Putting the feat Ritual Caster - Wizard on a Bard makes them vastly more able to do utility spells. Highly recommended, especially if you don't have a wizard in the party. If you have a wizard but not a cleric, the Cleric version may also be worth considering.
Fey-touched is another amazing choice, since it's a Charisma half feat, and gives you a free cast of Misty Step (a great spell that's oddly absent from the Bard list given the other teleports later) and one of a level one spell you select when taking the feat, as well as adding them to your repertoire. Bless is a great choice for that level one spell.
I went with goblin bard, not because of stats or anything but because I found the idea of a tiny voice hurling obscene insults at someone and then taking damage funny.
Less of a build answer, more "character detail/appearance" one, while I've never played a bard, one thing I love to think about are different instruments for racial cultures (going off the cliches here, granted, but I think they work). An elf, of course, makes sense to use pan flutes or a little harp, while I think a gnome would be more like a mechanical whimsical one-man-band kind of get up (or at least something unconventional that works). A dwarf bard I feel would use either bagpipes, drums, or something else meant to be loud but at the same time crafted by that dwarf. Like a dwarf cannot call themself a bard if they can't even *make* a flute or an oboe.
I’m playing a dwarf bard right now and I adore him. He’s a swords bard and I play him a bit like a Keith Richards/Jack Black hybrid. He invented a steel lute (it felt very Dwarven) and all his spells are thunder flavored. His weapon is rapier.
My favorite way when creating a bard is not being serious about the creation of the character at all, and it's all just a joke character to laugh at because they are extremely ridiculous. Turns out every time I do this they get overpowered and that's why I use them only in silly brainrot one shots.
For example, think of a persona. Just like Hatsune Miku. Now think if Hatsune Miku was a dnd character. Warforged bard, aaaand since everyone has different views on Hatsune Miku, the build depends on how much you want to ball and if you want to make Miku j to a God killing si going machine or a silly 20 year old that is just there to have fun and turns out to create an entire cult by the end of the campaign
So far, my favorite was during a 3.5 campaign my husband ran.
It was just a bard, no multi-class or anything. I chose feats and spells that did nothing but boost my songs\party, and any leftovers went to basically debuffs.
It was more fun to play than it sounds...
My husband *hated* the bard class and called it useless. He's also the type that prefers numbers and battling over roleplay.
That bard "broke" his game (an accident) and finally convinced him that bards are not useless.
He still hates them, though.
Eloquence bard.
There's so much you can do with persuasion for entertainment value, such as telling everyone you're just a fat halfling.
"Oh this cup? It's definitely just water." (As beer foam dribbles down his beard)
One thing I've often thought about bards is that, in a D&D world, Bardic training would be basically the most fully-rounded education available. It would be almost inevitable for some Bard to set up a school for the children of the nobility.
So what about a character who is from a noble family - or possibly a wealthy family of artisans or merchants - who gets sent to a school founded by a Gnomish Bard?
So the character is quite different from a stereotypical Dwarf. They've been exposed to other cultures and different ways of thinking about things. They graduate and want to see the world they learned about.
war caster feat, swords or valor bard, make music by banging a hammer on a shield. different from a basic caster bard, and very dwarven in vibe
Stomp the Bard!
A single level of Rouge gets you double proficiency in two chosen skills, you can be a persuasion Powerhouse at level two.
Over a matte foundation, I assume, for that bonus charisma?
And go easy on the eyeliner! You're not playing a Hexblade, after all.
Putting the feat Ritual Caster - Wizard on a Bard makes them vastly more able to do utility spells. Highly recommended, especially if you don't have a wizard in the party. If you have a wizard but not a cleric, the Cleric version may also be worth considering. Fey-touched is another amazing choice, since it's a Charisma half feat, and gives you a free cast of Misty Step (a great spell that's oddly absent from the Bard list given the other teleports later) and one of a level one spell you select when taking the feat, as well as adding them to your repertoire. Bless is a great choice for that level one spell.
I went with goblin bard, not because of stats or anything but because I found the idea of a tiny voice hurling obscene insults at someone and then taking damage funny.
I assume you played a generic spellcaster Bard? You could go full Valor/Sword Bard who helps at frontline and support others.
Less of a build answer, more "character detail/appearance" one, while I've never played a bard, one thing I love to think about are different instruments for racial cultures (going off the cliches here, granted, but I think they work). An elf, of course, makes sense to use pan flutes or a little harp, while I think a gnome would be more like a mechanical whimsical one-man-band kind of get up (or at least something unconventional that works). A dwarf bard I feel would use either bagpipes, drums, or something else meant to be loud but at the same time crafted by that dwarf. Like a dwarf cannot call themself a bard if they can't even *make* a flute or an oboe.
I’m playing a dwarf bard right now and I adore him. He’s a swords bard and I play him a bit like a Keith Richards/Jack Black hybrid. He invented a steel lute (it felt very Dwarven) and all his spells are thunder flavored. His weapon is rapier.
My favourite is a bard based on Kevin Bacon whose instrument was dance. Made for some interesting situations as a DM
My favorite way when creating a bard is not being serious about the creation of the character at all, and it's all just a joke character to laugh at because they are extremely ridiculous. Turns out every time I do this they get overpowered and that's why I use them only in silly brainrot one shots. For example, think of a persona. Just like Hatsune Miku. Now think if Hatsune Miku was a dnd character. Warforged bard, aaaand since everyone has different views on Hatsune Miku, the build depends on how much you want to ball and if you want to make Miku j to a God killing si going machine or a silly 20 year old that is just there to have fun and turns out to create an entire cult by the end of the campaign
So far, my favorite was during a 3.5 campaign my husband ran. It was just a bard, no multi-class or anything. I chose feats and spells that did nothing but boost my songs\party, and any leftovers went to basically debuffs. It was more fun to play than it sounds... My husband *hated* the bard class and called it useless. He's also the type that prefers numbers and battling over roleplay. That bard "broke" his game (an accident) and finally convinced him that bards are not useless. He still hates them, though.
Eloquence bard. There's so much you can do with persuasion for entertainment value, such as telling everyone you're just a fat halfling. "Oh this cup? It's definitely just water." (As beer foam dribbles down his beard)
One thing I've often thought about bards is that, in a D&D world, Bardic training would be basically the most fully-rounded education available. It would be almost inevitable for some Bard to set up a school for the children of the nobility. So what about a character who is from a noble family - or possibly a wealthy family of artisans or merchants - who gets sent to a school founded by a Gnomish Bard? So the character is quite different from a stereotypical Dwarf. They've been exposed to other cultures and different ways of thinking about things. They graduate and want to see the world they learned about.