I'm currently a 3 Lore Bard/ 1 Life Cleric basically running a support + off-tank build. I was thinking of taking magic initiate when I hit level 5 so I can take Goodberry because it'll heal 4/berry with Disciple of Life, and Eldritch Blast. My stats are currently 13/8/12/12/16/18. Would it be a bad idea to take this instead of an ASI and if I were to take Magic Initiate, what other cantrip should I take? I currently have Toll the Dead, Mage Hand, Guidance, Prestidigitation, and Sacred Flame.
I don’t think I have ever played a game where resistance was cast. It’s concentration, and so it’s that or guidance. If I were checking for traps I would rather have guidance to make sure I didn’t set it off rather than resistance in case I did.
Magic initiate is a good feat but as mentioned they must all come from the same class and use the stat that is primary for that class, meaning to get goodberry as the level 1 you would have to get 2 druid cantrips and wisdom would be their casting stat. Personally at this point I would max your charisma, it will increase your spell attack bonus and more importantly your save dc would go up to 16, and you will definitely notice that mobs will struggle to make them. It’s a big jump from 14.
You cast resistance before a battle starts or before doing things that you know are dangerous out of combat that do not involve a skill check - i.e. . Good prep spell. Yes, you sometimes end up losing it via casting another concentration spell. So what, it is effectively a free +1d4 to saves.
Not really, many casters going into a fight will have probably cast a concentration spell such as Hex, Hunters Mark, Spiritual weapon, Summon X, Bless (a much better choice than Resistance). There are so many much better spells to cast that use up your concentration.
Not really, many casters going into a fight will have probably cast a concentration spell such as Hex, Hunters Mark, Spiritual weapon, Summon X, Bless (a much better choice than Resistance). There are so many much better spells to cast that use up your concentration.
Very slight correction: Spiritual Weapon doesn't require concentration.
Resistance can be pretty dope against dragons or spellcasters, (especially for Rogues, Monks or anyone with the Shield Master feat - as it helps them succeed and take no damage). There can be obvious hazards that can't be avoided.
It's especially useful if there's somebody else in the party able to cast Bless. They stack. So +2d4 to your next save might keep you alive against that ice mage's Cone of Cold or when rushing through a poison-filled room because somebody (**looks to the 'put everything into strength' fighter in his clunky full plate**) set the trap off before Roguey McHidesALot could disarm it.
There's certainly a place for Resistance in many support/"dontletusdie" builds.
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Yeah my bad, I was thinking of Spirit Guardians. I can see where you are coming from, I just don't think it is worth the concentration slot. I think if you have multiple people in the party then yes, combining it with bless or guidance from a second caster with is nice, but unlikely in many games.It has a place I guess, but it really wouldn't be on my go to list unless I knew in advance that there is someone else in the party with Guidance.
Everyone has covered what you could do with Magic Initiate. Let's consider what you get if you choose +2 ASI instead. Assuming you would put it into Charisma, your main ability score for your Bard, you get this:
A better DC for all spells in case there is a save chance for the enemy. This increases the chances for all your contested spells to work. You can Bane, Charm, or anything else (and it is a long list) better for the rest of the game after taking this ASI.
You get one more Bardic Inspiration (per short rest, thanks to Font of Inspiration) per short rest for the rest of the game. That may not sound like much, but once you start using Cutting Words, your enemies will hate you. There are also other uses for Bardic Inspiration, such as Peerless Skill, so when you want to use those you have one more B-I to give out.
You get +1 on all those skill checks that rely on Charisma (your a Lore Bard, so you picked them all, right?) so you will be very near unstoppable when you are persuading that guard or deceiving those trolls.
Of course, if you still choose to take Magic Initiate, you may take the ASI at level 8, it is just that level 8 (9) can seem like a long way away. And if you choose the ASI you can still select Magic Initiate at level 8 (9).
As an aside, I seem to recall that Goodberry does not benefit from the Cleric's ability to add points of healing to spells cast to heal a PC. The spell you are casting creates Goodberries. The spell does not heal the PC. Therefore the berries still only provide 1 point of healing. I'm not an expert, but there are several threads that have hashed this out. Try searching for those and read through them. But if your table has a long standing house rule to do this, then that's OK. It is all up to the DM.
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I'm currently a 3 Lore Bard/ 1 Life Cleric basically running a support + off-tank build. I was thinking of taking magic initiate when I hit level 5 so I can take Goodberry because it'll heal 4/berry with Disciple of Life, and Eldritch Blast. My stats are currently 13/8/12/12/16/18. Would it be a bad idea to take this instead of an ASI and if I were to take Magic Initiate, what other cantrip should I take? I currently have Toll the Dead, Mage Hand, Guidance, Prestidigitation, and Sacred Flame.
Magic Initiate requires all spells to be from the same list, which must be Druid. You already have 2 good combat spells.
I would consider Resistance and Mending. Resistance is a nice 1d4 to saves, castable before - great prep spell. Mending can solve many minor problems.
I don’t think I have ever played a game where resistance was cast. It’s concentration, and so it’s that or guidance. If I were checking for traps I would rather have guidance to make sure I didn’t set it off rather than resistance in case I did.
Magic initiate is a good feat but as mentioned they must all come from the same class and use the stat that is primary for that class, meaning to get goodberry as the level 1 you would have to get 2 druid cantrips and wisdom would be their casting stat. Personally at this point I would max your charisma, it will increase your spell attack bonus and more importantly your save dc would go up to 16, and you will definitely notice that mobs will struggle to make them. It’s a big jump from 14.
You cast resistance before a battle starts or before doing things that you know are dangerous out of combat that do not involve a skill check - i.e. . Good prep spell. Yes, you sometimes end up losing it via casting another concentration spell. So what, it is effectively a free +1d4 to saves.
High charisma however is probably a better deal.
Not really, many casters going into a fight will have probably cast a concentration spell such as Hex, Hunters Mark, Spiritual weapon, Summon X, Bless (a much better choice than Resistance). There are so many much better spells to cast that use up your concentration.
Very slight correction: Spiritual Weapon doesn't require concentration.
Resistance can be pretty dope against dragons or spellcasters, (especially for Rogues, Monks or anyone with the Shield Master feat - as it helps them succeed and take no damage). There can be obvious hazards that can't be avoided.
It's especially useful if there's somebody else in the party able to cast Bless. They stack. So +2d4 to your next save might keep you alive against that ice mage's Cone of Cold or when rushing through a poison-filled room because somebody (**looks to the 'put everything into strength' fighter in his clunky full plate**) set the trap off before Roguey McHidesALot could disarm it.
There's certainly a place for Resistance in many support/"dontletusdie" builds.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Yeah my bad, I was thinking of Spirit Guardians. I can see where you are coming from, I just don't think it is worth the concentration slot. I think if you have multiple people in the party then yes, combining it with bless or guidance from a second caster with is nice, but unlikely in many games.It has a place I guess, but it really wouldn't be on my go to list unless I knew in advance that there is someone else in the party with Guidance.
Everyone has covered what you could do with Magic Initiate. Let's consider what you get if you choose +2 ASI instead. Assuming you would put it into Charisma, your main ability score for your Bard, you get this:
A better DC for all spells in case there is a save chance for the enemy. This increases the chances for all your contested spells to work. You can Bane, Charm, or anything else (and it is a long list) better for the rest of the game after taking this ASI.
You get one more Bardic Inspiration (per short rest, thanks to Font of Inspiration) per short rest for the rest of the game. That may not sound like much, but once you start using Cutting Words, your enemies will hate you. There are also other uses for Bardic Inspiration, such as Peerless Skill, so when you want to use those you have one more B-I to give out.
You get +1 on all those skill checks that rely on Charisma (your a Lore Bard, so you picked them all, right?) so you will be very near unstoppable when you are persuading that guard or deceiving those trolls.
Of course, if you still choose to take Magic Initiate, you may take the ASI at level 8, it is just that level 8 (9) can seem like a long way away. And if you choose the ASI you can still select Magic Initiate at level 8 (9).
As an aside, I seem to recall that Goodberry does not benefit from the Cleric's ability to add points of healing to spells cast to heal a PC. The spell you are casting creates Goodberries. The spell does not heal the PC. Therefore the berries still only provide 1 point of healing. I'm not an expert, but there are several threads that have hashed this out. Try searching for those and read through them. But if your table has a long standing house rule to do this, then that's OK. It is all up to the DM.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt