Unlocking Your Bard’s Potential: The Best Feats for D&D 5e
So, you’re playing a bard in Dungeons & Dragons 5e, a class renowned for its versatility and charm. You’re probably wondering, “What feat should I pick for my bard?” The answer, like a good melody, is nuanced and depends on your specific playstyle and character concept. However, some feats consistently elevate a bard’s capabilities, offering significant boosts to their strengths and mitigating their weaknesses.
For most bards, the top recommended feats are: Telepathic, Inspiring Leader, and Actor. These three feats offer strong benefits that synergize well with a bard’s core features and can significantly enhance their role in the party. However, other feats like Alert, Eldritch Adept, and Skilled can also be excellent choices, providing unique customization options.
Top Feats for Bards: A Detailed Look
Telepathic: The Mind-Bending Maestro
For bards, especially those of the College of Whispers, the Telepathic feat is a powerhouse. It grants you a +1 to Intelligence or Charisma (allowing you to further boost your primary spellcasting stat), and the real prize: the ability to telepathically communicate with any visible creature within 60 feet. This is not just flavor – it provides a huge utility boost. Imagine using subtle mind-to-mind communication to influence conversations, sow seeds of doubt, or deliver clandestine instructions to your allies. Its especially useful because it does not require a spell slot. For a Whispers Bard specifically, this ability to communicate without words is indispensable for their manipulative and deceptive style.
Inspiring Leader: The Charismatic Commander
Bards are natural leaders, and the Inspiring Leader feat amplifies this aspect dramatically. Once per short or long rest, you can spend ten minutes rallying your allies, granting them temporary hit points equal to your level + your Charisma modifier. These aren’t just a few measly HP; for a higher-level bard, this can be a substantial boost to your party’s survivability, making your team significantly more resilient in combat. This is a great feat for any bard who wants to truly support and lead their team.
Actor: The Master of Disguise
The Actor feat is phenomenal for bards who enjoy roleplaying and deception. You get a +1 to Charisma and advantage on Deception and Performance checks when trying to impersonate someone, along with the ability to mimic another person’s speech patterns and sound convincingly. For a bard who wants to excel at infiltration, social encounters, or playing multiple roles in an elaborate scheme, this feat is invaluable. It adds significant depth to your roleplaying and opens up many narrative possibilities.
Other Excellent Feat Choices
While the above feats are usually top picks, here are other options worth considering:
Alert: The Ever-Vigilant Bard
The Alert feat is deceptively powerful, granting you a +5 bonus to initiative and preventing you from being surprised while conscious. Going first in combat is a huge advantage, allowing you to control the battlefield before enemies act, casting powerful control spells or buffs to turn the tide of battle. Especially for support-oriented Bards, this feat will ensure you get your effects out as soon as possible.
Eldritch Adept: Borrowing Forbidden Knowledge
The Eldritch Adept feat allows you to choose a single invocation from the warlock class. There are several great options, like Mask of Many Faces (unlimited Disguise Self), Agonizing Blast (if you want some extra consistent damage), or Misty Visions (unlimited Silent Image). This adds versatility to your repertoire and can provide powerful tactical or roleplaying opportunities.
Skilled: The Versatile Jack-of-All-Trades
For bards who want to be even more of a skill-monkey, the Skilled feat is a solid choice. It grants proficiency in three skills of your choice, letting you pick up areas where your party may be lacking or making you even more adept at your best skills.
War Caster: Maintaining Concentration
The War Caster feat is a solid choice if you want to be front and center in combat. It grants you advantage on concentration checks to maintain spells and lets you perform spells even while your hands are full. It also allows you to use spells for opportunity attacks, which can make your spells more tactically flexible.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What’s the most important stat for a bard when choosing feats?
Charisma (Cha) is the most important ability score for a bard, as it fuels their spellcasting and many of their class features. Feats that boost Charisma or synergize with it, like Actor, Inspiring Leader, and Telepathic, are highly valuable.
2. Should I prioritize feats or ability score improvements?
It’s generally best to get your Charisma to 20 first. After that, prioritizing feats versus ASIs depends on your build. Feats like Inspiring Leader and Telepathic can drastically improve your bard’s abilities, and many will find more benefit in a feat than simply increasing a secondary stat.
3. Is performance a good skill for a bard?
While it fits the theme, Performance is not essential for a bard. You can express your music through your musical instrument proficiency without the skill, and you have multiple other skills to choose from. You may want to opt for something more impactful like deception, persuasion, or perception.
4. Do bards need proficiency with weapons?
Bards are proficient with several weapons, including simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, and shortswords. Weapon proficiency is not the focus of the class but can be useful, especially for College of Valor or Swords bards who want to get into melee combat.
5. What are the best proficiencies for a bard?
Bards are proficient in light armor and shields. Dexterity, Charisma, and three skills of your choice. Pick skills that complement your character concept and fill gaps in your party’s expertise.
6. Do bards need to heal?
Bards can heal quite well, thanks to spells like cure wounds and healing word. They are versatile spellcasters able to provide decent healing options. While healing is good, it is not the main role a bard needs to play.
7. Is Intelligence important for a bard?
Intelligence is considered the best stat for a bard to dump, as it doesn’t typically factor into a bard’s abilities. However, certain feats like Telepathic can benefit from boosting Intelligence.
8. What’s a good race for a bard?
Half-elves are fantastic for bards due to their Charisma bonus and flexible stat increases. Satyr and Dragonborn are also very powerful for similar reasons. Any race that adds to Charisma will make a solid bard.
9. What about multiclassing with a bard?
Rogue and Warlock are two of the most popular multiclass choices for Bards. Rogue adds sneak attack damage and more skill proficiency, while Warlock provides access to powerful invocations. This is not always necessary and depends heavily on the build you intend to play.
10. Are bards good in combat?
Bards are very good in combat, though often in a supporting role. They have access to crowd control, debuffs, and buffs. Bards should generally avoid head to head combat.
11. What’s the most powerful bard subclass?
The College of Eloquence is often considered the best due to its incredible consistency and powerful support capabilities. Other potent options include College of Creation and College of Whispers.
12. Are bards good solo classes?
Bards are generally not the best choice for soloing the game. They shine in group settings where their support abilities can be utilized effectively.
13. What magic item should I get my Bard?
Instrument of the Bards, the Ring of Protection, and any item that increases Charisma or provides resistance to charm effects are all fantastic items for bards. Also any kind of magical instrument.
14. Do I need to pick feats that give me weapons?
No. Bards are already proficient with several useful weapons. There is no need to select feats that add weapon proficiency, unless specifically building for a melee focused bard.
15. What is the best starting item for a Bard?
While magic items are not typically chosen at level 1, instruments are the most crucial starting “item”. Some specific magic instruments include the Reveler’s concertina and Rhythm-maker’s drum.
By carefully selecting feats that enhance your strengths, mitigate your weaknesses, and align with your desired playstyle, you can transform your bard into a truly formidable and versatile force on the battlefield and in social encounters. Remember that the best feat is one that makes your bard the most fun and engaging to play.