The bard spell list in Dungeons and Dragons (5e) includes optional spells from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Players can learn four 1st-level spells from the bard spell list, with the Spells Known column showing when more spells are learned. Each spell must be of a level for which they have spell slots. Animal Friendship is considered easier than proficiency in Animal Handling but becomes more challenging.
The Bard 5E character sheet is available for free and supports both 2014 and 2024 rules. Ritual casting allows players to cast any bard spell they know as a ritual if it has the ritual tag. Ritual spells count as bard spells and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Bard table.
A bard can learn spells of any level they can cast, with the table not splitting up based on how many spells they know at the first and second levels. A bard can learn one new spell at each level except 12th, 16th, and 19th. Bard spells borrow heavily from Wizard and Cleric spells, but focus on support spells, illusions, and enchantments.
A 3rd-level bard will know six spells and two cantrips, as well as four 1st-level spell slots and two 2nd-level spell slots. The bard spell list includes Programmed Illusion, True Seeing, Divination, Arcane Sword, Evocation, Etherealness, and Transmutation.
📹 Top 5 Bard Spells by Level: DnD Class Spells #2
A guide on which Bard spells to prepare at each tier of play in a Dungeons and Dragons game. Reasonable people can definitely …
Who is known as a Bard?
William Shakespeare, born on 26 April 1564, was an English poet and playwright known as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. He is often referred to as England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon”. Shakespeare’s surviving works include 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than any other playwright.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon and married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18. He began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of the playing company Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men. He retired to Stratford around 1613 and died three years later.
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613, primarily in comedies and histories. He wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest examples in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, or romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime.
How do you tell if a spell is a cantrip?
A cantrip is a spell that can be cast at will without using a spell slot or being prepared in advance. It is fixed in the caster’s mind through repeated practice, with a spell level of 0. Rituals are spells with a special tag, which can be cast following normal spellcasting rules or as a ritual. The ritual version takes 10 minutes longer and doesn’t expend a spell slot, making it unsuitable for higher levels. To cast a spell as a ritual, a spellcaster must have a feature that allows it, such as a cleric or druid, and the spell must be prepared or known on their list.
How many spells can a level 1 bard prepare?
The Bard spell list consists of two cantrips of your choice, which can be replaced with another one as you gain a Bard level. The table shows the number of spell slots available for casting level 1+ spells, and you can regain all expended slots after a Long Rest.
The Bard table also shows the list of prepared spells of 1st+ level and higher. To start, choose four level 1 spells from the list and increase the number as you gain Bard levels. You can choose additional spells until the list matches the table.
Charisma is your Spellcasting Ability for your Bard spells. You can use a musical instrument as a Spellcasting Focus for the spells you cast with your Bard features. At Bard level 9, you gain Expertise in two of your skill proficiencies, with Performance and Persuasion being recommended. At Bard level 9, you gain Expertise in two more skill proficiencies.
At the 2nd Level, you can add half your Proficiency Bonus to any ability check that uses a skill proficiency you lack and doesn’t otherwise use your Proficiency Bonus. For example, if you make a Strength (Athletics) check and lack Athletics proficiency, you can add half your Proficiency Bonus to the check.
Do cantrips count as spells known?
Cantrips are not associated with recognized or prepared spells and are analogous to the cantrips of other classes. These spells are not leveled and do not consume spell slots.
Do bards know all bard spells?
You have two cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list, which you learn at higher levels. The Bard table shows the number of spell slots you need to cast 1st-level and higher spells. To cast a spell, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. All expended spell slots are regained after a long rest. For instance, you can cast Cure Wounds using either slot if you know the 1st-level spell.
Do bards use arcane or divine magic?
Dungeons and Dragons is a magical game that incorporates magic as a mechanic and gaming aspect. Classes like wizards, sorcerers, and bards use Arcane Magic, allowing them to cast spells. Even martial classes have sub or prestige classes that allow them to use magic. The game uses a two-fold magic system in its worlds and worldbuilding: Arcane and Divine. This may surprise those who have played only 5e.
Do you know what a bard is?
A bard is a poet who wrote impassioned, lyrical, or epic verse. They were originally Celtic composers of eulogy and satire, and later became tribal poet-singer. Bards were considered the national poets or minstrels of Gaul and Britain. In Gaul, the institution disappeared, but in Ireland and Wales, it survived. The Irish bard preserved a tradition of poetic eulogy through chanting. In Wales, the bardic order was codified into distinct grades in the 10th century. Despite a decline towards the end of the European Middle Ages, the Welsh tradition continues and is celebrated in the annual eisteddfod.
Do bards know fireball?
Fireball is a spell that can be learned by various characters, including Warlocks, Blood Hunters, Clerics, Artillerist Artificers, and even 10th-level Bards. The Magical Secrets feature allows for earlier learning for Bards and Bards from the College of Lore. Arcane Trickster Rogues and Eldritch Knight Fighters can also learn Fireball from level 14 and 13. To cast Fireball, a Sorcerer or Wizard must have the right components, including verbal and somatic gestures, material components like sulfur and a little bat guano, and a streak of flame from their fingertips.
Pointing at a target within range will result in 8d6 damage on a failed Dexterity saving throw and half as much damage on a successful one. The cost of on-demand arson is carrying bat poop around in one’s pocket.
What kind of spells do bards get?
It is recommended that Charisma be selected as the highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. It is recommended that the player selects the entertainer background, which allows for the use of dancing lights, vicious mockery cantrips, and 1st-level spells such as charm person, detect magic, healing word, and thunderwave. The browser in use does not support cookies.
How many spells do I know as a bard?
The bard leveling table offers basic features such as hit points, armor, weapons, tools, saving throws, and skills. Players can choose from light armor, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, and three musical instruments. They can also choose from a Diplomat’s Pack, Entertainer’s Pack, lute, or other musical instruments. The equipment includes a rapier, longsword, diplomat’s pack, lute, leather armor, and a dagger.
What is a female Bard called?
The term “bardess” is used to describe a female bard.
📹 Bard Class Guide for Dungeons and Dragons 5e
We’ll cover everything you need to know to create your Bard. We’ll help you choose the your bardic college, ability scores, skills, …
I DM for a group and my sister in law plays a collage of lore bard who is a painter. She did art school irl and every session she takes a few sketches of things I describe then comes to the next session with a cool lil art piece to show everyone. Really adds to her character and feels good as a DM since our setting is my home brew 😊 I also play a College of Glamour Satyr Bard in a friend’s campaign and play him as this fayish creature that just wants to entertain and make friends. He’s so fun to role play!
Thanks for the article. Very useful. BTW I think a really good example of a bard is Ronaldo The Great in The Dwarves by Markus Heitz. He is a stage actor (very flamboyant) and uses insults all the time. He doesn’t do magic per se, but gets his set designer to give the illusion he knows magic (e.g. having contraptions up his sleeves that shoot fire).
Have been playing D&D since the late 70s. Recent jump to 5e, and have definitely settled on valor bard as favorite class. Currently have 4 valor bards and one BM fighter in the 5 campaigns I play. Yes, kinda redundant, but bard #3 and 4 are in blue moon alt campaigns that get maybe a session or two a year. Bard #1 & 2: Twin 1/2 elf sisters. One is very good at singing, but uses minor illusion cantrip to hide how badly she sucks on any instrument (lazy and wont practice). Other great at musical instruments, and uses minor illusion cantrip for “loops” so she can create multi instrument performances. Think Luca Stricagnoli, she will do a percussive thing on her lute to sell the illusion, then switch to playing the melody as an example. She has great plans of what she will be able to create at level 11 when she can pick up the programmed illusion spell. Permanent 5 minute “program” with the intro notes as the trigger??? Weeeeeeeee! Give it half a year and she will have her lute loaded up with a full illusory backing band + illusory dance troupe choreography + special lighting effects for every song she knows. These twins are in two different campaigns that overlap. Yes, they became twins because I fell in love and wanted to play this bard in both campaigns. 🤣 Bard #3: 1/2 elf male. Bad case of 1/2 elf self loathing. Mom had a rough life after being seduced by his father so he is not kindly disposed to elves now. He was very briefly the apprentice of a bard after his mother died.
My bard uses “modern” music for his spells. For instance, Dissonant Whispers is “activated” by singing “Hello darkness my old friend” from Disturbed’s cover of “Sound of Silence”. And similar spells are activated by different lines of the same song. So “Sound of Silence” is used for two or three spells.
18:30 this was my opening move during the battle last session but I use it on my enemy. Used unsettling words to give an orc a negative save modifier and casted Hold person. He naturally failed his wisdom save, granting the wizard of chance to stab him with her dagger and disengage without an attack of opportunity on her next turn
My inspiration for a bard would be none other than Thom, a character from the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (tv adaptation coming to Amazon Prime next month I believe). Charismatic old man, can cause inspiration with his stories, or make you see his tales in an almost illusion like effect. A master tumbler and knife thrower. Street smart and well versed rubbing elbows with foot pads and cut purses in the seediest alley, yet fits right in at the queens court navigating the lords and their political games. He always knows the piece of lore a situation calls for. Hands down the best example of this class ever presented in literature in my opinion.
A player of mine once played a dwarf bard which had a set of small drums attached to his belt. His beard was divided into many small braids which each had a small metal ball tied to their tips and he used those to play his drums. He died when the party was TPK’d when invading the tomb of a lich. Then, when the players, in a different campaign that was set some 200 years after, with a different party, invaded the same tomb, they heard drums beating and they found an undead, decrepit, and insane dwarven bard, playing his drums with some mostly twisted strings of beard that remained in his corpse. The lich raised him as undead because he wanted to know about the outside world, but a seal prevented him from ever leaving his tomb, and forced the dwarf to tell him stories over the course of the years. He didn’t remember his name, he just called himself Storyteller, as that is what the lich would call him whenever he wanted to listen to some story.
I watched this article after making my bard and i had chosen violin, lute and drums. And for drums the DM agreed that anything I tap on could be considered as my drums as long as I tap with an appropriate object and not my hands and I do it on a solid surface. So y’know, inspire people by beating a beat on an enemy with a club.
Oddly enough, I built my bard as a healer build – our party didn’t have a healer – and he has a ridiculous obsession with 80s music. Recent example of the ridiculous fun of this include a situation in which our party was split to storm a room from two entrances and the other half of our party was using message to do the countdown, so my bard was humming back Europe’s “Final Countdown” as the Bardic inspiration on that character. Other fun uses have been singing Bangles’ Eternal Flame to our Wreath in Flame encompassed party member, and Beastie Boys Sureshot to our Ranger. It’s been a fun build – I keep a ready play list of possible 80s tunes for various situations. Also, my bard has been one of the key things keeping our party from descending to murder hobo – since it’s a healer build, the tendency is to try to talk opponents out of combat, and it’s worked enough times that the group as a whole doesn’t immediately jump to “kill the thing.” Example: recent campaign, Elris (my bard) talked a group of green dragon cultists into decamping and abandoning the situation rather than fighting – well enough that the “underling” cultists were so disgusted with their leader that it broke the cult. Bonus. (that was, obvs, a couple of nat 20 rolls)
Took me two years but finally I made a bard and came back to watch this article. Church boy half elf of drow descent that hides his elven heritage and tries to pass up for an old human of colour. Bards suffer a similar problem to sorcerers: so many wonderful things to choose from but so few selections! That’s why lore bards are the best, you get more skills and more importantly more spells known.
with a bard you can have (greater) find steed and sunbeam/eyebite/vampiric touch. Find steed summon a creature, and every spells with a range of touch cast on yourself also affect your steed. Vampiric touch/sunbeam/eyebite are spells with a range of self that allow you to use your action to attack every turn. at low level you get a cused horse with a 3d8 necrotic hoof attack that heals him for half this amount. At high level you get a griffon who shoots 6d8 lasers that can blind (12d8 counting your own beam). Both are done with your spell attack and saves. And since you are the one holding concentration, even if they are hit it doesn’t break the spell.
The main reason I’m perusal this is because I am about to DM with a solid dedicated group for the first time. I asked questions of my players about their interests and one who has zero D&D experience said she likes Idol anime and might want to play a summoner. I suggested a College of Creation and if she decides to make a Bard I definitely might have a Battle of the Bands happen for her.
For the Magical Secrets, taking Find Greater Steed, Find Familiar, and Shield is a badass combination. Find Greater Steed allows you to make any spell that targets only yourself also target your mount! So if you’re flying around on your Griffon, casting spells, and an enemy thinks they’re going to knock you out of the sky by taking out your griffon, you cast Shield and suddenly your griffon’s AC goes up by 5! You see one of your friends taking heavy damage, send your familiar next to them so you can cast Cure Wounds on them through the familiar!
Make a Drummer Bard with Soldier Background and it be historically accurate because before the radio (and any portable communication system really) existed it was VERY HARD for Commanders in the battlefield to direct their soldiers at a large scale due to all the noise inherent to a battlefield (people screaming, cannonballs and catapults firing everywhere, the open fields themselves dispersing all the noise, ALOT of things played against a Commander that tried to direct their troops with their voice alone), so the “Battle-Drummers” existed to use very loud drums and personalized “battle-rythms” to relay the commander’s orders in a sort of morse-code that was unique to each Batallion, so when the soldiers heard certain rythms playing from their side of the battlefield they knew “the commander want us to retreat/the commander wants us to flank them/the battle is over/etc”
I’m working an a very curious and adventurous gnome, and the bard is the most fitting class to fit that role. It might even end up as a valour bard, as one that travels with adventurers and great fighters to tell about their deeds… If the bard end up being the unsung hero of the tale (ba-dum tss) then so be it.
Valor Bard – when you want to play a Paladin tank, but also want more skills and spells to your name (Heavily Armored feat recommended). Bonus points: Use only a horn as your musical instrument to RP as an Einherjar. (Also talk to your DM if he’s alright with switching those extra musical tool proficiencies for some more useful ones.)
A bard that’s a craftman could also be pretty awesome. Like he looks at the other people in battle, looks what little device would improve something of what they are doing and than gives it to them in battle. Could be also unnecessarily complicated with an asshole DM that let’s you roll on whether you can give the item to them but yeah. In theory it could be hella cool.
With the new options available with all current books, anyone playing anything other than a variant human or eladrin with School of Glamour and either 3 level Crown paladin and/or 2 level Enchantment wizard is playing suboptimally for the role of true diva, I guess one could try a boring regular elf or half elf too for this, but it would lack the flair.
I have always taken for my bard Thaumaturgy as a magical secret. Now you may be thinking: Why? Why pick such a generic cantrip when you have all those other options? Need I point to the primary effect of thaumaturgy: Being able to enhance your voice to 3x its normal speech. Being able to cause tremors and open doors and shudders. The sounds that you can make with it and altering of your eyes. This spell enhances a bard’s performance. This spell gives the bard an internal microphone to sing with. The roleplaying uses of thaumaturgy for a bard are amazing, and I don’t see any other fit honestly for the character I play.
the movie “Inkheart”, he can read a book out loud, and cause whatever he reads to manifest in reality… so, it’s like sorcerous/emotional “Invocation/Evocation of the Word” through performance/oration without invoking a deity. i think that’s the closest to capturing “the spirit of the bard” in a movie
Throwing Swashbuckler on a College of Swords Bard creates a surprisingly powerful tank who starts combat by throwing out one or two debuffs before diving into melee combat. Add Defensive Duelist to Defensive Flourish and a Shield for silly AC numbers. (And concentrating on Bane makes it even better) Was looking at an effective AC of 26-30 while I could heal myself and our Paladin with Healing Words as a bonus action.
Tabaxi and Dragonborn also make for decent bards. Dragonborn are good for strength Bards and Tabaxi are good for far travelling Dex Bards due to their curiosity and yearning for travel Tabaxi still get Darkvision, but their ability to just double their own movement for free several times during combat alongside climbing speed is super good for things like Counterspell and the like
Two bards that are often missed are Cacofanix from the Asterix comics. A Gaul bard who’s power rests in how mind blowingly bad he is. The other is C3PO in Star Wars. The translator as a bard always talking his way out of trouble. he also has a talent for accidentally saving the day. Particularly in the Star Wars comics and animated shows.
What exactly does skills mean in the context under “building your bard”? Skills are like strength/dexterity/charisma/intelligence/wisdom, right? What does it mean to choose 3 of these? Like choose 3 to be proficient in? First time making a character. Edit: I believe I’ve found the answer to my question, its not charisma exactly but deception/intimidation/performance/persuasion that you choose? Those are the “skills”?
I once played a Earth Genasi paladin 5/bard 5 multi class and killed a Wraith with vicious mockery, it was just so funny to the team, if I remember it right the insult was “The smoke from a fire is more terrifying than you, I would rather kiss a zombie than gaze upon you once more, be gone foul shadow of noxious smell” The party just starred at me after that it was very satisfying
My bard is a bit of a weird one. He is a skeleton for a start, he hides his appearance behind a robe and theatrical mask. He used to be a fool for a court of vampires, until he was killed and resurrected as a skeleton He carries a enchanted horn that can recreate any sound he has ever heard, including speech and uses it as his spell focus. All of the spells he has are pretty much either designed to hurt people or trick people into hurting themselves/others. He also has a tendency towards necromantic spells, like talk with dead. For his bonus magical secrets spells he chose animate dead and vampiric touch. He is a backstabbing, scheming bastard. I love him
Bards aren’t limited to music or even performing right? I had an idea for a character who is functionally the same to a bard: They use incense, candles and censers to waft different scents to cast their spells and provide bardic inspiration. I was kinda inspired by the antiquarian from Darkest Dungeon. Perhaps this bard uses Intelligence instead of charisma to reflect their knowledge of scents and other chemicals. Maybe they have a magic candle that always smells like someone’s favorite scent (like the love potions in Harry Potter) or toss stink bombs when they cast spells like Confusion. I think different varieties of Bard besides musicians are interesting!