D&D 5E Questions regarding a Noble Bard

[Inoeex]

Hey guys

I am new to DnD, our game is about to get started on sunday.
I am going to be a bard, my stat rolls are 18,16,15,12,12 and 5

I have read an awesome guide here " Bardic Lore: A Basic College of Lore Bard Guide " , which helped me a lot to have a glimpse of the class. But I still have some questions :S

I am a prince, my mother is the Queen of Moon Elves and my Father is the King of High Elves, they got separated thats why they are both monarchs.
As a prince I cant choose my proficiencies. I know its kinda vital for a Bard to have deception but for someone at position ? What about Intimidation ? I dont wanna bring shame to my family.
Is it imperative for a bard to have Performance proficiency ?

I have made my mind to go Collage of Lore, I get Deception from being an Elf, History and Persuasion from my noble background.
As a house rule our DM let us to learn how to work with a kit PHB page 154, instead of a proficiency skill. I am , Since our ranger is an outlander, he can provide us foods. I am thinking about having skills in Leatherworking so I can mend my own armor during long journeys or other's armors


My question is which skills is really suits me ? As both bard and a noble born.

Should I pick healing spells since we only have a Paladin who can heal, others are rogue, ranger and sorcerer

And I would really appreciate it if you could help me to assign my roles to my stats. 18 will for my Charisma and 5 for Strength but what about the rest of them? I want my character to be wise! should I choose Wisdom over Dexterity or Constitution ? :S

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

If you’re going with a lore bard, investigation might be a good choice, which would make Int a good score to focus on after Charisma, what you already having history.

As for whether or not to focus on healing magic, that’s up to you. I will say that my bard does seem to do a lot of healing. For whatever reason, in my con play experiences, not a lot of people play clerics, and many that do don’t even have healing magic.

 

[jayoungr]

Hi, Inoeex! I play a bard too, although mine is a halfling.

As a prince I cant choose my proficiencies. I know its kinda vital for a Bard to have deception but for someone at position ? What about Intimidation ? I dont wanna bring shame to my family.
Is it imperative for a bard to have Performance proficiency ?

Just a quick note about these skills. Deception can be a lifesaver of a skill in court situations, and I think it makes perfect sense for a prince to have it. Remember, using the Deception skill doesn't always mean telling outright or dishonorable lies; it can be used for situations such as "I act nonchalant so that the cultist leader won't realize that I secretly freed the children he was planning on sacrificing at midnight" or even just "I pretend not to be worried when the dark lord's messenger delivers threats to my kingdom."

Similarly, Intimidation can be described as having a powerful and majestic presence that makes people think twice about trying to fool you or going against your wishes.

As for other skills ... History seems like a very probable one you'd get in your princely training. Religion and/or Arcana are also very plausible, especially since you're an Elf. Insight and Perception are two more of those "courtly survival skills" that can serve you well in social situations.

I don't think performance proficiency is imperative, especially given the backstory you've devised. But it's another thing that would likely be part of a royal education, so if you have an extra skill training slot, it wouldn't be inappropriate either.

I've found that a paladin is a pretty good healer, but on the other hand, it's always good to have more than one healer in a party. I'd suggest picking up at least one healing spell even if you don't focus on it.

 

[Gnashtooth]

I played a high elf noble bard character, it works really well. Dump the musical instrument gimmick though, there's really no support for it in this version of the game. Perform can be used for politics and oration.

 

[Inoeex]

I don't think performance proficiency is imperative, especially given the backstory you've devised. But it's another thing that would likely be part of a royal education, so if you have an extra skill training slot, it wouldn't be inappropriate either.

I've found that a paladin is a pretty good healer, but on the other hand, it's always good to have more than one healer in a party. I'd suggest picking up at least one healing spell even if you don't focus on it.

Thank u for your help : )

Since our paladin is our tank, I think his priority is to heal himself .... I should get a healing spell :S

About Performance .... what exactly is it? I will be ba bard bard on playing instruments if I dont pick it? I dont see the point of it? Is it useful to charm people and get inside their hearts? is it not overlapping with Persuasion or Deception?

Can you help me to assign my stats? I will have +2 Dex as an Elf, should I give one of my 12s to Dex ? or my higher rolls ? I dont see why Dex is so important :S
Its only for defense and initiative right ?

 

[Inoeex]

If you’re going with a lore bard, investigation might be a good choice, which would make Int a good score to focus on after Charisma, what you already having history.

Thank u for your time : )

Are u suggesting me to give me second highest roll to Int instead of Con and Dex ? I am getting +1 Int and +2 Dex as a High Elf : )

 

[jayoungr]

About Performance .... what exactly is it? I will be ba bard bard on playing instruments if I dont pick it? I dont see the point of it? Is it useful to charm people and get inside their hearts? is it not overlapping with Persuasion or Deception?

You won't be bad at playing instruments without it, just less sure of getting a good roll. You might want to talk to your GM about how it's likely to fit into the campaign. Some GMs will let you play music in taverns to earn money while traveling, although your character may not need to do that, since he's a prince. In my game, I have sometimes been allowed to substitute a performance roll for a deception roll in order to pose as someone else.

Can you help me to assign my stats? I will have +2 Dex as an Elf, should I give one of my 12s to Dex ? or my higher rolls ? I dont see why Dex is so important :S
Its only for defense and initiative right ?

Unfortunately, I don't have my character sheet handy, and I'm about to go out of town for the weekend. Dex is one of those rolls that seems to come up a lot for miscellaneous situations. You probably don't want to have a dex penalty, but a 12 (+2) should be fine. Otherwise, my advice is to pick your skills first and then see which stat they use most.

 

[akr71]

Performance can be your skill with an instrument and/or voice. It can be used for story-telling or as a skilled orator. Probably pretty important for a noble...

Dex is considered _the_ ability in 5e. It helps your AC, your initiative and a whole lot of spells have a Dex based saving throw. Also, it will give you a bonus to attack rolls with ranged and finesse weapons. Don't forget that a high elf also gets +1 Int or a wood elf +1 Wis. I would go
S 5
D 15 +2
C 12
I 16
W 12 +1
Ch 18

Actually, I would plead with my DM to let me re-roll that 5. Or throw it out and take 6 new rolls...

 

[Inoeex]

Performance can be your skill with an instrument and/or voice. It can be used for story-telling or as a skilled orator. Probably pretty important for a noble...

S 5
D 15 +2
C 12
I 16
W 12 +1
Ch 18

Actually, I would plead with my DM to let me re-roll that 5. Or throw it out and take 6 new rolls...

Thank u for our tip Akr 71
So I can change things or make some influence with my performance ?
Since I am a high elf I will get +1 I

But may I ask why did you choose I over W ? I was thinking Insight can come in handy to when I am about to persuade or investigate a matter, to know if I am getting the truth or not and its based on W so does Perception.

About re-rolling .... Do you think my other rolls are not good enough ? Should I really do it ? 18 is more rare than 5 I think

 

[akr71]

I went with Int over Wis based on Ralif's post above. I would figure out _all_ your skills first and then plug the 16 into the one that helps those the most. You're getting +1 to the Int, so 13 Int is fairly decent. Perception is a very useful skill to have a high modifier on, so 16 Wisdom does make more sense.

No, your rolls are good. The 5 is bad, but if Str is your dump stat and you rely on Dex for combat, its workable. In fact it could make for some fun roll-play. The weakling noble - others expect they have to protect him, but who is surprisingly talented with rapier & bow...

Given the elf bonus to Dex, you could swap Con & Dex and get yourself a few more HP.
S 5, D 12+2, C 15, I 12+1, W 16, Ch 18