Gish-ish bard - Some Homebrew

[Hungrygnome]

HELLO ALL.. long time lurker, first time poster. Relatively new to 5th edition.

So im in a group where we are HEAVY spellcaster centric (Wizard, death cleric, tome warlock, fighter) and im playing a bard. Im trying to stay full bard and not Multiclass if I can help it. We rolled stats and are allowed limited approved homebrew. My stats came out at

STR 12
DEX 18
CON 15
INT 12
WIS 14
CHA 18

Im currently a half-elf with the Urban Tracker background ( so the default "rogue" likely ) We are starting at level 3, and I cant decide on a College to choose from. Ive come across this homebrew, and I like it, just trying to figure out how viable it is as a mixed frontline gish/support.

drive.google.com/file/d/0B_73NA7vK-0Od0pQZWxscDBSdXM/view

I figure, with the spells given, and some proper spell choice, I can manage melee decently and with light armor and a shield still have a decent AC. Take warcaster and Resilient(CON). At 10th take green flame blade or booming blade.

Is there anything glaringly wrong im doing? Is this a decent melee gish combination damage wise? (I know its not top tier, but im aiming for good at alot without being amazing at anything other than skills) Is there any feats/spells/items that the forum recommends taking to improve my damage? (Im tryinng to keep a decent AC at the same time)

Greatly appreaciate constructive posts!

[Tauguy628]

This new homebrew seems nice. Just a word of advice: take mage initiate warlock or sorcerer for booming blade and/or greenflame blade if you are not going collage of valor and intend to make melee attacks (You could also take one of these as a magical secrets if you go lore). Also, keep in mind that if you want to attack with martial weapons, you will need to go valor (although the difference in damage between a dagger and rapier is only two).
Edit: forgot about bard weapon proficiencies. I strongly advise against college of valor because you don't need what it provides (you already have the proficiencies you need and this collage only ends up giving you a slightly higher melee DPS at level 14 when you get war magic. Divine bard gives you superior DPS levels before level 14 if you take mage initiate, along with all these other goodies like more spells and reaction buffs).

[CaptainSarathai]

With the stats you have, you don't really need too many ASI, I think that you could get by just going College of Valor and getting the Scag Cantrip Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade. You can snag this by either going High Elf, UA Alternate Half Elf, or by taking Magic Initiate or Spell Sniper as a Feat (VUmans could do this at L1)

Grabbing armor proficiency could be done either via Feat or starting as a Fighter or something at L1 (I know you said you wanted to avoid MCing though).

[Hungrygnome]

All bards get rapiers. And all bards get Magical Secrets at 10th and 14th. Lore just gets it at 6th also.

In the post is a link to the Homebrew College I was going (Divine Bard)

[Specter]

What was said above.

Plus, ask your DM if that damage can be 1d8 instead of 1d6. That's how Cleric's divine strike works anyway.

[Hungrygnome]

Im okay with it being only 1d6 instead of 1d8, the College isnt a true cleric, but gaining 8 spells and bonus radiant damage on attacks seems pretty good already.

Everyone keeps mentioning Magical Initiate, but shouldnt I take Warcaster and Resilant(CON) before I even consider magical initiate?

[Tauguy628]

If you are a divine bard, then mage initiate is very important for keeping your damage viable. If you go lore, then I would skip the mage initiate and take warcaster at level four, picking up booming blade or greenflame blade from magical secrets.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Im okay with it being only 1d6 instead of 1d8, the College isnt a true cleric, but gaining 8 spells and bonus radiant damage on attacks seems pretty good already.

Everyone keeps mentioning Magical Initiate, but shouldnt I take Warcaster and Resilant(CON) before I even consider magical initiate?
You can put it off a little bit, thanks to the bonus from Divine Strike, but I wouldn't delay too much-- you're leaving a good bit of damage on the table that way, damage you'll really want as a gish. You probably don't need both Warcaster and Resilient Con, either-- their functions are largely redundant. I'd go for Magic Initiate (Wizard) for Booming Blade and Find Familiar, then Warcaster. That makes you nicely sticky, since anyone trying to get past you eats a whole mess of damage.

[Hungrygnome]

SO, sadly my DM has changed his mind and decided, due to some campaign reasons im not pertinent to, one Divine character is all he wants, but has decided this other College is okay.

College of the Dancing Flame.

Unarmored Defense

Starting at level 3 when you join this college, you have an Armor Class of 10 plus your Dexterity modifier plus your Charisma modifier when you are wearing no armor and not using a shield.

Flagrant Finesse

Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use your Charisma in place of your Dexterity when making a weapon attack with a ranged or finesse weapon. When doing so, the damage inflicted becomes psychic or fire (your choice when you attack).

Once per turn as a bonus action when you hit an enemy with a weapon attack with a ranged or finesse weapon, you may choose to taunt them. An enemy who is so taunted has disadvantage to attack any creature other than you until the end of your next turn. A creature can only be subjected to one taunt at a time, with new ones superseding the previous one. Creatures who cannot be charmed are immune to this effect.

Burning Retort

Also at level 3, when an enemy makes an attack roll against a creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you, the targeted creature can roll that die and choose to inflict that much fire or psychic damage against the attacking enemy. If the enemy is not immune to the damage or to being frightened, it gains disadvantage on all attacks made against the creature that used the die until the end of its next turn, including the attack that triggered this. The creature can decide to use the die in this fashion before or after the initial attack roll is made, but only before the result has been announced.

Blazing Web of Song and Steel

Starting at level 6, whenever an enemy you can see makes an attack against another creature or casts a spell that targets one or more of your allies that you can see but not you, as a reaction you can either cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action that targets only the triggering enemy or an ally targeted by the triggering attack or spell, or make an attack using a ranged or finesse weapon against the triggering enemy.

Your reaction is processed before the triggering attack or spell is completed. If you inflicted fire or psychic damage against the enemy as part of the reaction, the enemy gains disadvantage on its attack roll for the attack or your ally gains advantage on any saving throw against the spell (as applicable).

A creature does not trigger this feature when attacking or casting spells against other characters who also possess it.

Blaze of Glory

At level 14, during your turn you may choose to blaze with energy as a bonus action. When you do so, you immediately regain one expended Bardic Inspiration die, and can spend 1 or more of your bard Hit Dice to regain HP.

The other effects of this ability last while you concentrate on it (as you would a spell) for up to one minute. You emit bright light in a 20 foot radius, and dim light for a further 20 feet. You have resistance to fire and psychic damage and cannot be frightened or charmed. On your turn, you may either dash, dodge, disengage, make a weapon attack with a ranged or finesse weapon, or cast a bard cantrip with a casting time of 1 action as a bonus action. You also have advantage on any Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) checks you make (except for checks made to swim). You cannot hide while in this state. Any attempt to do so ends the effect.

Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest

While not as directly damaging, it does hand out disadvantage like candy at a parade, and its level 6 ability allows me to cast or attack as a reaction any time someone attacks someone other than me. Add in the ability to turn all finesse or ranged damage into fire or psychic.

SO which do you all think would be better for the group as a melee? Valor or Dancing Flame?

And would Dancing Flame plus Crossbow Expert work out well?

[Sir cryosin]

I'm afb but that seams go get a lot at lv 3. Talk about front heavy.

[Sir cryosin]

...........

[Hungrygnome]

Regardless of its power, I was wondering specifically about its damage potential, and its ability in the current party setup compared to a valor bard. I like how it can hand out so much disadvantage, and its level 6 ability gives an extra attack/spell, but only if they attack someone else.

But he can offset alot of the benefits it provides by focusing on me.

[Sir cryosin]

So you have 1 more AC then valor, and you have one hand free. The next 3rd lv ability is weird first your by passing any resistance by turning you weapon damage to psychic damages. And with the same ability it's a stronger version of vicious mockery that is eating both your action and bonus action. The 3rd 3rd lv ability seems alright this collage seem to be boasting your team mate damage. Compared to valors boasting AC and lore skills.

The 6th lv ability is a little op do to allowing you to cast a spell as a reaction. As long as it not targeting you.

The 14th lv ability is just op as hell. Your getting bardic inspiration back so easly. On top of that you get to use your hit dice out side of a short rest. This ability can be so so op when multi classed with anything with a extra attack a you can attack 2 times the through magical secrets pick up green flame or booming blade and cast them as a bonus action.

[Sir cryosin]

Just play a valor bard. Homebrewed is always funny even if it seams balance. When your at the table and use a ability it seam feels unbalanced to other just because it something you do see being new abilitys. Most homebrewe are op by design and thought. People create homebrewed classes or archtypes because they can't get something using the stuff in the books. Just like you want the spells and slots of a full caster and still get the ac and attack power of a martial class. The valor bard is what you want just play that you get ac spells and slots and later you get war magic.

[Hungrygnome]

I'm not asking for opinions on the class balance. I'm asking for a comparison to valor bard in terms of close combat and damage.

[CaptainSarathai]

I'm not asking for opinions on the class balance. I'm asking for a comparison to valor bard in terms of close combat and damage.
TL:DR - yes, you're better than a Valor bard and most other classes. Congratulations, enjoy your homebrew.

Going through it point-by-point though, so that maybe you appreciate why this thing should be thrown into the nearest dumpster fire.

Unarmored Defense
Valor Bards get prof. in Medium Armor. The best AC you can do with Light or Medium Armor is a 17 with max Dex in Studded Leather, or 17 with Disadvantages with 14 Dex and Half Plate.
Unarmored like this gives a max AC of 20. Not to mention that aside from sort of the Monk, UD based on Dex and your primary Stat is unheard of.

Flagrant Disregard of Balance
So, this is just the Shillelagh cantrip that all Bards have. Except that it's automatic rather than a Bonus Action spell, it applies to any Finesse weapon rather than two very specific ones, it applies to Ranged weapons, and it can bypass the resistances by being Psychic. The only class that can do that at-will, btw

Flagrant Disregard for Balance, Part Deux - because we need 2 paragraphs for a 3rd level effect!
Oh, and yeah - it hands out Disadvantage as a Bonus Action on hit. Once per TURN?!
As an aside though, why the hell does this last until the end of your next turn, rather than the start like every similar feature in the game?
There's also no question of economy with this, unlike many classes, unless you 2WF or CE.

Burning Extra-Special Extra 3rd Level Feature, Because You're Special
So, Bardic Inspiration is either +Die to Attack or Skill, or Save. At 3rd level (their only 3rd level feature, btw) a Valor Bard also lets the die be added to Damage or AC. This is a D6, for an average roll of 3.5 and this damage is type: 'Boring'.
This ability however, let's you add that die as typed damage (psychic, again) and put the enemy at Disadvantage to attack it. Average value of Disadvantage? -5. Even when your dice go up to D8s, this is better than the roll, AND it allows them to do both.
Also, it never specifies that the attack even has to hit to inflict Disadvantage. You just have to use the die against it on an attack.

And a nitpick about poor writing: you choose to do this when you make an attack - it doesn't say that the attack has to hit to deal the extra damage. It also says that you can choose to add this die before or after the attack roll, which is stupidly pointless because it adds damage - why would you waste it on an attack that didn't hit? AND, a creature cannot have Disadvantage against an Attack roll...

More Fire-stuff of Realizing "I Could Just Play a BladeSinger with Performer Background"
So at 6th level, Valor Bards gain an extra Attack. At first glance, that seems better than thi... oh no wait, there's riders, because of course there are - every class feature needs riders right?
So you can take a Reaction to impose Disadvantage on someone attacking a buddy. Cool, Protection fighting style on Fighters and Paladins does this. For an ally within 5'... And without granting an attack or spell from you... And doesn't give Advantage on saves vs. Spells...
Well, at least they had the good sense to make this a 6th level feature instead of 3rd! [applause]

The Flaming (see what I did there?) Dumpster Attached to the Front of That Train That Crashed Into Montparnasse Station In 1895
So, Valor Bards at 14th get what amounts to WarMagic from the 7th level Eldritch Knight.
This uh... class gets that, PLUS Cunning Action from the Rogue, PLUS Metamagic: Quicken Spell from the Sorcerer, PLUS Second-Wind from a Fighter, PLUS damage resistance, PLUS you glow in the dark. Oh, but you can't hide, as if that balances it OR this class does much hiding anyway.
--

1) Is it OP? Oh yeah it is!
2) Is it better than a Valor Bard? See 1
3) Should I add a questionably broken fear like Crossbow Expert into my build? See 1

I'm gonna leave this here, in case anyone else has any delusions of grandeur:
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/modifying-classes

[Hungrygnome]

I assume my DM knows what he is doing when allowing homebrew, as he has reviewed it and approved it. He is allowing a blood wizard who has ways of creating temp HP that he can then sack to boost or power spells. I didn't write it, I just posted the details as its easier than linking it and expecting people to go to read it.

But thank you for at least explaining that it can be a superior melee combatant to valor bard, assuming they don't just beat my face in to avoid the penalties it can inflict.