Very new to 5.0 a bit of guidance please?

[cullynthedwarf]

Playing in my first 5.0 game Sunday and trying to figure out rules an stuff to make my character the best all around he can be.
L1 half elf Bard.
13S 18D 12C 14I 7W 20Ch
I have 175 gold and of course 4 1st L spells and 2 cantrips.

Go!

And thank you

[holywhippet]

I'd grab cure wounds, faerie fire, sleep and identify as your first level spells. Grab vicious mockery as one of your cantrips - it isn't great for damage but giving enemies disadvantage is a good use of your time. Your AC will always suck as a bard unless you multiclass or grab some feats so stay out of stabbing range and try to rely on ranged weapons.

[Corpsecandle717]

What do you expect/want your role to be?


I'd grab cure wounds, faerie fire, sleep and identify as your first level spells. Grab vicious mockery as one of your cantrips - it isn't great for damage but giving enemies disadvantage is a good use of your time. Your AC will always suck as a bard unless you multiclass or grab some feats so stay out of stabbing range and try to rely on ranged weapons.

This is great advice, but I'd suggest healing word instead of cure wounds. It's ranged and a bonus action (Make sure to look up the rules for action economy and spell casting. Casting multiple spells in a round can get tricky). If there's no other healer in the group healing word will get you through a battle and allow your party to potion up or use hit dice during short rests. If there is another healer, it's just nice to be able to make sure they can get back to work if an NPC manages to take them out.

[Contrast]

Thunderwave is good damage at level 1. I would also personally recommend healing words over cure wounds. Less healing but better in an emergency because it isn't touch range and can be done as a bonus action. Usually shouldn't be used for generic healing (take a short rest) but when someone goes down.

Edit - ninja'd /edit

Don't bother with identify unless your DM doesn't allow identifying stuff on a short rest. Silent Image is useful depending how your DM rules illusions. I always have fun with Unseen Servant (which can be cast as a ritual - spend 10 mins casting and doesn't use up a spell slot).

Don't be afraid to get stuck into combat if necessary in the first few levels, with dex 18 you'll be able to stab things with a rapier just as well as the fighter.

Buy a component pouch. I've seen more than one bard get stymied when their musical instrument got broken and they were left without a focus and hadn't thought to buy a component pouch.

[strangebloke]

Playing in my first 5.0 game Sunday and trying to figure out rules an stuff to make my character the best all around he can be.
L1 half elf Bard.
13S 18D 12C 14I 7W 20Ch
I have 175 gold and of course 4 1st L spells and 2 cantrips.

Go!

And thank you

Hi!

The first thing to say is that no character can really truly be an all-rounder. This is by design, and you'll have to rely on your teammates some of the time if your DM is doing his job right.

That said, you've picked one of the most versatile classes and one of the strongest races and you have great stats, so you'll be better off than most.

Anyway, here are some things to consider:
The base Bard class cannot really take hits very well.
With that in mind, you probably want higher CON than what you have. I would suggest that you switch CON and INT. That extra HP is no joke as far as keeping you alive.

The base Bard class is really bad at direct damage, but don't let that make you think you're weak.
1: vicious mockery is great for helping your party survive early on. Most monsters only get one attack and you're functionally halving their hit chance.
2: Sleep is the most powerful spell in the game at first level. It's absurdly strong. You'll need to swap it out eventually, but for the moment it's plenty strong.
3: Tasha's Hideous Laughter is a powerful debuff.
4: Faerie fire is good, however, at this level sleep is generally better.
5: Healing Word is better than cure wounds, IMO, because you can do it at range and potentially save a life. Most deaths in my game were because the party healer couldn't get to the character in time.
6: spells like disguise self are not very good at this level, but in the long run they are very fun indeed.

Inspiration
Inspiration is a less important feature than your spell casting, but it's still very good. Remember that you can pass it out before a fight, and remind your fellow players when they might want to use it. (to turn a miss into a hit, for example.)

[Contrast]

Anyway, here are some things to consider:
The base Bard class cannot really take hits very well.
With that in mind, you probably want higher CON than what you have. I would suggest that you switch CON and INT. That extra HP is no joke as far as keeping you alive.


Just to add to this - some spells require you to maintain concentration on them (Faerie Fire is an example). When you get hit you make a concentration test or lose the spell. The concentration check is a constitution saving throw, so the higher your constitution, the more likely you are to keep hold of the spell.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

I would switch your attributes around a bit as well. You've already got 20 Cha, which is nice. So I'd move things around between Int, Wis, Con and Str.

If you're intended to go for a bard who swords things, having higher Str is nice, and having the Con is essential. If you're going to go in a supportive caster direction, which I prefer, Str isn't that useful. Additionally, you have a nice odd number in that 13. So I might consider doing something like 7 Str, 13 Con, 12 Int and 14 Wis on a lore, glamor or whispers bard, and 13 Str, 14 Con, 7 Int and 12 Wis on a swords or valor bard.

If you don't intend to hit things in melee, Str has limited uses, as you'll get half your proficiency bonus to Str-keyed skills you aren't proficient in. You've got the 7 and you'll have to put it somewhere; might as well be here. (If you do intend to hit things with sharp sticks, then keep your 13 here, probably, and go 7 Int. You can bulk out the 13 Str with a half-feat later on).

Con is more important than Wis, but put the 13 in here anyway. When you get your ASI at level 4, Resilient (Con) is a very strong choice. Concentration checks are Con-based, and you'll have a lot of Concentration spells. Resilient also gives you +1 to that attribute, putting you up at 14 Con. You could put the 14 here to start and take War Caster to protect your Concentration spells, but advantage isn't much stronger than proficiency if at all, and Con saves encompass a wider range of things, most of which are quite important.

Wis saves are more important and more numerous than Int applications. Perception is based on Wis, and there are a lot of Wis save spells that are quite powerful and worth avoiding.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Don't think your damage potential is that inferior.

Dissonant Whispers kicks butt and can get am enemy fo flee in a way that causes an opportunity attact.

Thunderwave vs Burning Hands at L1? 2D8 vs 3D6? Wait until you see how some DM's claim Phantasmal Force and Heat Metal are unfair.

Get some Phantasmal Force and then drop Dissonant Whispers on a Rogue type and the encounter is over.

[holywhippet]

Thunderwave vs Burning Hands at L1? 2D8 vs 3D6? Wait until you see how some DM's claim Phantasmal Force and Heat Metal are unfair.


I'm running a bard at the moment. The DM has started specifically throwing monsters at use that I can't use heat metal on.

[ad_hoc]

Has there ever been a thread asking for character help where the character didn't have ridiculously high stats?

[strangebloke]

Has there ever been a thread asking for character help where the character didn't have ridiculously high stats?
Not to cast aspersions on OP, but the sort of people who post here tend to be very concerned with character power.

... That they coincidentally roll good stats doesn't seem like too much of a coincidence.

[cullynthedwarf]

Ok the mentality is sort of a Han Solo/Matt Cauthon (waits for groaning to subside)

Im used to 3.5 where a 7 in str is unthinkable unless your a mage but as i have looked over the book and havent seen a carrying capacity chart. Not saying there isnt one but i havent seen it yet.

The reason for Matt/Solo is im looking for a quick witted, silver tounged smuggler, i ha e a dragon born 'chewie' to play off of but my weapons choices will most likely be cross bows for the heavy pistol idea then load with magic as i can afford it.

As to those who asked about performance, hes got a small wooden flute for main performance but i secondary skill in Oration (storytelling) so im never with out some type of insyerment to fall back on unless im bound and gagged.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Ok the mentality is sort of a Han Solo/Matt Cauthon (waits for groaning to subside)

Im used to 3.5 where a 7 in str is unthinkable unless your a mage but as i have looked over the book and havent seen a carrying capacity chart. Not saying there isnt one but i havent seen it yet.

The reason for Matt/Solo is im looking for a quick witted, silver tounged smuggler, i ha e a dragon born 'chewie' to play off of but my weapons choices will most likely be cross bows for the heavy pistol idea then load with magic as i can afford it.

As to those who asked about performance, hes got a small wooden flute for main performance but i secondary skill in Oration (storytelling) so im never with out some type of insyerment to fall back on unless im bound and gagged.

That's cool. The 7 str probably fits a Bard better than the 7 int. Not that it isn't possible to be sorta slow yet totally captivating in performance, especially with decent Wisdom.

There is an encumbrance chart someplace. Generally if you don't push it your DM probably won't care.

Ey, did you say what Bard "school" you were thinking about taking? College of Lore is probably my favorite even with all the new releases.

I second or third Healing Word over Cure Wounds. Leave the HD healing to the Cleric. In typical Bard fashion you are good at everything but not really specialized in it. Cure Wounds just won't make enough of a difference in HP given for a Bard to be worth blowing an Action on AND having to run over and touch someone. You can cast Healing Word as a Bonus Action and at range! So you can keep a partner from dying by casting Healing Word and shoot an arrow at the bad guy, you can cast Healing Word on a fellow making Death Saves and use Viscous Mockery. Its kinda cool.

[DerficusRex]

Im used to 3.5 where a 7 in str is unthinkable unless your a mage but as i have looked over the book and havent seen a carrying capacity chart. Not saying there isnt one but i havent seen it yet.

Carry capacity is 15 * str (so, 105lbs for a str of 7) and you can push or drag up to double that but your speed drops to 5ft.

Optional encumbrance rules put you unencumbered up to 5*str, lightly encumbered up to 10*str (-10ft to speed), heavily encumbered above that (-20ft to speed, disadv on checks, attacks, and saves that use str/dex/con).

(here's a link to the relevant section in the basic rules: https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#LiftingandCarrying)

But like MarkVIIIMarc said, I'd check with the DM to see how particular they want to bother to be.

[ImproperJustice]

Also, to round out your Matt Cauthon build be sure to take 20 levels in Warlord/ General.
Or arguably consider taking expertise in history with an emphasis on famous battles...

[cullynthedwarf]

At least some one got that.😁 i will be working on that as well

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Not to cast aspersions on OP, but the sort of people who post here tend to be very concerned with character power.

... That they coincidentally roll good stats doesn't seem like too much of a coincidence.

It is also entirely possible that they are in a game with variant rolling rules. It wasn't that long ago we had a thirty page thread with everyone's various stat acquisition methods, and the majority of them were more powerful than the standard array.

[cullynthedwarf]

[QUOTE=strangebloke;23099486]Hi!

[The first thing to say is that no character can really truly be an all-rounder. my game were because the party healer couldn't get to the character in time.]


@Strangebloke, I know that no character can be an all round except the mighty min/max munchkin with 9+ classes.

What I had meant was the best all around BARD he could be. I'm not going to try to be a meat shield as that's not my role, but I can make the tank more accepting that it is his/hers.

Several people have suggested stat lay outs and a few spell idea, does no one have a thought on gear?

[Contrast]

Several people have suggested stat lay outs and a few spell idea, does no one have a thought on gear?

Studded leather. Instrument. Component pouch. Rapier or a couple of shortswords/daggers. One of the equipment packs. A ranged weapon if you like.

That probably already runs you out of money as you do want some left over for living expenses.

[cullynthedwarf]

So our first game was last night and to all that helped out thatnk you. I would like to say the spell sleep is broken as fu@k. Our one encounter was against wild piggies. And sleep. And then we are look at 3 out of six swine sleeping on the road. The fight was over quickly after that.

[holywhippet]

Sleep is pretty powerful for an early spell which it needs to be as a low level party is a bit easy to kill if things go badly. It can disable most, if not all, enemies for a weak encounter. As you advance in levels you will likely want to exchange it for something else as eventually it won't ever be able to take down a single enemy at full HP.