D&D 5E Must-have bard spells?

[mgrinshpon]

Bards only get 22 spells, or maybe 24 if you go into the College of Lore. Since that's a paltry amount compared to the Wizards 44+, what do you consider the must-have bard spells?

I'm going College of Valor Bard. The ones that really popped out are:

• Cure Wounds (1): self explanatory
• Faerie Fire (1): Really boost the effectiveness of ally fighters. Dex save.
• Thunderwave (1): Surrounded by mooks? This is your ticket out until dimension door.
• Dispel Magic (3): self explanatory
• Dimension Door (4): cheers
• Feeblemind (8): Int saving throw which is probably great against a ton of different monsters. Turns the target into a vegetable for at least another 30 days.

As for the spells from other schools, my thoughts were

• Haste (3)
• Eldritch Blast (Cantrip): more powerful than archery
• Thaumaturgy (Cantrip): it's just cool
• EDIT: Wish (9): most powerful spell in the game

These are the for-sure amazing spells. What else looks top notch?

 

[ppaladin123]

Bards only get 22 spells, or maybe 24 if you go into the College of Lore. Since that's a paltry amount compared to the Wizards 44+, what do you consider the must-have bard spells?

I'm going College of Valor Bard. The ones that really popped out are:

• Cure Wounds (1): self explanatory
• Faerie Fire (1): Really boost the effectiveness of ally fighters. No save.
• Thunderwave (1): Surrounded by mooks? This is your ticket out until dimension door.
• Dispel Magic (3): self explanatory
• Dimension Door (4): cheers
• Feeblemind (8): Int saving throw which is probably great against a ton of different monsters. Turns the target into a vegetable for at least another 30 days.

As for the spells from other schools, my thoughts were

• Haste (3)
• Eldritch Blast (Cantrip): more powerful than archery
• Thaumaturgy (Cantrip): it's just cool

These are the for-sure amazing spells. What else looks top notch?

Check out hold person/hold monster. Each paralyzes the target if it fails a saving throw. Paralyze not only gives attackrs advantage on their roll but makes every hit an automatic critical hit. That is huge...especially for paladins and rogues since smite and sneak attack dice are also doubled on a critical hit.

 

[gyor]

When it comes to Magical Secrets, steal at least one of the Paladin's Smite Spells if you plan on melee fighting and Ensnaring Strike if you plan on using ranged or thrown weapons.

Find Steed gets you a cool mount.

Revive is a must, it lower level then raise dead and lacks the side effects if you're allies have been dead for over a minute things went really wrong in battle.

 

[mgrinshpon]

When it comes to Magical Secrets, steal at least one of the Paladin's Smite Spells if you plan on melee fighting and Ensnaring Strike if you plan on using ranged or thrown weapons.

Yes! How did I not see those?

Find Steed gets you a cool mount.

Revive is a must, it lower level then raise dead and lacks the side effects if you're allies have been dead for over a minute things went really wrong in battle.

I'm not crazy about Find Steed when I have Awaken. Revive does look pretty sweet, though. EDIT: Revive is not on the bard spell list and thus instantly worse than Raise Dead or Resurrection. Bards have between 4 and 6 flex slots for other schools' spells making it difficult to justify in the face of spells like Haste and Wish.

 

[Diirk]

When it comes to Magical Secrets, steal at least one of the Paladin's Smite Spells if you plan on melee fighting and Ensnaring Strike if you plan on using ranged or thrown weapons.

Not sure how effective the smite spells actually are, given that they require concentration... so they'll interfere with any number of other amazing spells such as bless, haste, bane etc.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Not sure how effective the smite spells actually are, given that they require concentration... so they'll interfere with any number of other amazing spells such as bless, haste, bane etc.

Agree. They're good for Devotion and Ancients Paladins, but Bards have better options. Like said Haste.

Another good 3rd-level Magical Secrets choice, if you're going to deal with mages, is Counterspell.

 

[borg286]

Here is my list. Feel free to comment.
Some highlights of spells to snipe are:
6th: 3rd level Aura of Vitality(70 HP total for out of combat healing), Fireball (obvious), Haste(obvious)
10th: Wall of Force(no save impassable wall), Black tentacles of forced intrusion(BC + damage)
14th: Magic jar (awesome!), Reverse gravity (BC, falling results in prone with no save + 10d6 damage in open space no save, 20d6 if ceiling is 100' high)
18th: Wish (duh), true polymorph (I'm not being creative, I know), Gate (Very versatile spell)

 

[Atlatl Jones]

For College of Valor bards focused on archery, Swift Quiver is a good alternative to Haste, since it only takes a bonus action to cast and gives two additional attacks instead of one. Hex or Hunter's Mark are also good sources of extra damage for Valor bards.

The Warlock list also has some good spells. Armor of Agathys is great for melee-oriented Valor bards. It's one of the few buff spells that doesn't require concentration.

 

[AmpsterMan]

So being new to the game I want to make a valor bard. What kinds of spells do you all recommend a bard to take? (i.e. crowd control, direct damage, adventuring, etc)

 

[Mistwell]

For me, these are the spells I am looking at right now. But this also assumes you are interested in being a healer as well:

1: Cure Wounds, Faerie Fire
2: Lesser Restoration, Silence (assuming your DM lets you use it in reaction to a spellcasting foe about to cast a spell)
3: Dispel Magic, Stinking Cloud
4: Dimension Door, Polymorph
5: Greater Restoration, Mass Cure Wounds
6: Eyebite, Mass Suggestion
7: Regenerate, Teleport
8: Dominate Monster
9: Power Word Heal