 Howdy how's it going? My name's DavyChappy, and a while back I went through and reviewed each spell in the Individual Schools of Magic, and it was while making my transmutation guide that I realized, wait, this doesn't actually make any sense at all. What's the point of balancing the spells for each other when most of them may not even be in a particular class's spell list, and certain spells become much better or worse depending on which class is using them. And so it is that I've decided to redo my thinking and go over each spell once again, this time by class, starting with my favorite class, the Bard. As always keep in mind that the majority of this is just my opinion, so if you feel like your spell list is more optimized than mine, feel free to play your Bard however you want. But with that out of the way, let's begin. But first, an ad! Ah, Christmas time, it is the season of giving, and what better way to promote the season than with capitalism. 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So while you're watching this video, keep in mind that depending on whether you pick the fighty archetypes like Valor, Swords, or Whispers, or the casty Lord and Glamour subclasses, the archetype will affect not the usefulness of your spells, but it will affect your reliance on them. Also, the Bard likes to use its bonus action to use its Bardic ability feature, plus all of the subclass features that operate off of that, so spells that require a bonus action to use are going to be docked points for potentially clogging the action economy. Also, like sorcerers, Bard's don't get to swap out spells in between rests, so I'm going to be way harsher on situational spells because having one and not being able to use it is wasting a spell slot that could be potentially used for other things. Blade Ward, pretty useless when you consider that you could just take the dodge action and not get hit at all. Dancing Lights, very useful when Umi Eyes don't do the trick. Friends, useful in a pinch when you don't have any better charms, but don't stick around after a minute. Light, better than Dancing Lights if you want a torch, worse if you just want to scout. Mage Hand, everybody loves Mage Hand. Mending, I honestly don't get that much use out of mending. Message, hey you, yeah you, this is a secret message. Minor Illusion, for when you need to post a JPEG somewhere. Prestidigitation, the do-it-all mage cantrip. Thunder Clap, if you're a fighty Bard, this spell has situational usefulness. True Strike, just attack twice, don't do this. Vicious Mockery, the quintessential Bard cantrip, psychic damage, and a debuff, Super Bardi. Level 1, Animal Friendship. It's like charm person, but with squirrels. Bane, it's more useful than you would think, and I almost always take this one for boss fights. Charm Person, Bards are typecasts as charmers, and this spell basically removes a threat and adds an ally. Comprehend languages, circumvented by party planning, but you never think you'll need this until you do. Cure Wounds, you are the only arcane caster that can heal. This specification means nothing, but it's neat. Detect Magic, very useful when you need it, and you never know you need it until you need it. Disguise Self, useful before, during, or after a really bad idea. Distant Whispers, another very bardic attacking spell that helps to alleviate pressure from the team. Earth Tremor, it's vaguely more useful than Thunder Clap and it restricts your movement. Fairy Fire, once you use it, enemies will want your butt, so make sure you can get away. Feather Fall, falling is for nerds. Healing Word, it competes for your bonus action, but it is just so necessary to have as a healer. Heroism, at early levels, constantly regenerating HP, even temporary HP, is fantastic. Identify, it's surprising how few people take this, but it is so, so, so very important for someone to have. Illusionary Script, secret messages can give you a big roleplay advantage, and it's fun to write private insults against your fellow man. Longstrider, if you want better movement, be a monk. This spell is silly. Silent Image, the big brother of minor illusion that can actually do all the things that people think minor illusion can do. Sleep, the bards very first, and the fight spell. In early levels, this is absolutely fantastic. Speak with animals, it's fun enough, but there's normally not enough to learn from squirrels to make it worth talking about. Tashasity is laughter. One of the best bard spells, it's never a bad idea to completely shut down an enemy. Thunder Wave, for the fighty bards, this is one of those spells that can really help you out if you start to get overwhelmed. Unseen Servant, what would a bard be without his wingman? Level 2, Animal Messenger. I speak for the bees, the bees say you talk in shit. Blindness slash deafness. Blindness is generally more useful in deafness, and blindness is great. Calm Emotions, useful for a relieving tension. Call your doctor if you have a charm lasting more than 8 hours. Cloud of Daggers, it's good for denying area, but most of the time people will just walk around it. Brown of Madness, it sort of takes an enemy out of the fight, but it's more likely that the enemy will just run into you and hit you anyway, so it really depends on positioning. Detect Thoughts, a useful information gathering spell. No one expects the bards to read your mind. Enhanceability, it's 6 different buff choices rolled into one spell, good to take just for the utility. Enthral, if you've ever wanted a whole crowd to only look at you, this is the spell. Heat Metal, always fantastic, no one likes burning to death. Hold Person, it is insane how good the paralyzed condition is in 5e. Invisibility, useful for you and useful for your friends. Knock. FBI OPEN UP! Greater Restoration, one of those spells that isn't useful until you need it, and then you just really need it. Locate Animals or Plants, I have never needed to look for a plant in my life. Locate Object, it might be useful when you need it, but I wouldn't waste a spell choice on it. Magic Mouth, useful in theory, absolutely terrifying to see happen in practice. Fantasmal Force, the creative possibility of this illusion is great. Pyrotechnics, it's nice and all, but it doesn't do anything that other spells don't do better. See Invisibility, you never need it until you need it, but I have almost never needed it. Shatter, a great AoE damage spell. Silence, I'm about to end this whole bards career. Skyrite, you will never need this, it will only serve to draw penises in the sky. Suggestion, a useful charm spell, bards can always make use out of it. Warding Bond, you generally don't want to take damage, but you're also a healer, so taking half the damage and then healing it back is a solid plan. Zone of Truth, situationally useful, almost never need it. Level 3, the Stoker's, another swiss army knife spell, this time for debuffs, and you can get creative with it. Catnap, okay, if you can rest for 10 minutes, then you can probably rest for an hour. Clear Voidance, a good recon spell, whispers bards will find good use for it. Dispel Magic, you can't counterspell, but you can normally dispel enemies abound. There are better ways to take an enemy out of the fight, but any good DM will role play proper discourse among the enemy team. Fear, everybody back the fuck up, I've got Joker movie spoilers and I'm not afraid to use them. Fane Death, it could potentially have role play usefulness, but I struggle to think of when this could have actually been useful in my own games. Glyph of Warding, far too many words, this is either a bomb or a magic bomb and both are very good to have with you. Hypnotic Pattern, but when you just want to end a fight right then and there. Lemons Tiny Hut, as a DM, I hate this spell. As a player, I love this spell, just guard the floor. Major Image, for you illusionist types, this spell actually has some flexibility with what you can and can't create. Nondetection, I mean, I don't know who you're pissing off that has divination magic, but maybe they'll just detect someone else in your party instead. Plant Growth, why does this not use 5 feet measurements? Everything else in the game uses 5 foot measurements, I hate this spell. Sending, always fun to get reactions from NPCs who had no idea that you had their number. Speak with dead, get good at interrogating because dead people actually have a lot to say. Speak with plants, plants however, do not. Stinking Cloud, an AoE grossness ability that can be defeated by blowing. Tongues, just as useful as comprehended languages, but for the opposite reason. Level 4, Charm Monster, no one ever thinks this is useful, but this is insanely useful. Compulsion, useful for melee bards when you want them to get close and for castie bards when you want them to fuck off. Confusion, a lot of randomness in the spell makes it difficult to predict, but it still has an 80% chance to be useful. Dimension Door, this is easily one of the best getaway spells in the entire game. Freedom of Movement, sometimes you need it, sometimes you don't. Greater Invisibility, sometimes you need it, but you always want it. Pollucinatory Terrain, in all reality, this spell is useless, but it's always cool to just shape the world in your own image for a little while. Locate Creature, sometimes you need to find somebody, but a lot of the time you won't actually need to. Polymorph, fantastic spell, broken by the powers of transforming stuff into other stuff. Level 5, Animate Objects, at the snap of your fingers your squad will roll up, useful when cornered just don't get hit. Awaken, you can create an existential crisis with any object you want. Dominate Person, very exciting as long as the other person is into being a sub. Dream, it's sort of like message but more flavorful. Geass, one of the best charm abilities in the game, lesser restoration. At later levels, these conditions are how a party is killed, so this spell will oftentimes find good use. Hold Monster, it's like Old Person, but better. Legend Lore, on the surface it seems simple, but any good DM will clamor at the chance to read off the lore of something that they're excited about, and they'll probably give useful campaign hints at the same time. Mask Cure Wounds, it's like Cure Wounds, but better. Mislead, it's another spell that is super useful when you're cornered, and I use it all the time unless the boss has something like Blind Sense. Modify Memory, I've never needed this, but it's got enough roleplay application to be a 2. Plain or Binding, I've just plain never needed this. Raise Dead, People Die, this spell makes that an inconvenience, not a problem. Scrying, Divination Magic like this doesn't feel overly bardic, but it's still a good sensory spell that can get you more information than you have. Seeming, a sort of multiple person disguise self, good for infiltration missions, but unnecessary for most other things when disguised self will just do the job. Skill Empowerment, Give Expertise to Skills, yay. Synaptic Static, a good AoE psychic spell, good for when you don't have a fireball. Teleportation Circle, maybe if your group has a home base you can use this spell, but I won't lie, I've never needed this. Level 6, Eye Bite, a Swiss Army spell, but really the effects listed can be achieved easier with just other spells. Find the Path, once again I've never needed this. And why is it a 6th level spell, Guards and Wards? Well, it sure is what it says, good for when you need to defend a base. Mass Suggestion, Like Suggestion, but better. Autos, Irresistible Dance, another end the fight spell this time with the power of the Chacha Slide. Programmed Illusion, for when you don't want people to know that you made the illusion. True Seen, super good when you need it. Level 7, Etherealness, one of the best nope spells in the game. Force Cage, Make a Cage, beat him up while they're in the cage, best used on bosses. Mirage Arcane, it's like hallucinatory terrain, but better. Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion, it's like Liamann's Tiny Hut, but better. Mordenkainen Sword, I mean it's nice, but concentration can probably be used on better things. Project Image, good for scouting and getting away, but you can probably serve either of those purposes better with something else. Regenerate, Great Healing Spell, and good for fixing wounds. Resurrection, Like Raise Dead, but the time limit is greatly extended. It's up to you to decide whether that makes it really worth getting. Symbol, yet another Swiss Army spell, this time with enough usefulness that it might be worth taking. Teleport, it's a great spell, until you roll poorly and end up in a bad spot. Level 8, Dominate Monster, the ultimate version of the Charm Dominate lineage. Feeble Mind, you can stupidify anyone, but this is especially good against casters. Glybness, by level 8 you can probably circumvent anything you would need to do with Charisma Shacks, but it's still nice to have just for bardic necessity. Mind Blank, super situational, never needed it. Howard Stun, an 8th level spell for a stun that will possibly last for only one turn, no thank you. Level 9, Foresight, it just isn't up to 9th level snuff. You can get advantage and give disadvantage with lower level spells, and you can't be wasting your limited amount of spells known, and your 1 9th level spell slot with this. Mass Polymorph, the holy grail of transmutation magic. Powerward Heal, the ultimate singular heal for some reason only bards get it. Powerward Kill, if you can guess correctly, you essentially shave off up to 100 points of health automatically, just don't guess incorrectly. Psychic Scream, an AoE stun that does decent damage would be nice normally, but it has to compete with a lot of the other spells at this level, and I just don't think it can. True Polymorph, with this you can ascend to greatness, or just turn someone into a chair. Buuuut that'll about do it. I hope you enjoyed this video, leave a like, comment, subscribe, play the loot to tug my flute, and maybe support me on Patreon so that I can rock out with my smog out. But yeah, Davi out.