How To Play Bard In 5e D&D (2024)

The Bard is criminally underrated, and we forget just how much this incredible class has to offer. They are so often represented as the suave lover, the flirt, and while all of that can be true they are also exceptionally powerful and versatile. There’s nothing wrong with being the Jaskier of the group (a Bard we all have a soft spot for), but they can be so much more.

Bards have access to every skill and expertise in the game as well as full casting abilities. Their generous proficiencies act as the icing on the cake, and they are able to fill every role in the party without a second glance. The Colleges available to them (subclasses) mean they can hone their skills and fine-tune the role they desire most.

How to Use This Guide

Throughout this guide, you will see a series of emojis—we use these to rank how useful a feature or ability is for your chosen class.

✅ — A critical feature that you absolutely need in order to play your class to the best of its ability. May also provide exclusive bonuses.

🆗 — A good feature that should definitely be considered.

⚠️ — A weaker feature that might only work with specific builds. Definitely largely circ*mstantial.

⛔ — A terrible feature that could be detrimental to your class that often weighs you down. Can also be a dump stat that is completely useless.

The Basics of Bard 5e

When you’re playing a Bard, Charisma is the stat that you need to be focusing on. You are the Face of the party, the negotiator, and the diplomat, and it is your job to get the group out of sticky situations with your silver tongue and quick wit. The fact that they are often dismissed as a useless class is their greatest strength. No one will see you coming.

The Bard is the Jack of all trades; you are a master of none, but you can command a variety of positions and roles within the party. They are one of the best support classes in Dungeons and Dragons 5e, and they can transform themselves into a completely new Bard with ease and fill party roles accordingly. Healing, melee combat, ranged combat, they can do it all.

Since they have access to a wide range of proficiencies and can use skills that they aren’t even proficient in, they make for the best class when you find yourself in need of a boost. When you combine this fact with the selection of Colleges that Bards have access to, it is possible for them to emulate practically any class in the game.

Finally, their spell list is one of the most intriguing in the game. It’s unique in that many of the spells on it are not available to other classes in 5e. You have this in addition to the fact that they have access to an impressive number of support, control, disruption spells, and buffs – a testament to their capabilities and showing that they are just as good as any other class.

Ability Scores

Let’s take a quick look at which scores are important for Bards, and which ones don’t matter so much (also known as ‘dump stats’).

⛔ Strength (STR)

This is a melee stat, therefore not particularly useful to a Bard. If they are in melee combat, they can use Dex to get by without any issues.

🆗 Dexterity (DEX)

You need this to boost your poor AC because of the light armor and lack of shields. It is also handy when you need to use weapons.

🆗 Constitution (CON)

This is all about the Hit Points, which you need, and will help keep you alive. Plus, it boosts your Con Saves, one of the most common saves in 5e.

⚠️ Intelligence (INT)

Unless you are taking Skills that require Intelligence to function, this is a completely useless option.

⚠️ Wisdom (WIS)

While not essential for Bards, it is good for Saves (the most common in the game) as well as some Skills.

✅ Charisma (CHA)

This is the primary Bard stat and the one that you need to function. You need to get as much as you can as early as possible because your class relies on this to be able to work to the best of its ability.

Player Tip: Do Bards Need Dexterity?

Dexterity isn’t an essential choice for a Bard, but it is a really good option if you are thinking about engaging in melee combat as well as those who want to take over the role of the party Rogue. It also helps you with handling light weapons, giving you an edge on the battlefield.

If you are planning on wearing light armor instead of medium, the importance of Dexterity increases. If you are wearing medium armor, your DEX modifier for AC will max out at +2 (14 or 15 Dexterity). This also helps you to remain sneaky if you want to be a Rogue, as light armor will not result in any stealth check disadvantages.

Hit Dice

Bards use a d8 for their hit dice, which certainly makes them one of the better spellcasters to play. They aren’t as squishy as wizards, and you will be able to take a hit if you need to. While front-line fighting isn’t recommended, it’s not impossible for a Bard to take this role.

Saving Throws

You get two saving throws as a Bard, but they aren’t the most useful in the game. A Charisma save is practically unheard of, and they are pretty much dump saves. Your second save is Dexterity, which can be useful in some situations but is still not as common or useful as Wisdom and Constitution saves.

Proficiencies

Light armor is perfect for a Bard when they are just starting out, and as a permanent armor form if they want to remain sneaky. Medium armor and shields will give you a great AC later on in the game. With regard to weapon proficiencies, it’s mostly light one-handed weapons that will serve you well, and a bow on your back never hurts.

With Bards, the equipment can be a little bit complicated. After all, it depends on the role you plan to fill within the party as well as your own preferences for your build. Furthermore, your chosen College can also have an impact on the equipment choices you make.

Support roles and front-line fighters are going to have different needs and preferences, which is what makes things more interesting and versatile for Bards when compared to other classes.

Weapons

Finesse weapons are going to be your best choice as a Bard. Since your Dex will be higher than your Strength, it makes sense to use light weapons that require a touch of acrobatics to use well. Bows can also be a handy addition if you want to deal with ranged weapon damage.

Class Features

Bardic Inspiration: It lasts for 10 minutes, and you can only use it a handful of times each day, so make sure you don’t give into temptation and cast it every time you enter an encounter. It can be used after you roll a d20, so save it for when members of your party need a little extra help because they are a couple of points short of a hit or a Save.

Jack of all Trades: It’s so easy to overlook this, which is a shame because it is probably one of the greatest features in the game. It adds to all of your Skill checks when you aren’t proficient and also applies to a whole range of other ability checks that are, honestly, too long to be listed. Let’s just say that if you can think of the check, Jack of all Trades probably applies to it.

Song of Rest: It’s nice to have a little rest, and since you are only allowed two short rests a day in most settings, this is a really nice addition. You can use this for short rests and long rests, giving your allies the opportunity to heal and regain some of their Hit Points when the rest ends.

Expertise: This is always a fantastic choice, and made even better by the fact that Bards get three Skills of their choice at 1st level.

Font of Inspiration: This ability allows you to use Bardic Inspiration three times more often in a single day as long as you have taken two short rests.

Countercharm: It consumes your Action and is highly situational. It’s pretty much a dump ability that should be ignored.

Magical Secrets: This gives you access to spells that are outside of the Bard spell list. However, you do need to remember that you are choosing these instead of Bard spells because of the way casting works for this class. It is still one of the best class features.

Superior Inspiration: This works as great motivation to use the last of your Inspiration right before you start a new encounter.

Skills

The most important skills for a Bard are Perception, Arcana, Nature, Insight, and Religion. If you want to add Animal Handling, you can, but the only thing this really does is add a little pizazz to your roleplaying. Survival can also be a handy one to have, but it’s entirely situational.

⚠️ Acrobatics (DEX)

It’s situational, and Athletics is a better choice.

⛔ Animal Handling (WIS)

You’re a Bard, not a tree hugger.

✅ Arcana (INT)

If you have an Intelligence build, this is the one for you.

🆗Athletics (DEX)

If you want to be nimble and sneaky, this is the one for you.

🆗Deception (CHA)

You either need to have this, Persuasion, or Intimidation.

⚠️ History (INT)

It’s situational and not massively useful for Bards.

🆗 Insight (WIS)

Works really well for the face of the group as it has a focus on diplomacy and deception.

🆗 Intimidation (CHA)

You either need to have this, Persuasion, or Deception.

🆗 Investigation (INT)

This is a good one for Bards who have an Intelligence build.

⛔ Medicine (WIS)

This is a pointless choice for Bards. A dump skill.

🆗 Nature (INT)

It’s not essential, but it is a good knowledge skill to have.

✅ Perception (WIS)

This is the most important skill in the game.

⛔ Performance (CHA)

It’s a dump stat for Bards, even if it does make sense thematically.

✅ Persuasion (CHA)

You either need to have this, Intimidation, or Deception. Persuasion is the best.

🆗 Religion (INT)

It’s a good knowledge skill, unless you have a Cleric or a Paladin on the team.

⛔ Sleight of Hand (DEX)

You only need to consider this if you want to be the party Rogue.

🆗 Stealth (DEX)

If you’re trying to be the Rogue of the party, this is an essential choice.

⛔ Survival (WIS)

It’s useless and situational.

Backgrounds

Your character’s background is a pretty important part of their build. It gives them some interesting perks and helps to flesh them out. Of course, there are a lot of them, and if we listed them all for you, it would probably send you to sleep. So, we have compiled the very best backgrounds to use for Bards and what they bring to the table.

✅Acolyte

You get insight, two languages, and Religion – good options for a Bard.

🆗Charlatan

An excellent choice if you want to be stealthy.

✅Courtier

You get two Charisma Skills and two languages.

✅Criminal

A fantastic choice if you’re taking up the Rogue role.

✅Faction Agent

Versatile just like the Bard.

🆗Far Traveller

You get two skills, one language, and a game set or instrument.

🆗Haunted One

You get Skills, a curious trinket, and an excellent ability.

🆗Inheritor

Really solid Skill selection.

🆗Investigator

Blends really well with the College of Spirits for a paranormal twist.

🆗Knight of the Order

Two Skills, a language, and an instrument.

🆗Noble

Two Skills, a language, and a game set for a little roleplay.

✅Urban Bounty Hunter

Customizable just like the Bard.

✅Urchin

A great choice alongside Criminal for the party Rogue.

🆗Waterdhavian Noble

Skills, a language, and a nice thematic feel.

✅Witchlight Hand

Perfect synergy with the Bard class.

What Race Is Best for Bards?

When you are playing as a Bard, it’s essential to remember that Charisma is the core feature of your class. You are the Face of the party, the master negotiator, and you will find that having a race that boosts this trait is more than a little use on the field.

However, Dexterity and Constitution can also be ability scores that you might want to increase as a Bard. Dex is especially important if you want to take on the role of the Rogue in the party and be a sneaky fiend. Similarly, Constitution can help to boost your resilience and make you a little harder to hit for those in front-line roles.

Since Bard Colleges are so diverse and lead to a massive selection of roles, you have a lot more choice with your races. Honestly, anything you pick could be made to work for your build, depending on the route you choose. However, for the sake of your sanity (and ours), these are the best races to choose for general Bard builds.

✅ Air Genasi

You get Feather Fall as well as access to a whole new range of spells that will boost the capabilities of the Bard. Not to mention Darkvision and lightning resistance which are nice perks to have.

✅Changeling

There’s Charisma and a free increase, which makes it a good option for pretty much any Bard build. There are also two Skills of your choice and a language. On top of that, you get the shapeshifting ability that makes the Changeling so unique.

🆗Earth Genasi

Blade Ward is the best choice if you wish to play a melee Bard and fight on the front lines. However, this is the only role that this race is useful for. Outside of being a melee choice, there isn’t much that it can offer other Bards.

Elf

✅ Eladrin: You get the bonuses of Darkvision, Perception Proficiency, and Misty Step. Being able to use a teleportation ability like Misty Step is one that you’re going to want to kep handy – it will come in useful frequently. There is also a nice Dex and Charisma bonus.

✅ Fairy

You receive flight in light armour as well as access to two great buffs – giving you a little edge on the battlefield. Since Bards have a limited spell selection, the increase that you get with the Fairy race is a welcome one.

🆗 Fire Genasi

Since Bards don’t really have attack spells, the included spell list with this race makes for a welcome addition. The thing is, this race isn’t suited to one particular Bard build. Instead, it makes a solid foundation for any direction.

Gnome

✅ Deep: Everything that the Deep Gnome offers works to complement the Bard perfectly.

🆗 Goblin

If you are focusing on a Valor Bard and want to take up the role of the party Rogue, the Dex bonus here is very good. You get some good abilities to add to your build that will help you achieve the ultimate sneaky boi build.

Half-Elf

🆗 High: Booming Blade is exceptional if you want to use weapons, and you don’t have to worry about Intelligence. If you choose the Wizard Cantrip, Intelligence matters which can be an issue.
✅ Standard: For those who want to be the Face of the party, you get two Skills as well as a Charisma increase that will help you out massively. It’s the ultimate Bard race and one you are going to want to strongly consider.

Halfling

🆗 Lightfoot: You get Charisma and Naturally Stealthy, both of which are good options for a Bard. However, when we compare this to the other racial options available, it just can’t live up to what they have to offer.

✅ Harengon

Hare Trigger allows you to set up AOE and AOC spells early while Rabbit Hop gives you the opportunity to escape melee attacks safely without using an Action. There’s also an extra Skill which is nice.

Human

✅ Variant: The additional Feats are never a bad thing, and you have access to Magic Initiate which is, in a word, fantastic.

🆗 Kalashtar

ou get a really good Charisma increase. Other than that, there isn’t anything that really stands out with this race. It’s nice thematically with all the mental resistance and psychic stuff, which suits the Bard nicely.

✅ Owlin

Flight, Darkvision, and a bonus Skill make this a very appealing choice. It’s a lot of fun, but the Fairy race does have a slight edge over this one with all of the additional spells that it is able to offer Bards.

✅ Satyr

The Dexterity and Charisma boost work for absolutely any Bard build, and the additional Skills are very welcome. There’s also Magic Resistance as a bonus.

🆗Shadar-Kai

Misty Step is great for teleportation, and you can cast a levelled spell in the same turn as using it.

🆗Shifter

You get a Dex and Charisma increase as well as a Skill proficiency. There is also a shifting ability that is quite advantageous in battle.

🆗Simic Hybrid

You get a flexible ability increase that you can put into Charisma, and it works best with the College of Lore. It’s a good race, but not the best.

✅ Tabaxi

This works nicely for all Bards. You get two Skills, some fun traits, and nice ability increases that work well with your class.

Tiefling

🆗 Asmodeus: It provides you with some interesting options but it is not the best Tiefling.

🆗 Baalzebul: If you plan to focus on spellcasting and not drawing fire, this is a good choice.

✅ Dispater: The same ability spread as Asmodeus but with a focus on trickiness and utility.

🆗 Fierna: If you want to be the Face of the party, this could be a very good choice.

✅ Glasya: The same ability spread as Asmodeus but you have a focus on illusions.

🆗 Levistus: There is no Strength or Dex boost but it makes a tempting choice for Valor Bards.

🆗 Mammon: The levelled spells make for a fantastic utility option not usually available to Bards.

🆗 Zariel: A great option for Valor Bards, but you’re going to need to up your Dexterity.

✅ Triton

If you choose to be a martial Bard, you are going to have some exceptional ability increases. There are also some fun additional traits as well as great innate spellcasting that will help you out.

🆗Yuan-Ti Pureblood

The INT bonus isn’t going to get a lot of use, but the rest of the features offered by this race are absolutely fantastic.

✅Verdan

You get a very nice Con and Charisma bonus that makes for the perfect Bard combination. You get Persuasion and Telepathic Insight, the latter of which can go a long way when you are serving as the Face of the party.

🆗Warforged

You get a Con boost as well as a flexible one that you can put into Charisma. You get extra AC as well which is handy, but this race doesn’t really offer anything else to the class.

Other Races

Not every race is suited to being a Bard, usually, because they have a poor ability spread that doesn’t work to their advantage. Many of them don’t offer bonuses that would actually suit a Bard, even if you wanted to switch things up and play different roles within the party. The following races are not well-suited to being a Bard:

Bugbear
Dragonborn
Hobgoblin
Lizardfolk
Orc
Leonin
Minotaur
Half-Orc
Centaur

Player Tip: Do Bards Have to Prepare Spells?

Bards don’t need to prepare spells, which is handy for players who are a little forgetful before heading out after a rest (it’s me, I’m the player). However, they will need to learn spells. This means that Bards get to choose a limited number of spells that they can permanently learn and call on when they need it in battle – no prep required.

But what happens when you want to swap a spell out? Well, the bad news is that you can’t do it very often and so you’ll need to think carefully when making spell choices. The good news is that you can make the change at every level. Once you level up, you can take a spell that you feel no longer works for your build and replace it with something more useful.

What Are the Bard Colleges (Subclasses)?

Your subclass is important because it dictates the kind of Bard you are going to be and the role you are going to play when your party heads out on adventures. For Bards in Dungeons and Dragons, the subclass is known as a College, and each of them has a range of benefits that might appeal to you.

In this guide, we keep the subclass information brief so that you have a good idea of what each one offers. Want to get right into the juicy details? Make sure you check out our dedicated guide to Bard subclasses so you can pick the perfect one.

🆗College of Creation

This is the College for the creatives, the players who want to use their imaginations to the best of their ability and make the most of abstract situations. It’s intentionally vague with the purpose of solving problems in a manner that is effective yet unusual. It’s time to think outside of the box and really expand your imagination. There are no limits.

Animating Performance is the greatest ability that this College has to offer, giving you the power to essentially create a Golem that will do your bidding. Mote of Potential is also a brilliant feature as it gives you more versatile uses for your Inspiration die.

✅College of Eloquence

Command the crowd with your presence and your words. The eloquence of your tongue does the work for you, and as a master of storytelling, you have the ability to captivate an entire room with a single word. You are a diplomat, the persuader, and there are none who can resist your charm.

Silver Tongue works exactly as you would expect, enhancing your capabilities as the sly devil and negotiator. But it’s Unsettling Words that really stands out because it is truly the thing that dreams are made of – allowing you to land godly combos that will fall into legend themselves. There’s so much that this College has to offer.

⚠️College of Glamour

If support is your calling, this is the College for you. There are no combat proficiencies or any for weapons and armor, but you are sure to find your spellcasting augmented to impressive lengths. It might not be the best of the best, but there are features within this College that really stand out.

It might not have the most to offer as a College, but there are some traits that make it a rather interesting College to choose. Mantle of Inspiration allows you to reposition your entire team and give them a healing boost. This ability alone makes the entire College worth it should you decide to take this path.

✅College of Lore

Every Bard who wants to be a caster ends up here, and it is the default Bard College for many who play this class. It gives you the most options in terms of spells and magical augmentation while also bundling on heaps of proficiencies for your Skills. All of this combined will transform you into the most useful version of a support or utility character.

There is so much to love about this College, and it’s easy to see why it is one of the most popular choices for Bards. The fact that you get bonus proficiencies really helps your class, and Guiding Whispers offers you one of the best Cantrips in the game. Additional Magical Secrets is the ideal choice when you want to really prove yourself as a spellcaster.

⚠️College of Spirits

The inn will fall silent and gather to hear your chilling and unsettling tales. Stories from the dark and unnerving adventures are what make this College, and those campfire tales are the foundation of the subclass. Spirit Tales works as the driving force behind this College, granting you thrilling and unpredictable effects that will captivate your audience.

It’s fun to be the Spooky Boi of the group, and the horror stories certainly work nicely if you have a campaign theme along those lines. Guiding Whispers is about the only great ability that you get, and others, such as Mystical Connection are incredible, but by the time you unlock the ability to use them they have become practically useless.

⚠️College of Swords

This College is similar to the College of Valor, but it is less powerful and doesn’t mesh with other subclasses as easily as the other Colleges. It has some nice combat features and takes a few leaves from the Fighter book, but there are several aspects that can make this College feel like more of a weakness than a strength.

However, there is some fun to be had with this College. Fighting Style and Master’s Flourish are the best abilities you’re going to get out of this, and they are exceptionally useful when you are trying to build a Fighter-style Bard. The bonus proficiencies are also a welcome addition that can help to boost your capabilities.

✅College of Valor

This is the College for the Bard who wants to become a weapons master, the one who wants to rush to the front lines and become a useful melee support character. You will gain proficiency with defensive options when you pick this College as well as better use of your Inspiration when you are in combat. It’s one of the best Colleges this class has to offer.

The reason why this College is so popular is clear, and it’s certainly useful for a strong Bard build. Battle Magic is one of the coolest abilities you get here, and it adds some serious flair to an already impressive College build. Combat Inspiration can also be useful to have, and it’s really handy when you need to make your way through low HD enemies.

⚠️College of Whispers

Secretive. Sly. The spiders who weave their webs and collect snippets of information without ever being noticed. This College is for the Bard who wants to be more like a spy, presenting themselves as a jolly entertainer when really they are the keeper of dark secrets and hidden agendas. It’s a College that leaves you watching your back.

There isn’t a lot to get excited about here, and some of the abilities are downright pointless. However, Shadow Lore is really interesting as it’s a Dominate Monster effect that leaves absolutely no evidence that it was ever cast. You also have Phsychic Blades and Mantle of Whispers which are both solid abilities that you will no doubt enjoy playing with.

What Are the Bard Multiclasses?

Technically, the subclasses are the Bard Circles that we have detailed above. However, there is also the option for multiclassing—which can be an interesting form of subclass to explore. There are loads of multiclassing combinations, but here are some popular choices.

Note: When you are coming up with your own multiclassing options, keep in mind that Bards are prohibited from wearing metal armor.

🆗 Fighter

If you level of Fighter on a Lore Bard, you get all of the Valor Bard’s free proficiencies. This can be a really nice combination if you are looking to become more of a front-line fighter and want to offer strong melee support to the party. Being able to use Fighting Style is also a brilliant bonus that you can make use of.

🆗 Paladin

When sitting alongside the Fighter, this can present itself as an intriguing option. If you are only putting one level into another class, stick with Fighter, but if you are putting in more you will gain access to 1st level Paladin spells like Divine Smite – very tempting for a Bard.

✅ Rogue

This is the ultimate combination. You get one free Skill from the Rogue list, thieves’ tools, and Expertise in two Skills. While Bards don’t actually need anything else that Rogues provide (unless you are taking the role of party Rogue), what you do gain makes it well worth a one-level dip.

🆗 Sorcerer

This comes with all the appeal of the Wizard but without the need for Intelligence because the Sorcerer is Charisma-based. You’ll have some issues with accessing high-level spells, but there are still plenty of benefits to putting a level into this class.

✅ Warlock

A single level of Hexblade gets you medium armor, shields, and you can use your Charisma with a weapon. You don’t need to spend a magical secret to learn Shillelagh either, which just adds to how useful this multiclassing option is.

⚠️Wizard

There is a heavy focus on Intelligence if you pick this option, which really doesn’t work well with the Bard. You get access to some handy Wizard Cantrips, but you are going to be massively restricted with regard to high-level spells. You can do better.

Bard Feats and Magic Items

Feats and magic items are important, but it should be noted that we can’t go into detail about every single one here because that would be an entire guide in itself. Instead, let’s start with the feats—but only the ones that are actually beneficial to the Bard class.

Feats

🆗 Alert: If you have a lot of buffs to get ready (like Bardic Inspiration) you’ll want to go first.
🆗 Actor: This opens up some nice Charisma-based options.
🆗Defensive Duelist: Valor and Blade Bards will find this handy.
🆗 Dungeon Delver: You’ll always be one of the most skilled members of the team.
✅ Inspiring Leader: This is one of the best Feats for Bards, especially if you max out Charisma.
🆗 Lucky: Good for everyone.
✅ Magic Initiate: You’re basically like a Mage that can survive melee blows.
🆗 Resilient: More resilience and a Constitution Save.
🆗 Ritual Caster: This gets you an extra spell.
🆗 Skilled: More Skills never hurt.
🆗 War Caster: A great choice if you have a melee spell you don’t want to lose.

Magic Items

Like feats, there are just too many of these to go through to be able to list them all—you’ll have to check out our magic item guides for something more detailed. Instead, we’ll take you through some of the very best options for the Bard class.

Uncommon

Eyes of the Eagle: Combined with Expertise, it will be practically impossible for anything to sneak up on you without magic.
Instrument of the Bards: Three possible instruments, and eight possible spells that can be used once per day. There’s even the chance to give your enemy a strong Disadvantage.
Rhythm-Maker’s Drum: +1 to your attacks and spell DCs. You also regain one use of Bardic Inspiration per day. An excellent choice if your focus is on offence instead of defence.
Stone of Good Luck: Excellent on any character, especially if you are reliant on Skills and ability checks – something that applies to the Bard.
Wand of Detection: You don’t have to learn Detect Magic when you have this.

Rare

Amulet of Health: It can boost your Constitution to 19, massively boosting your durability. This leaves you with more room for Feats, which is always useful.
Barrier Tattoo: Medium armour AC without having to worry about earning the proficiency. It’s a great choice if you don’t plan to max out your Dex.
Cloak of Displacement: It is one of the best defensive items you will find, taking damage from any source and temporarily suppressing the damage.
Elven Chain: It has one less AC than Barrier Tattoo but doesn’t require attunement.
Revellers Concertina: +2 to your Bard spell DCs but not to spell attacks. You also get a good 6th level spell once per day.
Ring of Spell Storing: Another great potential defensive asset, you can fill it with useful spells that can be recharged whenever possible.

Very Rare

Barrier Tattoo: The fixed AC will match full plate armour so you don’t need to worry about Dex. Additionally, it will not give you a Disadvantage on Dex checks.
Manual of Bodily Health: Gives you a permanent Constitution bonus and a +2 cap.
Rhythm-Maker’s Drum: +3 to your attacks and spell DCs. You also regain one use of Bardic Inspiration per day. An excellent choice if your focus is on offence instead of defence.
Tome of Leadership and Influence: Gives you a permanent Charisma bonus and a +2 cap.

Legendary

Cloak of Invisibility: One of the most powerful abilities in the game, you can still attack while invisible as well as your usual spells.
Ioun Stone: +1 Proficiency bonus, and while this is excellent it will not make Jack of all Trades any better than it already is.

The Very Best Bard Spells

We have a full guide that you can check out that takes you through a comprehensive list of the best Bard spells (and also looks at the worst). However, we wanted to bring you a taste of what the Bard class has to offer in 5e, and that’s part of what makes this section so perfect. Have a scroll and see what the Bard can offer you.

The Best Bard Cantrips

Light

You’ll be just fine with regular torches if you don’t have the room for it, or another spellcaster can pick up something similar. If you do have the space, it can be really useful for quick light in those dark spaces.

Mage Hand

You can use this to move objects without using your actual hands. Magic hands are definitely a lot safer in many situations.

Message

This is one of the best sources of radiant damage that you will find in Dungeons and Dragons 5e. Not only is it a great way to kill zombies, but it also requires a Saving Throw instead of an attack to hit adjacent enemies. The damage scales with your weapon as well.

Minor Illusion

There is space for plenty of creativity here as well as a spacious 5-foot cube for you to put your creations inside.

Prestidigitation

Whenever you want to do something small and magical that’s not covered by another spell, it’s usually covered by prestidigitation. This spell is exceptionally versatile.

Thunderclap

Damage every creature within five feet.

Vicious Mockery

The most iconic Bard spell, and while the damage is small, the debuff is absolutely worth it.

1st Level Spells

Charm Person: If you can cast this on a target outside of combat without them noticing, this can be a great way to defuse a potentially hostile situation.
Comprehend Languages: This works well until you replace it with Tongues later on.
Cure Wounds: A simple does what it says on the tin spell, it detects magic in the area, and every party needs one person who has it.
Detect Magic: A simple does what it says on the tin spell, it detects magic in the area, and every party needs one person who has it.
Dissonant Whispers: Excellent crowd control that only requires verbal components.
Faerie Fire: The lowest-level option to deal with invisible creatures, and Advantage on attacks against creatures that fail their save means that this remains a powerful support option well into high levels, especially against enemies with high AC but poor Dexterity saves.
Feather Fall: You probably won’t use this very much at all, but when you do, it can save a life.
Healing Word: This spell is more important than Cure Wounds, especially at low levels. It’s a bonus action, which means you can heal an unconscious ally and then still use a cantrip after.
Heroism: A massive buff that can make or break a battle at lower levels.
Silent Image: Throw up a fake wall, door, or portcullis to slow pursuers. Create a piece of furniture like a box or a chest, then hide inside it and stab people when they try to open it like a pointy jack in the box. Your imagination (and the DM) is the only limit.
Silvery Barbs: Incredibly powerful and equally complicated for a little spice.
Sleep: This doesn’t require a saving throw, making it a powerful and reliable way to incapacitate enemies with relatively few hit points even at high levels.
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter: Single-target save-or-suck that won’t work on unintelligent creatures.

2nd Level Spells

Aid: It lasts for 8 hours and is the kind of buff you will want to cast every single day. You can also add some Temporary Hit Points, which is massively helpful.
Blindness/Deafness: This lasts for a whole minute and can be highly effective.
Calm Emotions: Both of the effects are situational, but they remain useful. You can use it to temporarily suppress charm or fear effects. You can also use it to make your enemies friendly towards you for a minute.
Enhance Ability: This is such a versatile spell, boosting abilities for a nice bonus in a range of situations. Enhance Eagle’s Splendor for improved social interactions or Bull’s Strength to improve grappling, etc.
Enlarge/Reduce: You can use this on a small ally to make them small enough to smuggle in a pocket, or you can use this on an ally to give them an edge against enemies that rely on grappling.
Invisibility: Essential for scouting and infiltration.
Kinetic Jaunt: The Bard version of Misty Step. However, it requires Concentration and doesn’t remove you from grapples.
Knock: The primary reason to have proficiency with Thieves’ Tools is to handle locks. Knock doesn’t require a check.
Lesser Restoration: A good healing spell. One that won’t be needed all the time but that you’ll be thankful for once it’s there.
Mirror Image: A great defensive option, and it doesn’t require Concentration, so you can easily use it alongside other great options like Fly.
Phantasmal Force: This spell is a great counter to unintelligent creatures, and its flexible nature gives you a lot of room to really mess with the target.
See Invisibility: Lasts for an hour and doesn’t require Concentration.
Shatter: The Walmart version of Fireball, but does a good enough job.
Silence: Most spellcasters will run into serious trouble if they are silenced since so many spells have a verbal component to them. Use it to close the mouths of your enemies and then smash them with a mace. Too violent?
Suggestion: Extremely versatile. This spell benefits greatly from your own creativity, so the more thought you put into its use, the more effective it will be.
Warding Wind: A great buff for melee Bards that makes the terrain difficult to remain steady on.

3rd Level Spells

Bestow Curse: Versatile effects ensure this spell can be brought into a range of situations. It also scales nicely with your level, keeping it viable even as your character grows. It has the ability to practically knock an enemy out of the fight.
Clairvoyance: The focus is expensive if you want to see and hear, but the price is definitely worth it. You can use it to scout locations completely undetected, and when you combine it with Darkvision it becomes truly unstoppable.
Dispel Magic: Simple as removing magical effects. An absolutely crucial spell that every party needs.
Enemies Abound: Throw this on something tanky and horrifying that’s there to protect squishy enemies from you and your friends and watch it freak out and kill its buddies for you.
Fast Friends: It’s a non-lethal way to handle targets, but it does come with limitations. The target does need to be able to understand you, and it requires Concentration (among others), but once you get around them, it’s a pretty useful spell to have on you.
Fear: A great way to disable foes, but immunity is common.
Hypnotic Pattern: Great AoE.
Leomund’s Tiny Hut: It makes for a great place to rest and set up defenses.
Major Image: If you pick this up later, you’ll be able to cast permanent illusions.
Motivational Speech: This is better than Inspiring Leader because it doesn’t require a Feat and also takes way less time to actually perform.
Nondetection: It’s good but not essential and can help keep your party hidden from enemy eyes.
Plant Growth: It’s situational but can definitely come in fairly handy when in battle.
Sending: Fancy? No. But the thing is, you do get to send messages across vast distances is handy – especially since the creature you give the message to doesn’t have to understand you.
Slow: It might not be the best of its kind, but it can certainly come in handy during battle when keeping enemies at a distance.
Stinking Cloud: Constitution-based save or suck in an AOE.
Tongues: Any language or social Proficiencies become pointless when this is cast. It lasts for an hour, but that’s all you really need to work your way out of a sticky situation.

4th Level Spells

Charm Monster: A great nonlethal way to deal with enemies and works in a similar way to Charm Person.
Dimension Door: A great equivalent to Misty Step that allows you to teleport.
Greater Invisibility: Run around for a full minute and become practically impossible to target. We dare you not to love it.
Phantasmal Kille: Despite how slowly it kills the target, this is a great single-target spell, and the spell level scaling is absolutely spectacular.
Polymorph: Versatile, exceptional, and also fairly complicated to master.

5th Level Spells

Animate Objects: Provided that there is sufficient fodder for the spell, this can work in a variety of encounters.
Dominate Person: If you come across humanoid foes, dominating an enemy and turning it into a temporary ally is very effective.
Greater Restoration: A crucial healing spell that every Bard should have on them.
Hold Monster: With the exception of undead, this works on any creature type, and paralysis takes a creature out of a fight almost as much as killing them.
Scrying: It’s not as powerful as it was in previous editions. However, once you do, you can spy on major characters and learn more about their plans. Use it at every opportunity.
Skill Empowerment: Expertise for the whole party – I’m not even joking.

6th Level Spells

Eyebite: Spend one spell slot, and every round for a minute, you pick a creature and put it to sleep.
Mass Suggestion: You can send the whole fight off on a long walk… maybe off the edge of a cliff. Your choice.
Otto’s Irresistible Dance: The target suffers the effects immediately and doesn’t get to make a save until they have spent an Action to make the save, and since they must spend all of their movement dancing, they effectively lose at least one turn after being targeted.

7th Level Spells

Etherealness: This is a fantastic scouting/escape option. It lasts for 8 hours, and unless you’re fighting ethereal enemies, you’re untouchable. You can see and hear into the material plane, allowing you to spy on other creatures in person without their knowledge.
Forcecage: An absolutely amazing way to isolate either your party or your enemies. The duration is long enough to take a short rest, and there’s no save for enemies to resist it.
Mirage Arcane: This is a difficult spell. The affectable area is huge, the distance is Sight (go climb a mountain on a clear day), and the effects of the illusion are tangible enough that you can physically interact with them, including picking up sticks or stones.
Teleport: You have the power to rescue the whole party in the middle of battle. Be warned that this can be a complex spell.

8th Level Spells

Dominate Monster: Arguably the best save-or-suck spell in the game. You can do a lot with perfect control over a creature for such a long period of time.
Feeblemind: Wisdom-based and Charisma-based casters are extremely vulnerable to Feeblemind.
Glibness: Throw this up before going into a fight with an enemy spellcaster and enjoy countering everything that they cast with minimal effort.
Power Word Stun: If you can time this to hit a wounded enemy (or an enemy with a low hit point maximum like many spellcasters), it can take them out of the encounter long enough for you to win largely unopposed.

9th Level Spells

Foresight: With an 8-hour duration, you can throw it on the lucky recipient and watch them laugh their way through nearly any challenge for a full day’s worth of adventuring.
Power Word Heal: Full healing and removing a bunch of status conditions in one spell is really tempting, but preventing all of that damage and all of those conditions with Foresight will work much better. Mass Heal does provide more and gives a more even split.
Power Word Kill: 100 hit points is a very low cap, but it’s hard to argue with how effective it is to outright slay a creature with no rolls involved.
Prismatic Wall: 10-minute duration. You and your allies can pass through it unharmed, and if enemies move through it, they can take up to 50d6 damage, be turned to stone, and be sent to another plane.
Psychic Scream: Intelligence saves are the weakest saves on average, even for high-CR monsters, so in many cases, you can Stun enemies and keep them stunned for an incredibly long time.
True Polymorph: Powerful, versatile, and it lasts an hour. However, it is also very complicated to master.

FAQs

How Useful Are Bards?

Bards are one of the most useful classes in Dungeons and Dragons 5e. They are a jack of all trades, meaning that they can fill pretty much any role needed in the party. Whether you need them as a ranged caster, a charismatic face, or a melee fighter on the front lines, they are prepared to take it on. Truly, they are one of the most underestimated classes.

What Is the Best Subclass for Bard?

The College of Lore tends to be recommended as the best subclass for Bard in D&D 5e. With regard to skills, they are just like a swiss army knife, and this subclass does everything it can to support and highlight this feature. In combat, they always have something they can call on to get you out of a sticky situation – it’s a subclass you’ll be happy to take.

What Is the Best Race for a Bard?

Out of all the races, the Changeling is the best choice for a Bard in 5e. They give you a +2 to Charisma and a flexible +1 that can be placed wherever you like. In addition to that, you get their shapeshifting ability, which is exceptionally useful and will add some flavor to your class. A close second would be the Eladrin Elf and the Fairy – two versatile options to choose from.

Can a Bard Use Any Instrument?

Yes, a Bard can use any instrument in 5e. You have a versatile selection to choose from, and while you will likely have to have proficiency in one to be able to use it properly, this can be changed over time. An instrument is a key part of being a Bard, so it’s a choice you’ll have to make carefully if you want to get the most out of it.

Can Bards Use a Shield?

Bards can use a shield, although it works better with some Colleges and builds than others. If you want to be a spellcaster and work mainly at the back of the party during battle, a shield isn’t really going to be of any use to you. However, if you decide to follow the College of Valor, a shield is a sensible option for defense and to boost your AC.

Until Next Time

We hope you enjoyed this guide to playing Bard in D&D 5e. They are such an underrated class and certainly one of the most exciting to play if you’re seeking something versatile and also a class that’s underplayed and sure to bring a lot of value to the table.

We’d love to hear all about your Bard build and the way in which you’re exploring the class to create the best possible adventure. Why not show us how this guide has helped enhance your D&D adventures? We love hearing from you, so drop your experiences in the comment section below.