Leveling Guide: Bard Level 1-5
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Spellcasting, Bardic Inspiration (d6) | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - |
| 2nd | +2 | Jack of All Trades, Song of Rest (d6) | 2 | 5 | 3 | - | - |
| 3rd | +2 | Bard College, Expertise | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - |
| 4th | +2 | New Feat | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | - |
| 5th | +3 | Bardic Inspiration (d8), Font of Inspiration | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
1st Level
1st Level Bard
2nd Level
2nd Level Bard
3rd Level
3rd Level Bard
4th Level
4th Level Bard
5th Level
5th Level Bard
Level 1
Bardic Inspiration
You can inspire others through stirring words or music. To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic Inspiration die, a d6.
Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die, but must decide before the GM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Spellcasting
You can use a musical instrument as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your bard spells. You can cast two 1st level spells between long rests.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Cantrips
You automatically gain access to Prestidigitation, and can Choose two additional Cantrips from the Bard Spell List.
Spells Known
You know four 1st-level spells of your choice from the bard spell list. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Level 2
Jack of All Trades
You can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.
Song of Rest
You can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize your wounded allies during a short rest. If you or any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain hit points at the end of the short rest by spending one or more Hit Dice, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points.
Spellcasting
You can cast three 1st level spells between long rests.
Spells Known
You can learn one more first level Spell. You can also trade out for other 1st level spells.
Level 3
Expertise I
Choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
Bardic College
College of Eloquence
Universal Speech
You have gained the ability to speak and reason with any creature. As a bonus action, you can expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration. When you do so, roll your Bardic Inspiration die, and choose a number of creatures within 60 feet of you that you can see equal to the roll. For 10 minutes, the chosen creatures can magically understand you, regardless of the language you speak, and you have advantage on Charisma checks made to influence them. This feature works even on a creature that doesn’t speak any languages.Soothing Words
You can now cast calm emotions without expending a spell slot. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. You regain all expended uses of this feature when you finish a long rest.College of Glamour
Mantle of Inspiration
As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to grant yourself a wondrous appearance. When you do so, choose a number of creatures you can see and that can see you within 60 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each of them gains 5 temporary hit points. When a creature gains these temporary hit points, it can immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed, without provoking opportunity attacks.Enthralling Performance
If you perform for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to inspire wonder in your audience by singing, reciting a poem, or dancing. At the end of the performance, choose a number of humanoids within 60 feet of you who watched and listened to all of it, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you. While charmed in this way, the target idolizes you, it speaks glowingly of you to anyone who talks to it, and it hinders anyone who opposes you, although it avoids violence unless it was already inclined to fight on your behalf. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour, if it takes any damage, if you attack it, or if it witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies.
If a target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to charm it.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.College of Lore
Proficiencies
You gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.Cutting Words
When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.
College of Valor
Proficiencies
You gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.Combat Inspiration
A creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you can roll that die and add the number rolled to a weapon damage roll it just made. Alternatively, when an attack roll is made against the creature, it can use its reaction to roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to its AC against that attack, after seeing the roll but before knowing whether it hits or misses.College of Whispers
Psychic Blades
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to deal an extra 2d6 psychic damage to that target. You can do so only once per round on your turn.Words of Terror
If you speak to a humanoid alone for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to seed paranoia in its mind. At the end of the conversation, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you or another creature of your choice. The target is frightened in this way for 1 hour, until it is attacked or damaged, or until it witnesses its allies being attacked or damaged.
If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to frighten it.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.College of Swords
Proficiencies
You gain proficiency with Medium armor and the Scimitar.If you’re proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.Fighting Style
Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if something in the game lets you choose again.
Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.Blade Flourish
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 one of the following Blade Flourish options of your choice. You can use only one Blade Flourish option per turn.
Defensive Flourish. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. You also add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn.
Slashing Flourish. 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. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.
Mobile Flourish. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. You can also push the target up to 5 feet away from you, plus a number of feet equal to the number you roll on that die. You can then immediately use your reaction to move up to your walking speed to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target.
Spellcasting
You can cast four 1st level Spells, and two 2nd level spells between long rests.
Spells Known
You can now know six spells, that can be 1st level or 2nd level.You can also trade out for other 1st or 2nd level spells.
Level 4
New Feat
Select a feature you meet the prerequisite for from the list Linked Here.
Spellcasting
You can cast four 1st level Spells, and three 2nd level spells between long rests.
Cantrips
You can learn an additional Cantrip from the Bard Spell List, up to a total of 3.
Known Spells
You can now know seven spells, that can be 1st level or 2nd level. You can also trade out for other 1st or 2nd level spells.
Level 5
Bardic Inspiration
Your Bardic Inspiration die changes to become a d8.
Proficiency Bonus
Proficiency Bonus is increased by one to a total of +3.
Font of Inspiration
Beginning when you reach 5th level, you regain all of your expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.
Colleges
College of Glamour
Mantle of Inspiration
The number of temporary hit points increases to 8.College of Whispers
Psychic Blades
The psychic damage increases to 3d6 .Spellcasting
You can cast four 1st level spells, three 2nd level spells, and two 3rd level spells between long rests.
Spells Known
You can now know Eight spells, that can be 1st level, 2nd level, or 3rd level. You can also trade out for other 1st, 2nd or 3rd level spells.
Bard Spell List
Bard Spells
Cantrips (0 Level)
- Blade Ward
- Dancing Lights
- Friends
- Light
- Mage Hand
- Mending
- Message
- Minor Illusion
- Prestidigitation
- Thunderclap
- True Strike
- VIcious Mockery
1st Level
- Animal Friendship
- Bane
- Charm Person
- Color Spray
- Command
- Comprehend Languages
- Cure Wounds
- Detect Magic
- Disguise Self
- Dissonant Whispers
- Faerie Fire
- Feather Fall
- Healing Word
- Heroism
- Identify
- Illusory Script
- Longstrider
- Silent Image
- Sleep
- Speak with Animals
- Tasha's Hideous Laughter
- Thunderwave
- Unseen Servant
2nd Level
- Aid
- Animal Messenger
- Blindness/Deafness
- Calm Emotions
- Cloud of Daggers
- Crown of Madness
- Detect Thoughts
- Enhance Ability
- Enlarge/reduce
- Enthrall
- Heat Metal
- Hold Person
- Invisibility
- Knock
- Lesser Restoration
- Locate Animals or Plants
- Locate Object
- Magic Mouth
- Mirror Image
- Phantasmal Force
- Pyrotechnics
- See Invisibility
- Shatter
- Silence
- Skywrite
- Suggestion
- Warding Wind
- Zone of Truth
3rd Level
- Bestow Curse
- Clairvoyance
- Dispel Magic
- Fear
- Feign Death
- Glyph of Warding
- Hypnotic Pattern
- Leomund's Tiny Hut
- Major Image
- Nondetection
- Plant Growth
- Sending
- Speak with Dead
- Speak with Plants
- Stinking Cloud
- Tongues
Bard Leveling Chart
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Spellcasting, Bardic Inspiration (d6) | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2nd | +2 | Jack of All Trades, Song of Rest (d6) | 2 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3rd | +2 | Bard College, Expertise | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5th | +3 | Bardic Inspiration (d8), Font of Inspiration | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6th | +3 | Countercharm, Bard College Feature | 3 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7th | +3 | -- | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 9th | +4 | Song of Rest (d8) | 3 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| 10th | +4 | Bardic Inspiration (d10), Expertise, Magical Secrets | 4 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| 11th | +4 | -- | 4 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 13th | +5 | Song of Rest (d10) | 4 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 14th | +5 | Magical Secrets, Bard College Feature | 4 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 15th | +5 | Magical Secrets, Bard College Feature | 4 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 16th | +5 | Bardic Inspiration (d12) | 4 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 17th | +6 | Song of Rest (d12) | 4 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Magical Secrets | 4 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20th | +6 | Superior Inspiration | 4 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
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