iamntbatman
First Post
Hey, thanks for reading. I'm fleshing out a halfling lore bard for what I hope will be a long-running campaign. The world itself is entirely homebrew, with some significant changes to things like languages, pantheons, racial origins, etc. from the PHB. Mechanically, though, we're going straight RAW except possibly adding crit success/crit fails (within reason - none of those goofy charts or 6 INT barbarians somehow acing an arcana check).
Anyway, party composition is as follows:
- Human sword/hand crossbow ranger (not sure which conclave he'll go for)
- Human vengeance paladin
- Human eldritch knight
- Tiefling hexblade warlock/rogue
- My lightfoot halfling lore bard
- One unknown PC to be introduced later (we're working on the world as a group and plan to rotate who sits in the DM chair with every story arc, with the other players controlling the current DM's PC while he/she runs the game. The first DM up is planning on holding off on introducing his PC until after he's finished his turn in the DM chair)
The paladin player might not be around until a few months from now, and potentially might not play at all depending on life circumstance. So this leaves my bard as the only full caster, probably main healer, skill monkey (the tiefling is starting warlock and taking a rogue dip later, so lots of skills will be on me), friendly party face, etc. We've got lots of damage output potential already, so I'm focusing mainly on support/control and healing spells.
Stats: 8 STR, 15 DEX, 15 CON, 12 INT, 12 WIS, 17 CHA (yep, we roll for stats, and all generally have pretty high stats - let's not get into that debate!)
Here's my expected spell progression, if I just keep with bard:
1: Minor Illusion, Vicious Mockery, Comprehend Languages (I think this will be vital since we'll have a lot of homebrew languages. Good to cast as a ritual before entering new towns), Dissonant Whispers, Faerie Fire, Healing Word
2: Cure Wounds (might replace this with something like Dispel Magic, Greater Restoration, or Major Image later on)
3: Suggestion
4: Shatter, Light (only one of us has darkvision, and I get the feeling we'll be in the dark a lot in this campaign...), ASI = CHA, DEX
5: Hypnotic Pattern
6: Leomund's Tiny Hut, Additional Magical Secrets = Counterspell, and depending on what that mystery PC is, probably either Revivify or Fireball, or possibly Aura of Vitality (though I feel like my concentration is probably best used on other things...)
7: Polymorph
8: Dimension Door, ASI = 2 CHA
9: Not sure...Raise Dead? Modify Memory?
10: Magical Secrets: Banishment, Fireball (if I don't already have it, Wall of Force if I do), Replace Shatter with Mass Cure Wounds, Prestidigitation
11: Mass Suggestion
12: ASI = Resilient (con saves)
13: Forcecage
14: Magical Secrets: Plane Shift, Chain Lightning or Disintegrate
15: Power Word Stun
16: Feeblemind (ASI = Warcaster)
17: True Polymorph
18: Magical Secrets: Wish, Gate
I don't really need another ASI/feat at 19, and the bard capstone is rather...unimpressive, so I'm leaning toward two levels of Warlock. I think having the extra low-level slots with short rest recharges will be super nice for extra healing words, plus I'd probably grab Eldritch Blast and Friends for cantrips. Friends has limited uses but seems strong in those few cases, and I think having Eldritch Blast will be a boon once we're dealing with lots of enemies with multiattack and Vicious Mockery loses its potency. For invocations, I'm thinking The Devil's Sight, since I'll likely be the party scout (the ranger isn't going for stealthiness) along with the rogue in a dark campaign setting with no darkvision. I'd probably also pick up Mask of Many Faces (tempted by Agonizing Blast of course...). Probably GOO for patron, possibly The Raven Queen. I could grab some spells off the warlock list that I already know, and replace my Bard choices with other useful things.
So the question is...when do I take this dip? It'd be nice to work through the above progression without delay and switch to warlock at 19, but that's ages from now and the basic utility stuff that the warlock dip could bring would make that a long, long wait. I'd go earlier, but I really want short rest bard dice and the level 6 magical secrets seem clutch for the party. Level 7 seems alright, but I'd be putting off that final CHA ASI. Level 9 seems like a pretty good place, but again that seems a long way off.
Thoughts?
Anyway, party composition is as follows:
- Human sword/hand crossbow ranger (not sure which conclave he'll go for)
- Human vengeance paladin
- Human eldritch knight
- Tiefling hexblade warlock/rogue
- My lightfoot halfling lore bard
- One unknown PC to be introduced later (we're working on the world as a group and plan to rotate who sits in the DM chair with every story arc, with the other players controlling the current DM's PC while he/she runs the game. The first DM up is planning on holding off on introducing his PC until after he's finished his turn in the DM chair)
The paladin player might not be around until a few months from now, and potentially might not play at all depending on life circumstance. So this leaves my bard as the only full caster, probably main healer, skill monkey (the tiefling is starting warlock and taking a rogue dip later, so lots of skills will be on me), friendly party face, etc. We've got lots of damage output potential already, so I'm focusing mainly on support/control and healing spells.
Stats: 8 STR, 15 DEX, 15 CON, 12 INT, 12 WIS, 17 CHA (yep, we roll for stats, and all generally have pretty high stats - let's not get into that debate!)
Here's my expected spell progression, if I just keep with bard:
1: Minor Illusion, Vicious Mockery, Comprehend Languages (I think this will be vital since we'll have a lot of homebrew languages. Good to cast as a ritual before entering new towns), Dissonant Whispers, Faerie Fire, Healing Word
2: Cure Wounds (might replace this with something like Dispel Magic, Greater Restoration, or Major Image later on)
3: Suggestion
4: Shatter, Light (only one of us has darkvision, and I get the feeling we'll be in the dark a lot in this campaign...), ASI = CHA, DEX
5: Hypnotic Pattern
6: Leomund's Tiny Hut, Additional Magical Secrets = Counterspell, and depending on what that mystery PC is, probably either Revivify or Fireball, or possibly Aura of Vitality (though I feel like my concentration is probably best used on other things...)
7: Polymorph
8: Dimension Door, ASI = 2 CHA
9: Not sure...Raise Dead? Modify Memory?
10: Magical Secrets: Banishment, Fireball (if I don't already have it, Wall of Force if I do), Replace Shatter with Mass Cure Wounds, Prestidigitation
11: Mass Suggestion
12: ASI = Resilient (con saves)
13: Forcecage
14: Magical Secrets: Plane Shift, Chain Lightning or Disintegrate
15: Power Word Stun
16: Feeblemind (ASI = Warcaster)
17: True Polymorph
18: Magical Secrets: Wish, Gate
I don't really need another ASI/feat at 19, and the bard capstone is rather...unimpressive, so I'm leaning toward two levels of Warlock. I think having the extra low-level slots with short rest recharges will be super nice for extra healing words, plus I'd probably grab Eldritch Blast and Friends for cantrips. Friends has limited uses but seems strong in those few cases, and I think having Eldritch Blast will be a boon once we're dealing with lots of enemies with multiattack and Vicious Mockery loses its potency. For invocations, I'm thinking The Devil's Sight, since I'll likely be the party scout (the ranger isn't going for stealthiness) along with the rogue in a dark campaign setting with no darkvision. I'd probably also pick up Mask of Many Faces (tempted by Agonizing Blast of course...). Probably GOO for patron, possibly The Raven Queen. I could grab some spells off the warlock list that I already know, and replace my Bard choices with other useful things.
So the question is...when do I take this dip? It'd be nice to work through the above progression without delay and switch to warlock at 19, but that's ages from now and the basic utility stuff that the warlock dip could bring would make that a long, long wait. I'd go earlier, but I really want short rest bard dice and the level 6 magical secrets seem clutch for the party. Level 7 seems alright, but I'd be putting off that final CHA ASI. Level 9 seems like a pretty good place, but again that seems a long way off.
Thoughts?