Should I take fireball?

[dnd2016]

Ok so only our sorcerer(fireball), and druid(wall of fire), have aoe spells. Should my lore bard take fireball at 10th level so I can use multiple times a day or go with destructive wave? I just worry about fire damage at high levels. We have 3 other melee classes in our group.

[Arenabait]

My recommendation? No. Take a type of spell that your allies are unlikely to have, or one that is likely to be useful even IF your allies already have it. (I.E. Counterspell)

[jaappleton]

Destructive Wave > Fireball

DW is ally-friendly.

Also grab Counterspell because its amazing.

[Aldarin]

If you have the opportunity to, definitely take it. Don't take it as one of your leveling-up spells, though. It's not worth it.

[dnd2016]

If you have the opportunity to, definitely take it. Don't take it as one of your leveling-up spells, though. It's not worth it.
Leveling up spells?

[Zorku]

Any class that doesn't know infinity spells (but has to prepare some number of them,) gets to swap out an old spell for a new spell when they level up, in addition to the new spells they gain as their known spells number ticks up.

Fireball is generally really great at level 5 when you first have access to it, but then kind of less interesting over time. Taking something at the highest level you can cast does mean that you only get to do it once or twice per day for the foreseeable future, but the higher level stuff tends to have some game changing element to it. Generally it is those spells/features that are the most satisfying.

Plus your group seems to have fireballs covered.

[Zanthy1]

By 10th level, especially with another 2 casters dishing out fire damage, i'd say get something different. ITs a recipe for disaster if ya come across some fire elementals ;)

[Citan]

Ok so only our sorcerer(fireball), and druid(wall of fire), have aoe spells. Should my lore bard take fireball at 10th level so I can use multiple times a day or go with destructive wave? I just worry about fire damage at high levels. We have 3 other melee classes in our group.
I'd vote against, no hesitation.

You have already two people able to cast (non-friendly XD) AOE, and for lvl 10 Magic Secrets you have too many amazing spells to get.

A bit of advice? Grab Circle of Power: advantage on saving throws against spells, and no damage on a successful save, for every ally in 30 feet around you. I really see no better synergy with your party, now not only will your melee pals laugh in the face of enemy casters, but they will also be confident about drawing as many enemies as possible towards them before being the epicenter of a Fireball or Wall of Fire. :)

Just check yourself, because as a Lore Bard you probably don't have that great of an AC, so you will still have to be careful to avoid being hit.

[strangebloke]

Don't take.

You only need a few guys to AOE, and there are other options. That sorc only has so many spells known. Let him be fireball guy.

[Aymon]

Don't take.

You only need a few guys to AOE, and there are other options. That sorc only has so many spells known. Let him be fireball guy.

I'd agree, don't take it.

I'm curious about your existing spells, and particularly what you took as magic secrets at 6th. At 10th I like wall of force, or cone of cold

[dnd2016]

Really sound advice guys, thanks. I do like spells like circle of power and Aura of Vitality, but I am always afraid of the DM targeting me with spells like that.

My ac is pretty good(17).

[dnd2016]

I'd agree, don't take it.

I'm curious about your existing spells, and particularly what you took as magic secrets at 6th. At 10th I like wall of force, or cone of cold

Counterspell and conjure animals at 6th

[Aaron Underhand]

DW I don't like because you can't upcast it. Insect plague gives you continuing AoE and crowd control

[JumboWheat01]

If you already have a couple of characters who make fair use of fire for offense, I would not recommend taking more fire offense. All it takes is one fire immune enemy to shut that down. If you want a mage-y AoE, consider Lightning Bolt, it can be somewhat more party-friendly, since it's a line spell.

[dnd2016]

DW I don't like because you can't upcast it. Insect plague gives you continuing AoE and crowd control

Insect plague is nice, but it's concentration so I can't be concentrating on something else and use the high damage spell like destructive wave. And how much am I really going to up cast it with better choices in the higher levels with limited spell slots

[Strangways]

Ok so only our sorcerer(fireball), and druid(wall of fire), have aoe spells. Should my lore bard take fireball at 10th level so I can use multiple times a day or go with destructive wave? I just worry about fire damage at high levels. We have 3 other melee classes in our group.

I wouldn't. Sorcerers are very, very good at pumping out AoE damage. There's very little point in doing a much weaker job at filling a niche he already occupies quite well. Do what bards do well and leave the AoE to the sorcerer and, to a lesser extent, to the Druid.

[D.U.P.A.]

Take rather a Paladin or Ranger level 5 spell, so you can troll them as they have to wait 7 more levels to get that spell you already know :D

[Sir cryosin]

If you really need fireball just get a wand of fireball.

[dnd2016]

Would it not be wise to take two 5th level spells as my 10th level pics

[KnotaGuru]

Would it not be wise to take two 5th level spells as my 10th level pics

Wall of force and circle of power are great. Bards are much better at shutting enemies down than they are at dealing damage.

I once used wall of force as a dome over an enemy while another player had his earth elemental earth glide underneath and start pounding on the enemy. Was fun and allowed the rest of the party to focus on other bad guys.

[FabulousFizban]

no, stick to buff/debuffs

[Citan]

Really sound advice guys, thanks. I do like spells like circle of power and Aura of Vitality, but I am always afraid of the DM targeting me with spells like that.

My ac is pretty good(17).
Well, with such a decent AC, i'd say it's a gamble worth to take. After all, even if your DM tries to shut your concentration down with spells, you are also under its benefit so it will be hard for him.

If he tries to shut you off by leading direct attacks to you, well, you (the party) just have to outsmart him...
- If you have Minor Illusion or Mold Earth, keep a cover behind which to hide, lessening the threat from ranged attacks.
- If one of the melee has Shield with Protection, ask him stand somewhere from which you can be close together in a single turn (yours or his).
- If a Paladin is among melee, I'd argue that using Shield of Faith on you solely may be worth for that situation (instead of the traditional party Bless).
- Try to have melee form a line of defense to limit the number of creatures that can break through.
These are tactics that have the advantage of not eating (or only little) at your action economy.

Now, let's say you are isolated and under immediate threat...
- If you have Blade Ward and know there is little chance to avoid a round of attacks, use it.
- If instead you think those incoming attacks don't have that high a chance to hit, use Dodge instead.
Sure, it means you don't contribute anything on this turn... Or rather, anything *more*. Because you do all this to keep one of the top 3 buffs of the game for your party.

Otherwise said, if you decided to cast it in the first place, that means that magical threat is extremely strong and consquently the priority here, so "keeping CoP active by whatever mean necessary" is actually the best thing you can do to help.* ;)

Which leads to the kinda drawback of the spell: if you don't assess the situation accurately, you may find after the fact it was totally overkill, or you may have it broken at the worst timing ever (like, just *before* the enemy caster unleashes hell XD).
Like many powerful spells, it has to be handled with care to not waste resources. ;)


* If you had a Druid dip, I'd wonder how the DM would react if you told that after casting CoP, you Wild Shape into a tiny beast then goes into a secret pocket inside of the armor of your big-ass, AC 20+ melee pal. XD

[dnd2016]

So WoF and circle of power seem like top favorites by most of you.What about Bigbys?

[KnotaGuru]

So WoF and circle of power seem like top favorites by most of you.What about Bigbys?

It's a good spell. Built in versatility and scalable. Does use concentration and your bonus action for most effects though. If you think it'd be fun go ahead and give it a go.

[Specter]

If you do want Fireball, either Destructive Wave or Conjure Volley do the job much better at this point.

[Citan]

So WoF and circle of power seem like top favorites by most of you.What about Bigbys?
Bigby's is much more "offensive" than the two others you quoted, but that is definitely a good spell too. If you'd prefer having fun with it go ahead. ;)