D&D 5E [GUIDE] A party without music is lame: A Bard Guide
Treantmonklvl20
Explorer
I would have cried if this guide had been lost. Glad it's here for safekeeping.
FormerlyHemlock
Hero
Also functions as a kind of low-grade Feather Fall if you know the fall is coming. E.g. falling out of a spelljamming ship, where you don't hit the ground for several minutes.
Notice that these two spells combo well. Sure you can maybe endure 5d10 damage every day, under normal circumstances, but how long can you do it while nightmarish mouths in your dreams prevent you from getting a good rest?
Additionally, the fact that Geas charms a creature long-term with no concentration cost (or somatic components) has some defensive applications. The charm doesn't end if you harm the creature, so you could Geas a creature with anything ("Vampire, mop this floor!") and then just mock it to death with Vicious Mockery for doing a bad job at the Geased task. Even if it just eats the 5d10 it still can't harm you while you mock it.
One thing worth noting about Major Illusion is that when you cast Major Illusion VI, it is permanent, and you can resume control of any pre-cast illusion just by coming back within range. This could be used to fill your lair with illusionary walls, or even illusionary Iron Golems which come to life when you require them. Probably better for villains than for PCs but useful to either really.
True for NPCs, but demons and dragons tend to have Int as a weak save.
Last edited:
El Mahdi
Muad'Dib of the Anauroch
Nameless Hero
First Post
Thanks for moving this. I hope everyone who took the time to make a guide does the same thing.
mellored
Legend
Geas has a 1 minute casting time. Which likely means you've already beaten the target, which means you don't need defense.
Good for RP, but not combat.
Feeblemind doesn't stop a demon or dragon from mauling you or breathing fire.
Last edited:
FormerlyHemlock
Hero
Good catch (I overlooked that when I checked the PHB this morning) but the ability to convert an unconscious creature into a defeated/dead creature is still a potentially valuable one if you happen to know the spell already. E.g. I had some players knock out a Rakshasa with drow sleep poison, but when the combat was over they still had to decide what to do with him. Hypnotic Pattern runs into this issue a lot in fact--half a dozen hypnotized Blue Slaads (or whatever) are still far from neutralized as a threat. Geas has some niche potential in that situation.
I'm not arguing that you should learn Geas specifically for this purpose, just pointing out a capability for those who already have learned the spell. It's useful to thoroughly understand your options.
No, but it does stop Orcus from casting Time Stop or Power Word: Kill, and it can stop a dragon from casting Counterspell or Shield or Hold Person V or Teleport (to safety). It's not an insta-death effect but it can turn an extremely difficult fight into a straightforward one, if you manage to land it, and it has crippling long-term effects that prevent an escaped foe from just coming back in an day with massive reinforcements to crush you. If your DM's universe doesn't feature such monsters and such responses by monsters then Feeblemind it a counter to a situation that does not happen, and therefore less useful. Choose accordingly.
travathian
First Post
3rd level spells:
Dispel Magic - were you thinking maybe of counterspell when you wrote this?
Dispel magic is exceedingly powerful, especially with the bonus the bard gets. A bard has a very good chance to dispel a very powerful effect, without having to use a higher spell slot. Dispel can be used on creatures, objects or just magical effect. Thus magic traps, gone. A buffed enemy, completely unbuffed. A spell that just locked down your party, undone.
Dispel in my mind is easily a gold spell by your rankings. Counterspell is at least blue. If only because counterspell also gets the bard bonus, meaning you can give the finger to that lich/illithid/drow/etc every time it tries to cast a spell.
Dispel Magic - were you thinking maybe of counterspell when you wrote this?
Dispel magic is exceedingly powerful, especially with the bonus the bard gets. A bard has a very good chance to dispel a very powerful effect, without having to use a higher spell slot. Dispel can be used on creatures, objects or just magical effect. Thus magic traps, gone. A buffed enemy, completely unbuffed. A spell that just locked down your party, undone.
Dispel in my mind is easily a gold spell by your rankings. Counterspell is at least blue. If only because counterspell also gets the bard bonus, meaning you can give the finger to that lich/illithid/drow/etc every time it tries to cast a spell.
Similar Threads
