Dungeons & Dragons allows players to access several unique classes when creating one's character, each with its own distinct strengths and utility. Few classes are able to bring as much to the table as bards. Often viewed as a jack of all trades class, bards can dabble in pretty much anything from combat, to social interactions, to spellcasting.
As a class capable of wielding magic, Bards have access to a wide range of spells that can help a party in a variety of scenarios. However, with a large selection of spells to choose from, not all of these spells are equally useful. So today, we're going to examine the magic available in the Bard spell list and see which spells are the most useful!
Before we begin, we should note that we are factoring in spell availability, as while higher level spells pack the biggest punch, players are usually unable to access them for the majority of a campaign.
10 Tasha's Hideous Laughter
Tasha's Hideous Laughter is a first-level enchantment spell that is available to bards from the word "go." It forces a creature to make a wisdom saving through, and on a failed save, that creature falls prone, becoming incapacitated as they laugh uncontrollably.
Not only is this spell incredibly accessible, but it can reliably take out dangerous threats temporarily, preventing them from attacking as long as they fail their wisdom saving throw.
9 Enhance Ability
A flexible second-level spell with a wide range of applications, Enhance Ability allows its caster to target a creature and choose an ability score. As long as the caster maintains concentration on this spell, the chosen creature makes all checks with the corresponding score at advantage!
As if this weren't useful enough, some of these buffs offer additional benefits such as strength doubling one's carrying capacity and dexterity reducing fall damage.
8 Teleport
Mobility and transportation can be quite important in D&D, and few spells offer the incredible easy maneuverability across the world as Teleport. This spell allows its caster and up to eight other creatures to teleport to a destination of their choice, granted it's on the same plane of existence as their current location.
While the accuracy of this spell varies based on the caster's familiarity with their chosen destination and the presence of a teleportation circle, few spells can move several creatures across the globe in a mere action quite like Teleport. While Teleport is a seventh-level spell, stunting its accessibility, its usefulness and flexibility cannot be denied.
7 Greater Restoration
When it comes to support spells, it's safe to say that any party would be happy to have access to Greater Restoration. A fifth-level spell, Greater Restoration is able to help deal with some of the most troublesome effects in the entire game.
This spell can be cast as quickly as an action, putting an end to petrification, curses, reduced ability scores, or reduction of a target's maximum HP!
6 Invisibility And Greater Invisibility
There are few second-level spells that provide as much consistent utility across the duration of a campaign as Invisibility.
As the name would suggest, this illusion spell allows its caster to target a creature, causing it and all of its inventory to become invisible for the spell's duration. While the effects of this spell immediately end if its target casts a spell or attacks, its improved fourth-level variant, Greater Invisibility does away with this drawback.
5 Foresight
Foresight is among the most useful ninth-level spells in Dungeons & Dragons and is easily one of the best high level spells available to Bards.
Allowing a target to gain insight of the immediate future, this spell causes its target to make all attacks, checks, and save at advantage, while causing attacks made against it to be made at disadvantage. This greatly skews all dice rolls in one's favor, and its hard to find a situation in which this spell wouldn't be useful.
4 Power Word: Kill
Power Word: Kill is another stellar ninth-level spell that, while far from complicated, can be quite effective when dealing with a deadly foe.
Upon being cast, if the spell's target has 100 or fewer hit points, they instantly die — no save, no dice rolls, just instant death. While this may seem broken on the surface, we should note that if the target has more than 100 hit points, this spell automatically fails and has no effect.
3 Vicious Mockery
Vicious Mockery is one of the defining spells in a Bard's tool kit and is exclusive to the class. A cantrip available from the start, this spell forces a target to make a wisdom saving throw, taking 1d4 psychic damage on a failed save.
While this damage is lackluster, the appeal of this spell is that a creature that fails this save is forced to make their next attack roll at disadvantage!
2 Healing Word
While it may not seem like much at first glance, Healing Word is among the most useful healing spells in Dungeons & Dragons.
It's a first-level evocation spell that heals a target within sixty feet of the caster by 1d4 plus the caster's spellcasting modifier. While this spell doesn't heal too much HP, it can be cast at considerable range and as a bonus action, allowing a Bard to stabilize their allies without it consuming their entire turn in combat.
1 Tongues
Bards are one of the most charisma-focused classes in all of D&D, and often assume the role of the face of a given party. Unfortunately, if a bard is unable to easily communicate with those a party encounters, their charisma may fall flat.
Tongues is a third-level divination spells that allows a bard (or another creature they touch) to understand any and all languages they hear whilst allowing all other creatures to understand that creature. This completely erases potential language barriers and allows bards to reliably utilize their high charisma, regardless of what language is being spoken.