As a bard, you gain the following
Class Features.
Hit Dice: 1d8 per bard level
Hit Points at 1st level: 8 + your
Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your
Constitution modifier per bard level after 1st
You are proficient with the following items, in addition to any
Proficiencies provided by your race or
Background.
Armor: Light ArmorWeapons: Simple Weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: three
Musical Instruments of your choice
Saving Throws: Dexterity, CharismaSkills: Choose any three.
You start with the following items, plus anything provided by your
Background.
• (a) a
Rapier, (b) a
Longsword, or (c) any simple weapon
• (a) a
Diplomat's Pack or (b) an
Entertainer's Pack• (a) a lute or (b) any other musical instrument
•
Leather Armor, and a
Dagger
You can inspire others through stirring words or music. To do so, you use a
Bonus Action on
Your Turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic
Inspiration die, a d6.
Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check,
Attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls
The D20 before deciding to use the Bardic
Inspiration die, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic
Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic
Inspiration die at a time.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your
Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a
Long Rest.
Your Bardic
Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at
5th Level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.
You have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your wishes and music. Your
Spells are part of your vast repertoire, magic that you can tune to different situations. See chapter 10 for the general rules of
Spellcasting and chapter 11 for the bard spell list.
CantripsYou know two
Cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list. You learn additional bard
Cantrips of your choice at higher levels, learning a 3rd cantrip at
4th Level and a 4th at 10th level.
Spell SlotsThe
Bard table shows how many
Spell Slots you have to cast your
Spells of
1st level and higher. To cast one of these
Spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended
Spell Slots when you finish a
Long Rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell
Cure Wounds and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast
Cure Wounds using either slot.
Spells Known of 1st level and HigherYou know four 1st-level
Spells of your choice from the bard spell list.
You learn an additional bard spell of your choice at each level except 12th, 16th, 19th, and 20th. Each of these
Spells must be of a level for which you have
Spell Slots. For instance, when you reach
3rd Level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or
2nd Level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the
Bard Spells you know and replace it with another spell from the bard spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have
Spell Slots.
Spellcasting AbilityCharisma is your
Spellcasting Ability for your
Bard Spells. Your magic comes from the heart and soul you pour into the
Performance of your music or oration. You use your
Charisma whenever a spell refers to your
Spellcasting Ability. In addition, you use your
Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a bard spell you cast and when
Making an Attack roll with one.
Ritual Casting
You can cast any bard spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.
Spellcasting FocusYou can use a musical instrument (see "Equipment") as a
Spellcasting focus for your
Bard Spells.
Jack of All Trades
Starting at
2nd Level, you can add half your
Proficiency Bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your
Proficiency Bonus.
Song of Rest
Beginning at
2nd Level, you can use soothing music or oration to help
Revitalize your wounded allies during a
Short Rest. If you or any friendly creatures who can hear your
Performance regain
Hit Points by spending Hit Dice at the end of the
Short Rest, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6
Hit Points.
The extra
Hit Points increase when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 at 9th level, to 1d10 at 13th level, and to 1d12 at 17th level.
At
3rd Level, you delve into the advanced
Techniques of a
Bard College of your choice, such as the
College of Lore. Your choice grants you features at
3rd Level and again at 6th and 14th level.
Expertise
At
3rd Level, choose two of your skill
Proficiencies. Your
Proficiency Bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen
Proficiencies.
At 10th level, you can choose another two skill
Proficiencies to gain this benefit.
When you reach
4th Level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two
Ability Scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Beginning when you reach
5th Level, you regain all of your expended uses of Bardic
Inspiration when you finish a short or
Long Rest.
Countercharm
At 6th level, you gain the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing
Effects. As an action, you can start a
Performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. During that time, you and any friendly creatures within 30 feet of you have advantage on
Saving Throws against being
Frightened or
Charmed. A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit. The
Performance ends early if you are
Incapacitated or silenced or if you voluntarily end it (no action required).
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two
Spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the
Bard table, or a cantrip.
The chosen
Spells count as
Bard Spells for you and are included in the number in the
Spells Known column of the
Bard table.
You learn two additional
Spells from any class at 14th level and again at 18th level.
At 20th level, when you roll
Initiative and have no uses of Bardic
Inspiration left, you regain one use.
Bards of the
College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads in taverns or elaborate compositions in royal courts, these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down, the audience members might find themselves questioning everything they held to be true, from their faith in the priesthood of the local
Temple to their loyalty to the king.
The loyalty of these bards lies in the pursuit of beauty and truth, not in fealty to a monarch or following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or
Advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than politic.
The college’s members gather in libraries and sometimes in actual colleges, complete with classrooms and dormitories, to share their lore with one another. They also meet at festivals or affairs of state, where they can expose corruption, unravel lies, and poke fun at self-important figures of authority.
When you join the
College of Lore at
3rd Level, you gain proficiency with three
Skills of your choice.
Also at
3rd Level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an
Attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your
Reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic
Inspiration, rolling a Bardic
Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the GM determines whether the
Attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being
Charmed.
At 6th level, you learn two
Spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the
Bard table, or a cantrip.
The chosen
Spells count as
Bard Spells for you but don’t count against the number of
Bard Spells you know.
Starting at 14th level, when you make an ability check, you can expend one use of Bardic
Inspiration. Roll a Bardic
Inspiration die and add the number rolled to your ability check. You can choose to do so after you roll the die for the ability check, but before the GM tells you whether you succeed or fail.
