Does Synaptic Static have room on this spell list?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Thank you all for the advice in the other thread. Sometimes I over-plan leveling up my Bard but the way they change spells is SOOO slow and then we level very slowly in this campaign so I plan. Heck, sometimes it helps give me NPC's for other games which I run also.

But yeah, given this list by level 12 what if anything would you trade out for Synaptic Static and why?



Spells Known 15



Minor Illusion (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Minor%20Illusion#content)



Mage Hand (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Mage%20Hand#content)




Message (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Message#h-Message)



Vicious Mockery (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Vicious%20Mockery#h-Vicious%20Mockery)



Eldritch Blast (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Eldritch%20Blast#content)
Magic Initiate


Friends (https://www.dnd-spells.com/spell/friends)
Magic Initiate


Healing Word (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Healing%20Word#h-Healing%20Word)



Dissonant Whispers (http://dnd5e.wikia.com/wiki/Dissonant_Whispers)





Thunderwave (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Thunderwave#h-Thunderwave)



Hex (https://www.dnd-spells.com/spell/hex)
Magic Initiate


Heat Metal (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Heat%20Metal#h-Heat%20Metal)



Phantasmal Force (http://dnd5e.wikia.com/wiki/Phantasmal_Force)



Shatter (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Shatter#h-Shatter)



Silence (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Silence#h-Silence)



Fear (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Fear#h-Fear)



Counterspell (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Counterspell#h-Counterspell)
Magical Secrets


Fly (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Spells:Fly/#h-Fly)
Magical Secrets


Sending (http://www.orcpub.com/dungeons-and-dragons/5th-edition/spells/sending)



Dimension Door (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Dimension%20Door#content)



Polymorph (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Polymorph#h-Polymorph)



Animate Objects (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Animate%20Objects#content)



Reincarnate (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Reincarnate#content)
L10 Magical Secrets


Bigby's Hand (https://www.aidedd.org/dnd/sorts.php?vo=bigby-s-hand)
L10 Magical Secrets


Mass Suggestion (http://www.orcpub.com/dungeons-and-dragons/5th-edition/spells/mass-suggestion)




My first thought are it has the same save as Phantasmal Force....but I've used Phantasmal Force as a torture tool on bad guys with its D6 of damage....

[LudicSavant]

Seems like you've got a bunch of Concentration stuff. It might be worth dropping one of those to add another non-Concentration option.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Seems like you've got a bunch of Concentration stuff. It might be worth dropping one of those to add another non-Concentration option.

Whats a good ratio to try for?

[Corran]

Reincarnate strikes me as a bad choice for a magical secret, given how raise dead is already on the bard's spell list. Maybe though you want it for thematic reasons?
I would also probably drop bigby's hand too. It's a good spell, but if I were to cut down on my concentration spells (which is a good idea), I would start from the ones I got as magical secrets, cause it will be easier to find good non concentration spells on the combined non-bard spell lists than just on the bard's spell list.

[Nhorianscum]

Kill thunderwave. It's pretty much worthless at this point.

Shatter is also damn near out of gas and silence isn't great if you're not running into situations where it's useful all the time.

The ideal concentration/non concentration ratio is 0/all we pretty much only use concentration when needed. Realisticly if there are 2 concentration spells you would want to use at the same time one of them is worthless. You're mostly fine on that front...

That said Hand and Animate have a lot of overlap, more so with hex in the mix. Pick one of animate/hand and roll with it.

[Keravath]

I'd be tempted to drop fear or thunderwave.

Just for reference .. here are my choices for my level 9 bard 2 warlock (playing in AL) (he went the 2 level hexblade warlock dip route for hex/eldritch blast/shield/invocations/weapon and armor proficiencies rather than magic initiate).

Mage hand
Minor Illusion
Vicious Mockery

Dissonant Whispers
Faerie Fire
Healing Word

Blindness/Deafness
Phantasmal Force
Suggestion

Counterspell (secret)
Dispel Magic
Fireball (secret)
Hypnotic Pattern

Dimension Door
Polymorph

Animate Objects
Synaptic Static

So .. if you want Synaptic Static, I would lean towards dropping Thunderwave or Fear for it. Also, Sending is very situational (very convenient depending on the campaign though) so that might be another option.

[MrStabby]

How many days are you planning to use reincarnated on? F you are intending regular use this might be an issue in its own right.

Also agree thunderwave loses much of its charm later on.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

How many days are you planning to use reincarnated on? F you are intending regular use this might be an issue in its own right.

Also agree thunderwave loses much of its charm later on.

Reincarnate is a great spell! It gives death flavor and reminds folks they really don't want the Bard to be the party healer but the Bard can stand in.

That and my Bard has seen Reincarnate used. One time while the DM was on a bathroom break my Charisma based Bard asked the party Wizard why he spent all that gold on ink and tried to convince him to pay attention to the musical flow of the weave, how people casted their spells and to just want it to happen really badly.

Corrin, I almost forgot about Resurrection being soo similar. I might ask my DM if I can take Reincarnate instead of Resurrection to save my Magical Secrets slot now that you all mention it.

Reincarnate just kicks butt. In a campaign I DM I had an elf female NPC Reincarnated as a half orc. This did not thrill her and really upset her mother who paid for her to be Reincarnated again, and again, and again until unbeknownst to all the elf female made a pact while dead the 13th time to come back as an elf again.