Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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Hello adventurers!
We are pretty new at DnD and began with the 2024 rule set earlier this year.
I want to create a Valor Bard and - as we have no full grasp on all the rules yet - wanted to ask if i understand things correctly:
On Character Creation I take the Magic Initiate feature and choose True Strike as one of the cantrips.
On Level 3 the Valor bard gets Martial Weapon proficiency, so i can wield Hand Crossbows
On Level 4 I can choose Crossbow Expert so i can fire twice every round, once with each Hand Crossbow
On Level 6 Valor Bards gains an extra attack.
On Level 8 I want to choose Feytouched and get Hunter's Mark.
Am I right that beginning at Level 8 - if I do nothing else with my Bonus Action and have Hunter's Mark up- this is my Attack round?
1. Action: True Strike with my Charisma-Modifier (+4) for 2D6 Piercing/Radiant and 1D6 Force (Hunter's Mark) + 4 Damage, then (Extra Attack with Advantage if I hit with the first shot (Vex weapon)) with my Dex Modifier (+3) for 1D6 Piercing+1D6 Force +3 Damage
2. Bonusaction: Dex-Modifier offhand shot (with Advantage if I hit the second shot for again) for 1D6 Piercing + 1D6 Force +3 Damage
If i hit everytime that would do 7D6+10 damage, right?
Casting:
At Level 3 Valor bard can use a weapon as Casting Focus
If I want to cast anything while dual wielding, I'd have to put away the offhand crossbow to do the somatic components (unless I take War Caster at Level 12) and then cast that same round and in the next round i can redraw the offhand crossbow and do the full three attacks again? This is where I am really unsure.
Then at Lvl 14 Valor Bard can follow up a cast with a Bonus Action weapon attack.
Any Help and Feedback is appreciated!
EDIT: forgot that True Strike deals an extra D6 Radiant beginning at Level 5 -> corrected in text
Yes, but keep in mind that oftentimes, you will have to use your Bonus Action to re-apply Hunter's Mark every time you target a new enemy. This will probably happen more frequently than you expect, except maybe during boss fights, giving you few opportunity to use your offhand weapon.
Thank You for checking! I intend to use the Hunters Mark mostly for Boss encounters. As a non-Ranger it would eat up my spell slots quickly otherwise. And 3D6+7 from the Attack action alone is pretty solid too for a support class.
True Strike is already a Bard spell, so you don't need to take Magic Initiate.
Crossbow Expert will allow you to fire as both an Action and a Bonus Action (with two Hand Crossbows), but this is likely to prove of minimal value to you. If the campaign reaches level 14, you'll get the ability inherently via College of Valor. Even before then, Bards already have a strong use for their Bonus Action (Bardic Inspiration dice). The other major virtue - removal of the Loading property - doesn't help you much because you'll never be attacking twice with an Action, Bonus Action or Reaction. At most you'll attack once and then cast a cantrip like True Strike (which doesn't trigger the Loading property).
If you want a Dex-based feat, Sharpshooter would be a stronger choice than Crossbow Expert.
I wouldn't take Fey-Touched either. Hunter's Mark isn't even a good use of Concentration for Rangers - it's a horrible spell to waste your Concentration on for a College of Valor Bard.
You should also remember that Bards are pure casters, not martials. They tend to use ranged weapons not because they're a particularly effective way to fight but because it allows them to remain safely at range. Ultimately, weapon use is the "I have nothing better to do" no resource option rather than your job in combat.
Interesting, thank You! I need to re-read some stuff it seems
Ten levels is a long time in most campaigns.
I think this is, at best, debatable.
That's very situational. If they're using the bonus action attack a lot, CE is better. If they're getting into melee or long range a lot, sharpshooter is better. If their DM disagrees with you about whether casting true strike as part of your attack lets you ignore loading, which I definitely do, CE is definitely better.
This is a matter of style. If you're taking College of Valor, you want to be a weapon fighter -- it's what the subclass is for.
(As for Hunter's Mark, by 8th level they should have a pretty good idea of whether it's going to be worth it.)
By the rules, you can use your hand holding the focus to do the somatic components when you're using it anyway because the spell has material components, so you should be fine then. Technically, you can't do this when the spell has no material components, but most GMs are unlikely to care. (You can ask yours, if you're worried.)
Anyway, it's not that big a deal even if you do. Stowing or drawing a weapon can be done with your free object interaction. In addition, alongside every attack you make as part of your attack action, you can either stow or draw one weapon.
So, worst case:
If you know in advance you are going to cast a spell, you can just stow your crossbow after attacking with it.
(There's an interesting question as to whether the attack you make during true strike counts for stowing/drawing weapons, since it's happening as part of the Attack action. But it's entirely hypothetical for you.)
A point of correction: Bards, even Valor Bards, do not gain any weapon masteries. That means you will not benefit from the Vex Mastery feature of the weapons.
Dang, You are absolutely correct there!
!