Bard

Bard

Humming as she traces her fingers over an ancient monument in a long-forgotten ruin, an elf in a fanciful dress finds knowledge springing into her mind, conjured forth by the magic of her song—knowledge of the people who constructed the monument and the mythic saga it depicts.

A stern human warrior bangs his sword rhythmically against his scale mail, setting the tempo for his war chant and exhorting his companions to bravery and heroism. The magic of his sounds fortifies and emboldens them.

Laughing as she tunes her cittern, a faerin weaves her subtle magic over the assembled nobles, ensuring that her companions' words will be well received.

Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds, create illusions, and even heal wounds.

Music and Magic

The greatest strength of bards is their sheer versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do almost anything well. Bards become masters of the talents they set their minds to perfecting, from musical performance to esoteric knowledge.

Learning from Experience

True bards are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard's life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore, telling stories, and living on the gratitude of audiences, much like any other entertainer. But a depth of knowledge, a level of musical skill, and a touch of magic set bards apart from their fellows.

Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries beyond the horizon—makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn, practice a variety of skills, enter long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works of magic, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Bards love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A bard who can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.

Creating a Bard

Bards thrive on stories, whether those stories are true or not. Your character’s background and motivations are not as important as the stories that he or she tells about them. Perhaps you had a secure and mundane childhood. There’s no good story to be told about that, so you might paint yourself as an orphan raised by a hag in a dismal swamp. Or your childhood might be worthy of a story. Some bards acquire their magical music through extraordinary means, including the inspiration of fey or other supernatural creatures.

Did you serve an apprenticeship, studying under a master, following the more experienced bard until you were ready to strike out on your own? Or did you attend a college where you studied bardic lore and practiced your musical magic? Perhaps you were a young runaway or orphan, befriended by a wandering bard who became your mentor. Or you might have been a spoiled noble child tutored by a master. Perhaps you stumbled into the clutches of a hag, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost?

Quick Build

You can make a bard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose the entertainer background. Third, choose the dancing lights and vicious mockery cantrips, along with the following 1st-level spells: Charm Person, Detect Magic, Healing Word, and Thunderwave.

Class Stats

Hit Points Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per Bard level after 1st
Proficiency Proficiencies
Armor: light armor Weapons: simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords Tools: three musical instruments of your choice Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma Skills: Choose any three
Equipments Starting Equipment
(a) a rapier, (b) a longsword, or (c) any simple weapon (a) a diplomat's pack or (b) an entertainer's pack (a) a lute or (b) any other musical instrument Leather armor, and a dagger ※ Alternatively, you may start with 4d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment.

Class Table

	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
					1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1	+2	Bardic Inspiration, Spellcasting	2	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2	+2	Jack of All Trades, Magical Inspiration, Song of Rest (d6)	2	5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3	+2	Bard College, Expertise	2	6	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Bardic Versatility	3	7	4	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5	+3	Bardic Inspiration (d8), Font of Inspiration	3	8	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
6	+3	Countercharm, Bard College feature	3	9	4	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7	+3	—	3	10	4	3	3	1	—	—	—	—	—
8	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3	11	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9	+4	Song of Rest (d8)	3	12	4	3	3	3	1	—	—	—	—
10	+4	Bardic Inspiration (d10), Expertise, Magical Secrets	4	14	4	3	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11	+4	—	4	15	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
12	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4	16	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
13	+5	Song of Rest (d10)	4	18	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
14	+5	Magical Secrets, Bard College feature	4	19	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
15	+5	Bardic Inspiration (d12)	4	19	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
16	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4	20	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
17	+6	Song of Rest (d12)	4	22	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	1
18	+6	Magical Secrets	4	22	4	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	1
19	+6	Ability Score Improvement	4	22	4	3	3	3	3	2	1	1	1
20	+6	Supreme Inspiration	4	22	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	1	1

Class Features

Spellcasting

You have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your wishes and music. Your spells are part of your vast repertoire, magic that you can tune to different situations. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the bard spell list.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list. You learn additional bard cantrips of your choice at higher levels, learning a 3rd cantrip at 4th level and a 4th at 10th level.

Spell Slots

The Bard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your bard spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell cure wounds and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast cure wounds using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know four 1st-level spells of your choice from the bard spell list.

You learn an additional bard spell of your choice at each level except 12th, 16th, 19th, and 20th. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the bard spells you know and replace it with another spell from the bard spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your bard spells. Your magic comes from the heart and soul you pour into the performance of your music or oration. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a bard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast any bard spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a musical instrument (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Bardic Inspiration

You can inspire others through stirring words or music. To do so, you 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 one Bardic Inspiration die, a d6.

Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Your Bardic Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.

Magical Inspiration

Starting at 2nd level, if a creature has a Bardic Inspiration die from you and casts a spell that restores hit points or deals damage, the creature can roll that die and choose a target affected by the spell. Add the number rolled as a bonus to the hit points regained or the damage dealt. The Bardic Inspiration die is then lost.

Jack of All Trades

Starting at 2nd level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.

Song of Rest

Beginning at 2nd level, you can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize your wounded allies during a short rest. If you or any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain hit points at the end of the short rest by spending one or more Hit Dice, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points.

The extra hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 at 5th level, to 1d10 at 10th level, and to 1d12 at 15th level.

Bard College

At 3rd level, you choose one of the Bard Colleges below. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th and 14th level.

• College of Arcanery ᴴᴮ
• College of Beasts ᴴᴮ
• College of Creation
• College of Diplomacy ᴴᴮ
• College of Eloquence
• College of the Fiends ᴴᴮ
• College of Glamour
• College of Lore
• College of Machismo ᴴᴮ
• College of the Quill ᴴᴮ
• College of Spirits
• College of Swords
• College of the Uproar ᴴᴮ
• College of Valor ᴿ
• College of Whispers

Expertise

At 3rd level, choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Bardic Versatility

Beginning when you reach 4th level, whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can do one of the following, representing a change in focus as you use your skills and magic:

• Replace one of the skills you chose for the Expertise feature with one of your other skill proficiencies that isn't benefiting from Expertise.

• Replace one cantrip you learned from this class's Spellcasting feature with another cantrip from the bard spell list.

Font of Inspiration

Beginning when you reach 5th level, you regain all of your expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.

Countercharm

At 6th level, your inspiration can disrupt mind-influencing effects. If a creature you can see within 60 feet is subject to an effect that requires a saving throw against an effect that causes the charmed or frightened condition, you may use your reaction to attempt to bolster that creature against the effect, providing advantage on the saving throw.

Expertise

At 10th level, choose two more of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

Magical Secrets

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 you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.

The chosen spells count as bard spells for you and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Bard table.

You learn two additional spells from any classes at 14th level and again at 18th level.

Magical Secrets

At 14th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any classes, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.

The chosen spells count as bard spells for you and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Bard table.

You learn two additional spells from any classes at 18th level.

Magical Secrets

At 18th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any classes, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.

The chosen spells count as bard spells for you and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Bard table.

Supreme Inspiration

You have unlimited uses of Bardic Inspiration, however, you can never use more than one per turn. Additionally, when a creature uses a bardic inspiration die provided by you, they may roll the die twice and take the better result.