need help picking spells

[Negative Zero]

Uller, good idea about the planning the spells, i'll have to look into that. up till now, i hadn't looked at the bard spell list till i needed to. i like the half and half idea actualy, tho, she's not an archer. she uses a whip.

gamecat, i don't have BoEM one of my DMs makes a big stink when players read DM material. and since i don't plan on DMing anytime soon ... (too much damn work! i'm lazy. sue me! lol)

Belares, i agree they'r both very good choices, but i really don't want to take two combat spells.

still looking for opinions on the Joyful Noise spell

~NegZ

 

[Belares]

Belares, i agree they'r both very good choices, but i really don't want to take two combat spells.

Then expedious retreat and sleep in case your "audience" dislikes your choice of music or prose.

 

[Caliban]

I highly recommend glitterdust, it's a pretty multi-functional spell.

It reveals invisible opponents, and prevents them from turning invisible fore the duration.

It's great for blinding low-will save melee types.

It can blind more than one target per casting.

It can even blind undead creatures.

It looks cool and can be used for a flashy effect during a performance (just make sure your audience isn't in the area of effect.)

 

[Gromm]

Pick spells you'll always want for some reason or another.
Sleep is a bad idea for one of your like 4 spells you'll ever have at first level, since its basically useless after 6th level or so. Mage armor should probably be avoided since you can eventually make/obtain better Bracers of Armor, though it might help you stay alive long enough to reach those levels. Still a wand of the above spells is probably a better choice.

If you're playing the Realms the FRCS has many excellent bard spells if not...

Identify is good (unless a theres a party wizard)
Charm Person isn't too shabby
Protection from Evil
Silent Image (if you've got a good imagination)
Grease is a rather underrated spell that really isn't too bad
Magic Weapon (esp if theres an archer in the party)
Exp.Retreat (helps those fighter types get to the fight and/or get over to you when you need them)

As a bard I recommend picking up Spell Focus:Enchantment. Theres lots of really good enchantment spells out there- the Charms, Holds, Confusion, Dominate Person, really most of the "offensive" spells, which also tend to fit well into non-combat roles (like charming innkeepers, guards, etc).

With just the PHB the 1st level choices are a bit slim. After that the problem becomes so many good spells and not enough spells known for them all.

 

[Uller]

Uller, good idea about the planning the spells, i'll have to look into that. up till now, i hadn't looked at the bard spell list till i needed to. i like the half and half idea actualy, tho, she's not an archer. she uses a whip.

Whip...bow...whatever. The point is, you're taking some feats to boost that...don't be afraid to go with that with your spells(especially if you are in a group where combat is the focus).

It is definately a good idea to plan ahead at your spell selections for bards and sorcerers(and not such a bad idea for wizards, too). There are lots of bard spells that play very well with eachother. Look for combos of spells that can do interesting and fun things.

For instance, Unseen Servant and Ventriloquism could be used in concert to do some very interesting things...

 

[Negative Zero]

i agree that sleep has a very limited life span. even more so as you're effectively losing a level of usage, since the bard can't take it till 2nd lvl. and that's crucial when for most of a bards career, she'll only know 4 1st lvl spells.

Caliban, glitterdust IS a very useful spell, and, assuming she lives that long, she'll certainly consider it very favourably when she gets access to 2nd lvl spells

Gromm, still considering the mage armour. after reading grease (for the first time), i have to agree that i can see it's usefullness. the things i'm worried about are the saving throws. with bards getting spells later than everyone else, their average DC will be lower than other casters, in relation to the opposition's saves.

Uller, i'm not really worried about having to contribute to combat much. we've got a half-orc paladin, dwarven battlerager, elven fighter, and two elven clerics of the god of archery or hunting, or some such.

~NegZ

 

[Negative Zero]

does anyone other than fba827 have any thoughts on the Joyfull Noise spell from S&S?

~NegZ

 

[fba827]

does anyone other than fba827 have any thoughts on the Joyfull Noise spell from S&S?

~NegZ

Dang that's cold.

I'm hurt.

 

[Gromm]

does anyone other than fba827 have any thoughts on the Joyfull Noise spell from S&S?

~NegZ

It certainly has its merits (for a 1st level spell anyway). Though silence isn't usually too bad, most people can make the save, or just leave the area. Still for bardic music it might be nice.

Are you allowed to use FRCS or MoF?
If so theres some fairly decent spells in there IIRC.
Amplify
Harmony
Distort Speech (though it gives a save)
Balagarn's Iron Horn

Alarms also not too bad from the PHB