even with point buy, they have +2 Cha), Elven Accuracy increases it (or dex, wis or int) by one.
You also might not have access to this feat which might be causing some confusion, it's from XGtE.
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is song of rest so bad a feature you wont even mention it
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I know people trashed Peerless Skill, but I think maybe they haven't thought about what ability checks it can be used on. Initiative is an ability check. Initiating, avoiding, and escaping a grapple is an ability check. As mentioned earlier, Counterspell calls for an ability check.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
It's not great, but i probably just forgot it.
Well, let me rephrase. It's not worth going bard just for it, but it's a nice thing to have.
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It's not that Peerless Skill is horrible, it just doesn't seem like it should be a level 14 subclass capstone. Especially since it requires burning inspiration dice, and you already have a lot of good options for that—normal use, Cutting Words, etc.
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I'm not trying to be rude, but I think this guide has some very bad advice. I skimmed through it first and was thinking to myself "Did this guy even play a bard", so I wasn't surprised when I read the introduction where you admitted to having little experience with the class. The question is, why would you write a guide for a class you have litle experience with in the first place. Also you have been offered plenty of advice in the comments, but seem unwilling to listen to it.
To start with the core features: You rank countercharm at an equal rank as magical secrets. Magical secrets are game changing and character defining abilities. Countercharm is a terrible ability that is'nt unlikely to never to find a use in an entire campaign. You might have to read countercharm again, it might not do what you think it does. It is BAD, borderline useless.
Next you seriously overestimate the martial powers of the bard in relation to the martially oriented subclasses. You seem to think that extra attack is a big deal for bards, but it really isn't. Did you notice what other attack-enhancing abilities the bard have? They have nothing. Extra attack means you will do 1d8+3 (assuming 16 dexterity, which is high) extra damage if you hit when you make an attack action. That still makes attacking an ineffective use of your action, when you could be casting your spells. It is not useless, because sometimes you will run out of or need to restrain your resources, and making 2 attack actions might be better than casting a cantrip, but that's about it. It doesn't make you a good or decent damage dealer, it just makes you a little bit more effecient at something you are very bad at.
On the same note, battle magic isn't a great capstone. It means you can do an extra 1d8+3 damage as a bonus action when you cast a spell. That is not useless, but it means very little at 14th level, and a lot of the time you will be better of staying away from melee and holding a shield (rather than plinking with bow).
Valour bard isn't a bad subclass, but it strenght almost entierly comes from its bonus profencies at level 3 (medium armour + shield, which is amazing for a full caster)
Swords bards can add some extra damage, true, but they have to give up their support role to use them, and you are not even getting profiency in shields. Blade flourish certainly isn't "gold" - again it just makes you a little better at doing something you aren't very good at. Even with a swords bard, attacking is a suboptimal option for a bard from mid - high levels. "Master flourish" isn't a great capstone at all. Sure, you can get that bonus on every attack, but why are you wasting your actions attacking when you could be casting 7th level spells? Again it just makes you a little better if yoiu are out of- or restraining your resources.
In contrast, you seem to think peerless skill is a terrible capstone. It certainly isn't, and unlike the above mentions abilities it makes you better at what you are actually good at. Adding a d10/d12 to your initiative when you need it is huge for a full caster. Adding d10/d12 to counterspell is equally huge. Then there is dispel magic etc., and adding the die to any key skill (after you roll the die!) can also be huge. All of this is in one ability - it is certinly more impactfull than the slight increase in offensive abilites the swords and valour offer.
Glamour is a great subclass, but isnt because you of mantle of majesty (that you rank as gold) What are you doing with your action while you are spending your concentration and bonus action on command? You can't cast spells other than cantrips. Again it's just another ability to conserve some resources + some utility use. I'd take magical secrets at level 6 over it any day.
I'm not gonna nitpick to much on your spell and feat rankings , but you completely fail to take into account ritual casting in your guide. The most of the rails spell ranking, is tiny hut. It is often regarded as one of the best spells in the game, and with good reason. You also seems to not be taking concentration into account (which should increase the rating of spells like blindness/deafness and plant growth). Your ranking of moderatly armored as red (it's like having a permanent shield spell) frankly makes no sence at all.
Dont get me wrong, you offer some good advice as well, but I really think you should fix your guide, as it is currently likely to mislead a new player.
I absolutely love my Swords Bard and I still agree with this.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
This definitely comes from not having played a high level bard. And probably thinking too much like a paladin.
Thanks for the critique.
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Swords bard is in a tough spot. Obviously doing an extra 13 damage a round isn't game breaking. However masters flourish with extra attack can be 2(1d8+3+2)+1d6 + any magic weapon or buff. This could get up to around 15 damage a round for just a +2 sword and 16 dexterity. You then push your armor class up 3 points each round which is not nothing. However high level enemies tend to have huge to hit bonuses so going from 17ac up to 20ac may not help a lot.
I guess for me I know I appreciate my sword bard because yes I can cast high level magic but I can't cast a lot of high level magic. With only around a 15 spell slots mid game and possibly over 20 combat rounds each day that extra 15 damage each round can turn into 150 but probably around 100 damage once you factor in accuracy.
Bards are also hindered by spells known. I have a lot of out of combat spells as I am used for a lot of party utility. I get even less mileage out of my spells in combat. Cast a concentration spell and start swinging which makes the little bit of extra damage from swords bard start to add up.
The comparison should not be a high level spell or a melee attack. The spell wins every time. What about 6 melee attacks or a spell and two cantrips? It can get cloudier. Luckily for bards we have the option of doing either or depending on what is needed.
I have taken my role as not being the best spell user or the best melee in the group and just decided to be a 7 or 8 out of 10 at everything that way no matter what we do I always feel like I can contribute in some way.
Also I forgot we got countercharm haha
the 6th level ability is not bad i won a fight using it one time it is up to 10 extra 1st level spell slots for command as a bonus action now tell me again how it is bad and also i think you can cast spells but not sure
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Im not saying it is bad, im saying it doesnt deserve a gold rating and isnt conerstone to what makes the glamour bard great. You definetly can't cast spells other than cantrips - i don't blame you for thinking it is super strong if you thought you could, but you've been playing it wrong unfortunately.
Honestly i think both the level 3 abilities are better, but I can see that some groups play very combat focused to make an extremely power full and versatile ability such as enthralling perfomance be regarded as "situational".
While your guide have some flaws, you certainly handled that criticism well. So kudos for that :)
I'm building my Lore bard, Cadenza, who is currently at level 5. At level 4 he took +2 CHR ASI, bringing him up to 18. I like Ritual Caster as a feat, getting another +2 Chr so I can get to 20, Elven Accuracy and Resilient to improve my chances of passing concentration checks during combat. Unfortunately this would only bring my Constitution up to 13, but I would have advantage.
My first question, this would be all of the remaining improvements I can make at levels 8, 12, 16 and 19. Is there another feat/ASI upgrade I should consider other than what I have here?
Second question; in what order do you think I should make these upgrades?
Level 5: Str 10, Dex 14, Wis 14, Int 12, Con 12, Chr 18 - Half Elf - wearing Elven Chain so he has an AC of 18 due to the armor and his dex. I will take Magical Secrets: Counterspell and probably Thunder Step at level 6. Current Spell List: Cantrips - Mending, Prestidigitation, Vicious Mockery 1st Lvl - Bane, Charm Person, Healing Word, Dissonant Whispers 2nd Lvl - Heat Metal, Invisibility, Silence 3rd Lvl - Dispel Magic
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So Resilient doesn’t give advantage on the saves, just proficiency. I generally prefer War Caster, especially if you won’t go up a full Con mod. I’d say 20 Cha is definitely worth, but I’m not so sure about Ritual Caster. Elven Accuracy is amazing, I would preference either that or War Caster first. That said, what order you do it in would honestly probably depend on what campaign you’re in, what level it goes to, what role you’re filling, personal preference etc.
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Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Don't Brother with elven accuracy, it is a very bad feat for you. What attack rolls are you even rolling - at all?
Some other feats to consider are moderartly armoreded, inspiring leader or lucky.
You could do something like 8: lucky/moderartly armored 12 resilent 16 +2chr 19 whatever.
And there I go again. Forgot that most bard spells aren’t attack rolls . . .*facepalm*
I need to stop writing these responses at 1 am, lol.
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Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Thanks for the observations. I'm not sure moderately armored will help me because I have Elven Chain. Unless I desired to switch to another medium armor, I would benefit by getting +1 to Str or Dex and proficiency with shields. So I will need to think about that. But my AC as a Bard, even a Lore Bard, has been a concern of mine since the beginning.
Lucky has always been on my radar, because getting to reroll is just super sweet even when I am roleplaying and I roll poorly on something relatively inconsequential.
Inspiring Leader is also a nice feat, so I'll give that a good look. Unfortunately I don't see this campaign going much past level 12, so I'll probably not fill all the ASI slots, but I like to have a plan.
Having the best saves (Spell DC) is really impactful and adding another bardic inspiration would increase the impact of my bard, so I am leaning toward taking the next ASI as the +2 Chr to max out at 20. But midway through level 5, I got a lot of ground to cover before then. Waiting for lvl 12 though, to get Resilient, is a long time, so I may have to see if I even wat to use that. It seems like ASIs at level 16 and 19 are anticlimatic because there is little distance to go before the campaign is over at that point. I just don't imagine many campaigns going to level 20.
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