D&D 5E Advise me on a Dragonborn Valor Bard

[Treantmonklvl20]

I looked at making a Melee Valor Bard. I think it can work reasonably well. Here's the conclusions I came to:

1) Focus primarily on your combat stat. Cha becomes a secondary stat
2) Because of #1, you need to consider how it will affect your spell selection. Best to avoid spells that require a to hit roll or save - here's some spells I think work very well:

Cantrips: Friends, Prestidigitation, Message, Mage hand, Light
1st: Heroism (pretty obviously), Healing Word, Sleep
2nd: Enhance Ability (For grappling), Lesser Restoration, Silence, Invisibility
3rd: Dispel Magic, Nondetection, Leomund's Tiny Hut
4th: GREATER INVISIBILITY (plus nondetection for super-powered invisibility), Dimension door, Freedom of movement, polymorph
5th: Animate Objects, Raise dead
6th: True Seeing
7th: Regenerate
8th: Mind blank
9th: Foresight
Magical Secret Suggestions: Wall of Force, Banishing Smite

Hope that helps.

 

[mellored]

What treantmonk said. But also cloud of daggers. Drag someone into it for easy damage and it scales very well.

Also, get shield master at level 4. Prone + grapple (+athletics expertise) work very well together. Particularly in a melee heavy party.

Enlarge is a good spell to grab with your magic secrets at 10, letting you grab bigger creatures. Possibly other zone spells, like firewall for more places to drag people.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I looked at making a Melee Valor Bard. I think it can work reasonably well. Here's the conclusions I came to:

1) Focus primarily on your combat stat. Cha becomes a secondary stat
2) Because of #1, you need to consider how it will affect your spell selection. Best to avoid spells that require a to hit roll or save - here's some spells I think work very well:

Cantrips: Friends, Prestidigitation, Message, Mage hand, Light
1st: Heroism (pretty obviously), Healing Word, Sleep
2nd: Enhance Ability (For grappling), Lesser Restoration, Silence, Invisibility
3rd: Dispel Magic, Nondetection, Leomund's Tiny Hut
4th: GREATER INVISIBILITY (plus nondetection for super-powered invisibility), Dimension door, Freedom of movement, polymorph
5th: Animate Objects, Raise dead
6th: True Seeing
7th: Regenerate
8th: Mind blank
9th: Foresight
Magical Secret Suggestions: Wall of Force, Banishing Smite

Hope that helps.

All good advice, though I have to say I'm...frankly stunned that you'd suggest Friends as a cantrip. With the one-minute duration, I find it almost impossible to justify--making a (semi-)permanent enemy for a single minute's "friendship" seems like an incredibly bad move, especially if the DM actually likes running social situations, or you ever plan on coming back to a place you've visited. What led you to recommend it?

 

[mellored]

get disguise self, or a disguise kit. dress up as your enemy.
then use friends.

 

[ccooke]

All good advice, though I have to say I'm...frankly stunned that you'd suggest Friends as a cantrip. With the one-minute duration, I find it almost impossible to justify--making a (semi-)permanent enemy for a single minute's "friendship" seems like an incredibly bad move, especially if the DM actually likes running social situations, or you ever plan on coming back to a place you've visited. What led you to recommend it?

Obviously I can't answer for the person who suggested it, but for a non-Lawful-Good character it can be incredibly fun. Need to get past some guards and don't care about the consequences? Need to convince someone to do something that you can't, and don't care if you have to kill them later? There are a load of ways it can be used.

 

[Treantmonklvl20]

All good advice, though I have to say I'm...frankly stunned that you'd suggest Friends as a cantrip. With the one-minute duration, I find it almost impossible to justify--making a (semi-)permanent enemy for a single minute's "friendship" seems like an incredibly bad move, especially if the DM actually likes running social situations, or you ever plan on coming back to a place you've visited. What led you to recommend it?

Friends is probably one of the worst named spells in the game because that's not what it does at all. Being that you brought it up, you clearly know what it does, but for other readers who haven't really looked, Friends is a cantrip that provides you advantage on all charisma checks directed at one creature of your choice that isn't hostile to you. There is no saving throw, and after a 1 minute duration (concentration) that creature becomes hostile.

So let's be clear - if you are looking to make a friend, DON'T CAST FRIENDS!

I personally consider it primarily an intimidation spell. You want to intimidate someone by convincing him that if he ever crosses you, you will make him sorry he was ever born. Soften him up with a "friends" cantrip first. You get advantage on the intimidate check, and he's likely going to be hostile to you afterwards regardless, but scared too!

In a similar vein you can use it with deception. "Ever heard of Tenser? Yeah, well I'm working for him, so maybe you should back off." Again, the hostile reaction is probably going to be manageable.

Of course, then there is the situation where you are actually trying to pick a fight with someone not inclined to do so. In this regard, the poorly named "Friends" spell is fantastic. Get under their skin with a few well placed insults, and a persuasion roll with advantage, and if that doesn't work, drop the spell.

I never take Friends with a low Cha character, but if you are making a character with a decent Cha, it has its uses.

 

[Ashrym]

I looked at making a Melee Valor Bard. I think it can work reasonably well. Here's the conclusions I came to:

1) Focus primarily on your combat stat. Cha becomes a secondary stat
2) Because of #1, you need to consider how it will affect your spell selection. Best to avoid spells that require a to hit roll or save - here's some spells I think work very well:

Cantrips: Friends, Prestidigitation, Message, Mage hand, Light
1st: Heroism (pretty obviously), Healing Word, Sleep
2nd: Enhance Ability (For grappling), Lesser Restoration, Silence, Invisibility
3rd: Dispel Magic, Nondetection, Leomund's Tiny Hut
4th: GREATER INVISIBILITY (plus nondetection for super-powered invisibility), Dimension door, Freedom of movement, polymorph
5th: Animate Objects, Raise dead
6th: True Seeing
7th: Regenerate
8th: Mind blank
9th: Foresight
Magical Secret Suggestions: Wall of Force, Banishing Smite

Hope that helps.

^^Good list.

 

[Treantmonklvl20]

^^Good list.

Thanks! (for the xp as well!)