Quick Links
Bards are one of the most versatile spell-casting classes in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons, being able to focus on offense, defense or support. Their class feature, magical secrets, adds to that, allowin𝓀g you to take spells from any list at the tenth, 14th, and 18th level.
Their other staple feature, bardic inspiꦉration, allows you to gift a creature an extra die that they can add to one roll. Between these two features you’ve already got a lot to work with in provid꧂ing support to your party, but you can still take it even further by gearing your bard completely towards support.
The Best Subclasses For Support Bards
The best subclasses for support bards share one key feature: they take what the bard class ✤is already good at and emphasize it more.
College Of Lore
The 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:college of lore bard’s main selling point is getting more spells from other lists and getting them earlier.
Thanks to cutting words, you’ll also be able to use bardic inspiration offensively, being able to subtract it from a creature’s rolls ins♍tead of adding it 🌳to an ally’s.
Additional magical secrets nets you two extra spells at sixth level that do not count against the number of bard spells you know already.
When you take this college at third level you also get to choose a proficiency in three skills of your choice, leading to even greater customizability.
College Of Eloquence
Alternatively, you can choose to be a college of eloquence bard. What it lacks in spells, it makes up for in supercharging your bardic inspiration.
Unsettling words allows you to roll a bardic inspiration and force a creature to subtract that from their next saving throw. Unlike cutting words, Unsettling Words only works on saving throws, but you can do it in advance of the creatu𒈔re having to make the save.
Unfailing inspiration allows a creature to keep their bardic inspiration die when they fail a roll, ensurin♏g that it w🌃on’t be wasted because of bad luck.
With infectious inspiration, after a creature succeeds a roll using a bardic inspiration die, you can use your reaction to give a die to another creature who can hear you within 60 feet of you without expending a use of bardic inspiration.
You can use this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. This effectively doubles the amount Bardic Inspiration dice you can hand out per long rest.
Best Support Spells For Bards
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Bards have access to a lot of spells. However, if you want to focus on support spells, here are some goꩲod ones that focus on healing, beneficial conditions, or buffing allies and debuffing enemies.
Bard Spells
Bard Spells For A Support Bard |
||
Bane |
Cure Wounds |
Dispel Magic |
Healing Word |
Lesser Restoration |
Invisibility |
Enhance Ability |
Greater Restoration |
Mass Cure Wounds |
Guards and Wards |
Resurrection |
Power Word Heal |
Spells From Other Class Lists
Spells From Other Lists |
||
Revivify |
Bless |
Beacon Of Hope |
Aid |
Spare The Dying |
Guiding Bolt |
Best Species For A Support Bard
While this build can work with any species, some will give you extra be🍨nefits. These bonuses can seem small, but they can be lifesaving when yo🍃u least expect it.
Species |
Benefits |
Elf |
Advantage on saving throws against being charmed and can't be put to sleep by magic. The dark elf and high elf subspecies both give you extra spells. |
Gnome |
Gnome cunning grants advantage on Wisdom, 🅠Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws. |
Halfling |
Get the lucky feat for free, allowing you to re-roll fails a set number of times. |
Human |
Flat increase to your stats, if your Dung𓆉eon Master✨ allows variant humans the extra feat will come in handy. |
Dragonborn |
Increase to your Charisma and breath weapon means you have an extra nonౠ-magical attacking opti♈on. |
Tiefling |
Access to Thauma𓂃turgy and Hellish rebuke as well as r♛esistance to fire damage. |
Best Feats For A Support Bard
On🍌e final option to customize your Support Bard is taking certain feats.
Metamagic Adept
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metamagic adept allows you to use metamagic from the sorcerer class and gives you two sorcery 𒈔points.
Quickened spell is a good one to use for a support since it lets you get more heals in a single turn.
Inspiring Leader
You can gift up to six friendly creatures within 30 feet of you temporary hit points equal to your level + your charisma modifier.
Although you can use this feat as many times as you want, a creature can only benefit from it once per short or long rest.
You need a charisma sc꧒ore of 13 or more to take this feat.
Healer
The Healer feat allows you to use a healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature and bring them back to one hit point.
You can also use an action and one use of your healer’s kit to restore a creature’s hit points equal to 1d6+four+the number of hit dice the creature has.
Magic Initiate
Magic initiate is for people who want even more non-bard spells. You can take two cantrips and one first level spell from either the bard, cleriꦯc, druid, sorcerer, wizard, or warlock list.
You can cast the first level spell once per long rest.
Unlike spells from Ma﷽gical Secrets, these will not count as Bard spells, so the spell-casting stat is tied to the original class.
Best Stats For A Support Bard
The only stat that a bard should always try to invest in is Charisma, as that is the main spell-casting stat and affects your abilities.
You're free to invest in your other stats as you'd like according to your character, which spells you want to take from other lists, which weapons you want to use, and more.
Here's a guide to the benefits of investing in each stat.
Stat |
Benefits of Investing |
Charisma |
Main spell casting stat, mo🍨difier is used for most Bard abilities. Also spell casting ability for palad🎐in, sorcerer, and warlock spells. |
Strength |
No direct use for spells or bard abilities, but used for melee weapon or other forms of ღphysical contact or ability checks. |
Dexterity |
No direct use for spells or bard abilities, but determines AC, so you'll be harder to hit. Also, good for taking ranged weapons, traversing terrain, and making saving throws. |
Constitution |
No direct us꧒e for spells but helpfu⛎l for surviving the illness, resisting poisons, and determines your maximum hit points. |
Wisdom |
Spell casting stat for cleric, druid, and ranger s🥂pells. A common saving throw and improves your 🍨perception. |
Intelligence |
Spell casting stat for artificer spells. A common saving throw and good 🎉for histo🌊ry checks and role playing. |