Advice to make my life cleric1/lore bard X support character be even better.

[Mandarin]

Alright... so I enjoy breaking the game... but I also enjoy fun RP... I know I know.... I am half munchkin but am unapologetic... its what I like. So here is my character concept.

Char Name- Francis Percival Godrick the third
Race- Half elf
Level- 4
Life Cleric 1/ Lore Bard 3 (And plan on staying lore bard the remainder of the campaign)
We roll for stats and I lucked out

CHA-18 >20
Intel-8
Dex-12
STR-15 > 16
WIS-15 > 16
CON-18

Character- Francis is really into himself. He polishes the back of his shield and carries and hand mirror to be able to constantly look at himself. (BTW the hand mirror is my instrument... I worked it out with the DM that it channels music from an alternate dimension at will .. IE I play a song on bluetooth that matches the area/situation we are in) He is the most beautiful creature in the world... in his mind. He has flowing blonde hair (Think Fabio), incredible physique, and is terrified to have his beautiful face damaged. Francis constantly casts light cantrip on himself so others can see him better... because it would be a disservice to the world to hide that beauty. Francis spends his downtime making healing potions, plucking his eyebrowns, brushing his hair, and bleaching his teeth. He is terrible at stealth... and believes himself so pretty that he can talk his way out of any situation. He doesnt like weilding a weapon because it could callous his perfect hands or ruin his manicure... so he will onlycant cantrips to damage his foe... or more likely use vicious mockery to verbally jab at his opponents lack of skin care regimen. Francis will always stand in the back... believing his comrades facial structures more expendable than his own. If francis ever gets into melee combat... he will quickly run out of it. He wears heavy armor to help protect his beauty.

I plan on picking up goodberry and aura of vitality for my magical secrets at 6 (Well 7 since I have 1 level of cleric) but this is my first multiclass and I wondering if I am missing anything glaring? Any tips or advice will be welcome... this is also my first bard or cleric... I want this character to be the ULTIMATE support class... healing, crowd control, damage mitigation..ect... Let me know what you all think... especially if I am doing something stupid... perhaps some spells I cant do without? I picked up Bless, spare the dying, faerie fire, vicious mockery among others. Let me know if a full spell list of what I am working with will help. THANKS!

[Galadhrim]

This character seems like prestidigitation is a requirement for RP. Keep those clothes immaculately pressed, tea piping hot, and food tasting up to par even while adventuring. I'm not sure why you need spare the dying. You have healing word, cure wounds, Life cleric buffed good berries, potions made in downtime, and your channel divinity. If it comes to using spare they dying as an action, something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. Instead go with guidance, which will allow Francis to be successful almost as often as he feels he should be.

Cleric cantrips: Guidance, sacred flame, thaumaturgy (so everyone can hear what you have to say and you can make your eyes really sparkle)
Bard Cantrips: prestidigitation, vicious mockery. Next cantrip one of mending, message, or minor illusion (my favorite) although if there are humans and you are wanting to be ultimate support perhaps Light.

For your cleric spells, you don't have to be as particular with your choices because you can prepare them daily.

For bard spells: Level 1: dissonant whispers , faerie fire, unseen servant (for the RP), perhaps longstrider (buff that does not use concentration) at level 1
Level 2: calm emotions, heat metal, blindness/deafness. refuse invisibility since that would deprive the world of seeing your beautiful face.
Level 3: Plant growth is great non-concentration control, hypnotic pattern or fear (I would add stinking cloud here but bad smells would be too offensive)

Overall you will likely be concentrating on bless or faerie fire unless battlefield control is very important and then will concentrate on hypnotic pattern or perhaps fear. For other spell choices, keep concentration in mind as they will see limited use even if they are very good spells.

[Mandarin]

You sir are amazing.. and channeling my inner francis. Thanks that actually helps a ton. <3

[Theodoxus]

I have a similar character, though a stout halfling, because apparently, I like a challenge (and we used standard array, so while HE thinks he's god's gift to beauty, he's certainly not the most handsomist romantic halfling in the world.

One thing I'd offer is using Sanctuary on yourself. You then have a legitimate reason for not having calloused hands! Enemies will be needing to make Wisdom saves against your remarkable beauty just to hit on you, and you can saunter (don't run, that'll make you perspire) around the battlefield with near impunity, healing and buffing your meatshields, er teammates.

FWIW, my DM ruled that using Cutting Words on enemy attacks to reduce the To Hit would break Sanctuary, as a hostile action, but using it to reduce damage after a hit would not (making your teammate dodge the attack a bit).

[Galadhrim]

You might want to reconsider str vs. dex. From optimization standpoint, dex is definitely superior as it allows for better initiative and better dex saves which are the most common in the game. But also for your RP, heavy armor really cuts down on the world's ability to admire your physique. Full plate may even block your face, which would be a travesty. You can still clank around and be terrible at stealth in half plate.

[Mandarin]

I should have also mentioned that I am taking warcaster as my lvl 4 feat and plan on taking inspiring leader as my lvl 8 feat.... The only thing I am worried about is my DM tends to be light on the CR rating of our battles and I cannot remember ever using a short rest hit die.... we have been playing under him as a dm for 6 months. I talked to him last night about upping the difficulty and forcing us to use our short rests to heal... really pushing us.... and if we die then so be it. Hopefully he takes my advice (He is a super nice guy so I am sure he will listen to the feedback) and start really pushing us in battle. All that to say I am worried that all these healing spells and life cleric dip will be for nothing... but we will see. I really want a full healer /support character!

[Mandarin]

You might want to reconsider str vs. dex. From optimization standpoint, dex is definitely superior as it allows for better initiative and better dex saves which are the most common in the game. But also for your RP, heavy armor really cuts down on the world's ability to admire your physique. Full plate may even block your face, which would be a travesty. You can still clank around and be terrible at stealth in half plate.

Thats a great point... I adjusted and actually have the same AC just with better initiative and dex saves... makes sense he wouldnt want to get all sweaty in heavy armor.

[Mandarin]

First night was amazing. Francis cast bless with a spinning pirouette on the 3 (Brutes up front) and then supported with vicious mockery and cutting words... helping the group land 2 blows that would have otherwise missed and avoid one hit that would have been detrimental. All in all a fabulous night and the party laughed often at Francis' commentary...

DM: 3 wagons.. where are your characters sitting and what are they doing?

ME: Sir Francis is sitting in the front wagon on a padded seat to avoid any dust clouds... he is currently filing his nails.. (My passive perception is 17... no need to pay attention.)


I cannot wait to get magical secrets and some more spell slots.... but bardic inspiration helps a lot with filling in the blanks.

[Jethro]

Instead of taking Goodberry, you might just want to take Magic Initiate and grab it off druid...shouldn't need to cast it more than once a day...

[Dalebert]

But also for your RP, heavy armor really cuts down on the world's ability to admire your physique. Full plate may even block your face, which would be a travesty.

Are you my roommate who has a life cleric 1 / lore bard x character who is also extremely vain?

[Galadhrim]

Are you my roommate who has a life cleric 1 / lore bard x character who is also extremely vain?

Not that I know of

[Galadhrim]

I have a similar character, though a stout halfling, because apparently, I like a challenge (and we used standard array, so while HE thinks he's god's gift to beauty, he's certainly not the most handsomist romantic halfling in the world.

One thing I'd offer is using Sanctuary on yourself. You then have a legitimate reason for not having calloused hands! Enemies will be needing to make Wisdom saves against your remarkable beauty just to hit on you, and you can saunter (don't run, that'll make you perspire) around the battlefield with near impunity, healing and buffing your meatshields, er teammates.

FWIW, my DM ruled that using Cutting Words on enemy attacks to reduce the To Hit would break Sanctuary, as a hostile action, but using it to reduce damage after a hit would not (making your teammate dodge the attack a bit).

Oh nice, sanctuary is very powerful, I didn't think of that (also non-concentration, yay). Talk to your DM, I don't think all DM's would rule that cutting words breaks sanctuary.

[Mandarin]

Some thoughts after my first combat with this guy.

It seems bless is kind of the best use of my concentration in a fight. What situations would you use a different concentration spell in combat? Maybe a specific threat for silence?

I read that cutting words was basically a better use for my bardic inspiration than simply buffing allies... would you agree?

For level 3 spells I am thinking of taking hypnotic pattern and leomunds tiny hut... but once again the level 3 spell is concentration... plant growth MIGHT be useful for slowing baddies down but wold also hinder my allies movement as well... Any suggestions or thoughts?

[Theodoxus]

Some thoughts after my first combat with this guy.

It seems bless is kind of the best use of my concentration in a fight. What situations would you use a different concentration spell in combat? Maybe a specific threat for silence?

I use Faerie Fire over Bless if we're fighting packs that happen to be in a tight formation at some point. Advantage for everyone (but especially the rogue) means anything that fails the save is toast in a few rounds. I use Bless if we're facing magic users (because more saving throw bennies, the better) or if it's a single high AC dude that isn't wearing armor (because Heat Metal is METAL!)

Actually, don't use Heat Metal... it's super cheese, and I feel bad every time I use it, because the DM just watches the particular foe die... The save should be to not take damage, at the very least... but I digress.

Silence is golden against casters, but it's a static location, so better in rooms you can control, rather than the open free range world. Blindness/Deafness is potentially better, unless you're dealing with more than a few troublemakers.




I read that cutting words was basically a better use for my bardic inspiration than simply buffing allies... would you agree?

Definitely. It's a much stronger option, and between it and expanded magical secrets, is the primary reason to take Lore over Valor.



For level 3 spells I am thinking of taking hypnotic pattern and Leomund's tiny hut... but once again the level 3 spell is concentration... plant growth MIGHT be useful for slowing baddies down but would also hinder my allies movement as well... Any suggestions or thoughts?

Leomund's is always useful, though without knowing your party makeup, might not be worth the spell known. If you have a wizard or tomelock, certainly don't take it. If you have primarily short rest using party members, it's less valuable. 3rd level spells are typically the big ones for classes. Bards, it's less so. HyPat is arguably the best bards get natively, so you won't go wrong. Again, it depends a bit on party makeup and encounters. In general, it's considered a must-have. YMMV, of course.

[Citan]

Oh nice, sanctuary is very powerful, I didn't think of that (also non-concentration, yay). Talk to your DM, I don't think all DM's would rule that cutting words breaks sanctuary.
Deciding that Cutting Words breaks Sanctuary is a total houserule, and a very bad one at that (seriously, it's a defining class feature that is limited to 5 times per short rest, why ever considering it has to be nerfed?).
Sanctuary breaks only when you "make an attack or casts a spell that affects an enemy creature". Cutting Words is neither, so perfectly fine by RAW.



Leomund's is always useful, though without knowing your party makeup, might not be worth the spell known. If you have a wizard or tomelock, certainly don't take it. If you have primarily short rest using party members, it's less valuable. 3rd level spells are typically the big ones for classes. Bards, it's less so. HyPat is arguably the best bards get natively, so you won't go wrong. Again, it depends a bit on party makeup and encounters. In general, it's considered a must-have. YMMV, of course.
I really don't understand that statement at all: "who can do the big things can do the little things as well". Nobody forces you to stay all 8 hours straight in a LHT, and it can be ritual cast also as a Bard. So you can perfectly use it to take short rests too. ;)