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With a guiding voice and sensuous song, the College of Valor bard is one of the most versatile classes you can play in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. Bards are already capable of fulfilling so many roles within a party, but add a little valor to your barding, and you get both a cap💎able spellcaster and a decent sword-slinger to boot!
But with all those spells and arrows to sling, planning your 🐟studies in the College of Valor can be tough. Never fear, for this guide will direct you to the best species to send to college, the best equipment to dive into dungeons, and the best spells to tak🉐e on your adventure.
College of Valor Bard Features
The College of Valor bard gets everything that makes bards such a powerful class, such as Bardic Inspiration, Expertise, and Jack of All Trades. When you join the College of Valor at level three, you gain several bonus proficiencies, including medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.
You also gain Combat Inspiration, allowing your Bardic Inspiration die to add damage to damage rolls or potentially negate attacks by adding Bardic Inspiration to an ally's armored class.
At sixth level, you can attack twice instead of once when using the Attack action. This doesn't quite keep up with more martial classes like fighter or barbarian, but it means that your weapon damage doesn't entirely fall behind, and it means that longbow is a viable ranged attack outside your spells.
At level 14, Battle Magic allows you to cast a bard spell and then make a weapon attack as a bonus action. Imagine casting💃 Fireball and then immediately following that up with an arrow from you♒r longbow. Or imagine hitting an enemy with Booming Blade and then slicing them again with your rapier.
Best Species For A College Of Valor Bard
Bards are an extremely flexible class, meaning that almost any species can play as a bard and still be effective. That said, there are a few species that complement the special skills of a College of Valor bard quite well. Here are a few suggestions.
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Air Genasi |
College of Valor bards often feel spell-starved, so having the additional spells of the air genasi can be very helpful. Feather Fall and Levitate are both great to have, and although Shocking Grasp is unlikely to be used over your sword in most cases, it's still nice to have in your repertoire. |
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Bugbear |
Extra reach for your blade is nice, but what really works here is Surprise Attack. Jack of All Trades allows you to add half your Dex modifier to your initiative rolls, meaning bards tend to go earlier in the turn order. Darkvision and charm resistance are also nice bonuses. |
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Deep Gnome |
Disguise Self and Nondetection are both fantastic spells to add to a bard's spell list. Magic resistance, stealth proficiency, and super Darkvision are also great to have. |
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Eladrin |
College of Valor bards don't often want to step directly into combat, but Fey Step can make such aggressive moves viable. Darkvision, perception proficiency, and charm resistance are all good to have. |
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Firbolg |
Detect Magic and Disguise Self are both excellent spells to have on hand. Being able to turn invisible is nice, but your bonus action is constrained by Bardic Inspiration and second attacks after level 14. Talking to plants and animals without even casting a spell is just another feather in your bard's cap. |
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Fire Genasi |
Flame Blade is a decent alternative to a regular sword if you want to play a College of Valor bard closer to a pure spellcaster. Produce Flame is also a decent damage-dealing cantrip, although your longbow is the better option until level 11. Burning Hands is a nice AOE attack, and Darkvision and fire resistance are both great bonuses. |
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Giff |
If your campaign allows the use of firearms, go Giff and never look back. Astral Spark, Firearms Mastery, an extra attack, and a hunting rifle will out-damage any cantrip in the game. Hippo Build is a fun party trick for a bard and can help shore up a ཧlackluster saving throw. |
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Githzerai |
Bards don't get Shield (outside Magical Secrets), so getting it with your species is nice. Detect Thoughts and Mage Hand are both nice spells. Advantage against being charmed or frightened is very powerful, and resistance to psychic damage can be a boon at higher levels. |
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Half-Elf |
Bards often feel stat-starved, so having three stat boosts is always nice. Later on, you can take Elven Accuracy to boost your longbow attacks, and the high-elf subrace allows for a free cantrip of your choice. |
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Human |
Need stats? Humans offer tons of stats. Or you can go variant human and start with a free feat. Magic Initiate is pretty good for bards, even ones as꧒ martial-focused as College of Valor bards. |
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Kenku |
If you want to be the party's skill share, be a kenku bard. Kenku Recall provides two proficiencies and advantage on all skill checks where you have proficiency, and since bards get a lot of proficiencies, you'll be nailing your skill checks. |
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Kobold |
Draconic Cry is a great way for a College of Valor bard to safely engage multiple enemies with a sword. Draconic Sorcery🥃 can give your kobold access to Booming Blad🎃e, perhaps the best melee cantrip in the game. Darkvision is also nice. |
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Owlin |
Flight, Darkvision, and stealth proficiency. You need nothing else. |
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Tiefling |
You want your bard to have more spells? There's a tiefling subspecies that'll definitely give you whatever spell you want. Even the base tiefling gets Thaumaturgy, Hellish Rebuke, and Darkness, all of which are useful to have. Darkvision and fire resistance make tieflings at least as good as fire genasi. |
Best Ability Scores For A College Of Valor Bard
College of Valor bards want three things: Dexterity, Charisma, and Constitution. Dexterity is generally the ♔best stat to boost for your weapons as it also boosts your armor class. Charisma powers your spells. Constitution keeps you alive and keeps your spells sticking to targets if you happen to take a hit while concentrating.
Strength, Intelligence, and Wisdom can be safely ignored. That said, even a few points here can help boost your scores, so Jack of All Trades becomes even more of a benefit if you're the party's skill key.
If you're using D&D's point buy system, a decent starting ability score spread for a C๊ollege of Valor bard might look something like this.
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Strength |
Dexterity |
Constitution |
Intelligence |
Wisdom |
Charisma |
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10(0) |
16(+3) |
14(+2) |
8(-1) |
10(0) |
16(+3) |
Best Starting Equipment For A College Of Valor Bard
Since you're going to be pumping Dexterity as your main physical ability score, choose a rapier as your starting melee weapon. It offers the best damage while still using Dexterity for your attacks and damage b𒊎onuses.
An entertainer's pack offers a few more useful goodies than a diplomat's pack, although both will lik🉐ely need to be supplemented if you plan on imme🍌diately diving into a dungeon.
Choose whatever musical instrument you want to be your spell focus. A lute is suggested, but it ca𒆙n honestly be anything, so get creative. Leather armor and a dag♍ger round out your initial offerings.
Before reaching level three and joining the College of Valor, try to find a longbow and some decent medium armor like a breastplate. Both will provide you with significant bonuses to your ranged damage and AC as soon as yꦫou level up.
Best Spells For A College Of Valor Bard
Unlike other spellcasters, bards aren't able to freely swap spells every long rest or by using a spell book. The spells you choose will generally stick with you throughout the campaign, so choosing the right spells is extremely important for a bard.
Here are a few suggestions for spells 𝓀for a College of Valor bard t☂o take at each spell level.
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Spell Level |
Spell |
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Cantrip |
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First Level |
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Second Level |
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Third Level |
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Fourth Level |
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Fifth Level |
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Sixth Level |
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Seventh Level |
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Eighth Level |
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Ninth Level |
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Magical Secrets allows you to choose two spells from other classes at 10th, 14th, and 18th level. Holy Weapon is a great buff for your longbow at level 10. At level 14, Heal is perhaps the best single-target heal you'll get before the ninth-level Power Word Heal. And at level 18, Holy Aura is a fantastic buff, but Wish is still the be-all, end-all of spells.