1. Essential info
2. Should you play a Bard?
3. Stats
4. Races
5. Colleges
6. Feats & backgrounds
7. Spells & cantrips
As one of the most charming classes to play, DnD Bards are fantastic at bringing a creative and social flair to a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. As a Bard, you won't be slaying enemies with brute force, but with a cunning tongue as you encourage (or perhaps escape from) thorny social situations. In addition, Bards are a jack-of-all-trades class as they have a unique mix of spell, skill, and combat options available. That makes them a remarkably versatile option to utilize in campaigns.
Admittedly, DnD Bards aren't the most beginner-friendly of classes, but if you are charismatic, prefer to improvise on the fly, or recently became inspired by Chris Pine's Edgin Darvis in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, then playing one is ideal for you. Bards come in a medley of options, and knowing what to build can be challenging, so let's guide you through the best ways to create a Bard to use in Dungeons and Dragons books.
Wondering how to create your first character in D&D, on the other hand? No problem. Our guide will give you everything you need to make an adventuring hero. It's worth checking in with our roundup of the best D&D class for beginners, too.
What is a DnD Bard?
Although they can handle themselves in combat, Bards aren't warriors; instead, they provide support for the rest of the party. This ranges from inspiring songs that give players extra dice to magical effects capable of healing allies. Bards can even distract enemies and make them ripe for a counter-attack.
In other words, it's a good class if you prefer to hang back and assist your allies from afar - or to harass foes with confounding spells.
Should you play as a DnD bard?
DnD Bards are a challenging yet rewarding class to play in the game as they rely on social strengths to offer the best in-game experience. You can sing, inspire, and offend your way into the unknown, and at best, you can produce hilarious yet memorable interactions between your party and the Dungeon Master - what's not to love?
Choose this class if...
Don't choose this class if...
DnD Bard - stats
What are the best stats for a DnD Bard?
As with all the best tabletop RPGs, attributes play a huge role in this game - they'll dictate your character's strengths and weaknesses. Ranking by importance, this is how you'll want to prioritize your attributes when creating your DnD Bard:
1. Charisma
2. Dexterity
3. Constitution
4. Wisdom
5. Intelligence
6. Strength
Firstly, Charisma is the most crucial stat as you need to ooze plenty of charm and weigh in on social situations. After Charisma, you'll want to focus on Dexterity as it boosts attack, initiative, and armor class (AC), and as Bards can't equip heavy armor, you will naturally need high AC to withstand combat. Following Dexterity is Constitution, as it dictates the number of hit points your character has, and, generally speaking, it's the attribute that any class would find valuable.
After that, it's up to you whether you want to dump points in Wisdom, Intelligence, or Strength, since it depends on your build. If you are more Arcana-focused, Wisdom and Intelligence would be preferable, with Strength offering merit if you want to multiclass into Fighter or Paladin later in your campaign.
DnD Bard - races
What race is best for a DnD Bard?
When it comes to deciding which race to utilize best as a Bard, there are multiple decent options… most of which feature in the Player's Handbook. No matter what, you'll want to gravitate toward any race that boosts Charisma. The more Charisma you have, the higher your chance of successfully beating any Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion checks. Here are some suggestions:
- Half-Elf (Player's Handbook)
- Satyr (Mystic Odysseys of Theros)
- Drow or Eladrin Elf (Player's Handbook)
- Lightfoot Halfling (Player's Handbook)
- Changeling (Eberron: Rising from the Last War)
From the Player's Handbook, Half-Elf is the best race for a Bard, with the Drow (or Eladrin) Elf, a Satyr, and a Changeling also being ideal options. That's because they all offer a +2 to Charisma, which is the main ability score and spellcasting skill for the class, with some of these races providing an additional +1 to Dexterity (with Half-Elves gaining an extra +1 to an attribute of your choice), encouraging a decent armor class.
DnD Bard - Colleges
What is the best DnD Bard College?
Colleges are subclasses for Bards, and each one has different characteristics to suit your playstyle and party configuration. While not exhaustive, here are some of the best Colleges to enroll in when playing as a Bard.
- College of Lore (Player's Handbook)
- College of Valor (Player's Handbook)
- College of Eloquence (Mythic Odysseys of Theros)
- College of Glamor (Xanathar's Guide to Everything)
- College of Creation (Unearthed Arcana)
Considered to be the best option for Bards, College of Lore allows you to add Bardic Inspiration (a bonus action to charismatically inspire a party member) to your checks instead. You also gain access to 'Protection from Energy', one of the best defensive spells in the game. Oh, there's also Magical Secrets, letting you choose two spells from any classes, offering you incredible spell configuration for your DnD Bard.
If you want flexibility between combat and spellcasting, College of Valor is a solid alternative too.
DnD Bard - feats and background
What is the best background for a DnD Bard?
Backgrounds and feats are unique ways to create an identity with your character. While the likes of 'Entertainer' or 'Gladiator' from the Player's Handbook are obvious choices because they grant proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance, it's best to write a little backstory for your Bard and find a background that aligns with the premise. Each background features an assortment of skill and tool proficiencies, but the flavor should always take priority. Backgrounds vary on the kind of character you want to play, which can break down into social class, tragic backstory, a wandering nomad, and more. Spending time figuring out a backstory will give your character a solid foundation and one you and the party can expand on during your adventures.
What are the best feats for a DnD Bard?
Feats are talents or areas of expertise that make your character truly unique, so it's worth giving them some thought. Take Inspiring Leader as an example. This feat is remarkable in giving your party a rousing speech before combat, offering a hit point bonus based on your Charisma. Then there's Mage Initiate, which is suitable for dedicated spellcaster builds. And failing that, the Actor feat offers an advantage on Deception and Persuasion checks which compliments favorably with the Bard identity.
DnD Bard - cantrips and spells
What are the best spells and cantrips for a DnD Bard?
Similar to Backgrounds, there's a whole host of spell options when creating your character. At Level 1, a Bard knows four spells and two cantrips, and while there's an impressive amount to choose from, my recommendation would be these options below, as each spell offers something different (which is suitable because you are playing a jack-of-all-trades class). However, it's absolutely reasonable to use your spell configuration to support your Bard's backstory, regardless of its power in-game.
Cantrip
- Vicious Mockery
- Minor Illusion
Level 1 spells
- Healing Word
- Faerie Fire
- Sleep
- Dissonant Whisper
Vicious Mockery is one of the more amusing options as a Bard, where you creatively string insults at a creature that deals psychic damage. At the other end of the scale, Sleep is excellent for crowd control, especially against a group of unruly Goblins. However, be warned. If cast in close quarters, Sleep also applies to your party members — including yourself.
Dissonant Whisper is one of the best Level 1 spells in D&D as it has the potential to deal incredible amounts of psychic damage
Because Bards are excellent at mimicry, Minor Illusion is another helpful tool to deceive or entertain.
Meanwhile, Dissonant Whisper is one of the best Level 1 spells in D&D as it has the potential to deal incredible amounts of psychic damage... just as Cure Wounds does the opposite, healing allies to keep your party alive and kicking.
For more from the best tabletop RPGs, be sure to check out our guide on how to play DnD online, how to write a DnD campaign, and our chat with the developers on how to make a DnD horror story.
