Swords bard 5e. The bard would get a 5th level spell but they kinda suck.

Swords bard 5e It uses "any number" where swords bard doesn't use number, and uses "creatures" plural instead of "creature" singular. Hexblade and sword or valour bard can be an amazing combo. Gather your party and venture forth! while a College of Swords Bard that multiclasses into a Warlock is on the opposite track where it enhances the build, because both classes complement the weapons-based aspects of both The bard would get a 5th level spell but they kinda suck. Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. It's the superior choice though since he gets an extra attack. (Duelist wins out a bit here, thanks to TWF being lackluster in 5e, but TWF has the benefit of giving you another bonus action option for when you don't want to use a Bardic Inspiration die. While the core mechanics of the class remain consistent, your choice of College shapes how you inspire, perform, and leave your mark on the story. Light armor; Best Armor for the Bard in 5e 10. When playing a bard College of Swords, consider the following: Choose a race with high Dexterity and Charisma modifiers. Yeah, bards are stronger in 5e than they've ever been. As for the initiative plus, it’s one of swashbuckler’s level 3 features which also makes me think you should go mainly bard. Take 1 level hexblade. Disarming, evasive, feinting, lunging, maneuvering, parry, precision, riposte, pick your favs. Perhaps the most stylistically appropriate spell would be Steel Your Guide to DnD 5e Bard Subclasses. until the end of the turn. Fun and smart additions to the game, the friendly Discord of Many Things, and thousands of past submissions to search. Alternatively, to be that person: Paladin 2 -> Hexblade 1 -> Swords Bard 7. Get to lore bard 6 first, multiclassing before 5 will hurt. r/DnDHomebrew A subreddit for D&D 5e and One D&D homebrew. Blade Flourish lets them whirl A 5e Guide for Barbarian Bard Multiclassing Turn your sweet bardic music into angry music and get ready to become a dwarf metalhead, we're going through bard/barbarian multiclassing. Yes, swords bard isn't the strongest bard subclass but if played as a bard instead of a fighter it's amazing. Learn how to create a swashbuckling fencer bard with the College of Swords subclass. I am playing a level 5 sword bard / 1 fighter I am using two weapon fighting so I still feel like I have that extra attack already. Never multi-classed before, but want to try bard without fully committing. Bards are mostly support and control but as a warlock you could lean more dps. Resilient Con 6. Surprising some, bards are close to fighters, barbarians, paladins, and rangers in their martial capabilities thanks to two subclasses: College of Level: 3-swash rogue 6-sword bard 3. Fighter – Possibly a better option than Valor or swords bard freeing your multiclass for something like lore or eloquence while giving you the The Bard-Paladin multiclass in Dungeons & Dragons brings to life the fantasy of a storytelling adventurer who travels from town to town regaling folks with the details of their journeys. Healing is not necessary in 5e. I'm not 100% certain if multiclassing something else than a full caster for that last level would lose you spell slot progression. Armor Class (AC): 11 + Dexterity modifier. If it's in the game, you can pick the ranger spell "Swift Quiver". Enter the S However, playing a Changeling Bard in D&D 5e lets the player access this ability without multiclassing, feats, or magic items. Was wondering if i could get opinions on the starting point and level progression. they lead allies from the front, issuing orders and drawing swords. Shield changes the game for a swords bard. Take time to look at the options to see what style is most exciting to you. You could get bard first, but level 5 is a big level, so it is good to rush to a level 5 as fast as possible. Want to go Swashbuckler rogue College of Sword bard. Interestingly, since Bard gets proficiency with Hand Crossbows, you could take Crossbow Expert if you wanted to be a ranged flourisher -- the only flourish that would be harder to do at range is Sweeping, but RAW you could shoot your crossbow against a ranged target and use sweeping flourish to deal extra damage to a melee target -- not sure how you'd explain that flavor tho, The Aasimar Bard Guide provides valuable insights and recommendations for players looking to explore the celestial-infused world of the Aasimar Bard in Dungeons & Dragons 5E. Hand crossbow +1. You’ll get the most value out of using a Longsword with a Shield, as it gives you extra AC and allows you to A user asks how good the College of Swords Bard is for damage dealing and gets various opinions and suggestions from other users. Looking at XgtE, we have both the Hexblade Warlock and College of Swords Bards as new options. D&D 5e The Complete Overhaul: Bard Subclasses Revised. With the College of Swords subclass, Dexterity is our ability that determines damage from weapon attacks. Cost: 50 GP. Differences: thunderwave instead of disguise self, shatter instead of suggestion, and dispel magic instead of hypnotic pattern. That build is all around maximizing spell slot acquisition quickly for smites. Cast Healing Word most turns and use your main action to attack. By prioritizing charisma and selecting a bard college that aligns with your preferred playstyle, you can optimize your character’s abilities and enhance their Sword/valour bard can work well with hex blade. College of Swords Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. I understand that any party can work in 5e D&D 5e Bard multiclassing image from Wizards of the Coast’s Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos. I’ll choose a collection of cantrips the aid my sword fighting, with an on-demand spell for damage. A 5e build that I enjoy quite a lot is a level 1 start in Draconic Sorcerer, with the rest in Swords Bard. Tthe Swords bard is going to need some DM-approved modifications, like say getting the Archery fighting style instead of dueling or TWF. Spells: silvery barbs, thunder wave, hypnotic pattern, command. Bard 5e: DnD 5th Edition Class Guide. or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to The valor bard inspiration is limited to others and adds more to what otgers can do with that inspiration. With Dual Wielder, a TWF build could have two magic long swords or two magic battle axes. I'd probably go with crossbow expert and a hand As a College of Swords bard, you get the feature known as "Magical Secrets" at Level 10. Honestly, just the normal good bard spells. You grab two weapon fighting at level 5 (Pali 2/bard 3) to get two attacks a turn at 5 per usual (at the cost of your bonus action but still) then at level 8 you get extra attack and have 3 suitable attacks a round with a full Caster progression. Longswords are a lot like Rapiers, only worse, especially for a Bard. My pick for the worst Bard subclass, the Swords Bard specializes in weapon combat sorta. They resemble clerics more than wizards, as full-casters with weapon/armour proficiencies and a suite of support skills but able to fill a variety of roles. while College of Swords and College of Valor can serve as front-line melee characters who can bring their spellcasting and support capabilities into the heat of battle. Find out the best race, skills, spells, flourishes and tips for this character build. A subreddit for D&D 5e and One D&D homebrew. Then go Sword Bard 3 for the Flourishes and Fighting Style, and then put the rest into Bladesinger or Bard depending I would recommend either 15 Fighter/Bard 5 or Fighter 3/Bard 17. I think the Bard is cool, but have a bit of difficulty looking at what she attempts to do spell-wise. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. As a bard, you gain the following class features. The Bard’s subclass is where your character truly comes alive. On top of that, the Changeling further earns its place as one of the best races for Bard in D&D 5e with Changeling Instincts. Whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the turn, and if a weapon attack that you make as part of this action hits a creature, you can use Baldur's Gate III is based on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (D&D 5e) tabletop RPG ruleset. Sorfallo I keep reading a swords bard/blade pact warlock is pretty strong, but you either won't have bard levels until level 6 because you want the extra attack from pact weapon at level 5, or you won't mix in So I am very new to the world of D&D but for my first campaign I am thinking of making an Arcane Trickster/ Bard (college of swords) multiclass. Gladiator being gifted a a pact to finally win their freedom Reply reply Top 1% Rank by size . While it doesn’t support your melee effectiveness, Dispel Magic is always handy to have around. Swords Bards are the swashbucklers of the Bard world, treating combat as a performance and war as theater. See suggestions for prodigy, magic initiate, war caster, lucky, and more. Spells. This is a lvl 5 spell that requires concentration. Interestingly, since Bard gets proficiency with Hand Crossbows, you could take Crossbow Expert if you wanted to be a ranged flourisher -- the only flourish that would be harder to do at range is Sweeping, but RAW you could shoot your crossbow against a ranged target and use sweeping flourish to deal extra damage to a melee target -- not sure how you'd explain that flavor tho, The only thing a Swords Bard will ever use Superior Inspiration for is throwing vanilla Bardic Inspiration at their friends. Strength: – Stealth: – Weight: 10 lbs. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and For the bard spell list without optional spells, see Core Bard Spell List. The fact that we don’t get any features to actually War Caster is excellent for a Swords Bard, because when coupled with their ability to use their weapons as foci for their bard spells, a Swords Bard with War Caster has absolutely no spellcasting restrictions when dual wielding. Sing me a tale of Bard multiclassing! Welcome to Flutes’ exhaustive Lore bard can use Bardic inspiration as a reaction for damage reduction and learns forbidden jutsus. – Wood Nothing good for Bard. That at least gets the extra attack online, and the 1 level lag wouldn't hurt Bladesinger too bad. 4 extra cantrips at level 1 plus shield and absorb elements. Share The swords bard level 14 change to a d8 never felt so right haha. With access to any skill, expertise, and full spellcasting, the Bard can fill essentially every role in the party. leathrow • • As 5e continues to add more abilities, more and more broken Order cleric 1 -> swords bard x. Simple weapons; Specific Martial weapons (hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords) Scimitar (College of Swords) All Martial weapons (College of Valor) Best Weapons for the Bard in 5e 10. Bard 5e Overview; Bard Races; Best Feats for Bards D&D 5e Now I know that the obvious answer here is swords bard but I want to get a bit more optimized with it. You gain a Fighting Style, which is absolutely amazing for you But you also don’t gain as clever uses Imagine my surprise when I saw prominent 5E content creators not just ranking Valor as a powerful subclass but also claiming it was by far the superior choice to Swords. So the Rogue tricks from 1-4 fit nicely right after Bard 6. The campaign is set to go to level 10. For the bard spell list without optional spells, see Core Bard Spell List. As far as a 1-level dip goes that's pretty spectacular. This guide covers the Bard's features, spells, subclasses, optimization tips, and a quick build example. The Valor Bard, as Ophidimancer said, is better suited to the traditional support role that Bards play. Whether your bard is singing, dancing, or acting their way to fame, they can benefit from a good prop. Swords Bards can choose any two The Swords Bard works better as a battlefield controller/skirmisher and is almost always going to be more selfish with Bardic Inspiration - not necessarily a bad thing. My Swords Bard also has some Hexblade levels, so I went Duelling with shield as I have curse and hex as bonus actions, but as a pure Swords Bard without shield proficiency I'd likely Bard. I replaced a Dancing longsword in Shadow of the Dragon Queen for our Sword Bard. No point in being valor bard. Introduction The DnD 5e Bard is fantastically versatile. Sword Bard gains little advantage 2 levels paladin then straight swords bard. Probably favorite character was a tiefling lore 3/ draconic (reflavored as infernal) sorcerer 17. It would make him a better swordsman. Better saves and attack rolls. Now to Bard. At level 10, the Bard learns Magical Secrets, gaining access to spells from other classes. Add the 6th level feature from one of the bard colleges. It's obviously got a melee flavor, but TWF isn't very strong, nor is light armor with d8 hit die as a standard melee combatant. Learn how to play a bard who entertains with weapon skills and magic in the College of Swords. Cantrip; 1st Level; 2nd Level; 3rd Level; 4th Level; 5th Level; 6th Level; 7th Level; 8th Level; 9th Level; Spell Name School Casting Time Range Duration Components; Blade Ward: Abjuration: 1 Action: Self: 1 round: V, S: Dancing Lights: Evocation: 1 Action: 120 feet The College of Swords bard's Slashing Flourish option says: You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit and to any other creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you. Feats. At 14 swords is behind 1 attack assuming both builds cast 1 buff spell on round 1, but D&D 5e Straight swords bard, currently level 5 (not optimized with a hex blade dip yet but might do it if eventually if there is a cool cursed weapon to find and to be SAD?) A lot of the typical bard instruments don’t work as well flavor wise since my casting focus is a blade so I’m having some trouble with this. Today's D&D build focuses on one thing and one thing only: two things :). Bigby’s Hand isn’t on the Bard spell list unfortunately, but that’s what Magical D&D 5e is the go-to fantasy tabletop RPG, and you can certainly mix and match magic and martial prowess with its vast array of player options, but I’m going to argue for—and use—a stricter definition of spellsword that narrows things to a particular playstyle. Table of Contents. Swashbuckler goes excellent with Swords bard to be a genuinely strong martial combatant with incredible skills and spellcasting, rivaling even the Bladesinger. Humming as she traces her fingers over an ancient monument in a long-forgotten ruin, a half-elf in rugged leathers 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 Bard College of Swords 5e. DnD 5e Bard Races Breakdown. Cantrip; 1st Level; 2nd Level; 3rd Level; 4th Level; 5th Level; 6th Level; 7th Level; 8th Level; 9th Level; Spell Name School Casting Time Range Duration Components; Blade Ward: Abjuration: 1 Action: Self: 1 round: V, S: Dancing Lights: Evocation: 1 Action: 120 feet Level: 3-swash rogue 6-sword bard 3. Bard 5E Guide. A Swords bard archer is able to use its flourish the same turn it makes its attacks. I originally went into this build thinking like a cocky sailor swordsperson but without the whole pirate vibe, more self-controlled and a scholar. Check us out on socials Face To get the full story on this great class, see our comprehensive Bard 5E guide below. Cantrip; 1st Level; 2nd Level; 3rd Level; 4th Level; 5th Level; 6th Level; 7th Level; 8th Level; 9th Level; Spell Name School Casting Time Range Duration Components; Blade Ward: Abjuration: 1 Action: Self: 1 round: V, S: Dancing Lights: Evocation: 1 Action: 120 feet Swords bard also has a fighting style going for it. Bard bonus action is usually Inspiration or Healing Word anyway in my experience, and Swords Bards use their Inspiration for their mini-manoeuvre flourishes too. Blade Ward: Gives me resistance to slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage, keeping me alive at a melee range. Then taking Bard up to 10, and finishing out Rogue feels nicest as far as good progression. D&D 5e I'm planning on being in the front lines and assisting our tank. Put them together and we get a divine chorus leader The D&D 5e College of Swords bard is one of two bardic subclasses that adds some martial flavor, almost like a charismatic fighter. Greetings all! I was fiddling around with the College of Swords subclass, and discovered the potent effects of a two-level dip into Paladin. I play a Battlemaster Fighter / Swords Bard multiclass. I would recommend either 15 Fighter/Bard 5 or Fighter 3/Bard 17. He also has a few support spells, and it hasn't infringed on my vision for the character at all Dueling fighting style from swords bard, and the flourishes will really cut down on your need for bonus actions to crank out damage. Properties: Heavy, Two-handed. while you miss out on serious power by picking Swords bard instead of lore bard. Honestly though both of these are pretty MAD. After level 5 or so, anything that doesn't actively clash will almost always be better than a single-class build for a non-spellcaster, and even as a caster The scene: A 10th-level College of Swords bard (includes Extra Attack). Blade Flourish is intended to express "impressive Bard College of Swords -Revised! Now with actual options! A subreddit for D&D 5e and One D&D homebrew. It's obviously got a melee flavor, but TWF Baldur's Gate III is based on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (D&D 5e) tabletop RPG ruleset. You get proficiency in two of: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion. "RPGBOT" Kamstra May 6, 2022. Basically just hex (once per short rest), healing word, or hexblade's curse. Hexblade 1 dip gives you: - Cha to attack and damage (no more MAD!) - Medium Armor, Shields, Martial Weapons - Shield, Eldritch Blast, Booming Blade (combine with Warcaster for great In most campaigns, battle axes, long swords, short swords, and daggers will comprise a large portion of the magic weapons a party finds. Order cleric 1 -> swords bard x. Multiclassing is okay but I want to avoid Hexblade - making an effective strength bard (rather than a standard charop build) is part of The biggest difference comes at level 14, when Swords Bard get "unlimited" flourishes (meaning you will be more focused on attacking) , and Valor can attack as a bonus action after casting a spell (more balance between spellcasting and attacking). The analysis will be conducted on a Fighter 1/Bard 10 chassis- Variant human with sharpshooter, archery fighting style, and both ASIs to DEX. Suggestion also saved my party a time or two when I played a swords bard. Best Magical Secrets by Level in D&D 5e. A nice support gish hexblade 1 -> swords bard x. In the party there is also a defensively minded Paladin, a gunship rogue with a crossbow, necromantic offensive warlock and a Looking for some help with building a swords bard/paladin multi class 2-4 levels of paladin and the rest is bard. 6. Bard Level College Feature; 3rd: Commander's Training, Inspiring Orders: 6th: Gallant Leader: Channel the whimsy and musical might of twelve new Bard Colleges for the Bard class in 5e! The Colleges of: Chance - Chaos Thinking "bard is a caster" makes for a bad Swords bard. One underused feature of collage of swords bards is "Whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, your walking speed increases by 10 ft. The current party consists of a Warlock, and Sorcerer, with a Rogue joining in once in awhile. However, playing a Changeling Bard in D&D 5e lets the player access this ability without multiclassing, feats, or magic items. #3 Nov 30, 2023. This really allows more dynamic social situations, though, because it frees you from the chains of the 5e social check. – Sea Elf: CON +1 is always useful. I'm thinking of going 6 lvls deep into bard and then either going with the said Fighter Battle Master or Warlock Hexblade. Bard 1-6; Rogue 7-20. Give allies free attacks. I started as a bard for the skills, easier early game and getting online much earlier. It also gives you some selfish ways of burning bardics which is more than If the game follows the D&D 5e PHB, Bard 10 + Fighter 2. When the swords bard successfully hits a target with a melee attack on Our D&D 5e character build this week is for those of us who like to slice and dice, but do so with a song and a mischievous smile on our lips :). Sharpshooter. If you take hexblade and swords or valor you could also be a frontline fighter. 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. – Eladrin CHAR +1 which is really helpful as a Bard. 5e classes are heavily front-loaded. If you don't want to wait that long / go with different college, there are other options: Baldur's Gate III is based on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (D&D 5e) tabletop RPG ruleset. The build you put with 6 levels of rogue is great for This really allows more dynamic social situations, though, because it frees you from the chains of the 5e social check. You said you like the sneak attack damage but swords bard gets extra attack at 6th so sneak attack damage isn’t as necessary to have for reliable damage output. – High Nothing good for Bard. Swords Bard gets more spells, but geared more towards support, and the Inspiration dice will be spent very quickly. I was originally going to go full Rogue but ended up wanting to multiclass a little. Reply reply Top 2% Rank by size . Mordenkainen’s Sword PHB: This is an objectively bad spell. The sword wielding bard. D&D5E: COLLEGE OF SWORDS BARD GUIDE one of the most Gish Subclasses for the bard. The D&D 5e College of Swords bard is one of two bardic subclasses that adds some martial flavor, almost like a charismatic fighter. leathrow • • As 5e continues to add more abilities, more and more broken College of Swords, Swashbuckler. (Shield, Mirror Image, Blur) and in damage (Shadow Blade, Booming Blade). Bards are controllers/utilities and Swords bard does this through half-caster (control spells), half tank (battlefield control). Shield may be enough to tempt you play a swords/valor bard in melee, but remember that even with a way to pad your AC your attacks are still terrible compared to your cantrips. The bard specifically designed to swing a sword. Learn about this martial bard subclass in our College of Swords Guide. A splash of Hexblade will yield great results. See more Learn how to play a College of Swords Bard, a subclass that combines light armor, finesse weapons, and fighting style with bardic abilities. This character is backup and would come into play somewhere around level 8~10. Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold. r/dndnext. This would make him a better seafarer. a Swords Bard off all attacks against them until the start of their next turn, a Lore Bard off an enemy's Insight check (and if I am going to be playing in a one-shot soon, so wanted to play around with a classic archetype the Minotaur Bard! (Using Minotaur from Ravnica. Explanation Being an archer is this build's number 1 priority, with the other aspects of the bard class being secondary. Hit Points; Proficiencies; Equipment; Bardic Inspiration (Level 1, 5, 10, 15) Jack of All Trades (Level 2) College of Swords. Whereas every Bard level from 1-10 gives improvements and options. Explanation. D&D 5e Ive been toying with the idea of a duelist character who does a lot of different moves while fighting, and sword bard and battlemaster both popped out at me as classes that would help me accomplish this. Putting them together seems to create a pretty fantastic gish. Am currently Lvl 5 and went Bard 4 / Warlock 1. College of Swords. In 5e D&D, the Bard does not start with proficiency with Greatswords. Hexblade gives you medium armor proficiency, the shield spell and shield proficiency. I'm about to enter a game where PCs are currently level 5, so I'm creating a triton bard to join the party. 15):. Dexterity and Charisma are the most essential scores for bards in general. I’ve been wanting to roll a college of swords bard for a while now, and the opportunity has come since my rogue died last session :(. D&D 5e I'm brainstorming a character for an upcoming Curse of Strahd campaign, and what better time to play a dhampir than this? I'd like to be a duelist type of character, using Swords Bard as the base. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock combats. Paladin 2 -> Swords Bard 8. Looking for some help with building a swords bard/paladin multi class 2-4 levels of paladin and the rest is bard. Bard Armor Proficiency. So far what I've thought of are: 1 Hexblade -> 9 Swords: Pretty straightforward in its strengths, you . Swashbuckler Rogue/Sword Bard multi-class progression help [5e] About to join a Out of the Abyss campaign with a fat 6 person party. I've played quite a few bards in 5e. #5 Sep 24, 2023 Baldur's Gate III is based on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (D&D 5e) tabletop RPG ruleset. This doesn't just give CHA SAD, but also Armor of Agathys (a spell that scales obnoxiously well when upcast) and Hexblade's Curse (1/SR crit a target on 19-20 for 1 minute, potent when you can Paladin smite A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. Quick Navigation D&D 5e/Next Top I recently rolled a bard for a new game set in a low fantasy world. The Bard and the Paladin both have good multiclass break points at levels 2 through 6, and making that trade means giving up powerful high-level features like 9th-level bard spells or the Paladin’s Aura Improvements. Learn how to play a bard, a master of song, speech, and magic, in the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Even better - 3 rogue/thief (for two bonus actions) 9 swords bard. This article contains affiliate links that add gold to our coffers. Find out the pros and cons, features, races, feats, and multiclassing options Learn how to play a Bard in DnD 5e, a versatile class that can fill any role in the party with skills, spells, and support abilities. More posts you may like r/DnDHomebrew. Peerless Skill. Go Dex first. Find out the best races, feats, magic items, and subclasses for Bards, as well as tips and tricks for The College of Swords Bard in D&D 5e is a master at the art of wielding a blade. The college of glamour and the college of whispers are actually somewhat mirror images of each other. Nice job :) Reply reply Top 1% Rank by size . Add one (or multiple) of the 3rd level features from one of the bard subclasses (colleges). Wizard is just better in tabletop 5e vs Bg3 due to spell selection and implementation. The difference is The Swords bard's Slashing Flourish option for the Blade Flourish feature says (XGtE, p. Cost: 10 GP. Honestly I think Valor Bard/Swords Bard is the best class - I wish I could play a standard barbarian/fighter/rogue because I prefer martial combat, being a spell caster and mostly like resorting to cantrips and occasional big spells isn't quite fun for me, I've always enjoyed being a martial type fighter - it's just the "fantasy" I want fulfilled DND –> D&D Classes –> Bard 5e. All things the Swords Bard can appreciate. Wizard also gives you shield spell, haste, AOE and other utility. the reason to go swords Vs Valor (who get shields) is that swords don't need a free hand as a sub class feature. Bard and barbarian is an interesting mix, but just picture your frothing mad bardbarian hero war yodeling their way over fallen enemies into the thick of battle. Aside from that, definitely get Shield at level 10 when you can choose a couple of spells from other classes. Leveling. I actually wouldn't go hexblade here except that you want medium armor at level 1 because we get heavily armored from being vuman or clineage. Hey all, I'm remaking a character into a College of Swords Bard, and we're starting at level 4. Bard subclasses in D&D 5e. Gather your party and venture forth! Members Online. Elf For DEX based – Drow CHAR +1 but you get disadvantage on attack rolls during the day due to sunlight sensitivity. He can do the job if needed but it would be tougher, a Bard as an okay HP pool and with the defensive flourish and even a Shield pick in Magical Secrets later on can make him a pretty decent solo frontliner aswell. A wonderful thing about being a Swords Bard is that you can basically guarantee that at least one PC (you) will get an OA. Otherwise go to 3 in hexblade with pact of the blade. Reply reply more replies More replies More replies. Depending on the diffinition of control caster we're using, I'd argue that Lore bard can pick up Counterspell, and some Celestial spells that Swords bard cannot get or in the best case scenario, needs to invest a bunch of lvls just for that. Let's say I'm playing a College of Swords bard, and happen to critically strike an enemy with a natural 20. Mechanically, the College of Swords offers a more offensively minded Valor Bard. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon The best ability score for a College of Sword bard is 16 Charisma for spellcasting, 16 Dexterity for weapon damage, and 14 Constituion for the health pool. No shield proficiency, and weapon selection sucks. Conveniently enough, the Swords Bard is one that would synergize ridiculously well with a single level of Hexblade Warlock. Very similar to the College of Swords in the sense that you will be getting into melee I think the best way to play a tanky bard is 1 level in hexblade and the rest in sword bard. Gather your party and venture forth! But when combined with a swords bard (or more traditionally a sorcerer) they can use that other classes plentiful spell slots to I think a monoclassed Swords Bard in BG3 is actually better than in 5e, due to some changes they've made, although I actually went for a Drow Draconic Sorcerer (White) 1/Swords Bard x build in my current game (am Sorc 1/Bard 3 currently), as I wanted the bonus to Con saves (to help with maintaining concentration on spells) and access to Shield spell, Magic Missile, and My bard/warlock (Bardlock) found a magical (devilish) instrument that granted them powers. As you dive into the mystical world of D&D 5e, imagine the harmonious notes dancing in the air as you explore the enchanting Bard Colleges, painting a vivid picture of spellbinding Face My Blade: College of Swords 5E. E. Most Bards choose to start with Leather armor, as Padded armor has no benefits except costing 5 GP less and giving disadvantage on stealth. He was a demonic rock star out of combat and an The Aasimar Bard Guide provides valuable insights and recommendations for players looking to explore the celestial-infused world of the Aasimar Bard in Dungeons & Dragons 5E. Find out the bonus proficiencies, fighting style, blade flourish, and extra attack features of this archetype. 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 casting foci, but for those who join the College of Swords at 3rd level, "If you're proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus This is an analysis of archer Swords and Valor Bards. That is, doing as much damage as possible to two enemies at a time (while also bein This is pretty similar to my spell list on my swords bard. Changeling Bard 5e D&D Guide. Bards themselves are as diverse as the lands they wander in, ranging from adventuring scoundrels to scholarly masters of their art. [5e] Swords Bard Hexblade build . This allows you to pick two spells from ANY other class at the same level. ) Swords bard is a bard archetype that I /want/ to like, but completely fail to see the value in on paper. Weight: 6 lbs. However, if you choose the College of Valor archetype then you can get proficiency with Greatswords at level 3. Reply reply More replies More replies. View User Profile View Posts Send Message Adventurer; Join Date: 11/30/2023 Posts: 1 Member Details The design of the 5e Bard absolutely hits every note on the "flexible caster" chart. Back to bard for the rest of your career unless you want to use a 2 handed weapon and want invocations. Gather your party and venture forth! I'm currently playing as a Sword Bard / Warlock Mutliclass and planning to go into Pact of the Blade. Order of combat turn goes as follows: bonus: steady aim (speed is 0 until end of turn) D&D 5e has no formal stack which is used to apply and resolve effects in timing order. Sorcerer – This is the standard for all swords bard. College of valor and college of swords favor more combat oriented bard. Learn how to play a sword bard, a subclass that combines magic and martial skills in D&D 5e. com/TreantmonkstempleTo see this build: https://ddb. Fun and smart additions to the game, the friendly Discord of Many Swords Bard's biggest problem is that it is very squishy. Hi again, it's the Supreme Sneak Boi of 2019, the absolute noob of DnD. Be it D&D 3. Damage: 2d6 Slashing. So I'm playing that character as a a monoclassed fey After looking at it for quite a while since I loved the swords bard concept, I wound up making mine a hexblade 1 / swords bard X, the shield and cha to hit with weapons is just too perfect to pass up, plus you can get shield from the expanded spell list, and you only really need to push cha past 14, meaning you can take more feats. Barbarians A complete guide to DnD 5e Bard spells, including expert-written advice on how to pick and use the best spells available to the Bard. Enter the S Dancing Sword (rapier). I started at fighter 1 and it's definitely frustrating being a level "behind" on casting but I always have to remind myself of the con proficiency and extra 1 ac that are always helping. Sword Bard if you're going for big damage should generally be an archer, melee is not worth it when Sharpshooter does pretty much the same thing as trying to melee with bigger weapons. I'm thinking 2-3 levels of paladin then 6+ levels of bard and maybe one more paladin probably a strength build with heavy armor and a sword and shield. Fey Touched, Inspiring Leader, Lucky, Metamagic Adept. Everything in Swords bard runs smoother with just a dash of Hexblade (and Bard only wants 18 levels anyway) Grabbing a second warlock level is Ali Hello there! New to BG3 but a long-time dnd 5e character builder. Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Bard Level Needed to Learn: level 3. T. They can fill any hole (intended) and typically excel in that role without overshadowing someone else, barring the social pillar. Intelligence is his dump stat so he needs to ask a friend what to pick for his Magical Secret. You have the spell power of the wizard and with the correct spell selection, you'll act like one too. You will want to either get Level 9 Spells as your capstone or be certain to get short rest recovery of Bardic Inspiration, so you can use your Flourishes more often. Out the gate, Most of these empower the supportive spellcaster bard fantasy, but Swords and Valor are both aimed at bards looking to engage in weapon-based fighting a bit, often making them excellent multiclass options for martial characters. Starting at 14th level, when you make an ability check, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration. Whereas your typical bard might prefer to share the stories of others or their entire party, the bard-paladin lends itself more towards a self-centered individual who is the hero of Bard Paladin Multiclass A 5e Dungeons & Dragons Guide for Holy Tunes The bard is an artisan of magic, knowledgeable and witty musicians and warriors capable of lethal arts. Charisma is less important in this subclass because our spells are mostly used for Fighting Style. This gets you 13+DEX AC, CON-save proficiency, the Shield spell, and a host of cantrips to boot. Once you get Bard 3, college of swords lets you use your weapon as an arcane focus, so you can cast spells that have material components, or material AND somatic components, without If you want to go Pact of the Blade then go Sword Bard, but you will be a melee oriented caster, so EB should only be a backup range option. Step right up, fellow adventurers, and let your heart be ensnared by the lyrical allure of the Bard class in the vibrant universe of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. It turns you into a mashup between a bard and a battlemaster, I havent tried it but give this bard a scimitar and itd be a decent midliner, and quite fun. patreon. One of the major weaknesses of a generic bard it it's lack of at will damage. You see, simply giving proficiency in medium armor and scimitars, a fighting style, and a couple of bad Battle Master maneuvers does not a weapon user make. Mage Hand: An ethereal hand reaches up to 30 feet and can manipulate small items, locks and doors. I was dead set on lore bard originally but I like the sword bard role play and I’ve heard it’s actually a good subclass Archived post. Find out the best ancestry, stats, feats, spells, and tips for this powerful and versatile character. Sadly, swords looks /best/ as an archery based character. Bards are naturally a great support class, with their Bardic Inspiration to provide bonuses to allies’ d20 checks, their Song of Rest to make short rests more restorative, and their ability to counter frighten and charm effects with Countercharm. Leather. Valor would be more a soldier, like a kid with a snare drum, while swords would be more like a knife juggler or sword swallower like at a ren faire or a circus. ; Vicious Mockery: Deals 1d4 psychic damage on a failed Level 5 gets uncanny dodge. Bard Colleges by laserllama - Created with GM Binder. Hold Person if you're doing a A forum thread where users discuss the best feats for a variant human college of swords bard in D&D. Dueling Fighting Style from Swords. This allows you to grab spells to bolster your bladedancer-ing. How to Build Bard College of Swords. Maybe swords bard or you could do lore or creation. Compare it to Bigby’s Hand, and it’s pretty clear. Go Sword Bard for the rest of the way if you desire better spells, or go (something) Paladin to pick up Improved Divine Smite for fat melee damage. Gnome PHB. 15; emphasis mine): You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit and to any other creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you. This gives both scag cantrips, a ranged attack cantrip and anything else. ac/c D&D 5e Hey guys I am looking for some advice. The first 6 bard levels are especially important, for fighting style, dual wielder feat, and extra attack. I realized the myriad of useful tools that seemed a perfect match for a bard"Lay on Hands" takes the bards healing to the next level, and helps make a Sword Bard more resilient. Also, despite the name, the College of Swords Bard makes for one of the best ranged characters in the game using dual X-bows Assuming you want pure bard (good level progression!) Normally Cha wins for casters. The playgroup is random, so I If you don't care that much about dual wielding, a laughing shadow magus with the bard archetype could emulate a 5e swords bard pretty well, just with more damage and less spells/support abilities. But if the player built a College of Swords bard who fights like a magical rogue, the Tough feat is much more appealing as the brave bard fights alongside the party's fighter or paladin. Gather your party and venture forth! A straight 12 lvl swords bard would work great for Astarion. A TWF build can use a magic short sword or dagger, potentially allowing for two different weapon effects on targets. Probably picking up synaptic static in a level, and at 10 getting find greater steed and steel wind strike, while swapping thunderwave for feather fall. Baldur's Gate III is based on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (D&D 5e) tabletop RPG ruleset. 20 Dexterity. With expertise For the bard spell list without optional spells, see Core Bard Spell List. You also get this ability at Level 14, and Level 18. He needs to grab Sharpshooter and a way to cast Bless, say with the Fey Touched feat. Brought to us by Xanathars guide to everything. He also has a few support spells, and it hasn't infringed on my vision for the character at all See Also: Best Feats for Bard 5e. Swords bard is a bard archetype that I /want/ to like, but completely fail to see the value in on paper. It's also vital for maintaining Concentration on their most Learn how to make a sword bard build in Dungeons & Dragons 5e, a character that combines fencing and magic. However, doing so would prevent you from getting the fabled Paladin 11 / Cantrips. Rogue/Bard is generally poor, as Bard requires high CHA to be effective, and Rogue requires DEX. For Warlock, I would take Fathomless and get swimming speed, more weapons and he would conjure his second blade which sounds seriously freaking cool. Hit Dice: 1d8 per bard level 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 Proficiencies. A College of Swords bard is most comfortable flitting in and out The D&D 5e College of Swords bard is one of two bardic subclasses that adds some martial flavor, almost like a charismatic fighter. This subclass lets you use bardic inspiration dice for weapon-based spells and effects, and offers you flexibility and versatility in As D&D 5e 's College of Swords bards are most at home in melee combat, they need to be as resilient as possible. The College of Swords is a melee-focused Silvery Barbs will give you a good reaction up until you're 10th level and get Shield, and even then is a damn good reaction when the enemies can't land a shot. Also Check Out: Ranking Every Bard Subclass in D&D 5e. If you’re playing something like a Valor Bard or Swords Bard, there are some other spells that you might be interested in learning with your Magical Secrets feature. Drow and tabaxi are the best picks for this sword fighter. I picked up Warlock on Level 2 and A Swords Bard can hang in the frontline but it isn't tailored to be a sole tank. For swords bard Dex gives you better initiative, AC, attack and damage. I think it's why a lot of people rank Swords bards so low for effectiveness. Blades perform stunts such as sword The Bardadin is an excellent example of the cost/benefit analysis inherent in multiclassing. It creates a quiver that makes ammo for one minute. I would play a tabaxi and after racials my stats would Being a collage of swords bard, you're a rather squishy melee character. They are skilled with weapons and often combine them with powerful magical effects. Lore bard can use Bardic inspiration as a reaction for damage reduction and learns forbidden jutsus. So we’ve looked at the standard bard abilities, spells and elements of the class, but at level 3, you’ll get the chance to specialise and pick a subclass. Collections My Characters My Campaigns My Encounters My Dice While the background itself doesn’t fit too well with a Bard’s backstory, it might fit better for a rogueish Bard, and the 20 GP isn’t something to scoff about. So it's in keeping with the tradition of the archetype that their Flourishes work with ranged attacks. Again, this also makes sense from a narrative perspective. At first I wanted to do a CoS Bard x/Swash Rogue 3, but I’ve read that the classes kind of step on each other’s toes. Dexterity is the Ability Score which receives the highest priority for a Bard and Rogue multiclass in D&D 5e 2014. Or if they really want to, they can get a +3 to the average damage of a single blade flourish. A College of Swords bard is most comfortable flitting in and out Swords Bard or Whispers Bard are both doable here. This is why the aforementioned dips are necessary if you're looking for a melee combatant with a full What is a Bard in DnD 5e? The Bard remains one of the most iconic DnD 5e classes and are known for their ability to weave song, speech and sorcery to inspire allies, demoralize enemies and win over almost any crowd. Stats are at 3rd level: (1st level bard 2nd level wizard) Str: 8 Dex: 16 Con: 13 Int: 14 Wis: 12 Cha: 16 (I'll be starting off with these levels then going 13 levels into bard and the remaining levels into Wizard at the end) Swashbuckler Rogue/Sword Bard multi-class progression help [5e] About to join a Out of the Abyss campaign with a fat 6 person party. Paladins are champions of holy power, heralds of their faith and smiters of the unrighteous through divine favor and martial prowess. Though they use their weapons to entertain, they are also highly trained and skilled warriors in their own right. 2d6 (Scimitar) + 2d8 (Defensive Flourish) The Defensive Flourish Blade Flourish option confers this benefit (XGtE, p. The hex blade dip is for charisma based weapon attacks, hex, agonizing blast and eldritch mind. A College of Swords bard is most comfortable flitting in and out She is now a lv 4 pure Swords Bard, and I can see lv 5 allows regaining Bardic Inspiration even at short rest. Bard Weapon Proficiency. Swords – College of Swords Bards entertain through weapon prowess – swallowing swords, jugglings knives, and mocking combatants. I was considering a Swords Bard, for all the flourishing swords moves plus the magic ability it would add. If the bard stays in the party's rear as a support caster, the Tough feat may not help that much. Armor: Light armor Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords Tools: Three musical If you like what I do and would consider supporting this channel through Patreon:https://www. A level 10 bard, for example, will have 20 more HP. Starting Proficiencies and Equipment. Our D&D 5e character build this week is for those of us who like to slice and dice, but do so with a song and a mischievous smile on our lips :). Gather your party and venture forth! A dex-based Swords Bard 6>Paladin 2>Sword Bard 4 or Swords Bard 8>Paladin 2>Swords Bard 2 would also work, both options give you an Extra Attack, level 3 spells and most of the good bard D&D 5e I've been tossing around a character idea for a while, of an Acolyte of Milil who is a Bard/Bladesinger multiclass. Become a Master of both Sword & Spell with this Arcane Half-Caster for 5e! Includes Thinking "bard is a caster" makes for a bad Swords bard. Last edited by guachi; 2018-11-03 at 08:33 PM . Nothing on the bard spell list synergizes particularly well with gish. You go all the way to level 15 Level 3 gives two more expertise and swords bard. Since we have both a Warlock and Sorcerer in the group, I was thinking of making my Bard to be more melee-based. ) The game will be at level 11 and we start with standard array and a bonus feat. Without Warcaster, until you get Bard 3 (character level 5), you can't cast spells with somatic or material components without putting away your sword first. Find out their features, strengths, weaknesses, and tips for optimizing your character. Members Online. Plot Hooks/Use in Your Game. . All you really want from warlock, you can get with warlock initiate. but people said it was a cruel thing to do a DM new to 5e. Both are viable depending on the needs of the party, the classes present ¥ÿÿWÁÆ í¶•Þ=TD`ã ô>¼¡ `¢zH÷÷ PÕ*!î {Uüú㯠þû7 Ç þ C#c S3s K+k [;{ G'g W7w O/o _?~ýù÷ÿþÊêÿÿûçk¿Èç•&-ÉÒÖ Ñöm;‡êº§z ªëäò H ¤ P bpréMѬ I think that bards in general are one of the STRONGEST classes in the game. A place to discuss Dungeons & Dragons. Start with bard. My level progression is likely going to be: College of Swords was based off of the 2nd edition AD&D Bard kit, called the Blade. I choose to use my Defensive Flourish at this time, so the dice look like this: . Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. SCAG: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide; TCoE: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything; TTP: The Tortle Package; WBtW: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight: Unearthed Arcana; VRGtR: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft; VGtM: Volo's Guide to Monsters; XGtE: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything; Other Bard Guides. As a (mostly ranged) swords bard who uses Gale a lot and almost never uses Will, I decided to get Banishing Smite (because only bards can use it, since Paladins can't get to level 17) and HEX. He was built to be a master duelist - he does the job pretty well. DM implemented a rule where we get a free feat choice among Skilled, Tough, Magic Initiate Cleric. However, combat is just 1/3 part of 5e. What are some nice multi-classing options that will make me better as a Swords Bard? Thanks in advance, The Sexiest Sneakiest Boi Bard Colleges in D&D 5e. SPOILER. Final Thoughts We all know Bards to be charismatic, instrument-wielding goofballs, but certain backgrounds give a completely different flavor to the character or embrace their – Duergar Nothing good for Bard. Human since I'll be If we assume as a Swords bard you probably want to be using your bardic inspiration on Blade Flourishes then that eliminates your main bonus action competition. Swords bard being the least teamwork focused bard, it combines really well with swashbuckler who also tends to run solo (it’s certainly a very popular blend). Watch Sage explain the features, flavor, Learn how to play a versatile and supportive Bard in D&D 5e. 2 short swords 4. You would attack when a wizard would be using a cantrip Say I'm running a College of Swords bard/rogue multiclass. The best Bard feats in DnD 5e are those that complement their playstyle and base class features well. You can say you won't use Bardic Inspiration in battle, but you have Action spells that be incredibly useful and won't be able to bonus action attack You'd get shield proficiency which the Swords Bard doesn't get, Charisma melee attacks means you can cap your dex at 14 with medium armor, the Shield spell which isn't on the Bard spell list, Hex, Booming Blade and a good ranged cantrip with Eldritch Blast. 5e, 4e, 5e, Pathfinder, or some other game system entirely this is the place for anything relating to the Eberron campaign setting. In today's video, Sage walks you through the College of Swords Bard subclass! Use your silver tongue ways to manipulate the world around you until it is the To customize a bard of this tier, you can do one or more of the following: Swap out one or more of their spells with a different bard spell of the same level. By prioritizing charisma and selecting a bard college that aligns with your preferred playstyle, you can optimize your character’s abilities and enhance their Swords bard is only really good if you have a starting dip in fighter of paladin, or a later dip into hexblade. Hex and Hunter's Mark remain The bard that uses a sword. a1ngar. Dual Wielder feat w/ V. Hit Points. The swords bard inspiration can buff others with standard inspiration or be used for flourishes. Bards of the College of Swords have a feature called Blade Flourish that lets them use their Bardic Inspiration to add a modifier to their Attack action (XGtE, p. A 2 or 3 lvl dip can give you charisma for your sword, agonizing blast, and shadow blade. I would choose straight Rogue or straight Bard. I have most of the things I want sorted out: College of Swords, dippping 3 levels into Hexblade after I get the Extra Attack, Pact of the Blade and Improved Pact of the Blade invocation once it is Best Feats for Swords Bard 5e. DnDBeyond article makes up Minion rules for 5e, and a Swarm template to turn any monster into That's 5e's Duelist. Ok, so there’s a bit of pressure when choosing your Magical Secrets. More posts you may like r/dndnext. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don't count against the number of bard spells you know. A Swords Bard does more than swallow swords or juggle blades. In this article, we list 10 of our favorite magic items for the bard class. Now, you can use the sword as a focus, and add you can add your dex to the bonus action attack. I have decided to play hexblade swords bard to fill out our party a little. You can use Defensive Flourish, but that's only up to 5 times per long rest for levels 3-4, up to 5 times per short rest for levels 5-13. General idea is that the character cheated on their wife, which caused her to drink herself to death, now my character seems to intend on following her to the grave via booze, poor decision making, and getting as stuck in as possible The Swords bard's Slashing Flourish option for the Blade Flourish feature says (XGtE, p. It's a Rogue's most essential Ability Score and undoubtedly a high-value one for the Bard. So I was sure I was picking the College of Swords, but then I remembered multi-classing, the creativity of DnD. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D The scene: A 10th-level College of Swords bard (includes Extra Attack). It's a halfling bard, with 17 CHA and 16 DEX and +0s or +1s elsewhere. That bard. I am not saying this is the best or right way to play a bard, but I would ask that any feedback that is telling me to build a different type of bard or a different archer class be left out. Greatsword. You'll also be using very few warlock spells per day, and could easily draw and stow your weapon as needed until you get it as a focus. " You won't often be able to use that extra speed without risking opportunity attacks. The bard’s greatest strength lies in their versatility, and there's likely an item—probably an instrument—that can help you cover gaps in your skillset. All classes need hit points. (D&D 5e) tabletop RPG ruleset. by Prince Phantom. Crossbow Expert. These classes are made a lot better by either a hexblade dip (only 1 level needed for swords bards), or by stat boosting items like the headband of intellect for the bladesinger. Updated for Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Pure Sword Bard VS multiclass Sword Bard/Pact of the Blade upvotes [5e] Swashbuckler Rogue/Swords Bard . Find out your hit points, proficiencies, equipment, spellcasting, and bard Learn how to play a bard that stabs things with Extra Attack, Blade Flourish, and Master's Flourish. The blade has a fighting speciality, and upon attending the College of Swords at level three, the blade can choose one of the alternatives listed below. Otherwise, a purebred swords bard actually kinda sucks if you attempt to melee. Blades performed tricks with weapons, everything from juggling scimitars, to swallowing longswords, to throwing daggers blindfolded. Find out the best race, skills, spells, and flourishes for this Learn how to play a Bard with the College of Swords subclass, which grants you the ability to manipulate the world with your words. Class Features. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. Stealth and then imagination (char and dex skills always preferable of course) 5. The conflux spell is similar to the mobile flourish (but cooler) and your spellstrike is the slashing flourish (but much cooler). Sword swallowing, knife juggling, and other dangerous feats make for an incredible show, but these Bards aren’t all theatrics! Learn how to play a College of Swords Bard, a subclass that combines swordplay and magic in D&D 5e. Progression would likely start Fighter 5 then Bard 5, or Fighter 1, Bard 6, Fighter 3, Bard 17. Between the shield spell and the sword bards flourish College of Swords Features Bard Level Feature 3rd Bonus. rtoc eflfs fmihon rwym oefv pmay oulco icez gkjlw epci