Need Help with a build

[Nasagi]

I'm joining a 5E game with my some friends and need help with a build..
The current party are all 3rd-4th level and I'll be coming in at 3rd, the classes are as follows: 2 paladins(oaths of devotion and vengence), a fighter(champion i think), warlock(pact of the tome),an assassin rogue, and a cleric of the storm
I've been looking at a bard since it's versatile enough to fill any role if someone doesn't show up/just looks fun.
For stats, it's standard array or 25 point buy. Any advice is appreciated!

[GWJ_DanyBoy]

Bard is a good choice, as would be a Wizard or maybe a land druid. It seems the the thing your party lacks most is classes with control abilities. Lore Bard would be better than Valor in this particular party. That's just my 2 copper.

Also, why 25 point buy instead of the normal 27? Just to encourage more standard arrays?

[Nasagi]

Bard is a good choice, as would be a Wizard or maybe a land druid. It seems the the thing your party lacks most is classes with control abilities. Lore Bard would be better than Valor in this particular party. That's just my 2 copper.

Also, why 25 point buy instead of the normal 27? Just to encourage more standard arrays?

it's the standard in the book, which i guess is 27. I thought it was 25 cause I didn't have the book with me to double check, my bad!:smalleek:

[GWJ_DanyBoy]

it's the standard in the book, which i guess is 27. I thought it was 25 cause I didn't have the book with me to double check, my bad!:smalleek:

Ah! No problemo. I was honestly just a little puzzled as to why your DM might be shaving off 2 points. :smallsmile:

[Nasagi]

I have been looking very heavily at the Lore bard just because of the skill versatility and bonus spells at 6th level. Valor would be kind of useless since we have 3 front line heavy armor warriors and a rogue and a cleric

[Gwendol]

Half elf lore bard is a great choice!

[Nasagi]

Half elf lore bard is a great choice!

Any suggestions on stat builds and skill choices that I could borrow? I've always wanted to play a bard and this is the chance for him to fit perfectly

[Felvion]

Too many guys there so bard is solid choice. If i were you i'd go wizard. Most roles covered, it could be a great opportunity to play that weird-specialized wizard you never have the chance to play in a "regular" party...
Also, what kind of gang you are without a wizard?

[GWJ_DanyBoy]

I built a half-elf bard with the spy background. He has 8, 16, 12, 12, 12, 16 for stats. For skills I chose Acrobatics, Deception, Perception, Persuasion and Stealth.

You may want to look at the other party members and see what their skills are. For example, if there's a complete lack of INT based skills, you could go with a sage/acolyte background, or shift some points into INT, choose more INT skills etc.

[Nasagi]

I built a half-elf bard with the spy background. He has 8, 16, 12, 12, 12, 16 for stats. For skills I chose Acrobatics, Deception, Perception, Persuasion and Stealth.

You may want to look at the other party members and see what their skills are. For example, if there's a complete lack of INT based skills, you could go with a sage/acolyte background, or shift some points into INT, choose more INT skills etc.

I really appreciate the advice man, that stat build looks pretty awesome just off the start

[Nasagi]

Here's my spell list if any of you would like to comment/help adjust
Cantrips:
Mage Hand Vicious Mockery
1st Level spells:
Dissonant Whispers, Bane, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Cure Wounds
2nd Level spells:
Heat Metal
Suggestion

[Gwendol]

I would be looking over your spell list: silence is a strong 2nd level, and I would add some illusion as well. Healing words is a bonus action casting spell. Crown of Madness is another strong spell, but heat metal is also interesting.

[Nasagi]

I will definitely take those suggestions into consideration. I only get 2 second level spells per day so I figured i might just know however many i could cast. Never played a bard so it's new to me. I'm used to playing non-casters

[Demonic Spoon]

I have been looking very heavily at the Lore bard just because of the skill versatility and bonus spells at 6th level. Valor would be kind of useless since we have 3 front line heavy armor warriors and a rogue and a cleric

A focused party isn't necessarily a bad party.

[GWJ_DanyBoy]

But there ain't no party like a well-rounded party!

[Nasagi]

Everyone, I really appreciate all your input for this, while I am used to being a skill based character, it's always been a rogue or a straight out martial character. This is outside my normal play area so the advice is extremely helpful to me. I've never played either a) the face or b) a caster..Part of why I picked the bard, it's outside my normal comfort area :smallbiggrin: are there any suggestions for what skills I should pick to add at 3rd level for the lore bonus? I was thinking Performance, Intimidation, and Investigation. I was thinking performance, mostly for the roleplaying reasonings(such as instrument music and card tricks)

[Gwendol]

Perception is good to have as well, and at least one social skill.

[Nasagi]

I took perception as one of the base skills through half elf/bard.

[LuthielValkire]

Everyone, I really appreciate all your input for this, while I am used to being a skill based character, it's always been a rogue or a straight out martial character. This is outside my normal play area so the advice is extremely helpful to me. I've never played either a) the face or b) a caster..Part of why I picked the bard, it's outside my normal comfort area :smallbiggrin: are there any suggestions for what skills I should pick to add at 3rd level for the lore bonus? I was thinking Performance, Intimidation, and Investigation. I was thinking performance, mostly for the roleplaying reasonings(such as instrument music and card tricks)

Those are solid choices for class skills. If you go half elf, you get two more -- persuasion is great synergy with investigation and intimidation, and might I recommend arcana for some gap filling given your current group's classes?

For backgrounds, someone mentioned spy -- which is a great pick for a lore bard. Sage and entertainer might also be good given your current group. Sage would give you Arcana and a History -- plus great access to information resources (pick perception as a class skill, probably). Entertainer for more vanilla bard stuff and a decent living and set of contacts during your time 'moonlighting' as an adventurer.

As for your spell list -- also consider sleep in the first level slot. It always seemed more thematic on a bard than a wizard to me anyway. Shatter in the second level slot to cover for some of the lack in blastiness of your main party. For fun tricks, look at dissonant whispers (could draw a lot of OAs from your melee types) and the, never gets dull, invisibility. Long strider is good if you want to outrun a toughie and keep shooting. For cantrips, minor illusion and mending can be very useful -- so may want to look at one of those for good utility.

For the stat array -- Dex and Cha at 16/16 for half elf is great. You probably want 12s in int and con.

Good luck and have fun! With your current party, I think you'll get a huge amount of love out of the Lore Bard. Let us know how it goes!

[Nasagi]

Hey guys thanks for all the help. I thought I'd try the bard out for a month or two and get a couple of decent stories before I updated everyone on what's going on. First off I do love the lore bard, the versatility is just amazing. Anyways onto the stories. I chose the best ones out of what's happened so far
1. Group is combing through some catacombs with rogue/assassin scouting ahead. He notices undead ahead so he drops a bag of ball bearings to slow them and shoots one with his hand crossbow. As the rest of the group catch up I get the idea to use Thunderwave to turn the ball bearings into a shotgun blast.
2. Wandering a forest with a prisoner and we come across a valley with a cave at the bottom where some treasure is hidden. We tie the prisoner's rope to a tree and the rogue shoves him off the edge to use as a bridge downwards. When we come out of said cave an ooze has eaten said prisoner leaving only a pair of dangling arms attached to the rope (this story's more of an overall thing)
3. Fighting an enemy caster and his kobold minions. First round of combat I disable him with Tasha's Hideous Laughter while the group is taking care of the kobolds. He breaks free after a few rounds and when all but 2 of the Kobolds are dead I manage to convince him to surrender using "bardly skills" under the promise we will not kill said kobolds..What the city guard did to them is beyond my control
4. My personal favorite here. One of the paladins decided to reroll as a Rogue/Circle of the Moon druid. He prefers turning into a Dire Wolf because of the Pack Tactics. Me and druid were scouting out a swamp and we come across a hill with two enemies talking so i manage to convince him to let me climb on his back. I then cast invisibility on the druid because it says "the target and anything they are carrying are invisible." DM likes the way we're going so he allows the slight bending of the wording here. We charge up the hill and into combat with me using a scroll of Flame Blade I'd acquired earlier.
I have a feeling number 4 will become a favorite of mine over the course of the campaign. Obviously i'd taken some of your suggestions with the spell list to get invisibility I'm very fond of it now