Good Uncommon/Rare Magic Items for a Barbarian or Bard?

[Coidzor]

So for our next backup character, our DM is allowing us to select either 1 Rare OR 2 Uncommon items to get as freebies

I'm currently weighing either a Hobgoblin Barbarian, probably a Bear Totem type, or a Human Bard, likely going Lore.

Since it's a Curse of Strahd game, the DM is probably going to ban things like a Mace of Disruption or a Sword of Wounding that are obviously powerful against Undead like Vampires or Revenants.

I've also got ~500 gp to spend on various gear or even whatever from this list of items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?424243-Sane-Magic-Item-Prices) that I can afford. So the Barbarian, at least, would likely grab a Vicious Weapon if no magic weapon pressed upon him.

What are some items that scream "Take me!" for either class?

[Slayn82]

I play a bit as a Bard. My suggestions:

Instrument of the Bards : Fochuclan Bandore is one of my favorite magic items. Invisibility, Fly, Protection from good/evil and Levitation once per day is very useful, and Entangle or Faerie Fire are pretty solid spells. Imposing disadvantage on enemy saves against your charm spells also is a good buff.

Helmet of Comprehend Languages or Hat of disguise also work well.

[Strill]

For the Bard, in terms of raw min-maxing, I'd say Winged Boots, and Wand of Web. Web is just so strong and you're getting about 4 to 5 extra casts of it every day. Winged Boots, of course, lets you just fly right out of reach of any melee enemy at a moment's notice.

[LeonBH]

If you go with the Human Bard, throw in a pair of Goggles of Night. Darkvision is important.

[Coidzor]

I play a bit as a Bard. My suggestions:

Instrument of the Bards : Fochuclan Bandore is one of my favorite magic items. Invisibility, Fly, Protection from good/evil and Levitation once per day is very useful, and Entangle or Faerie Fire are pretty solid spells. Imposing disadvantage on enemy saves against your charm spells also is a good buff.

Helmet of Comprehend Languages or Hat of disguise also work well.

The Fochlucan Bandore does look pretty nice, thanks for the heads up about that.

Why a Helmet of Comprehend Languages?


For the Bard, in terms of raw min-maxing, I'd say Winged Boots, and Wand of Web. Web is just so strong and you're getting about 4 to 5 extra casts of it every day. Winged Boots, of course, lets you just fly right out of reach of any melee enemy at a moment's notice.

The wand of web does sound pretty nice, though I'm thinking that the winged boots might actually be nicer for the barbarian idea, since we're starting to run into flying enemies now, and he'll naturally want to facesmash them.


If you go with the Human Bard, throw in a pair of Goggles of Night. Darkvision is important.

Good point. Although there'll be other characters without darkvision amongst the other backups, so odds are good that we'd have to have a light source in the party anyway.

[Zman]

The Uncommon bardic instrument is literally one of the most powerful magic items pound for pound for an uncommon.

[Slayn82]

In campaigns where the DM bothers with languages, having the helmet of Comprehend Languages make your life much easier. Good for interrogation of captured enemies, read ancient journals, understand the meaning of the marks left along a path. It's a decent item to have, when doing discovery/ exploration, but not a spell you want to spend your limited spells know. Also, don't requires attunement and is something any member in the party can make use.

[rooneg]

For the Barbarian, you might consider a Cloak of Displacement. Reckless Attack sounds a lot better when your opponent doesn't get advantage from it (although it won't last the whole round if someone actually manages to damage you).

[Arkhios]

If you were a bit of both (bardbarian) and/or Valor Bard, I would suggest Horn of Valhalla; Rare (Silver or Brass)

A horn could be your Musical Instrument and as such, Horn of Valhalla could be your Spellcasting Focus.