How to Play a Bard in Dungeons and Dragons
Read About Bards., Pick a Race., Pick an Alignment., Generate and Assign Your Vital Statistics., Pick Your Starting Skills and Feats., Choose Your Spells., Buy Starting Equipment., Understand Your Abilities., Know Your Spells., Know Your Role in the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Read About Bards.
Before you make the character or play one you should read the entire entry about Bards in the Player's Handbook (PHB).
The Bard often acts as the party's face in NPC interactions, and is usually a supporter in combat. -
Step 2: Pick a Race.
Bards rely on their Charisma and Intelligence to survive.
As such, races with penalties to these stats are bad choices.
We strongly recommend against playing Dwarves or Half-Orcs.
Especially Half-Orcs. , Bards can't be Lawful.
When you're travelling the world performing and wooing women, rules are more like guidelines. , You should first ask the Dungeon Master (DM) of your game how vital statistics (stats) can be made.
While Bards can get by on Charisma and Intelligence alone, other stats allow him much more versatility, especially with skills.
Strength is useful for melee fighters, but a melee Bard with the Weapon Finesse feat is better off with high Dexterity, which also helps with many rogue-like skills and increasing your Armor Class.
Constitution is useful for the HP it provides, but a Bard should not be in a situation to need high HP.
Wisdom is useful for Spot and Listen checks, but Intelligence nets you more skill points, and Charisma gives you your spells, as well as powering your performances, so these two stats should be your highest, with Dexterity coming in third. , This is a fun one.
Much like a Rogue, Bards get a lot of freedom from their skills.
Obviously, a Bard should have a high Perform skill in something, as it powers his music.
Concentration is good to have as well, to help keep performing through distractions.
Most other skills are optional, but since you will probably wind up doing the most interacting with NPCs, Diplomacy can be a very useful skill to have.
Knowledge (History) will increase your Bardic Knowledge rolls, which can be very useful.
For feats, things that improve your music and magic are good, as are things that help reduce your weaknesses in combat.
For a Bard with low Strength and high Dex, for example, Weapon Finesse will make him more useful in melee combat, at least letting him hit things in a pinch. , All Bards can cast spells from the Bard spell list.
You can cast spells on the fly, but they have to be spells you know, which you must choose.
You get at least one new spell every level, but choose wisely. , You will need a primary weapon and a back up weapon.
Even if you are planning on hanging around the edges of the fray and using your Bardic Music all through combat, you should still have some weapons just in case.
What you choose is up to you.
Remember, a Bard is not meant to leap valiantly into the fray and hack at things
-- that's the fighter's job.
A Bard can support pretty well, though, and hold a flanking position for the rogue or attack from afar with a shortbow or crossbow.
You will want light armor, since it doesn't impede your spell chance; studded leather is good at first level.
You also might want to grab some survival gear (bedroll, rations, etc.). , As you level up you will get certain class abilities.
Make sure that you read about each one as you gain it and that you understand it.
If you do not use all your powers correctly you will either annoy the other players or weaken your character, possibly both. , You should review your spells in the PHB when you get them so that you know how to use them.
It slows down the game a lot if you try to use a spell you do not understand.
Your repertoire is limited, but if you're creative, you can do some useful things. , Your choices during character creation shape your role in the party.
If you have stealth skills than you can make a great forward scout.
Social skills might let you be the spokesperson of the party.
During direct combat you are a supporting fighter.
You can help the fighter by flanking in melee combat or possibly by picking off enemy archers with well placed arrows, but what you really want to be doing is using your bardic music and magic at the start of combat or at crucial junctures to inspire the party to great heights, or to trick opponents into attacking a tiger that isn't there. -
Step 3: Pick an Alignment.
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Step 4: Generate and Assign Your Vital Statistics.
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Step 5: Pick Your Starting Skills and Feats.
-
Step 6: Choose Your Spells.
-
Step 7: Buy Starting Equipment.
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Step 8: Understand Your Abilities.
-
Step 9: Know Your Spells.
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Step 10: Know Your Role in the Party.
Detailed Guide
Before you make the character or play one you should read the entire entry about Bards in the Player's Handbook (PHB).
The Bard often acts as the party's face in NPC interactions, and is usually a supporter in combat.
Bards rely on their Charisma and Intelligence to survive.
As such, races with penalties to these stats are bad choices.
We strongly recommend against playing Dwarves or Half-Orcs.
Especially Half-Orcs. , Bards can't be Lawful.
When you're travelling the world performing and wooing women, rules are more like guidelines. , You should first ask the Dungeon Master (DM) of your game how vital statistics (stats) can be made.
While Bards can get by on Charisma and Intelligence alone, other stats allow him much more versatility, especially with skills.
Strength is useful for melee fighters, but a melee Bard with the Weapon Finesse feat is better off with high Dexterity, which also helps with many rogue-like skills and increasing your Armor Class.
Constitution is useful for the HP it provides, but a Bard should not be in a situation to need high HP.
Wisdom is useful for Spot and Listen checks, but Intelligence nets you more skill points, and Charisma gives you your spells, as well as powering your performances, so these two stats should be your highest, with Dexterity coming in third. , This is a fun one.
Much like a Rogue, Bards get a lot of freedom from their skills.
Obviously, a Bard should have a high Perform skill in something, as it powers his music.
Concentration is good to have as well, to help keep performing through distractions.
Most other skills are optional, but since you will probably wind up doing the most interacting with NPCs, Diplomacy can be a very useful skill to have.
Knowledge (History) will increase your Bardic Knowledge rolls, which can be very useful.
For feats, things that improve your music and magic are good, as are things that help reduce your weaknesses in combat.
For a Bard with low Strength and high Dex, for example, Weapon Finesse will make him more useful in melee combat, at least letting him hit things in a pinch. , All Bards can cast spells from the Bard spell list.
You can cast spells on the fly, but they have to be spells you know, which you must choose.
You get at least one new spell every level, but choose wisely. , You will need a primary weapon and a back up weapon.
Even if you are planning on hanging around the edges of the fray and using your Bardic Music all through combat, you should still have some weapons just in case.
What you choose is up to you.
Remember, a Bard is not meant to leap valiantly into the fray and hack at things
-- that's the fighter's job.
A Bard can support pretty well, though, and hold a flanking position for the rogue or attack from afar with a shortbow or crossbow.
You will want light armor, since it doesn't impede your spell chance; studded leather is good at first level.
You also might want to grab some survival gear (bedroll, rations, etc.). , As you level up you will get certain class abilities.
Make sure that you read about each one as you gain it and that you understand it.
If you do not use all your powers correctly you will either annoy the other players or weaken your character, possibly both. , You should review your spells in the PHB when you get them so that you know how to use them.
It slows down the game a lot if you try to use a spell you do not understand.
Your repertoire is limited, but if you're creative, you can do some useful things. , Your choices during character creation shape your role in the party.
If you have stealth skills than you can make a great forward scout.
Social skills might let you be the spokesperson of the party.
During direct combat you are a supporting fighter.
You can help the fighter by flanking in melee combat or possibly by picking off enemy archers with well placed arrows, but what you really want to be doing is using your bardic music and magic at the start of combat or at crucial junctures to inspire the party to great heights, or to trick opponents into attacking a tiger that isn't there.
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Kathryn Gray
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