At a table where fighting enemy spellcasters is common, a second counterspell user helps a lot, but many tables can get away with only one.Ĭounterspelling counterspell is a fun story, but very few printed enemy creatures in 5E have counterspell anyway. If someone else in your party does have it, it’s not a bad choice, as the more people have this in your party, the better, but campaign considerations likely come into play here. Note that because of Jack of All Trades, Bards make unusually potent casters of counterspell. This rating is contingent on no one else in your party being able or willing to cast this spell.
If no one in your party has this, picking it up is crucial. The ability to use your reaction to take away an enemy’s action is very powerful, and stopping an important game-changing spell before it can cause a total party kill is priceless. Counterspell (★★★★☆)Īutomatically interrupts a spell of up to 3rd level + 1 per slot level above 3rd being cast within 60 feet, with an ability check to interrupt a higher-level spell, reaction to cast See this article for a more detailed breakdown. Velociraptors and wolves are the obvious damage choices, but there are a few other useful tools-giant constrictor snakes are great for grappling, baboons can throw magic stones and have Pack Tactics, elks can do massive damage on a charge and giant owls are Large and can fly, meaning you and your party can ride them or cause them to “airstrike,” Dashing up before falling on an enemy to deal great amounts of fall damage (if using the optional rules from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything). Summons allied beasts, 60ft range, action to cast, 1 hour durationĬonjure animals is perhaps the strongest single-target damaging spell in the entire game. Yesterday’s unspent third level spell slot doesn’t normally deal any damage. More bodies on the battlefield without a concentration requirement is great, but this spell rates out at 3 stars because there is a horde summoning option that is both stronger and more convenient in conjure animals (even with the concentration requirement). Raises 1 + 2/ per slot level zombies or skeletons that last 24 hours, 10 foot range, 1 minute to cast If you didn’t dip Sorcerer at level 1 it’s a choice worth considering, but there are stronger selections, especially at this level, and you can afford to wait. Starting with 1 level in Divine Soul Sorcerer is a common optimized build choice for Bards in part because that provides access to both defensive spells right away, which would let you choose something else here.
In fact, since the damage types it wards against become more prevalent at higher levels, picking it up later can still be worthwhile.
Much like shield, absorb elements is a fantastic defensive buff every caster should have. Resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage until the start of your next turn, reaction to castġst level, Artificer, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard If a spell is not rated at a higher level, that means the spell is no longer worth considering for a selection at that level. If a spell’s rating is different at a higher level, it will have an entry and new corresponding blurb. We will go over popular selections and our top picks specifically for Lore Bards at this level you may see spells that appear here show up again later with a different rating, due to the different level that you obtain this feature. The College of Lore Bard’s 6th level subclass feature gives them Magical Secrets at level 6. Keep this in mind as you consider these options. Many spells work even better with multiple casters, but some spells have diminishing returns when more than one party member can cast them.
This means you cannot, sadly, take gift of alacrity or dark star without a house rule.Īn important consideration regarding Magical Secrets spell selection are the capabilities of your party members. This means Dunamancy spells from the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount are not eligible, due to them only appearing on the spell lists of two subclasses, and not any class. Note that the feature states you can take the spells from any class’s spell list. In the end we will go over some overrated spells for Magical Secrets that we advise against picking up. Some spells might be repeated through the different sections, potentially with a different rating, which simply means they are still worth taking. We’ll start off with listing Additional Magical Secrets, which are restricted to Lore Bards, but worth talking about. In this guide, we cover the highlights and suggest top picks. But when your selection is so vast, how do you choose just a few out of all those options? Magical Secrets! This is a fantastic feature that allows Bards to learn spells available to any other class and fill in any missing gaps in their repertoire.