Bard 5eClass Guide & NPC Generator
Colleges, the full spell list and slots, Bardic Inspiration and Magical Secrets — then forge a finished bard NPC, portrait and all, without typing a thing twice.
A bard turns performance into magic — handing allies dice mid-roll, talking a guard out of a fight they were winning, and, by level ten, casting anything from any list. The class that is competent at everything.
Choose your subclass
Bard Subclasses — The Colleges
Six colleges, six ways to be the reason the party survived — or the reason it started. Choose one; the forge follows.
Skills, control
College of Lore
Three more skills, Cutting Words to ruin someone’s big moment, and Magical Secrets two levels early. The scholar who knows everything and says so.
Full College of Lore guide →The Forge
Forge College of Lore Bard
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College of Lore · level 5 · pre-filled for you
Role in party
The Party’s Voice
Bard = the party’s face and glue — buffs, control, healing and a die in every ally’s pocket, with an answer to every skill check.
You want to lift the whole party — hand out Inspiration, control the room, and talk your way past the fight you would rather not have.
Forged this morning
The Chronicler
College of Lore · Level 5 · Chaotic Good
Perrin Quillfoot
Has a footnote for everything and will deliver it mid-swing. Cutting Words has ended more fights than his rapier, and he will tell you the exact number.
Chosen lineage
Best Races for a Bard
Charisma drives everything, so the best lineages either raise it or hand you a defence to keep a lightly-armoured face standing.
Half-ElfGUIDE →
Charisma, two floating points and a fistful of skills waiting for Expertise — the textbook bard chassis.
TieflingGUIDE →
Darkvision, fire resistance and free innate spells — a durable, flavourful face who never runs out of tricks.
Variant HumanGUIDE →
Inspiring Leader or War Caster online at level 1 — the build comes together immediately.
Yuan-ti PurebloodGUIDE →
Magic Resistance — advantage on every save against spells — stacked on a Charisma boost. Absurdly hard to shut down.
Half-OrcGUIDE →
Relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks for a College of Valour bard who sings from the front line, not behind it.
Where the points go
Bard Builds — Where the Points Go
Charisma is the whole instrument. Everything else is the case you carry it in.
Face / support
The default. Charisma is your spell save DC, your Inspiration and every conversation you were going to win anyway.
Valour (front line)
Medium armour, a shield and Extra Attack. Strength if you swing; Dexterity if you prefer a rapier.
Skill monkey (Lore)
Jack of All Trades plus Expertise means you are competent at literally everything on the sheet.
The signature
What Makes a Bard a Bard
Three class features do most of the work — the reason a bard lifts everyone at the table, not just themselves.
Bardic Inspiration
Hand an ally a die (d6 rising to d12) to add after they roll, before the result lands. From level 5 it refreshes on a short rest.
Jack of All Trades
Add half your proficiency to initiative and every check you are not already trained in. You are never truly bad at anything.
Song of Rest
Allies who spend Hit Dice on a short rest heal an extra die — quiet, reliable staying power between fights.
Top picks
Best Feats for a Bard
A bard wins by buffing the party and keeping a control spell up — so the best feats amplify your Charisma and protect concentration.
Multiclass combos
Best Bard Multiclass Combos
Full casting and a Charisma engine make the bard a flexible base — a small dip covers whichever gap your college leaves.
Bard / WarlockGUIDE →
Short-rest Pact slots and Eldritch Blast bolt reliable ranged damage onto the full caster — Devil’s Sight and Darkness suit a Whispers infiltrator.
Bard / PaladinGUIDE →
Pour bard slots into Divine Smite and let one Charisma score drive both auras and spells — a durable face who hits like a truck.
Bard / SorcererGUIDE →
Metamagic — Subtle Spell, Quicken — bends the shared Charisma list, with a huge slot pool feeding both halves.
Armory
Best Bard Equipment by Tier
What to carry as you level — from a first lute to an Instrument of the Bards.
The Repertoire
Spell List
Bards know a fixed list and swap one on level-up — so every pick has to earn its slot. Spellcasting is online from level 1, and Magical Secrets eventually opens every other class’s list to you.
Full caster
Spell Slots by Level
| Bard level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Level 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| Level 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Level 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Level 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Level 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Level 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Level 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Level 17 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Level 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Level 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Level 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
The Long Tour
Features by Level
From the forge
Bards Made Here
Six colleges, six lives. Take any one as your starting point — the whole build travels with it.
Perrin Quillfoot
Has a footnote for everything and will deliver it mid-swing. Cutting Words has ended more fights than his rapier.
Use this build →
Lady Vera Estrell
Smiles like a contract. Every favour she grants comes due at the worst possible moment.
Use this build →
The Grey Lark
Sings at three funerals a season. Two of them she scheduled.
Use this build →
Dain Brassheart
Drums the marching beat, then wades in with the axe. Nobody in his company has ever routed.
Use this build →
Sylvienne
Every audience leaves adoring her. None of them can explain why, and none of them stop.
Use this build →
Milo Tealeaf
Sang a rope into existence to cross a chasm, then sang a second one because the first was ugly.
Use this build →Counsel
Frequently Asked
What is a bard in D&D 5e?
A full spellcaster who fights with performance: Bardic Inspiration hands allies dice to change their own rolls, and the spell list mixes healing, control and social magic. Charisma powers all of it. The most flexible class in the game.
How do I build a bard in 5e?
Max Charisma — it is your spell save DC and every social roll. Dexterity next for armour class and a rapier, then Constitution for concentration. Pick your college at level 3 and take Expertise in the two skills you actually use.
What is the best bard subclass?
Eloquence is the strongest social subclass in the game (Silver Tongue means Persuasion never rolls below 10). Lore gets Magical Secrets two levels early and Cutting Words. Valour and Swords fight properly. Whispers is a superb villain.
What is Bardic Inspiration and how does it work?
A bonus action that gives an ally a die (d6 rising to d12) they can add to an attack, check or save — after they roll, before the DM says whether it lands. You get Charisma modifier uses, refreshed on a short rest from level 5.
What are Magical Secrets?
At level 10 (6 for Lore) you learn spells from any class list. This is why bards are considered top tier: Counterspell, Fireball, Spirit Guardians, Wish — anything on any list becomes a bard spell.
What are the best stats for a bard?
Charisma first, always. Dexterity second for armour class, initiative and finesse weapons. Constitution third to hold concentration. Strength, Intelligence and Wisdom come last unless your college needs them.
Bard vs Sorcerer — which should I play?
Both are Charisma casters. Bards get skills, Inspiration, healing and eventually any spell in the game via Magical Secrets. Sorcerers get Metamagic and raw blasting. Play a bard to do everything; a sorcerer to do one thing very hard.
Strike a Chord
Read the rules, choose your college, and forge the bard — all on one page. Your first is free.
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