D&D 5E Magical Secrets for the Bard that has everything...already covered by other party members :(

[WASDHammer]

I am in a campaign at level 5 that is very combat intensive (I usually have run out of all spells and BIs well before combat even ends in a day).

For this reason I actually dipped a single level in DS Sorcerer (Bard 4/DS Sorcerer 1) for this reason (for Shield, Firebolt/Mind Sliver dmg cantrips, the Favored by the God pseudo Res(con) on SR.

The party is pretty well rounded:
Vengeance Paladin
Divination Wizard
Life Cleric
Way of Mercy Monk
Artificer
Lore Bard (me)

I am planning ahead for my magical secrets at 6/10/14 and am finding that my current team makes many of my traditional selections redundant with other PC member strengths (Fireball - CHECK, Aura of Vitality - CHECK, Revivify - CHECK).

I mean, what fun is it to have your Wizard blast a Fireball in all its glory, then have my Bard just toss another one? How droll!

Perhaps a controller would be the best niche that wouldn't step on another PC's glory, but curious if there are some Magical Secrets that are a bit off the beaten path that others may have had great success with. Right now, I'm thinking:

Level 6: Counterspell & <I have no idea, Maybe Spiritual Weapon?>
Level 10: Wall of Force & Telekinesis???
Level 14: Simulacrum (is that even useful in practice?) & Reverse Gravity/Chain Lightning??
Level 18: Wish & maybe True Polymorph?

Anyways, first time Bard so interested in any combo's that work well, helped your Bard carve its own niche, and was just fun to play with, especially in a party that seemingly already has everything covered. Lastly, with the combat heavy nature of the campaign, I'm worried summoning spells (like Conjure Animals) will absolutely GRIND everything to a halt.

Any thoughts out there? Much appreciated!

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Since the bard is a force multiplier, I'd suggest you'd go with a more support spell list and a few damage enhancer to buff the usually low-damage output the bard:
6: Slow and Haste
10: Swift Quiver and Bigby's Hand
14: Heroes' Feast and Wind Walk
18: Illusory Dragon and True Polymorph

 

[jayoungr]

You can do some amazing and creative things with Enlarge/Reduce.

Also, does your party have illusions and/or charm spells covered elsewhere?

 

[tommybahama]

Druid spells like conjure animals and plant growth are pretty good. Plant growth is good for control. Conjure animals is OP if your DM lets you pick the animals. Volunteer not to pick pixies in exchange for picking the summons and get 8 wolves to do ~50 damage per round to a single target.

 

[WASDHammer]

You can do some amazing and creative things with Enlarge/Reduce.

Also, does your party have illusions and/or charm spells covered elsewhere?

I think illusions/charms may be the most fertile ground. The Divination Wizard could cover that but as of now he hasn't completely gone that route. It actually fits with my backstory too (not the performance bard, more a spy/broker of information & deception).

Any thoughts on some good ones in the illusion/charm space that isn't already on the Bard list? I planned on taking:

• Hypnotic Pattern
• Suggestion (but thinking of swapping for Phantasmal Force since the DM always seems to initiate combat whenever I try to use the spell in a non combat setting, rendering it much more useless if there isn't the element of surprise)
• Hold Person
• Disguise Self
• Hold/Dominate Monster
• Mass Suggestion (feels like it could be better in combat setting vs. normal suggestion).

 

[Shiroiken]

Never doubt the usefulness of a second Revivify. The first completely permanent death we had in 5E was when the cleric bit the dust. Without a way to bring him back, and no way to transport the body for a (hopeful) raise dead, he was left behind. It also lets the cleric have a bit of leeway with 3rd level slots, since they don't have to hold one if you have one unused (just make sure to communicate spell slot usage).

 

[MoonSong]

Never doubt the usefulness of a second Revivify. The first completely permanent death we had in 5E was when the cleric bit the dust. Without a way to bring him back, and no way to transport the body for a (hopeful) raise dead, he was left behind. It also lets the cleric have a bit of leeway with 3rd level slots, since they don't have to hold one if you have one unused (just make sure to communicate spell slot usage).

This, just make sure you communicate this to the cleric player. It might be a weight off their shoulders or taking away from the spotlight.

 

[TerraDave]

Since the bard is a force multiplier, I'd suggest you'd go with a more support spell list and a few damage enhancer to buff the usually low-damage output the bard:
6: Slow and Haste
10: Swift Quiver and Bigby's Hand
14: Heroes' Feast and Wind Walk
18: Illusory Dragon and True Polymorph

A fun tactic with a party like this is to get multiple concentration spells going at the same time, which is of course something a single caster can never do. Even simple combos like bless+fairy fire or haste+protection from evil (+bane) can be effective.

 

[Ancalagon]

I am in a campaign at level 5 that is very combat intensive (I usually have run out of all spells and BIs well before combat even ends in a day).

For this reason I actually dipped a single level in DS Sorcerer (Bard 4/DS Sorcerer 1) for this reason (for Shield, Firebolt/Mind Sliver dmg cantrips, the Favored by the God pseudo Res(con) on SR.

The party is pretty well rounded:
Vengeance Paladin
Divination Wizard
Life Cleric
Way of Mercy Monk
Artificer
Lore Bard (me)

I am planning ahead for my magical secrets at 6/10/14 and am finding that my current team makes many of my traditional selections redundant with other PC member strengths (Fireball - CHECK, Aura of Vitality - CHECK, Revivify - CHECK).

I mean, what fun is it to have your Wizard blast a Fireball in all its glory, then have my Bard just toss another one? How droll!

Perhaps a controller would be the best niche that wouldn't step on another PC's glory, but curious if there are some Magical Secrets that are a bit off the beaten path that others may have had great success with. Right now, I'm thinking:

Level 6: Counterspell & <I have no idea, Maybe Spiritual Weapon?>
Level 10: Wall of Force & Telekinesis???
Level 14: Simulacrum (is that even useful in practice?) & Reverse Gravity/Chain Lightning??
Level 18: Wish & maybe True Polymorph?

Anyways, first time Bard so interested in any combo's that work well, helped your Bard carve its own niche, and was just fun to play with, especially in a party that seemingly already has everything covered. Lastly, with the combat heavy nature of the campaign, I'm worried summoning spells (like Conjure Animals) will absolutely GRIND everything to a halt.

Any thoughts out there? Much appreciated!

I actually would say that the party is not that well rounded. The party has a ridiculous amount of healing, and 3/6 PCs are support characters. A strong archer or a tank might have been more beneficial, perhaps one with "nature" skills... but the party is what it is.

Perhaps some warlock-only spells might be interesting...

 

[Stormonu]

The bard is primarily support and pinch hitter. When everyone's up, they do their best making them better. When one of them goes down or is unavailable, they step in and fill in for them. They are the Fifth party member to the Big Four.

That by no means you can't try and go in your own direction, but I also wouldn't try to fight against the grain. Being useful never hurts.