Best Feats for Bard 5e
by Prince Phantom
The Bard is in a really unique place in 5e. It’s arguably the best support caster with access to many of the best buffing and control spells, while having the skill monkey abilities of a Rogue. Bards may not be able to deal a ton of damage themselves, but they enable the rest of the party to perform at a much higher level when played right.
I’d easily rate Bards in the top 5 of classes, maybe even higher if you catch me on the right day. They also are not very dependent on feats, meaning that aside from a few standouts, we’ve got more freedom in our choices than most classes. We’ll mostly be looking for feats to improve our defenses and further increase our support capabilities.
Best Feats for Bard 5e
Moderately Armored (ASAP): For the subclasses that don’t get extra armor proficiencies, this represents a massive increase in our armor class, usually going from around 14 to as high as 19. We also have no problems holding a shield. Bards are at their most vulnerable at low levels, with their low AC and hit points, so this is a very welcome feat to help us stay alive long enough to become the powerhouses we are destined to be.
Inspiring Leader (ASAP*): This feat will be good at any level you decide to take it, but there is a decent case to be made for taking it right at level 1, especially if we managed to start with an 18 Charisma. 5 temporary hp at level 1 for the whole party represents at least one more hit survived for each player. At level 1 when 2 solid hits are probably all it takes to down you, that’s a very nice buff to durability, and it will scale decently throughout the game. If you don’t take it right away at level 1, I’d delay this pick until at least level 8.
War Caster (Lv 4): This is especially needed for the weapon using Bards, as we may find our hands quite full depending on the build. Bards also have no way to protect their concentration, and most of our best control spells require our concentration. Booming Blade for reaction attacks is also great for anyone that can take advantage of that.
Fey Touched (Lv 4): Bards surprisingly don’t get Misty Step. In fact, we don’t get any teleportation options until Dimension Door. Granted, that’s better than a lot of classes, but having a bonus action teleportation option at low levels goes a long way towards keeping us out of danger. We do already get access to Silvery Barbs, so we can get a bit more creative here with something like Bless or Gift of Alacrity, both of which further our ability to support our party.
Resilient (Lv 8): Take this for Constitution saves and combine it with War Caster to never have to worry about concentration checks ever again. This also just makes us more durable in general, as Constitution saves are one of the most common saves inflicted by monsters, and if you set up your ability scores right, you can round off your Constitution to gain more hp with this feat as well.
Medium Armor Master (Lv 8): This one is really character dependent, as you need to have a 16 Dexterity to even consider this. Some Bards will have no problem meeting that, and others will never even come close. If you do, this allows you to get the AC of plate armor, without the disadvantage to stealth checks. A difference of 1 AC at this level may or may not be worth a feat, and how much you care about stealth is very party dependent, so really give this feat some thought before you pick it up.
Lucky (Lv 12): If your build isn’t very dependent on feats, you can definitely take Lucky earlier than this and be just fine. Whenever you take it, make sure you are picky with your luck points as always. Save them for crits and bad saving throws, as we really need the assistance with our defenses.
Magic Initiate (Lv 12): Your build may really want something like Booming Blade, in which case you can take this earlier (or just one level of Hexblade since you seem to want to make weapon attacks. If not, grab this whenever it is convenient and pick up Find Familiar and a few utility cantrips.
Actor (Lv 16): The fact that we can afford to even consider a feat as lackluster as this one is a major testament to how much Bards don’t need feats to function properly. If you would like, this feat plus Disguise Self makes for a really fun imposter style character build. If you value this fantasy more highly than you do optimization, you can take this at an earlier level and not suffer a ton for it. Hopefully your clever disguise will keep you from being in too many combats on account of your lower durability.
Honorable Mentions:
Crossbow Expert/Sharpshooter or Great Weapon Master/Polearm Master: If you plan on wielding a weapon, picking something that’s compatible with these feats will keep you in line with the level of damage an average weapon user can output. Valor Bards are the easiest to use these with, and indefinitely recommend the ranged options over the melee ones on account of our low defenses.
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