When deciding whether to go Swords Bard or Valor Bard there is a simple way to make the right decision: if during the first two bard levels the other players consistently made good use of bardic inspiration you gave them then keep on being a sharing, caring Valor Bard. If they just wasted it be a Sword Bard and never see any of it go to waste ever again.
1 level of fighter, 18 levels of swords bard, 1 level of either sorcerer or barbarian depending on what magic items you receive. Ise magical secrets for find greater steed, haste, tentsure's transformation and simulacrum. Pick up animate objects. Crossbow expert and sharpshooter. Summon a gryphon, cast mirror image and Haste to make illusions of both of you and buff both of you. Use simulacrum to do the same. Both animate objects and unload crossbow bolts into your foes
@@chacepassmore6474 That build doesn't work nearly as well as simply taking 1 level of Hexblade because Hexblade gives you access to shields, the Shield spell, Eldritch Blast, Hexblade's Curse, more cantrips and - most importantly - allows you to make attacks using your Charisma. This means that you'll only ever need 14 Dexterity for a pretty good armor class and can max your Charisma while still being able to attack well. Tenser's Transformation and Rage are - kind of - traps because you cannot cast spells while you use them - and you still want to be able to cast Shield or Counterspell, at least. Crossbow Expert certainly is a way to go, especially with Find Greater Steed, I'll give you that one. I just wouldn't mix all of those together.
@@Nr4747 I mean, you right. It really isn't all that necessary to mix them like that. I just personally will do anything in my power to not play a character with a dip in Hexblade lol mostly because my first character ever was a full Hexblade and ended up super broken
@@chacepassmore6474 Yeah, I understand that the level 1 Hexblade dip is a bit of a crutch and can often lead to really optimized characters (that DMs often dislike) - but for a Swords Bard, I think it's neccessary and, imho, doesn't lead to an overpowered character.
I love playing bard primarily because of the role-playing aspect (and no one else will play anything other than either a tank or pure offence and i'm left to fill in the gaps) I've been waiting for this episode for a while and i don't regret sticking around and seeing all of your other amazing builds! I hope you continue these amazing builds!
Exactly why I've been enjoying playing bard. Seems everyone else thinks about themselves as DPS , just wants to pump. Tank pally in our crew wants gore and guts as well. Meanwhile I'm figuring out how to give people advantages and keep it fun and interesting. Was thinking of multiclassing and shifting into a similar concept as this build to pepper in shots when not buffing or getting into shenanigans. Just leveled to 7 as a lore bard and may just use this legs up to start the optional class introductions.
My favorite build is a Rogue(Thief)/Bard (College of Eloquence), make them a changeling, and take expertise in deception and persuasion. By lvl 4 (1 rogue 3 bard), you can not roll lower than a 21 on deception or persuasion
It's crazy how far you have come with the channel. Videos are still structured similarly but you've become so polished in recent times. Great job Colby! Much love!
level 7 is not mentioned [Bard 5] Use the 7-9 link in the notes for level 8 [Bard 6] level 9 is not mentioned though Colby talks around it when he talks level 8. [Bard 7]
There are a few other advantages to holy weapon over Swift quiver: 1. You get your damage boost right at round 1. Swift quiver doesn't give you extra attacks until round 2. 2. Holy weapon lasts waaayy longer than swift quiver. 3. While magic weapons may be common, I find magic hand crossbows are pretty rare. Holy weapon makes your hand crossbow magical for those fights against fiends or whatever resists your normal crossbow.
Also, it comes on pretty late, but this may be the best time to take tenser's transformation as a magical secret. You get the auto advantage that greater invisibility would apply, plus even better bonus damage than holy weapon. And if you picked up find greater steed, your steed would also get some benefits from tenser's. I think you could mount your pegasus, cast tenser's, then dismount and let your pegasus attack alongside you for some pretty crazy damage for someone who's supposed to be a mount lol.
I've been going through your older videos since I found your channel, and when I heard you say that "we're running a bit long" on a 43 min Optimized video it made me chuckle lol
When the bard takes levels on samurai: *♫ THERE WILL BE BLOOD-SHED, THE MAN IN THE MIRROR NODS HIS HEAD, THE ONLY ONE-LEFT WILL RIDE UPON THE DEAGON'S BACK ♪*
BTW: As of the November 2020 Errata, it is no longer possible for a Changeling to start with an 18 Charisma: Changeling Traits (p. 18). In Ability Score Increase, “one ability score of your choice” has been changed to “one other ability score of your choice.” The only legal way to start with an 18 Charisma these days is to take Custom Lineage as your race and start with a half-feat that boosts your Charisma by one.
Since Changeling no longer works, would it make sense to go Half Elf and work in Eleven Accuracy? Gets you the +1 to charisma you're missing and lets you roll three D20s instead of two.
So I'm playing in a game as a bard rogue, and I stumbled upon a pretty sweet build that can hit hard, though it takes a hot minute to turn on. It starts working at level 5 but can turn the damage up pretty high. Start 3 whisper bard, 2 rogue, v human for magic initiate wizard for booming blade and find familiar. Thats 2d8+ 3d6+ mods, plus 2d8 if they move. I haven't worked out the optimal path yet, but take 2-4levels of paladin for smite and continue about half and half of rogue and bard. Hexblade might be worth a 1 level dip, but I won't be dipping it. With mine I arrived at 8bard, 8 rogue, 4 paladin. Rogue being swahbuckler for initiative and freeing up BA, pally being vengeance for hunters mark. That bring you to rapier 1d8 Booming blade 3d8(+4d8 on a move) Whisper bard 3d6 Sneak attack 4d6 Hunters mark 1d6 Smite 2-5d8, giving you a nova of 9d8+ 8d6 +mods +4d8 if they move, making one hell of a crit. Edit: realistically your nova can also include an up cast searing smite, using both 5th level slots instead of hunters mark for 4 more d6, but I don't like smite spells Edit 2: listening to the video, you made me realize you can also dissonant whispers to trigger your own booming blades on your turn once you get warcaster, and that greater invisible is definitely better than hunters mark haha
Bards get magical secrets so when you get it, take shadow of Moil, you are covered with heavy obscured black flames that no one but you can see through and if you get hit that attacker takes 2d8. Pretty dang good, it’s a 4th level warlock spell
I played a Bardlock during Curse of Straud but I did Bard to 3 then Warlock after that. Using the patron being the Ravenloft itself being the patron. It really made an for an interesting game where I was attempting to befriend Straud as an ally trying to free him of the curse of Tatiyana. The DM was trying to pit me against Straud in such a way to get him to not fight but to relinquish Barovia to me as a way to relieve his curse (ala Captain America) and remove the suffering of his people. It was honestly one of the most exhilarating games I've played as it was always a matter of balancing his rage, regret, anger, and most of all power vs the power of my patron. Something like the "redemption isn't beyond you, give up your misery to me and I'll carry your burden" kind of deal. It was seriously the most singularly compelling and thought provoking TTRPB experience I've ever experienced. Was this a great combat build? Not at all. It WAS the best Role Playing build I've ever played though.
I love this build! I'm currently playing a teifling swords bard with a level of hexblade warlock. We did manual stat rolling and I have an 18 in charisma from rolling a 16 and +2 from teifling. I took the eldritch adept feat to gain access to a lot of utility, but I am currently using devilsight because as a teifling you get to cast darkness once per long rest 😁 without going into detail, the build gets pretty nutty, having medium armor proficiency and using a longsword + shield.
My favorite way to make the Bard Locker is 5 levels of Hexblade for extra attack and eldritch smite and then the rest Whispers Bard. Grab Holy Weapon and Find Greater Steed at Bard level 10. Now you and your Griffon can do a total of 5 attacks, all with Holy weapon and you can keep up the pseudo sneak attack for five rounds. Once you max out your levels, you and your Griffon will have Tenser's Transformation. If the above peaks too late, the same can be done with 1 level of Hexblade and 10 levels of Swords Bard. You miss out on improved pact weapon and eldritch smite till later, and you peak damage numbers aren't as high since you don't get psychic blades, but it is still respectable. Oh and Aasimar are a great race for fights where you engage the enemies instead of the opposite, but that is generic to any build with an Aasimar and not just the Bardlock. Oh, you could also have a Simulacrum that does these things until it runs out of slots. Just make sure to keep a 4th level spell slot for a Greater Steed, and then let your simulacrum stay in the back or in the sky and rain eldritch blasts or hand crossbow attacks. Give yourself eldritch spear and agonizing blast and your simulacrum can stand 300 feet away in relative safety. If you get closer, you can use your hand crossbow and pump the attacks with flourishes or psychic blades depending on which you took.
Except of course, that build used 1 level of fighter 18 bard and 1 barbarian with black dragon mask and black dragonborn as the race with the custom stat change and had an AC of 22 with no armor. Still basically did all the same things with a hand crossbow though, plus the spells you mentioned exactly to the T except paly and warlock spells
@@jasonwall4349 I'll try to find it again brother, but it's been so long! If anything, I have a level 20 character that is 100% this build on D&D: Beyond if you want the link
When he was a Kid, he was listening to the Bards Songs of valores Deeds. So he joined the forces. He was bad at aiming and he always dreamed of hitting his Enemys. So one day his Weapon made him an offer he could not refuse. A perfect Shot, for a tiny bit of his Soul. So he took the Shot, and Had to realize that he landed the perfect Shot on the wrong Target. So he turned Bard to sing Songs that teach what he learned to Others. If he uses weapons only for Ankleshots and such. Totally see this. 😊
Consistent damage with a Bard. Take two levels of Hexblade with the invocation Agonizing Blast. And usually I take Devil's Sight. Consistent damage achieved... And as a bonus you get medium armor and shield proficiency as well as the shield spell. And limiting yourself to two levels makes your level 18 magical secrets still available
imo no need to limit to 2 levels to multiclass unless its explicitly mentioned by the DM at session zero that the campaign will reach 20. 90+% of tables don't reach tier 4 and most tables end at about level 13-14 (most DMs i've played with don't like giving simulacrum access). Best to always have a convo with your DM about the projected levels/tiers of the campaign and design builds/multiclassing around those limits.
I know that The Sword Bard features don't "require" it to be a sword or melee weapon but it's called the College of Swords and the 3rd level features are called Blade Flourishes, you can use any simple or martial melee weapon as a bard focus, and the fighting style options are clearly pointing to melee. The flourishes don't even make sense for missile attacks. That being said love the builds, love the videos, keep them coming.
great ideas for the bard class--and the shapeshift aspects of changeling sounds rich in terms of 'smart' ways to role-play, evade combat, etc. This video has me looking forward to others on your channel--thanks! :-)
I did something similar Custom Lineage Custom background Hexblade Warlock 2 Eloquence Bard X Skills Insight Perception (expertise) Acrobatics (expertise) Deception (expertise) Intimidation Persuasion (expertise) Feats Lv 1 Fey Touched Lv 6 +2 Charisma Lv 10 Mobile Lv 14 Lucky Lv 18 Tough With the right cantrip and leveled spell selection you can be a great DD with Sticky Debuffs, be the face of the party and skill monkey. Be the JACK of all trades!!!
I came looking for a College of Eloquence build, got to 17:50 and realized this was not it. It's very interesting listening to the difference between back then and more recently with your videos. A lot of your "dead air" is cut out now and you sound much more confident now too.
My preferred Bard Damage build is going Lore Bard with their 6th level Magical Secret being Tiny Servant and Magic Stone, keep 2 or 3 Tiny Servants ready to toss those magic stones. Congrats, you now have a dedicated Bonus Action and now you can save your Bardic Inspiration for Cutting Words.
i wouldn't burn a magical secret on magic stone (i'd rather dip hexblade 1 or pick up magic initiate) though with that said this is a combo i use alot myself in multiple builds. it's great combo. i do think however it's supplemental dmg and you'd need a main source/tactic aside from this.
We did a follow-up campaign in Domains of Dread with some of our PCs from Curse of Strahd. Some brought old characters, some brought related, some brought entirely new. My character was the son of my halfling Eldritch Knight soldier from CoS. Her middle son Penchant's birth was due to Mom having been in Barovia for too long (weird things happen to your ovaries in the Mist). Penchant was THOUGHT to be a halfling like Mom & Dad....except he was actually a changeling. He tried REALLY hard to join the Army like Mom, but it didn't take. He loved playing his lute though. When his hand crossbow started talking to him though...that's when warlocky things got out of hand. I did MOST of the plan here, however, lore-wise for his character, I switched him to College of Whispers after talking it over with my DM. Still, I was doing stupid damage for a ranged bard and then I even took a further dip into Fighter so I got to Rune Knight as well by the time he was level 20. Nothing like changing shape into a Kobold then making yourself Large in size for the luls. That all said, being that "real D&D" was proof of concept, when I started playing BG3 a couple weeks ago, and it works...to a point. That "gray" area of "Well, Hexblade doesn't say it HAS to be a melee weapon," didn't fly at Larion. It's ONLY for melee unless you go pact of the blade...which means three dips into Warlock. I'm not there yet, but we'll see how it goes. I'm currently F1/W1/B4. I'll take bard to 6 before I get the last Warlock ones...but I may respec out of it entirely. The only reason is that level 12 cap in BG3 makes choices for this build VERY tight.
33:20 or it lets you get your "normal" damage on turn 1, since otherwise all instances of this build require a set-up round. Holy weapon also lets you bless any weapon - a melee weapon if your crossbow is lost or destroyed - or it lets you bless an ally who might be a better choice.
It's always interesting to try and figure out which magical secret at level 10 gets you the most damage. Swift quiver is is for when you went at least 3 levels in warlock and didn't invest in crossbow expert. If you have crossbow expert, haste basically gives you the same number of attacks (even on the setup round) while providing other benefits and downsides. Holy weapon gives you an extra 9 damage on average. An underrated choice is elemental weapon, which when cast at the same level as holy weapon, gives you 7 average damage, but also gives +2 to hit and a higher damage floor as well as being upcastable even more. Of course tenser's transformation outperforms both at 14 by giving 2d12 and advantage.
some options i consider aside from those that you mentioned: 1. spirit shroud 2. guardian of nature 3. find greater steed (especially if you pick spells your steed can share) 4. summon undead (putrid-as long as you have a way to impose poisoned) 5. animate dead (if you pick up magic initiate: magic stone-warlock) 6. tiny servant (if you pick up magic initiate: magic stone-warlock) 7. banishing smite (if your dm doesn't fudge hp values) 8. shadow blade (if majority of the campaign is spent in darkness/shadow) 9. lightning arrow 10. spiritual weapon
I think the big drawback to Elemental Weapon is that the weapon is supposed to be non-magical. Depending on your table, by level 10 that seems somewhat unlikely a scenario for a character who is focusing on weapon damage, so its usefulness is probably only fully realized in low-magic item campaigns and/or at lower levels :).
Hey Colby. Cool Vid on a swords bard multi. Nice to see a good swords bard (since i personally play lore or whispers when i want to do a martial or gish bard). Good insight on holy weapon as well. I haven't really considered looking at it for magical secrets. Getting to about 1/3 of your older videos now haha. Liking the content!
One of my earliest characters was a minotaur skald Fighter-Bard. I feel like I have a lot better handle on the system right now, and I think I could make a pretty cool/competitive Fighter Bard now.
16:30 And this is exactly why I limit my multi class to 2. It becomes really difficult to explain why your druid is also a paladin of tiama and also knows how to sneak attack. You cant call me a power gamer for taking 1 level of warlock and 9 levels in bard but when you start throwing fighter or paladin around it gets a little silly imo. Great theory craft video tho. Its nice getting a long form perspective on the class features and spell choices.
It's not hard at all to explain that. You don't need to be a religious and wise druid to learn nature magic. You just need to have a druid teach you nature magic...
I realize that I'm 3 years late, but I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here! I'm at the point in the video where Colby explains that Holy Weapon for extra damage is better than Swift Quiver for extra attacks. And I don't disagree with what he's saying here, HOWEVER. He's explaining that the added damage is better when combined with Sharpshooter and Advantage. And Advantage is the real kicker here that's tripping me up. He's factoring into his math attacking with Advantage from Faerie Fire or Greater Invisibility. Nothing wrong there, except every one of those spells requires your Concentration. Obviously if you use teamwork in some way and get advantage in some other way, then there's no problem. But he seems to be doing the math here where he's giving himself advantage via Faerie Fire/ Greater Invisibility and the damage boost from Holy Weapon at the same time. And, he just mentioned that you can only have one concentration at a time! What in the world? Anyways, I'm going to reel it back a good bit just in case I missed something or heard wrong, and I'll edit this comment after I finish the video if I find something different. But the way this character is built, you can't rely on your own advantage AND Holy Weapon at the same time, unless you find your advantage in some other way. EDIT after rewatching bits and finishing the video: I was wrong, or I guess I should say... Something like 3 seconds after the point I had paused at he explained to be flexible and that advantage from Faerie Fire or Greater Invisibility was more important unless against low AC enemies. There ya go, I guess! lol
Funny how Fighter 1 Hexblade 1 Paladin 3 (Devotion) ends up with a beefy ranged bonus to hit with Sacred Weapon active. +13 total 0_0 (4 from 18 cha, 2 from Archery, 3 from proficiency, 4 from Sacred).
Pushing the Algorithm. How about a team up build with Crusader's Mantel and Tiny Servant? Since you can make a whole bunch of servants and they are tiny so that means 32 Tinies can focus and attack one creature.
Warlock 2(fathomless) bard x You get hex and bonus action attack with the tentacle. 2x eld blast +tentacle all getting hex bonus damage does nice sustain damage. Obviously second level warlock to get agonizing cantrip
You definitely should make an all seeing rogue, I think inquisitive rogue could totally just shut down any trap and find any hidden goodies while still getting the rogues amazing damage
Mate did that once, His rogue's passive perception was so high the DM let him see the rolls for NPCs and creatures. Acting like he was neo from the matrix able to perceive he was living a false reality.
I'm currently playing a swords bard 9/1 hexblade half elf and even before the hexblade dip she's been a frontline fighter. She's basically a High AC tank. With defensive flourish her AC gets so high that the dm just kinda gives up on hitting her. We rolled stats and I took her Dex to 20 before I thought about the dip though which was probably an error, in hindsight I should've taken Elven Accuracy but alas. But with shield and defensive flourish and a ring of spell storing partly filled with Absorb Elements from our Wizard, I only have to worry about spells that mess with my mental stats 🤣. Getting the jump on enemies with Hypnotic Pattern through an Instrument of the Bards and then just...doing clean up has been an effective strategy so far. But yeah, with max on the die and shield her AC can get too 32 currently if necessary and the idea of that just...brings me joy.
I have a character idea that I would like you to take a shot at. This is a beautiful female who loves to sing and dance. Her favorite dance type is ribbon dancing. She uses scarves silk ropes or anything flowing to enhance her dance. This leads into her weapon. She uses her dance moves and chain dart to trip , trick, and "shoot". What can you do with this character idea? Variant human.
@@DnDDeepDive yes. There are a few examples in theater. Kill Bill has a cool fight scene with one. In theory it combines grace , dance, whip and dart. There is also a meteor hammer version. It can entangle , smash , stab, disarm etc. I'm thinking very versatile but low damage. As a bard she could in theory use spells like rope trick, animate object or more to make it do truly bizzar things like wonder woman's lasso. Mostly I'm going for the most graceful combat character I can think of but still be very deadly and useful. Would love to see you give it a go. I enjoy your videos and appreciate your analytical approach to character building.
I'm at level 6 bard (no feats) looking to gain some ups. Considering multiclassing and getting some ranged xbow pew pew. Magical secrets - counter spell and pass without trace (may regret that).
About starting charisma 18. Everything I’m reading says take two points in one stat and one point in a different stat. Doesn’t this language exclude the one you just took?
wouldn't it make more sense to take costum lineage as a race? you can get 18 in Cha if you take a half feat, you can take skill expert to cover for the missing skills, actor, elven accuracy, fey touched and much more. I think the changeling ability is much more important for a rogue then a bard but that's just my opinion.
@@DnDDeepDive damn! that was a fast reply. I easily forget CL wasn't always out cuz by the time I started to optimize my characters my friend had alrdy gotten TCoE.
Take sorcerer levels for Booming Blade and Green flame blade. Start six levels if Bard to get extra attack. Then grab sorcerer levels plus a hex blade dip. Then bard the rest of the way.
Late to the party here but you can only Flourish once on your turn regardless if you're spending an Inspiration die or are level 14 with the Master's Flourish d6. Only one of your attacks per turn gets the extra damage die, not all of them. Other than that correction, good video as always.
Sorry but that's not correct. You can only use one flourish option per turn. Keyword option. Meaning you cannot do defensive and slashing in one turn both flourishes have to be the same option
@@chatwithaninja Re-read it. You only get to use one of the flourish options per turn (or none actually) but you still get the 10' movement increase everytime you take the Attack action. I never said you could use more than one inspiration dice on a turn, I said you get the 10' extra movement per attack action because you do. Attack Action on normal action +10', Attack Action from Action Surge +10', Attack Action from Haste +10'.
Furthermore, when you use Defensive Flourish on a crit, you get the same amount added to your AC that you added to damage. The highest I have personally seen at a table to date is 42 AC
Interesting build, totally different approach than what I’ve planned for a bard-blade. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on a 6/14 bard/blade more damage focused build vs a 10/10 utility split (Ideally bestow curse/mass cure wounds-centric) vs this build.
I gave serious consideration to Bard instead of Sorc, especially since you could get magical secrets and take haste anyway if you went Lore Bard. In the end, I opted for the Sorc primarily because it fit the theme (Divine Soul/Light/Yang) and because I could get haste at 5 instead of 6 :). I like the 10/10 route if your party is more in need of a dedicated support (or you just prefer that playstyle :) ).
I was using my concentration to get myself advantage (improved invis.) It's possible/likely that Animate Objects would outperform for DPR depending on enemy AC and resistance to non-magical attacks, etc. (and if you had a 5th level spell slot to burn), but I wanted to focus this guy on weapon damage.
@Richie Tuck yeah we almost had a tpk and I died. Lol. First death. This Saturday will be my first time playing a wildhunt shifter marid genie warlock. Pact of the tome.
Do you think you could ever make an optimized enchanter type build? Someone who crowd controls and takes over people's minds and uses illusions? I guess that isn't really possible to do the math on though which is why it's so tough to build one!
Hi. Thanks for the nice build suggestions. Please could you add your build level by level as text in the description part?: what class & other stuff you choose lvl by lvl so it would be easier to check the build quickly afterwards. Cheers. :)
So could you do this build with throwing weapons now with TCoE, if so what would you change? I'm sure xbow expert is out. What would you replace it with? Also do you keep Archery for the +2 to att or thrown for the +2 to dmg as your style?
if you want to do thrown, just remove cbe. take fighting initiate. select thrown weapon fs. keep archery. those 2 work together. i'd also find a way to squeeze in either artificer 2 for the returning weapon infusion or kensei 6.
Colby! I just commented a really similar build to this one so disregard that comment on your newest video lol I hadn't seen this yet! Although, it was slightly different and had base dpr against AC 15 of 226. However, it relied on magic items
why does no one pick whisper bard... I mean seriously you're doing 8d6 damage 5x per short rest + with 5 levels of pact of the blade warlock you get an eldrich smite you can stack on top of it. Dual weild with shadow blade and a rapier offhand and burning a level 5 spell slot for shadow blade and a level 4 smite you get 14d8 + 8d6 psychic blades + 21 (dex + hex) then you're doing an average 112 damage per round with room to do more if you're willing to blow higher spell slots. If you set it up with a hold person/hold monster the round before or get a natural crit then you're looking at an average 203 points of damage.
I want to make a College of spirits bard and warlock multiclass. Whats some good options for the warlock choices? And how many levels of warlock would be good? Like is a 2 level dip fine so that I can pick up the full magical secrets from the bard?
I got a real challenge for you. Try to make a decent beast master build. Can be multiclassed heavily, but I really would like to play a decent beast master character in some campaign. For example with horse, wolf or owl.. the beast can be for RP purposes only.
@@gamina8674 Yeah I've seen that, thanks. I was hoping some different kind of version of optimized beast masters because there are just that decent build I know.
Our party has only the one warrior, I really want to be a backup frontline warrior as the bard. I know that hexblade 2 can give me mage armor on demand, and going 3 levels gives me access to blur and misty step. I dont feel like I need to be quite as high damage as this build, but I really want to get some good AC/survivability. I am tempted to go lore bard just for the additional secrets providing more flexibility with how I can do more control. Assume that I would have to take war caster too? Can you help?
Hmmmm... I could see it being useful. Auto advantage and extra damage is nice, plus temp HP. Losing spell casting ability would make me sad... also wouldn't be available until Bard 14 since it's a 6th level spell...
Lmao, after describing how you think bards are potentially selfish your first example was staying back to inspire. I think people get a weird perception because they compare classrs two each other above all when it makes more sense to look At them compared to most people in the world.yeah a Bard is rather cowardly compared to a fighter,but the dude still standing 40 feet. From a demon playing a violin... 😂 Not to mention that barzer more powerful in a party not because they're too weak to stand alone,but because they dedicate their abilities to empower other. People,definitely doesn't sound selfish either.
If you were to update this, am I thinking right that it would be better to go halfelf/elf hexblade 2 / bard x and just go for eldritch blast+agonizing blast+elven accuracy?
Hey, I've actually been meaning to ask you...do you ever consider using the backgrounds in Ravnicas? Some of them open up the spell lists really well. They add a whole new level of options for casters
You know, to be honest I never have. My sense is that they're typically only allowed in games specifically set in the Ravinica world, which most games aren't (and they otherwise feel a little OP to me...) but I'll have to take a closer look and maybe get a sense from others what the consensus is...
@@DnDDeepDive Here's the thing. If we're talking RAW, shouldn't be a problem. And from a storyline approach, you could always just be someone that got pushed through a portal and would someday like to return....or you are fleeing Ravnica society. Or, they might have an enclave in your world, like an embassy. I think these backgrounds are an easier sell to a DM, especially if it requires less multi-classing. BTW, I love those DM round-table discussions you host. Might be a good topic for one
I am new to dnd but experienced in other similar systems. Tho, the builds and combinations are a little overwhelming still. Soon I have my first game. I am going to play a pixie Fairy and would like to have some ideas from you :) (using Sprite Races Homebrew by Dale Robbins) Ideally I want her/it(?) to be a ranged bard with thematic spells like goodberry and fairy fire. Second Character will be a Hexblood, I have no solid idea for this one tho, was thinking Soulknife. I also like Swam Keeper/Gloom Stalker. Would love to hear from you for some suggestions and how to approach it
i dunno much about homebrew or the UA races though i can definitely help with the concepts of a ranged bard, soul knife, swarmkeeper, gloomstalker. it may be overwhelming though to discuss all of them at once so i'll focus on your 1st character, the ranged bard. a few questions: 1. are you asking about a caster type, a ranged martial type (longbow, crossbow, etc) or a hybrid of either? 2. are you asking about a sample build, multiclassing allowed? 3. are you asking about what spells are good to select?
@@TheRobversion1 thanks a lot already! To answer your questions: 1. It should be a Hybrid. Able to support the team but also have a little bit of a sting when alone. 2. Yes, an example would be sweet. Multiclass is allowed. 3. Spells aren't that important to know, unless there is an important combo.
@@MrHelix7293 1. should supporting be the priority or striking? i'll share a build later that prioritizes the latter (burst kills the biggest threat on the field then switches to a support role for mop up afterwards). 2. cool. i hope they isn't a multiclass # limit as i tend to do 3 class builds (as that's the limit my own DMs set). 3. oks. i've done a couple of ranged burst striker/support builds. here's one (i can suggest another if this doesn't pique your interest) at level 10 theorycraft: "the arcane archer" 4 arcane archer, 5 swords bard, 1 hexblade custom lineage-gunner (longbow user though) asi-sharpshooter, magic initiate: find familiar-owl (lucky or capping your dex are also worthy alternatives) fighting style-archery, superior technique: precision attack arcane shots-grasping arrow, burst arrow key spell- cloud of daggers, catnap tactics: bonus action: hexblade's curse the bbeg action: cast 2nd or 3rd level cloud of daggers behind the enemy action surge: attack with grasping arrow, activate mobile flourish and push the enemy into cloud of daggers. use precision attack if you roll low. activate sharpshooter. move away familiar: help dmg report: 1d8 longbow + 4 dex + 10 sharpshooter + 4 hexblade's curse + 1d8 mobile flourish + 2d6+4 grasping arrow (because you pushed them, they will take this dmg again if they decide to move out of the cloud of daggers area on their turn) + 6d4+4 (no save cloud of daggers, they take dmg as they entered the area on your turn, they will take the same dmg again at the start of their turn). that's a total of: 2d8 + 26 + 2d6 + 6d4 = 57 dmg on average on your turn 2d6 + 8 + 6d4 = 30 dmg on average on their turn on round 2 onwards you can continue sharpshooting 1 attack with flourishes + using bardic inspiration on your allies. as a cleric and bard (since we aren't using our spell slots outside of cloud of daggers 1x per combat), you can function as support/healer as needed like pre-casting aid, healing word, shield of faith, etc.
@@TheRobversion1 Initially I thought about supporting as prior, but I really like the burst build you listed. I am not sure if there is a limit on # of classes, but so far the DM was generous. I gotta check that out as soon we have a pregame character writing meeting :D I guess if the limit would be 2 Classes the dip into hexblade wouldn't be taken?
@@MrHelix7293 yeah the hexblade's just there for a dmg boosting 1/short rest (since as you can see the build works on multiple instances of dmg-attack, grasping arrow every turn, cloud of daggers every turn). it's nice to have for dmg but we can easily replace that bonus action use with just bardic inspiration and make up the lost dmg in other ways such as gaining extra attack from fighter. yeah the build is nice as it combines 4 archetypes while being excellent in one of them (the striker part). the build has burst dmg but can easily switch gears to being a healer or support and then it has a little bit of battlefield control as well with the pushing and forcing enemies into a dilemma: move on your turn and you take grasping arrow dmg. don't move and you stay in the cloud of daggers for more dmg on your next turn. if your allies have alot of push/pull effects then they can grate the enemy over the cloud of daggers grasping arrow combo as well. lastly, i gave you the level 10 theorycraft version but in actual play i was actually able to take this up to level 15. i could've added more levels in hexblade to get extra attack that way along with eldritch smite but i ended going up bard as i wanted magical secrets to pick up find greater steed and counterspell. it was because i wanted to ride a flying creature but if you wanted to optimize for dmg hexblade might be the better route. plus catnap and level 3 pact slots from a warlock is just really good.
@@DnDDeepDive yes, but that line referred to Faerie Fire :) Greater Invisibility is of course superior, and yes, I'd often also go for Faerie Fire unless I know the creatures I'm fighting are very dexterous (which is honestly quite common) or have AD on saves vs magic
Changeling isn't a fully supported race. As with other such races, like the half elf drow, I wish you had given other options for the build. Also, you could take the light crossbow and 20 bolts, sell them and take a shield and borrow a couple of gold pieces from another party member and buy a war pick. You will walk with the party dwarf until you can get some medium armor, but that is what you will be adventuring to earn the money for! Why not take variant human, crossbow expert and archery; 4 levels of bard and + 2 Cha; and the 1 level of warlock? You get past the problem of Changeling and you are doing the same amount of damage at level 10.
I love your explaination but i find a bit sad to put your explenation to 1.75 speed so i coud follow your phrases. Try to be more concise and keep on the good work man. Really like the tips. Happy 2022.
