Questions tagged [bard]
For questions about the bard, a charismatic class involving limited spontaneous casting, the use of songs to buff allies and average chance to hit with weapons. The bard class appears in D&D, Pathfinder and many other tabletop RPGs.
328
questions
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
When creating a high level bard, or leveling up a bard without choosing a Magical Secret, can I pick a spell of any level I can cast?
The bard class feature Magical Secrets says:
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any classes, including this one. A spell ...
- 41
8
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How does Magical Inspiration interact with Magic Missile
If you hit a creature with multiple missiles (which occur simultaneously and therefor use only one damage roll by the simultaneous damage rule), would you add the bonus to the damage taken to the ...
- 248
6
votes
1
answer
170
views
Is this homebrew Bard College of Comedy v3.0 balanced, compared to officially published subclasses?
Based on the comments/answers from version 1.0, 2.0, and 2.5, I have updated features, dropped some, and moved others around. I'm including the (slightly edited) original intro, and have adjusted the ...
- 27.2k
7
votes
1
answer
81
views
How many items can a level 14 College of Creation Bard make with a singular usage of Performance of Creation?
I originally thought this had a clear cut answer based on the first two sentences of Creative Crescendo, with 'at once' referring to the moment of using Performance of Creation.
When you use your ...
- 71
9
votes
1
answer
825
views
Can you wait until a higher level to make a Magical Secrets selection?
I'm looking to build a an Eloquence Bard 17, Great Old One Warlock 3, Changling (Master of Disguise and Tongue)
If my character survives, and we play long enough, I believe I will get 4 Magical ...
6
votes
2
answers
409
views
If a College of Creation bard created 829 tons of iron on top of a guard shack, how much damage would it to do to people inside?
In D&D 5e, RAW states that fall damage is 1d6 per 10 feet fallen, both to the object and to what it falls on.
In Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the College of Creation bard, at 3rd level, can ...
- 299
3
votes
1
answer
479
views
Is a Bard/Duskblade or Bard/Monk multi-class feasible? [closed]
I am using 3.0/3.5-style D&D. Free to delve into any other D&D books outside of 5.0 (DM dislikes 5.0).
I plan on playing an Aasimar, or a wood or water elf. We are starting at level 5.
I want ...
- 31
4
votes
1
answer
164
views
Is this homebrew Bard College of Comedy v2.5 balanced, compared to officially published subclasses?
Based on the comments/answers from the first version and second version, I have updated some of the features, dropped some, and moved others around. I'm including the original intro, but have adjusted ...
- 27.2k
6
votes
1
answer
216
views
Can the College of Swords Bard's Blade Flourish be used to increase your speed after using the Rogue's Steady Aim feature?
Say I'm running a College of Swords bard/rogue multiclass. Order of combat turn goes as follows:
bonus: steady aim (speed is 0 until end of turn)
action: attack using any flourish (+10 speed until ...
- 155
6
votes
1
answer
159
views
Is this homebrew Bard College of Comedy v2 balanced, compared to officially published subclasses?
Based on the comments/answers from the first version I have updated some of the features, dropped some, and moved others around. I'm including the original intro, but have adjusted the text explaining ...
- 27.2k
7
votes
2
answers
251
views
Is this homebrew Bard College of Comedy v1 balanced, compared to officially published subclasses?
I wanted to play a bard, but personally lack any musical talent. While it's not vital to actually sing in real life, it got me thinking that there should be a College that focuses more on the spoken ...
- 27.2k
5
votes
1
answer
186
views
Restore Balance vs Cutting Words: Which more effective when an opponent has advantage?
I'm preparing a clockwork soul sorcerer/lore bard for a high level one shot (17 lore/ 3 clockwork soul). The combination seems very versatile for a support character. One area of overlap between them ...
- 3,358
11
votes
1
answer
227
views
Can a Bard's Superior Inspiration be used on the initative roll that generated it?
I'm curious of the timing around the bard's level 20 Superior Inspiration.
Superior Inspiration simply states:
At 20th level, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic
Inspiration left, you ...
- 3,358
4
votes
1
answer
94
views
Are Sorcerer spells like Aspect of the Platinum Dragon on Sorc/Wiz spell list for a Sublime Chord?
The sublime chord spellcasting description states that a sublime chord can choose spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list or the bard spell list.
Does that mean that the spells must be on both the ...
- 141
16
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is this cantrip "shoot confetti" balanced with the PHB cantrips?
In the process of promoting silly party feats and a cantrip to support one of those feats, I designed:
Shoot Confetti
cantrip, conjuration
Range: 30 ft
Casting time: 1 action
Duration: Instantaneous
...
- 139k
4
votes
2
answers
482
views
Can a bard cast a Bard spell from a spellbook?
In our campaign we found a spellbook containing 3 spells that are on the Bard's spell list: comprehend languages, detect magic and disguise self.
If a Bard can cast any Bard spell from a scroll, would ...
- 41
5
votes
0
answers
93
views
Can a Dhampir Sword Bard use their fangs as a spellcasting focus? [duplicate]
A Dhampir's fanged bite is considered a simple melee weapon,
Vampiric Bite. Your fanged bite is a natural weapon, which counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient.
At level 3, the ...
- 8,826
1
vote
0
answers
103
views
Satyr Bard Spells and College Choices [closed]
I'm a new Level 3 Satyr Bard! Any suggestions on college preferences (and why), along with spells that I might want to use for unexpected damage! Background, my Satyr is a freeloving girl who talks ...
- 61
2
votes
0
answers
36
views
How does learning spells work when multiclassing out of Warlock? [duplicate]
I am trying to prepare a Warlock/Bard multiclass in DnD 5e (starting at Warlock and multiclassing into Bard) and am a bit tied up on the specifics of learning Bard spells.
As a 6th level Warlock ...
- 21
0
votes
1
answer
167
views
Can an Artificer Infusions or Armorer 's Arcane Armor be used with a College of Creation Bard's Performance of Creation? [closed]
Can an Artificer's Infusions or Armorer's Arcane Armor be used with a College of Creation Bard's Performance of Creation?
[...] create one nonmagical item of your choice [...] the gp value of the ...
- 10.4k
2
votes
1
answer
367
views
How can a bard play multiple instruments with the effect of a whole symphony performing?
Starting a new campaign as DM in the Forgotten Realms (Lost Mines of Phandelver, if it matters) and I have a player wanting to play a Bard who has the ability to play an instrument that somehow ...
10
votes
1
answer
608
views
How can I add material components to my bardic spells?
College of Spirits in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft seems to be a really great subclass. Powerful enough, and having an interesting spin for storytelling purposes. But, as a D&D Beyond author ...
- 20k
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is the Bardic College of Spirits "Tale of the Renowned Duelist" melee spell attack limited by your reach?
The Bardic College of Spirits, published in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, has a feature called "Tales from Beyond":
You reach out to spirits who tell their tales through you. While you ...
- 107k
6
votes
2
answers
653
views
Can a College of Creation Bard use Bardic Inspiration on their Dancing Item?
Bards have the Bardic Inspiration feature which states:
You can use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains ...
- 27.7k
4
votes
2
answers
736
views
Can a College of Creation Bard use Performance of Creation to duplicate an existing item?
My party is in possession of a book of accounts and ledgers which we have retrieved on behalf of a benefactor. We are supposed to return the book to the benefactor but the information contained within ...
- 27.7k
1
vote
1
answer
191
views
Divination on a bard [closed]
Suppose a bard uses Magical Secrets to take the spell Divination:
Your magic and an offering put you in contact with a god or a god's servants. You ask a single question concerning a specific goal, ...
- 2,673
-5
votes
2
answers
717
views
performance of creation to create explosives [closed]
Assuming a level 10 creation bard uses performance of creation to create a 200gp explosive that is any size up to large. How big would the explosive be, would it be blackpowder-based, and how much ...
- 2,673
3
votes
2
answers
819
views
Mote of Potential and Magic Inspiration
I wanted to know whether Magical inspiration used for damage triggers Mote of Potential's Attack:
Magical Inspiration:
If a creature has a Bardic Inspiration die from you and casts a spell
that ...
- 63
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Are there any 3rd level spells a Lore Bard could pick at 6th character level to provide food and water to the party?
Just as the title says. I play a Bard, College of Lore. At 6th character level I will be able to pick up two spells, of up to 3rd spell level, from any class. I know we will be on the long-term ...
- 20k
12
votes
2
answers
844
views
How does Blink work versus a readied action in this PvP scenario?
Bit of an odd one but I want rulings for this scenario:
Yes this is PVP and it ended up been fun at the table, and no one was upset.
Playing a Level 7 College of Swords Bard with a Homebrew Magic ...
- 121
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Which instrument of the Bards correspond to which Bard college?
The DMG entry for the Instrument of the Bards says:
Seven types of these instruments exist, each named after a legendary bard college.
Do the colleges mentioned here refer to "Bard college&...
- 6,556
6
votes
1
answer
340
views
Is this Poetry Bard balanced compared to other Bard subclasses?
In all honesty, a lot of this class arose from the goal of having themed feature descriptions which were drafted and then refined over time to make them have a more cohesive internal-theme as well (...
- 71.6k
1
vote
1
answer
631
views
Will multiclassing my warlock into bard with bardic inspiration give me an effective way to use my bonus action in battle?
In a party with a level 3 Warlock Tiefling - The Fiend (Pact of the Tome). We are noticing that the party members benefit more from bonus actions than the Warlock. Since that member is the only caster ...
- 21
6
votes
1
answer
234
views
permanent strongholds for warlocks
In Xanathar's Guide to Everything, there are a series of spells, Druid Grove, Temple of the Gods, and Mighty Fortress for druids, clerics, and wizards respectively. However, there is no equivalent I ...
- 2,673
13
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Who can use a Spell Scroll scribed by a bard who learned the spell using the Magical Secrets feature, if it is not normally on the bard spell list?
When a bard learns a spell using the Magical Secrets feature, it counts as a bard spell. Of note, should they replace any spell learned via Magical Secrets at a later level, they can only replace it ...
- 4,117
2
votes
2
answers
211
views
How many uses of bardic music does the Heartfire Fanner get?
The heartfire fanner (Dragon #314) mentions
the heartfire fanner gains the bardic music ability as a 5th-level bard if he did not already have it
[...]
A heartfire fanner's class levels stack with ...
- 2,485
4
votes
1
answer
406
views
If a College of Creation bard is incapacitated, who controls the bard's dancing item?
The College of Creation bard gets Animating Performance at 6th level which allows them to animate an object and control it using a bonus action:
It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the ...
- 27.7k
6
votes
3
answers
832
views
Can the Ollamh Harp and Anstruth Harp be carried as easily as lute?
The party stumbled over an old elven city and found an Instrument of the Bards. It is the Anstruth Harp. The scale in the picture is ambiguous. The initial take is that it isn't a hand held harp (...
- 139k
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Can a Blood Hunter / Bard use Blood Curse of the Eyeless and Cutting Words on the same attack roll?
I've seen a reactionary curse that says you roll your hemocraft die to reduce an attack roll that you can see. Since this and the Lore Bard's use of Bardic Inspiration work mechanically the same via ...
- 237
5
votes
1
answer
546
views
Can Bardic inspiration be used in portent creation?
Can a bard use bardic inspiration on a divination wizard to improve the roll of their portent die? In other words, can bardic inspiration be spent in the creation of portent dice?
My initial thought ...
- 141
5
votes
2
answers
410
views
Does playing magical music count as casting a spell?
So in DnD 5e, my bard character happened upon some fragments of a musical composition. When my character tried playing it, it caused some sonic-charged magical effect.
My question is--specifically in ...
- 53
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Does the Swords bard's Slashing Flourish work with the Swashbuckler rogue's Fancy Footwork to prevent opportunity attacks by any affected target?
The Fancy Footwork feature of the Swashbuckler rogue says (XGtE, p. 47; SCAG, p. 135):
At 3rd level, during your turn, if you make a melee attack against a creature, that creature can't make ...
- 93
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
When do College of Swords bards still use musical instruments?
In 5e, after a bard has joined the College of Swords at 3rd level, when (if at all) would they need their instrument(s)?
At 1st and 2nd levels, they would have used musical instruments as spell ...
- 519
8
votes
1
answer
564
views
Do the pushing effects of the Battle Master fighter's Pushing Attack maneuver and the Swords bard's Mobile Flourish stack on the same attack?
Do the pushing effects of the Battle Master fighter's Pushing Attack maneuver and the College of Swords bard's Mobile Flourish stack on the same attack?
Assuming the target fails the Strength save ...
- 3,389
6
votes
1
answer
163
views
How to negate disadvantage on performance? [closed]
My bard will need to play for a long time. Long long time. Long enough that they'll basically collapse from exhaustion, as the purpose is to show devotion. Forced march rules seem to fit, so we can ...
- 11.2k
4
votes
1
answer
408
views
In 5th ed would a bard who multi-class as a life domain cleric have his bard healing spells improved? [duplicate]
I have a 9th level bard. Hypothetically, if when I reached 10th level I took a level in cleric and chose the life domain, so I would be bard 9/cleric 1.
The multi-classing rules state "When you ...
- 2,712
4
votes
1
answer
411
views
Would this homebrew college of spirit be unbalanced? What should I change?
I'm currently running a campaign within Ravnica, and one of my player came to me with this homebrew for her bard working within Orzhov guild.
I wanted to be sure first (as I'm a new DM and relatively ...
- 43
36
votes
4
answers
13k
views
Is Bard level 20 utterly worthless, mechanically?
Bard's level 20 "capstone" ability:
Superior Inspiration
At 20th level, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Inspiration left, you regain one use.
It seems quite possible ...
- 11.2k
5
votes
1
answer
149
views
Ventriloquism and Bardic Music
Suppose a bard is trying to remain invisible while still inspiring companions. If the bard starts singing, they make themselves a target. If the bard uses Ventriloquism, they can potentially make ...
- 2,402
4
votes
2
answers
3k
views
If I start a performance as part of the the Countercharm feature, are my actions restricted on my next turn?
Bards gain the Countercharm feature at 6th level (emphasis added):
As an action, you can start a performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. During that time, you and any friendly ...
- 2,793