Which one of the uncommon instruments of the bard is the best in your opinion?

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Hello guys :)

Last game when we found an exotic automated magic item shop in a lost civilizatio. My DM told me to choose an uncommon instruments of the bard when I told him I am looking for one in the shop.

I choose the Mac-Fuirmidh Cittern for my control lore bard as it have Fog Cloud. I see it as a great spell even when Barkskin is not as good as a heavy control spell(our paladin is heavily armoured, the bearbarian don't need it and everyone else is out of range most of the time).

So, which one of the uncommon instruments of the bard you guys think is the best?

I will also like to know which one you think is the best overal?
I know the legendary is amazing but maybe someone have a different opinion.

[diplomancer]

My favorite uncommon one is the bandore, though it has 2 rules interactions that should be cleared up with the DM:
1-Shillelagh, of all the spells mentioned in all the instruments, is the only cantrip. I'm not sure whether it's still limited as once per day or if you can cast it as a cantrip. Obviously, if you have unlimited uses of it, it gets a lot better, especially with Valor and Swords Bards.
2- Speak with animals is nice combined with inspiring leader and conjure animals (either from your magic secrets or from someone else's casting). However, technically, the animals summoned by the spell are fey, not beasts, so your DM might rule that speak with animals does not allow you to talk to them (it seems to me that the RAW of conjure animals is that the summons are BOTH beast AND fey, which means this trick should work).

Entangle and, specially, faerie fire, are considerably better than cure wounds and barkskin, so for me the only good spell in the cittern is fog cloud (which, though good, there is a cheap magical item that more pr less duplicates it without concentration)

[Gignere]

My favorite uncommon one is the bandore, though it has 2 rules interactions that should be cleared up with the DM:
1-Shillelagh, of all the spells mentioned in all the instruments, is the only cantrip. I'm not sure whether it's still limited as once per day or if you can cast it as a cantrip. Obviously, if you have unlimited uses of it, it gets a lot better, especially with Valor and Swords Bards.
2- Speak with animals is nice combined with inspiring leader and conjure animals (either from your magic secrets or from someone else's casting). However, technically, the animals summoned by the spell are fey, not beasts, so your DM might rule that speak with animals does not allow you to talk to them (it seems to me that the RAW of conjure animals is that the summons are BOTH beast AND fey, which means this trick should work).

Entangle and, specially, faerie fire, are considerably better than cure wounds and barkskin, so for me the only good spell in the cittern is fog cloud (which, though good, there is a cheap magical item that more pr less duplicates it without concentration)

What’s the cheap magic item that duplicates fog cloud?

[BloodSnake'sCha]

What’s the cheap magic item that duplicates fog cloud?

Eversmoking Bottle?

The problem it that you don't want to throw and forget it like you can with fog cloud.



My favorite uncommon one is the bandore, though it has 2 rules interactions that should be cleared up with the DM:
1-Shillelagh, of all the spells mentioned in all the instruments, is the only cantrip. I'm not sure whether it's still limited as once per day or if you can cast it as a cantrip. Obviously, if you have unlimited uses of it, it gets a lot better, especially with Valor and Swords Bards.
2- Speak with animals is nice combined with inspiring leader and conjure animals (either from your magic secrets or from someone else's casting). However, technically, the animals summoned by the spell are fey, not beasts, so your DM might rule that speak with animals does not allow you to talk to them (it seems to me that the RAW of conjure animals is that the summons are BOTH beast AND fey, which means this trick should work).

Entangle and, specially, faerie fire, are considerably better than cure wounds and barkskin, so for me the only good spell in the cittern is fog cloud (which, though good, there is a cheap magical item that more pr less duplicates it without concentration)

I was heavily considering it, I didn't took it as I have the same Dex and Cha for attack and Animal Friendship as a ritual (story reward) and I try to stay as far as I can from combat in order to keep my concentration spells(I got low con of 12, we always make fun of the fact I got one shoted two times at level 6(lucky it was before my turn so I didn't lost concentration and our celestial warlock picked me up).

Faerie Fire is my non important fight bread and butter so I didn't needed more casting of it.
Entangled I do want to take but I think I will get my tentacles(the black ones, the spell) soon so I will pass over it.

If I was playing a Valor or Swords I would be taking it.

[diplomancer]

Eversmoking Bottle?

The problem it that you don't want to throw and forget it like you can with fog cloud.




I was heavily considering it, I didn't took it as I have the same Dex and Cha for attack and Animal Friendship as a ritual (story reward) and I try to stay as far as I can from combat in order to keep my concentration spells(I got low con of 12, we always make fun of the fact I got one shoted two times at level 6(lucky it was before my turn so I didn't lost concentration and our celestial warlock picked me up).

Faerie Fire is my non important fight bread and butter so I didn't needed more casting of it.
Entangled I do want to take but I think I will get my tentacles(the black ones, the spell) soon so I will pass over it.

If I was playing a Valor or Swords I would be taking it.

Well, it depends really on how many times per day you cast faerie fire. If it's usually only once per day, getting it through the instrument allows you to free up a spell known, which I value very highly for my bard. If it's more than once per day than I agree that having one more casting loses some of its value.

The bandore doesn't give you animal friendship, it gives you speak with animals, which is a better spell (better still to have both of them, and since you already have animal friendship...) . The combination of speak with animals + inspiring leader + conjure animals is very strong when you have enough time to prepare for a fight (or even after a fight if there are still live conjured animals).

[Keravath]

RAW, I would say that the bandore could only cast Shillelagh once even if it is a cantrip. If your DM allows more that would be great (assuming you have a use for a magical staff :)).

In terms of spells, the bandore has entangle, faerie fire, shillelagh and speak with animals while the cittern has barkskin, cure wounds and fog cloud.

I find fog cloud useful for shutting down gaze attacks and the casting of spells that require you to see your target. Depending on the DM, it will have little to no effect on attack rolls since the Advantage gained when an opponent can't see you is cancelled by the disadvantage for you not being able to see your opponent. The net result in most fights is that everything is a straight roll and any other circumstances for advantage and disadvantage are negated (whether that is more beneficial depends on the composition of your party and the opponents).

Overall, I think the bandore specific spells are better (entangle is a good movement control spell) though a bard probably already has faerie fire so this just gives you an extra casting of it.

Either way, all of the instruments are great for a bard. In particular, because of "When you use the instrument to cast a spell that causes targets to become charmed on a failed save, the targets have disadvantage on the saving throw." Casting hypnotic pattern on a group of enemies using the instrument can be brutally effective. I was in a fight with 8 opponents against our group. I dropped hypnotic pattern with the instrument and every single one failed making a hard to deadly encounter suddenly very easy.

[diplomancer]

RAW, I would say that the bandore could only cast Shillelagh once even if it is a cantrip. If your DM allows more that would be great (assuming you have a use for a magical staff :)).

(Snip)

Either way, all of the instruments are great for a bard. In particular, because of "When you use the instrument to cast a spell that causes targets to become charmed on a failed save, the targets have disadvantage on the saving throw." Casting hypnotic pattern on a group of enemies using the instrument can be brutally effective. I was in a fight with 8 opponents against our group. I dropped hypnotic pattern with the instrument and every single one failed making a hard to deadly encounter suddenly very easy.

Fully agree about the Hypnotic Pattern, that is the best power of the instrument. The "swiss knife" nature of the instrument is also very helpful for a "spells known" caster.

About the shillelagh, I agree with you on the RAW. But if I were to try to convince my DM otherwise, I would use the argument that, to the best of my knowledge, there is no other cantrip in the game that can only be cast once per day.