How would you replicate a 3.5 bard?

[nickl_2000]

So, I loved the bard in 3.0/3.5e, it was one of my favorite classes to play in those editions. How would you go about replicating them in 5e? Some sort of multiclass?


Maybe swords bard 10/Swashbuckler 7/Samurai Fighter 3 with the Skill Expert Feat sprinkled in?

[thoroughlyS]

What elements from the v3.5 bard are you trying to replicate? That will inform the best way to build it.

[nickl_2000]

What elements from the v3.5 bard are you trying to replicate? That will inform the best way to build it.

Half-casters, skills, and the melee ability (the swashbuckling feel).

[thoroughlyS]

What do you want to be doing in-combat? Is your plan to dip in and out of melee, providing extra damage while another player tanks the hits? Is mobility a must? Or are you buffing the party so that they can lay the smackdown on the enemies? Or are you debuffing the enemies so that they can't lay they smackdown on the party?

What about out-of-combat? Are you the face in social encounters? Or do you want to provide utility (magical or otherwise)?

[Grod_The_Giant]

Half-casters, skills, and the melee ability (the swashbuckling feel).
If a single-class Swords Bard is too much of a caster for your tastes, maybe Arcane Trickster? That gets you swashbuckling melee, skills, and a nice bit of enchantment and illusion magic.

[nickl_2000]

What do you want to be doing in-combat? Is your plan to dip in and out of melee, providing extra damage while another player tanks the hits? Is mobility a must? Or are you buffing the party so that they can lay the smackdown on the enemies? Or are you debuffing the enemies so that they can't lay they smackdown on the party?

What about out-of-combat? Are you the face in social encounters? Or do you want to provide utility (magical or otherwise)?

In combat, mostly melee attacks. Light armor, agile movement between enemies to lay down the hurt where it will be most effective. Spell casting would be used for minor healing and buffs, but it's more of 1 concentration spell and melee after that.


Outside of combat, social butterfly, face and skill monkey (this can easily be covered by a bards expertise and jack of all trades in my mind).

[Willie the Duck]

I would say Dex-based Paladin6/Lore BardX-6. You have spells (mostly low-level ones, but you finish off with 7th level ones, which is almost like 3e's 6th level cap), you buff and protect allies. You can enter a fight and do well. You provide an all-encompassing aura of benefit to your allies (just save bonuses unless you add spells, but you can add spells).

Regardless, an issues regarding 3e bard is that everyone had a different fix for making the 3e bard playable alongside full casters (or didn't, because their playgroup took the Wizards and CoDzillas down to everyone else's level or removed them entirely), so it is hard to pinpoint an iconic version.

[BoutsofInsanity]

If you are wanting to avoid the Full Caster Aspect of the Bard (Straight Valor Bard for Example) I second the Dexterity Paladin Multi-class or Warlock Hexblade.

I think taking Paladin to level 7 for your Aura's re-luffed as maybe your performance and fighting with charisma inspires others. Smites are simply your magical attacks that just do lots of damage.

You gain Hit points, armor, lay on hands and bonuses to saving throws.

Meanwhile I would take the rest of your levels as Lore Bard. Stealing spells from other classes, netting all your skill proficiency and so forth. I think that's the best way.


But personally, just going all in on a Valor Bard is pretty solid too.

[heavyfuel]

I think a Bard/Rogue multiclassing is the best way to go about it.

Bards in 3.5 were pretty versatile in their builds (but not nearly as versatile as Bards in 5e) so you can't really go wrong.

The only thing I can say it's impossible to replicate in 5e is the superbuffer "words of creation + dragonfire inspiration" Bard, everything else can be pretty easily achieved by Bard/Rogue multiclassing.

Go for Lore/Mastermind if you want to fill that support niche, or go Swords/Swashbuckler for that battlebard feeling. I can also see a Swords/BM Fighter character if you wish to emulate the everpopular Song of the White Raven bards.

[Unoriginal]

Half-casters, skills, and the melee ability (the swashbuckling feel).


In combat, mostly melee attacks. Light armor, agile movement between enemies to lay down the hurt where it will be most effective. Spell casting would be used for minor healing and buffs, but it's more of 1 concentration spell and melee after that.


Outside of combat, social butterfly, face and skill monkey (this can easily be covered by a bards expertise and jack of all trades in my mind).

So you want a Celestial Bladelock?

[nickl_2000]

So you want a Celestial Bladelock?

If combined with Bard for some levels it would certainly work.

[Waterdeep Merch]

It's not super optimized, but maybe a Lore Bard/Battle Master Fighter multiclass? Most of what you want is covered by a Valor Bard honestly, but if you really don't want to go past being a half-caster and want to be effective as a melee combatant, there's really no choice but to multiclass into a melee-centric non-caster, and Battle Master has enough tricks to make you effective there.

Leveling it is a bit of an issue. I'd think Fighter at first level to get the relevant melee capabilities, then immediately Bard (multiclassing will net you an extra skill and a musical instrument this way, not too shabby) for the next five, then back to Fighter for four, then ping-ponging between them for the rest of your career. Or just ping-pong from the start for a pure half-caster feel, but you might have issues keeping up during Tier 2 without 3rd level spells or Extra Attack until levels 9 and 10. Your utility and support capabilities might be able to bridge that gap, though?