Bard Class Features
As a bard, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per bard level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 18 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per bard level after 1st
Proficiencies and Training
Armour: Light armour
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: Three musical instruments of your choice
Saving throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
• a rapier, a longsword, or any simple weapon
• a diplomat’s pack or an entertainer’s pack
• a lute or any other musical instrument
• a leather armour and a dagger
Features
Bardic Performance
You have a number of bardic performance dice as shown in the bardic performance column on the bard table. When you gain this feature, your bardic performance die is a d6. You regain all your expended bardic performance dice when you finish a short or long rest.
Your bardic performance 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 can use your bardic performance dice to inspire others through stirring words or music.
As a bonus action, you can expend one of your bardic performance dice to start a bardic performance. On subsequent turns, you must use your bonus action to maintain the bardic performance. You can maintain your bardic performance for up to 1 minute or until you stop concentrating (as if you were concentrating on a spell).
When you expend a bardic performance die on this ability, you can inspire all creatures of your choice within 60 feet of you. Each inspired creature gains one bardic performance die while under the effect of your bardic performance. An inspired creature can roll the die and add the result as a bonus to a failed ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, potentially turning the result into a success. After a creature has used its bardic performance die to turn a roll into a success or if the creature is no longer within 60 feet of you, the bardic performance ends for that creature.
Bardic Tradition
You belong to a specific bardic tradition (see bardic traditions below). Your bardic tradition grants you additional features at 10th and 14th level.
Expertise
At 2nd level, Choose two of your skill proficiencies or instruments. You gain expertise with these skills or instruments.
Spellcasting
Beginning at 2nd 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.
Bard Spells
You can learn spells from any spell list.
Armoured Casting
You ignore spell failure from armour when you cast bard spells wearing light armour.
Spellcasting Focus
You can use a musical instrument as a spellcasting focus for your spells.
Cantrips
You know two cantrips of your choice from any spell list. You learn additional cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the cantrips known column of the bard table.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
The spells known column of the bard table shows when you learn more bard spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you finish a long rest, you can choose one of the bard spells you know and replace it with another bard spell, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Spell Slots
The bard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your bard 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.
Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your 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.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier.
Ritual Casting
You can cast a bard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.
Bardic College
At 3rd level, you delve into the advanced techniques of a bard college of your choice that grants you a series of abilities as you advance in levels. The bardic college you belong to grants you additional features at 6th and 18th level.
Song of Rest
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize your wounded allies during a short rest. You and any friendly creature, who can hear you perform during a short rest, regain hit points equal to a roll of your bardic performance dice. These regained hit points stack with hit points regained through other means (such as expending hit dice).
Feat
At 4th level, you gain a feat from the list of feats. You must meet the prerequisites for the feat.
You gain an additional feat at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level.
Font of Inspiration
Beginning at 5th level, you can expend a spell slot as a bonus action to regain a number of bardic performance dice equal to the level of the expended spell slot.
Peerless Skill
At 5th level, you can choose one of the following skills that you are proficient with: Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Medicine, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. Your choice grants you certain abilities (see peerless skills below).
You can change your peerless skill choice whenever you finish a long rest.
At 17th level, you can select two skills with this feature.
Bardic Charms
Starting at 7th level, your bardic performances take on additional magical properties. When you use your bardic performance, you select a bardic charm that you know. Any creature that has an unspent bardic performance die, gains the benefit of the bardic charm for as long as they retain the bardic performance die.
You also gain the benefits of the same bardic charm while performing, even if you do not gain a bardic performance die.
When you first get this feature, you learn the following bardic charms:
Countercharm. You and any friendly creatures who have an unspent bardic performance die has advantage on saving throws against being charmed for the duration of your bardic performance.
Inspire Courage. You and any friendly creatures who have an unspent bardic performance die has advantage on saving throws against being frightened for the duration of your bardic performance.
Jack of All Trades
Starting at 7th level, you can add half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to initiative and any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.
Inspire Competence
At 9th level, you can inspire another creature to push itself beyond its capabilities. You can use your reaction to expend a bardic performance die when another creature that can see and hear you within 30 feet of you fails an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. Roll the bardic performance die and add the result as a bonus to the triggering roll potentially turning the result into a success. You cannot add a bardic performance die to a roll that already benefits from a bardic performance die.
Words of Power
At 11th level, you learn powerful magic. Choose one spell from the power word spell list below. As you gain levels in this class, you learn an additional spell to cast with this feature. At 13th, 15th, and 17th level, you can choose one additional power word spell. When you chose a power word spell, you must chose from the power word spells available to you at that level. You can cast one of your known power word spells without expending a spell slot between long rests.
Power Word Spells (choose one)
11th level. power word ignite or power word reveal
13th level. power word pain or power word protect
15th level. power word shift or power word stun
17th level. power word heal or power word kill
Additional Bardic Charms
At 13th level, you learn additional bardic charms options in addition to those granted by your bardic charms feature:
Inspire Greatness. You and any friendly creatures who have an unspent bardic performance die gains temporary hit points equal to half you bard level (rounded down), for the duration of your bardic performance.
Freedom Charm. Any friendly creatures who have an unspent bardic performance die can expend the die at any time to immediately can move a number of feet equal to 5 times the roll of the bardic performance dice. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. When a creature expends a bardic performance dice in this way, it also ends one effect that reduces its speed or cause the target to be grappled, paralyzed, or restrained. You can expend another bardic performance die while performing to gain this effect for yourself.
Inspired Performance
At 15th level, you regain a special bardic performance dice at the beginning of your turn. The special die is a d6. This special dice lasts until the beginning of your next turn (where you regain a new dice).
Words of Creation
At 20th level, you learn all the spells from the list of power word spell list. In addition, you can cast one spell from this list twice between long rests instead of once without expending a spell slot. When you cast a spell from this list, the spell is cast as if you had used a 9th level spell slot to cast the spell.