Bard

Overview

Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds, create illusions, and even heal wounds.
Bards bring humor during grave times; they impart wisdom to offset ignorance; and they make the ridiculous seem majestic. Bards are preservers of ancient history, their songs and tales perpetuating the memory of great events down through time - knowledge so important that it is memorized and passed along as oral history, to survive even when no written record remains.
It is also the bard's role to chronicle smaller and more contemporary events - the stories of today's heroes, including their feats of valor as well as their less than impressive failures.
Of course, the world has many people who can carry a tune or tell a good story, and there's much more to any adventuring bard than a glib tongue and a melodious voice. Yet what truly sets bards apart from others - and from one another - are the style and substance of their performances.
Bards hold a special place of responsibility and respect in Faerûn. They are bearers of news, gossip, and messages in their travels from place to place, in addition to being living storehouses of history and folklore. Bards know a great deal, and they tend to be willing to share what they know, or at least barter for it.
The arrival of a renowned bard is a special occasion, akin to the visit of a dignitary. A bard can reasonably expect at least a hot supper and a clean place to sleep from a local landlord or inn in exchange for a few songs or stories. A noble might host a bard in fine style - while also being careful to guard any secrets the noble's household doesn't want retold or sung across Faerûn.
Not all wandering performers are true bards, nor are all bards inclined to sing for their supper, although most will, given the need. Bards literally have magic to them, and the powers they command through their performance and lore earns them additional respect.
In Faerûn, singers and storytellers called skalds are keepers of the history and great legends. These warrior-poets are the singers of the songs and sagas that fire the blood of warriors in battle, and composers of the new songs and sagas relating the mighty deeds of heroes and villains.

Music and Magic

In Faerûn, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers.
The greatest strength of bards is their sheer versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do almost anything well. Bards become masters of the talents they set their minds to perfecting, from musical performance to esoteric knowledge.

Learning From Experience

True bards are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires hard study and some measure of natural talent that most musicians and poets lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard’s life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore, telling stories, and living on the gratitude of audiences, much like any other entertainer. But a depth of knowledge, a level of musical skill, and a touch of magic set bards apart from their fellows.
Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel - to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries beyond the horizon - makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn, practice a variety of skills, enter long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works of magic, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Bards love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A bard who can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.

Defining Work

Every successful bard is renowned for at least one piece of performance art, typically a song or a poem that is popular with everyone who hears it. These performances are spoken about for years by those who view them, and some spectators have had their lives forever changed because of the experience.

Instrument

In a bard's quest for the ultimate performance and the highest acclaim, one's instrument is at least as important as one's vocal ability. The instrument's quality of manufacture is a critical factor, of course; the best ones make the best music, and some bards are continually on the lookout for an improvement. Perhaps just as important, though, is the instrument's own entertainment value; those that are bizarrely constructed or made of exotic materials are likely to leave a lasting impression on an audience.

Embarressment

The ways that a performance can go wrong are as varied as the fish in the sea. No matter what sort of disaster might occur, however, a bard has the courage and the confidence to rebound from it - either pressing on with the show (if possible) or promising to come back tomorrow with a new performance that's guaranteed to please.

A Bard's Muse

Naturally, every bard has a repertoire of songs and stories. Some bards are generalists who can draw from a wide range of topics for each performance, and who take pride in their versatility. Others adopt a more personal approach to their art, driven by their attachment to a muse - a particular concept that inspires much of what those bards do in front of an audience.
A bard who follows a muse generally does so to gain a deeper understanding of what that muse represents and how to best convey that understanding to others through performance.

Class Features

As a bard, you gain the following class features.

Level	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	2	4	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	2	5	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	2	6	4	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4th	3	7	4	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5th	3	8	4	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
6th	3	9	4	3	3	-	-	-	-	-	-
7th	3	10	4	3	3	1	-	-	-	-	-
8th	3	11	4	3	3	2	-	-	-	-	-
9th	3	12	4	3	3	3	1	-	-	-	-
10th	4	14	4	3	3	3	2	-	-	-	-
11th	4	15	4	3	3	3	2	1	-	-	-
12th	4	15	4	3	3	3	2	1	-	-	-
13th	4	16	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	-	-
14th	4	18	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	-	-
15th	4	19	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	-
16th	4	19	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	-
17th	4	20	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	1
18th	4	22	4	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	1
19th	4	22	4	3	3	3	3	2	1	1	1
20th	4	22	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	1	1

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per bard level
• Hit Points at 1st LeveI: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher LeveIs: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per bard leveI after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
• Tools: Three musical instruments of your choice
• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
• Skills: Choose any three

Equipment

• A rapier, longsword, or any simple weapon
• A diplomat's pack or an entertainer's pack
• Leather armor, a dagger, and any musical instrument

1st Level - Spellcasting

You have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your wishes and music. Your spells are part of your vast repertoire, magic that you can tune to different situations.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list. You learn additional bard cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the table above.

Spell Slots

The table above shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells. you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell cure wounds and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast cure wounds using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know four 1st-level spells of your choice from the bard spell list.
The Spells Known column of the table above shows when you learn more bard spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the table. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the bard spells you know and replace it with another spell from the bard spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your bard spells. Your magic comes from the heart and soul you pour into the performance of your music or oration. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a bard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one:

• Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
• Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast any bard spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a musical instrument as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

1st Level - 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 DM 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.
Your Bardic Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.

2nd Level - 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.

2nd Level - Magical Inspiration

If a creature has a Bardic Inspiration die from you and casts a spell that restores hit points or deals damage, the creature can roll that die and choose a target affected by the spell. Add the number rolled as a bonus to the hit points regained or the damage dealt. The Bardic Inspiration die is then lost.

2nd Level - 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, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points.
The extra hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 at 9th level, to 1d10 at 13th level, and to 1d12 at 17th level.

3rd Level - Bard Focus

The way of a bard is gregarious. Bards seek each other out to swap songs and stories, boast of their accomplishments, and share their knowledge. Bards form loose associations and study certain aspects of their craft, which they call focuses, to facilitate their gatherings and preserve their traditions.
At 3rd level, you delve into the advanced techniques of a bard focus of your choice. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th and 14th level.

3rd Level - Expertise

Choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
At 10th level, you can choose another two skill proficiencies to gain this benefit.

4th Level - Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

4th Level - Bardic Versatility

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can do one of the following, representing a change in focus as you use your skills and magic: Replace one of the skills you chose for the Expertise feature with one of your other skill proficiencies that isn't benefiting from Expertise. Replace one cantrip you learned from this class's Spellcasting feature with another cantrip from the bard spell list.

5th Level - Font of Inspiration

You regain all of your expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.

6th Level - Countercharm

You gain the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. As an action, you can start a performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. During that time, you and any friendly creatures within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit. The performance ends early if you are incapacitated or silenced or if you voluntarily end it (no action required).

10th Level - Magical Secrets

You have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the table above, or a cantrip.
The chosen spells count as bard spells for you and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the table above.
You learn two additional spells from any class at 14th leveI and again at 18th level.

20th Level - Superior Inspiration

When you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Inspiration left, you regain one use.