The Bard

An elderly man in a vibrant purple
coat stepped out of the shadows into
the middle of the giant stronghold. With
the eyes of all his foes on him, he began to
play a masterful song ridiculing the frost
giant lord. As the multitude of foes closed
around on him, the elder musician's heroic
companions jumped from the battlements,
and motivated by the wondrous song, made
quick work of the giant and his horde.

The sprightly halfling let forth a mighty
blast on her war horn and led the charge
toward the hobgoblin legion. Not to be
outdone, and inspired by her bravery,
her comrades drew their weapons
and joined her. When the day was
won, the halfling began to write a
ballad of the heroics of the day.

An elf of otherworldly beauty
and grace stood before the townsfolk against the
backdrop of a dark and rainy night. For uncounted
years, they had lived under the brutal rule of an evil
vampire lord. After many hopeless nights, the tales told
by this elegant stranger had given the townsfolk renewed
hope that they could overthrow their undead overlord.

All three of the heroes described above are considered Bards. The versatile performers wander the world collecting tales, talents, knowledge, and unique magical abilities which they use to motivate and inspire heroism in their comrades.

Hit Points

• 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

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, rapiers, shortswords.
• Tools: one musical instrument and one tool of your choice

• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
• Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Religion, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth.

Equipment

As a Bard, you start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment that is granted to you by your background:

• (a) a rapier, (b) a shortsword, or (c) any simple weapon
• (a) leather armor or (b) a chain shirt
• (a) a diplomat's pack or (b) an entertainer's pack
• One musical instrument of your choice and a dagger

Quick Build

You can make a Bard quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Charisma your highest ability score, followed by
    Dexterity. Second, choose the Entertainer background.

Bardic Inspiration

You can inspire heroism with both word and song. Beginning at 1st level, when another creature who can hear you within 30 feet makes an ability check or fails an attack roll or saving throw, you can use a reaction to expend a Bardic Inspiration Die, a d4, roll it, and add the result to the target's roll.

You have a number of Bardic Inspiration Dice equal to half your Bard level (rounded up) + your Charisma modifier. You regain all expended Dice when you finish a short or long rest.

Your Bardic Inspiration Die grows at certain Bard levels, as shown in the Bardic Insp. column of the Bard Class table.

Folklore

At 1st level choose one skill and one tool or language. You are now proficient in this skill or tool, or learn to speak, read, and write that language. If you choose a skill or tool that you are already proficient in, you add double your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make with that skill or tool.

You choose another skill and one tool or language to gain this benefit when you reach 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Bardic Folklore

Known for their eclectic skill sets, the proficiencies and languages that Bards gain through the Folklore feature should reflect their travels and adventures.

Cantrips

You learn two Cantrips of your choice from the Bard spell list. You learn an additional Bard Cantrip at 4th and 10th level, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Bard table.

Spell Slots

The Bard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your Bard spells of 1st-level and higher. To cast Bard a spell, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher, and you regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher

You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the Bard spell list at the end of this class. The Spells Known column
of the Bard table shows when you learn more Bard spells of your choice. Each spell you learn must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you learn one new Bard spell of 1st or 2nd-level.

Whenever you gain a Bard level, you can replace one Bard spell that you know with another Bard spell of your choice.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your Bard spells,
as your magic comes from your ability to wield the Song
of Creation. You use Charisma when a Bard spell refers
to your spellcasting ability, when setting a saving throw
DC, and whenever making an attack roll with one.

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 two ability scores by 1. As normal, you can't increase one of your ability scores above 20 using this feature.

Bardic Virtuoso

Your intuitive knowledge of the Song of Creation propels your performative abilities to supernatural heights. Starting at 7th level, you add double your proficiency bonus to ability checks you make that incorporate a musical instrument.

Also, when you perform a Chord of Power that lasts until the start of your next turn, such as Lay of Alacrity, you can use a bonus action on the next turn to continue performing that Chord without expending a Bardic Inspiration Die.

Font of Inspiration

You can draw power from the ambient music from the Song of Creation in times of need. Starting at 10th level, you regain one expended Bardic Inspiration Die when you roll initiative.

You can also use your bonus action to expend one spell slot and regain Bardic Inspiration Dice equal to the slot's level.

Mythic Secrets

You have uncovered knowledge of some of the most powerful and secret magicks of the multiverse. At 20th level, you learn one 6th-level and one 7th-level Magical Secrets spell. You can cast each of these spells once at their lowest level, and regain
    the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Bard Spell List

Below are the spells available to Bards, organized by spell level. They are found in the Player's Handbook, in Xanathar's Guide to Everything *, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything **.

Spells marked with LL are found in the laserllama Spell Compendium, which includes both new and alternate spells.

Bardic Lore

3rd-level Loremaster Tradition feature
Your knowledge of various traditions, magical and mundane exceeds your fellow Bards. When you learn Magical Secrets spells, you learn three spells of that level instead of two.

You also gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Medicine, Nature, or Religion. Whenever you make an ability check with any of these skills, you can use Charisma in place of their normal ability score, representing local traditions and lore you've gleaned.

Jack of All Trades

3rd-level Loremaster Tradition feature
In your travels you have learned much about many things. You add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check that doesn't include your proficiency bonus.

Potent Performer

5th-level Loremaster Tradition feature
Whenever you cast a Bard spell that deals
damage, or restores hit points to a creature,
you gain a bonus to the damage roll or hit points
restored equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration Die.

Moreover, whenever you roll a Bardic Inspiration Die, you can roll the Die twice and choose which result you use.

Peerless Skill

11th-level Loremaster Tradition feature
Your wide-ranging knowledge and talents with bardic magic allow you to turn your failures into success. When you miss with an attack roll, or fail an ability check or saving throw, you can expend a Bardic Inspiration Die, roll it, and add it to the result of your roll, possibly turning failure into success.

Wondrous Success

15th-level Loremaster Tradition feature
Your skill with bardic magic is beyond reproach. When you add a Bardic Inspiration Die to a creature's attack roll, ability check, or saving throw you can invoke a Wondrous Success to replace its d20 roll with your Bard level. If this roll causes it to find success, it does so in an overtly magical way.

Once you use your Bardic Inspiration in this way you must finish a short or long rest before you can do so again.

Bardic Warrior

3rd-level Skald Tradition feature
In your desire to stand amongst the heroes of legend you
have learned to fight. You gain proficiency with all martial
weapons, shields, and heavy armor. You can also use your weapon or shield as a spellcasting focus for Bard spells.

Your combat training has also made you heartier than
most Bards. Your maximum hit points increase by 3, and
they increase by 1 again each time you gain a Bard level.

Combat Inspiration

3rd-level Skald Tradition feature
You use your bardic magic to inspire feats of valor in battle. When you add a Bardic Inspiration Die to another creature's weapon attack roll and its attack hits, it also adds one roll of your Bardic Inspiration Die to the damage roll of its attack.

Also, when you make a weapon attack roll and miss, you can expend one Bardic Inspiration Die, roll it, and add the result to your roll, possibly turning your miss into a hit.

Extra Attack

5th-level Skald Tradition feature
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action. Moreover, if you use your action to cast a Bard spell or to perform a Chord of Power, you can make a single weapon attack as a bonus action on that turn.

Gallant Charge

5th-level Skald Tradition feature
Your heroic presence rallies allies to charge into battle. As
a reaction when you roll initiative, you can expend a Bardic Inspiration Die. Creatures of your choice within 30 feet that can hear you gain a bonus to their initiative roll equal to one
roll of your Bardic Inspiration Die.

Ringing Strikes

11th-level Skald Tradition feature
Your weapon attacks are empowered with your signature bardic magic. Whenever you hit with a weapon attack you deal bonus thunder damage on hit equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration Die.

When you make a weapon attack, you can choose to forgo this bonus damage to make your attack with advantage.

Heroic Inspiration

15th-level Skald Tradition feature
Your words motivate others to ever greater feats of gallantry. When you add a Bardic Inspiration Die to another creature's attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can also grant that creature temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).

While a creature has temporary hit points from this feature its walking speed increases by 10 feet.

Inspiring Melody

As an action, you expend any number of Bardic Inspiration Dice (up to your Charisma modifier), and choose a creature who can hear you within 30 feet for each Bardic Inspiration Die spent. These creatures gain temporary hit points equal
to the maximum roll of your Bardic Inspiration Die.

Enthralling Performance

After you perform for an audience for a least 1 minute, you can expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to force creatures of your choice within 90 feet who listened to this performance to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, creatures are charmed by you for 1 hour, or until you or your allies do anything hostile to a member of the audience. On a success, creatures are unaware you attempted to charm them.

While charmed, creatures idolize you and will do anything you ask short of risking their lives or fighting for you.

Irritating Tune

As an action, you expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to begin a performance that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures of your choice who are within 30 feet and can hear you at the beginning of their turn must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on attack rolls against all creatures other than you until the end of this performance.

Performing this Chord of Power requires concentration.

Lay of Alacrity

As an action, you expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to begin a performance that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures of your choice who are within 30 feet and can hear you at the beginning of their turn gain a bonus to their speed equal to five times your Charisma modifier in feet (minimum of 5 feet) which lasts until the end of their current turn.

Performing this Chord of Power requires concentration.

Song of Rest

During the course of a short rest you can perform to soothe your weary allies. Expend any number of Bardic Inspiration Dice and roll them. You restore a total number of hit points equal to the result of this roll, distributed among creatures who are participating in this short rest and can hear you.

Once a creature benefits from this Chord of Power it can't benefit from it again until it finishes a long rest.

Countersong

Prerequisite: 6th-level Bard
When you hear a creature within 30 feet cast a spell, you can use your reaciton expend a Bardic Inspiration Die, roll it, and produce a chaotic sound, attempting to disrupt the spell. The caster must make an ability check with its spellcasting ability, and add the level of the spell it was casting to the result.

If the result of its ability check is less than 10 + your Bardic Inspiration Die roll, the creature's spell fails and has no effect.

Disorienting Dirge

Prerequisite: 6th-level Bard
As an action, you expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to begin a performance that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures of your choice who are within 30 feet and can hear you have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws and saving throws to maintain their concentration.

Performing this Chord of Power requires concentration.

Hymn of Courage

Prerequisite: 6th-level Bard
As an action, you expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to begin a performance that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures of your choice within 30 feet who can hear you are immune to the charmed and frightened condition. A creature who is charmed or frightened when it hears this performance is not affected by the condition as long as it can hear you.

Performing this Chord of Power requires concentration.

Song of Confidence

Prerequisite: 6th-level Bard
As an action, you expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to begin a performance that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures of your choice within 30 feet who can hear you are considered proficient in all saving throws for the duration.

Performing this Chord of Power requires concentration.

Heroic Anthem

Prerequisite: 10th-level Bard
As an action, you expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to begin a performance that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures of your choice within 30 feet who can hear you add your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1) to the first damage roll they make before the start of your next turn.

Performing this Chord of Power requires concentration.

Confounding Canticle

Prerequisite: 10th-level Bard
As an action, you expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to begin a performance that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures of your choice who are within 30 feet and can hear you at the beginning of their turn must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or until the start of your next turn their speed is halved, they can't take reactions, and they have disadvantage on all ability checks and attack rolls.

Performing this Chord of Power requires concentration.

Mythic Anthem

Prerequisite: 18th-level Bard
As an action, you expend one Bardic Inspiration Die to begin a performance that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures of your choice within 30 feet who can hear you are resistant to all damage from spells and magical effects. This performance immediately ends if you move from your space.

Performing this Chord of Power requires concentration.

Legendary Chord

Prerequisite: 18th-level Bard
As an action, you expend any number of Bardic Inspiration Dice (up to your Charisma modifier), and choose a creature who can hear you within 30 feet for each Bardic Inspiration Die spent. These creatures can immediately make a single weapon attack or cast a spell of 1st-level or lower.

Blade

Known simply as Blades, the Bards that follow this Tradition are famous for their wondrous, yet deadly performances that incorporate bladed weapons. Far from mundane performers, these Bards use their skill with blades to find employment as duelists, vigilantes, and sometimes even turn to adventuring.

Blade Exploits

Conspirator

Conspirators use their skills and talents for their own benefit. They abuse the trust most have for Bards and work their way into positions where they can gather incriminating secrets to use as blackmail. These narcissistic Bards often masquerade as other Traditions, operating in secret to accumulate wealth and influence, and rarely, if ever, reveal their true motivations.

Bardic Counsel

3rd-level Counselor Tradition feature
Your bardic skill is focused on oratory skills and knowledge of local traditions. You gain proficiency in History, and when you make an Intelligence (History) check related to local law or tradition, you treat a d20 roll of 7 or lower as an 8.

You also gain proficiency in your choice of either Deception or Persuasion. If you are already proficient in the chosen skill you can add double your proficiency bonus to your roll.

Cutting Logic

3rd-level Counselor Tradition feature
Your confidence and way with words unsettles your foes and empowers the resolve of your allies. When a creature within 30 feet that can hear and understand you is forced to make a saving throw by a creature other than yourself, you can use your reaction to expend a Bardic Inspiration Die, roll it, and subtract the result from its saving throw. You must use this reaction before you know the saving throw's result.

Potent Advice

3rd-level Counselor Tradition feature
Your magic holds true even when your words
fail you. If you use your Bardic Inspiration
reaction and the creature still misses with
its attack roll, or fails its ability check or its
saving throw, your Bardic Inspiration Die
is not expended.

Confounding Logic

5th-level Counselor Tradition feature
You can lace your arguments with bardic magic to assault the minds of your enemies. As an action, you can force a creature that can hear and understand you within 30 feet to make an Intelligence saving throw against your Bard Spell save DC.

On a failed save, it takes psychic damage equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration Die, and until the beginning of your next turn it cannot take reactions and its speed is halved.

This psychic damage increases to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration Die at 11th level, and three rolls at 15th level.

Elder Tongue

5th-level Counselor Tradition feature
As an action, you can infuse your speech with the Song of Creation itself so that any creature within 60 feet that can hear you does so as if you were speaking its native tongue.

This effect lasts for 1 hour, and in order for this to work on
a creature, it must be able to speak at least one language.

Once you use this feature you must finish a long rest before you can use it again. If you have no uses remaining, you can expend a spell slot of 2nd-level or higher to use it again.

Reliable Counsel

11th level Counselor Tradition feature
You always seem to recall the perfect fact or know just what to say at the right time. Whenever you make an Intelligence check to recall information, or you make Charisma check to convince a creature of something, you can replace your d20 roll with your Bard level.

Peerless Inspiration

15th-level Counselor Tradition feature
Your advice and reasoning have become so powerful that it
is indistinguishable from magic. When you use your Bardic Inspiration reaction, you can choose to use the maximum value of your Bardic Inspiration Die in place of rolling it.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once), and you regain all
   expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Glamorous Mantle

3rd-level Mesmer Tradition feature
As a bonus action, you can expend a Bardic Inspiration Die, roll it, and momentarily enhance your beauty with magic. You then choose a number of creatures who can see you within 30 feet (up to your Charisma modifier) to gain temporary hit points equal to your Bardic Inspiration Die roll and move up to their speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

This magic then fades, and your normal beauty returns.

Mesmerizing Presence

3rd-level Mesmer Tradition feature
Your words are laced with seductive enchantment. You learn the friends, charm person, and command spells, but they do not count against your number of Cantrips or Spells Known.

Additionally, you always know Enthralling Performance, and it does not count against your total Chords Known, but you cannot replace it with another Chord of Power.

Otherworldly Visage

5th-level Mesmer Tradition feature
The otherworldly power of your bardic magic has increased. When you use Glamorous Mantle, it lasts for up to 1 minute, or until you are incapacitated or end it as a bonus action.

For the duration, you can use your bonus action on to produce one of the following effects targeting one
creature that can see or hear you within 30 feet:

• You cast charm person or command, without
  expending a spell slot, but the effects of charm
  person only last for the duration of your Mantle.
• You grant a creature temporary hit points equal
  to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration Die,
  and it can move up its speed without
  provoking opportunity attacks.

Reflexive Charm

5th-level Mesmer Tradition feature
You can distract attackers with
your whimsical bardic magics.
When a creature who can see
you hits you with an attack,
you can expend a Bardic
Inspiration Die as your
reaction, roll it, and add
the result to your Armor
Class against that attack.

When your Glamorous
Mantle is active, you can
use this reaction at will,
without expending a
Bardic Inspiration
Die to use it.

Mantle of Protection

11th-level Mesmer Tradition feature
Your performances exude an aura of protective bardic magic. When your Glamorous Mantle is active or while you perform a Chord of Power, you and creatures of your choice within 30 feet who can see or hear you gain the following benefits:

• They have advantage on saving throws to resist and end the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or stunned condition.
• They can see through any illusion produced by a spell of
  a level equal to your Charisma modifier or lower.

Moreover, when you roll initiative and are not surprised or incapacitated, you can use your reaction to expend a Bardic Inspiration Die to activate your Glamorous Mantle.

Majestic Presence

15th-level Mesmer Tradition feature
The powerful enchantment magics you use have given you a lovely, yet fierce appearance, much like the powerful Archfey. When you cast an enchantment spell on a creature that can see you within 30 feet, you can expend a Bardic Inspiration Die and force it to make its saving throw with disadvantage.

If your Glamorous Mantle is active, you can use this feature without expending your
Bardic Inspiration Die.

Creator's Song

3rd-level True Singer Tradition feature
Your understanding of the Song of Creation allows you to sing objects into being. As an action, you can sing and create one inanimate object no larger than your hand, in your hand or in an unoccupied space that can support it within 10 feet.

You must be familiar with any object you create this way, and to create an object that would require specific skills to craft you must be proficient in the corresponding tools.

The object is visibly magical, and produces faint pleasant music. It has a number of hit points equal to your Bard level, and its Armor Class is equal to your Charisma score. This object disappears after 1 hour, or when it is reduced to 0 hit points or you use this feature to create another object.

When you use this feature you can expend a spell slot to create larger objects, as determined by the slot expended:

True Inspiration

3rd-level True Singer Tradition feature
Your intimate knowledge of the Song of Creation empowers your bardic abilities. Your Bardic Inspiration Dice are d6s.

At certain Bard levels, the size of your Bardic Inspiration Dice increase again: at 5th level (d8s), at 11th level (d10s), and finally at 17th level (d12s).

Dancing Creation

5th-level True Singer Tradition feature
Your understanding of the Song of Creation has deepened, allowing you to temporarily bring life to lifeless objects. As an action, you can sing life into a Large or smaller object that is not being worn or carried, awakening it as a Living Object.

Statistics. The Living Object uses the stat block of the same name on the following page. It uses your proficiency bonus (PB), Charisma modifier (CHA), and Spell save DC.

Combat. The Living Object obeys you completely and acts during your turn in combat. It will only take the Dodge action unless you use your bonus action to sing a command to it to take an action from its stat block or another action.

Duration. The Living Object remains animated in this way for 1 minute, but it instantly reverts to its lifeless state if you are incapacitated, if you use this feature to bring another object to life, or if it is reduced to 0 hit points. If the Object is reduced to 0 hit points it is destroyed and shatters to pieces.

Uses. Once you use this feature to animate an object. you must complete a long rest before you can use it again.

When you have no uses of this feature remaining, you can expend a spell slot of 1st-level or higher to animate another lifeless object as a Living Object.

Moving Inspiration

5th-level True Singer Tradition feature
Your songs compel your allies to dance along to the Song of Creation with you. Whenever you use your Bardic Inspiration reaction, the target can move up to 15 feet without provoking opportunity attacks once it resolves the triggering attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

Wondrous Chords

11th level True Singer Tradition feature
Your natural affinity with the Song of Creation allows you to channel it in ways impossible for other Bards. Whenever you perform a Chord of Power, you can perform two Chords you know to produce both effects simultaneously. However, you must expend a Bardic Inspiration Die for each as normal.

If you use Bardic Virtuoso to continue performing these Chords, you can continue both with one bonus action.

True Song

15th-level True Singer Tradition feature
You understand the Song of Creation as if you were present when it first brought the multiverse into existence. You learn the awaken spell, and you can cast it without expending the normal material component. Once you do so, you must finish 1d4 long rests before you can cast it in this way again.

Also, when you use Dancing Creation to create a Living Object, the Object stays animated until you animate another object or it is destroyed. Moreover, if you cast awaken on your Living Object, it becomes an independent living creature.

Finally, when you use Creator's Song to create an object by expending a spell slot, the object is a permanent creation.