Feat for a Bard

[Mr. Crowbar]

It's me being super indecisive again, I've reached level 8 and I want to take a feat but can't decide on what one.

Info: My bard has a acolyte background and will be dipping Life Cleric later on. The other party members are a Wizard, Ranger/Fighter, Pugilist, Fighter, and we miiiight be having a Monk join later. I mostly leave damage to the others and use buff/debuff effects but sometimes I pitch in with blasting.
Stats: 8/14/10/12/16/18
Skills: History, Insight, Medicine(2x), Perception, Performance(2x), Persuasion, Religion, Sleight of Hand
Existing Feats: Magic Initiate (find familiar, chill touch, minor illusion)

Feat Shortlist:
Everybody's Friend: Would really like that Deception proficiency
War Caster: Solid choice, but I feel like I wouldn't get much use of the second & third clauses because I stay away from the enemy and hold nothing anywho.
Healer: Healing is always good but this might be overkill with Life Cleric + Aura of Vitality later on
Elemental Adept: Thunder or Lightning, I stick to those for damage dealing spells.

I'm open to others but those are the ones I've been looking at.

[Chugger]

Why not max out your Cha?

Healer feat doesn't really scale, from what I've seen. Best at the levels you're leaving.

I assume you're an aura healer if you're dipping life. The only feat that makes sense to me is warcaster or resil con. To keep aura going.

If you also stole mirror image, you can do that and then pop aura maybe and not need warcaster til later. And put cha to 20 now, instead.

Lot's of advantages to a 20 cha. Do you have a tank who can keep things from hitting you while you do aura (of course a tank can pretty much only stop melee - most cases - and not missiles and spell damage).

Hard choices.

I don't have the book, don't you have another expansion of expertise coming up and can get deception that way? Dip 1 lvl rogue to get it maybe?

[Mr. Crowbar]

Why not max out your Cha?

Healer feat doesn't really scale, from what I've seen. Best at the levels you're leaving.

I assume you're an aura healer if you're dipping life. The only feat that makes sense to me is warcaster or resil con. To keep aura going.

If you also stole mirror image, you can do that and then pop aura maybe and not need warcaster til later. And put cha to 20 now, instead.

Lot's of advantages to a 20 cha. Do you have a tank who can keep things from hitting you while you do aura (of course a tank can pretty much only stop melee - most cases - and not missiles and spell damage).

Hard choices.

I don't have the book, don't you have another expansion of expertise coming up and can get deception that way? Dip 1 lvl rogue to get it maybe?

I decide to put off maxing CHA because it's guaranteed that we will reach the next ASI level and I'd like to have that payoff later. I'm also just excited to take a feat! I think the only +2 ASI I'd consider is CON since my Bard is super squishy, but I've gotten used to that and it's become a part of the character.

So far my strategy for maintaining Concentration is Don't Get Hit, it works maybe half the time depending on what kind of encounter is being thrown at us. But yeah... with 0 to CON I can see Aura of Vitality being dropped a lot.

I do get more Expertise at level 10. The DM might let me train for Deception. Part of me likes seeing high numbers down the skill list and admittedly I was envious of a rogue that has been booted from the party.

[Sigreid]

How about the inspiring leader feat? It's very thematic with what you describe so far, and it can take a good chunk of the bite out of spike damage.

[Aaron Underhand]

How about the inspiring leader feat? It's very thematic with what you describe so far, and it can take a good chunk of the bite out of spike damage.

Certainly a good option - you might also consider Alert. DM dependent but avoiding getting hit is your style, and that should help a lot.

As you're definitely back rank given your Con I would select one of these two.

[Chugger]

I've had bards tell me they use cutting words (don't have book - maybe it's the other one - you put a disadvantage on an attacker) and do a pulse of aura - and that's all they're doing if they're in super healer mode.

Mostly are you the party's healer? If so and if you are most concerned about not losing concen. on aura, then take a multi-layered approach to it.

Mirror Image, if you can steal that (iirc bard's don't get it otherwise) has no concen and can be cast right before aura. Good synergy in most cases.

Hold back - stealth if you can - and let everyone else "commit". Many creatures are unwilling to give nasty party members an AoO to come get you - see the lay of the battlefield and enter on round 2 or 3.

Do a minor illusion to hide in. DMs often hate this, but some allow it.

If someone else can cast darkness you can play in and out of that. Peek out to use aura, if you have to see to make it work, and duck back into darkness to make attacks hard to get you. Depends on DM sometimes. Make sure anyone w/ sentinel or forced duel or w/e helps you.

Get party cleric to put _sanctuary_ on you. If you're just healing. You can't cause damage and keep sanctuary, but you can heal and do many other helpful things.

There are many many options - I'm gonna stop now.

If you really want to preserve your aura, get warcaster or resil on top of all these other tricks. If you feel all the tricks you can pull are enough, then opt for some other feat.

The one that gives you +5 to initiative is great - never be surprised is great. You can go through the list. Good luck. But mostly understand that you can look for synergy or layered help from other things you can do to make certain feats unnecessary or way better than the feat alone. If you're not a number cruncher or optimizer and are mostly playing for fun, then follow your instincts - go for what looks the most fun.

[Mr. Crowbar]

I don't think Inspiring Leader would be as useful because most of the party already receive THP from other sources and from what I know, THP doesn't stack?

My Bard is definitely way-in-the-back rank, haha. Cutting Words is my main defensive option and our Abjurer Wizard lends me a hand when she can, and I use the environment to hide when I can. We still get lots of fights that offer no cover and/or are cramped. I will grab Sanctuary when I take a Cleric level, and I currently have Pyrotechnics to provide a smokescreen.

I think at this point I'm leaning to War Caster. Alert does seem good but not fitting for the character.

[Dudewithknives]

I would go with, Magic Initiate: Sorcerer to get shocking grasp for escape, and Firebolt or some other good damaging ranged spell, for first level there are many good options, shield is always nice.

Or moderately armored so you can use half plate and a shield to make best use out of the 14 dex, unless you are a valor bard.

More important question, what subclass are you?

If UA is ok for your table, 1 level are preferably 2 in Hexblade warlock would make you a beast. Again unless you were Valor Bard then take raven queen.

P.S. I am also playing a Pugilist in my current game, if it is the same one as in your game they are a blast. The group has started calling mine the Angry Drunken Yoyo, due to his constant changing temporary hp and drunken rowdyness.

[Specter]

Why haven't you considered Resilient (CON)? I think it's your best option, because your CON is sad at this point and you want to concentrate.

[Sigreid]

I don't think Inspiring Leader would be as useful because most of the party already receive THP from other sources and from what I know, THP doesn't stack?

My Bard is definitely way-in-the-back rank, haha. Cutting Words is my main defensive option and our Abjurer Wizard lends me a hand when she can, and I use the environment to hide when I can. We still get lots of fights that offer no cover and/or are cramped. I will grab Sanctuary when I take a Cleric level, and I currently have Pyrotechnics to provide a smokescreen.

I think at this point I'm leaning to War Caster. Alert does seem good but not fitting for the character.

You are correct that temp hp don't stack. Based on the classes you listed, I find it interesting that they are getting temp HP from other sources and am wondering how. BTW, you are aware that the Abjurer's ward has HP, but is not temporary HP?

[Mr. Crowbar]

I would go with, Magic Initiate: Sorcerer to get shocking grasp for escape, and Firebolt or some other good damaging ranged spell, for first level there are many good options, shield is always nice.

Or moderately armored so you can use half plate and a shield to make best use out of the 14 dex, unless you are a valor bard.

More important question, what subclass are you?

If UA is ok for your table, 1 level are preferably 2 in Hexblade warlock would make you a beast. Again unless you were Valor Bard then take raven queen.


I already have Magic Initiate, will be getting Medium Armour when I dip Cleric (like man I'm tempted to dip now for the armour but I really want level 10 magical secrets), am a Lore Bard, and want to keep multiclassing divine-flavoured. I've looked at the Celestial Warlock and Favoured Soul Sorcerer and neither seems to offer as much as the one level in cleric. Unless Xanathar's Guide has more appealing versions of either.


Why haven't you considered Resilient (CON)? I think it's your best option, because your CON is sad at this point and you want to concentrate.

Because I'm committed to being a squishy Bard that gets blackout drunk on one drink. I'd also like to get Resilient WIS down the line because they are more concerned with defending against mind-altering effects. War Caster helps with the concentration while still being squishy.

[bid]

I think the only +2 ASI I'd consider is CON since my Bard is super squishy, but I've gotten used to that and it's become a part of the character.
There goes my first suggestion.


I don't think Inspiring Leader would be as useful because most of the party already receive THP from other sources and from what I know, THP doesn't stack?
There goes my second.:smallyuk:


Are you sure about the thp? Because none of Wizard, Ranger/Fighter, Fighter should have any.
And look, you'd give them 13 thp! That's more than any other source.

[Mr. Crowbar]

There goes my first suggestion.

There goes my second.:smallyuk:

Are you sure about the thp? Because none of Wizard, Ranger/Fighter, Fighter should have any.
And look, you'd give them 13 thp! That's more than any other source.

Sorry for being difficult.:smallbiggrin:

The Wizard is an Abjurer and the Ranger has a homebrew ability that gives her a baseline of 10 THP, restoring 2 per turn. The Fighter is an NPC and it's 50/50 whether or not he's in a fight.

Okay I'm reading the Arcane Ward again and is it not actually creating THP? We've been treating it that way, maybe for convenience, but if Inspiring Leader stacks on top of the Ward that makes it more appealing. The Wizard has over 80 hp with the ward at full, she'd be unstoppable with anything more.

[Aaron Underhand]

Still think Alert is very thematic if you try to avoid damage... not sure why it shouldn't be.... you've just got hyper nervous!

[Merudo]

Sorry for being difficult.:smallbiggrin:

The Wizard is an Abjurer [...]


The Abjurer's ward does not give temporary HP, so there shouldn't be any problem stacking it with Inspiring Leader.

[Galadhrim]

If you are interested in skills, you might look at prodigy instead of everybody's friend. You can get deception and expertise in persuasion from both. Everybody's friend gives you a +1 to cha which does nothing for you and requires you to find another cha half feat or split stats later. Prodigy gives you and additional tool and additional language. Very bard like.

Inspiring Leader, like others have said, is very useful and does stack with the wizard's ward.

[Spiritchaser]

My first thought is that if it were me i’d take res CON or warcaster for concentration saves but...

I have a player who took expertise in perception as well as the observant feat, and she changes the dynamic more than I would ever have expected. You couldn’t take expertise in perception for another 2 levels, but consider having a passive perception score of 26... it’s not alert, but functionally it almost does the same thing for much of the time, and You can see everything short of the nearly impossible automatically.

[Merudo]

My first thought is that if it were me i’d take res CON or warcaster for concentration saves but...

I have a player who took expertise in perception as well as the observant feat, and she changes the dynamic more than I would ever have expected. You couldn’t take expertise in perception for another 2 levels, but consider having a passive perception score of 26... it’s not alert, but functionally it almost does the same thing for much of the time, and You can see everything short of the nearly impossible automatically.

Depends on the DM - some of them never roll any passive perception checks.

[djreynolds]

Are you looking for a ranger spell attack.
16 wisdom is good for sacred flame once you get that cleric level... but it is save or suck.
Spell sniper could net you firebolt from sorcerer or EB from warlock for a consistent charisma based ranged spell attack and increased range.
Also make sure to grab 2 levels of cleric for channel divinity, it's short rest recharge is worth it.
Heroism is a good bard spell.

What are you plans for magical secrets?

When in doubt max out charisma?

I might take a level of divine sorcerer for cantrips.

[Mr. Crowbar]

Wow this was posted like a year ago, I got a little confused seeing it on the first page of the forum today haha. I ended up taking +2 to CON. Next ASI will be to max out CHA. Other plans for Magical Secrets and Multiclassing are up in the air because of recent story developments.

[bid]

Well, thank you for the follow up. Since to know what your pick became.