College of Glamour Bard: A D&D 5e Guide to Enchantment and Charisma

The College of Glamour Bard is a captivating and supportive subclass in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, drawing power from the Feywild to enchant audiences, inspire allies, and manipulate enemies. These Bards excel at support and crowd control, using their charisma and magical abilities to influence the battlefield and social encounters. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the College of Glamour Bard, covering character creation, subclass features, spell selection, and strategic gameplay.

Introduction to the College of Glamour

Glamour Bards are masters of enchantment and illusion, using their performances to weave magic that inspires awe and devotion. Whether they are heroic figures who uplift the downtrodden or cunning manipulators who bend others to their will, Glamour Bards are known for their irresistible charm and otherworldly presence.

The Essence of Glamour

The College of Glamour is deeply connected to the Feywild, a realm of beauty and peril where magic permeates every aspect of existence. Bards who draw upon this power learn to captivate others through their performances, using their voices, instruments, and sheer charisma to weave spells of enchantment and illusion.

Role in the Party

Glamour Bards primarily function as support spellcasters, enhancing their allies' abilities and controlling the battlefield with their magic. They excel at:

Buffing and Healing: Providing temporary hit points, increasing allies' abilities, and healing wounds.
Crowd Control: Charming, frightening, or otherwise incapacitating enemies.
Social Interaction: Persuading, deceiving, and manipulating others in social situations.

Building Your Glamour Bard

Creating a Glamour Bard involves careful consideration of race, stats, skills, and background. Here's a step-by-step guide to crafting an effective and flavorful character.

Race/Species

The choice of race can significantly impact your Glamour Bard's abilities and roleplaying potential. Here are some recommended options:

Aasimar (2024): Aasimar gain access to celestial revelations to use flight when you need to get safe or use necrotic shroud or inner radiance in case you get surrounded. A bit of healing is decent too for a backup healer and you get necrotic and radiant damage resistance.
Elf (2024): An extra skill and darkvision will help you be a better scout and general skill guru. High Elf is a good option for misty step and an extra cantrip (toll the dead will make you more effective at dealing damage without expending spell slots. Drow is good for buffs and debuffs with the likes of faerie fire and darkness.
Gnome (2024): Extra magic resilience is great.
Tiefling (2024): Repeat uses of 4 innate spells is great for a spellcasting class. If you take the infernal legacy, you gain access to firebolt for scalable ranged damage that will outstrip damage from a light crossbow.

Stats

Charisma is the most important stat for a Glamour Bard, as it affects their spellcasting ability, subclass features, and social skills. Dexterity and Constitution are also important for survivability and maintaining concentration on spells. A suggested stat distribution using point buy is:

Strength: 8
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 8
Charisma: 17 (15 + 2 from race)

Skills

Choose skills that align with your character's background and playstyle. Persuasion, Performance, and Insight are essential for a Glamour Bard, as they enhance their ability to influence others and captivate audiences.

Persuasion: Essential for diplomacy and negotiation.
Performance: Allows you to captivate audiences with your performances.
Insight: Helps you read people and detect deception.

Background

Your character's background provides additional skill proficiencies, equipment, and a unique feature that can enhance their roleplaying potential. Some recommended backgrounds for a Glamour Bard include:

Entertainer (Musician): Provides proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance, as well as a musical instrument and the By Popular Demand feature.

Feats

Feats can further customize your Glamour Bard, providing additional abilities and enhancing their strengths. Some recommended feats include:

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Actor: Improves your ability to mimic voices and mannerisms, and grants a +1 bonus to Charisma.
Inspiring Leader: Provides temporary hit points to your party after a short or long rest.
Resilient (CON): Grants proficiency in Constitution saving throws, making it easier to maintain concentration on spells.
Fey Touched: Allows you to learn Misty Step and another 1st-level enchantment or illusion spell.

Subclass Features

The College of Glamour Bard gains several unique features as they level up, enhancing their ability to captivate, inspire, and manipulate others.

Beguiling Magic (Level 3)

This feature enhances your spellcasting with enchantment and illusion spells. You gain Charm Person and Mirror Image as always-prepared spells. Additionally, whenever you cast an enchantment or illusion spell, you can force a creature to make a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed or frightened by you for 1 minute (once per long rest, or by expending a Bardic Inspiration die).

Mantle of Inspiration (Level 3)

As a bonus action, you can expend a Bardic Inspiration die to grant temporary hit points equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier to a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one) within 60 feet of you. These creatures can also use their reaction to move up to their speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Mantle of Majesty (Level 6)

You gain the ability to cloak yourself in fey magic. As a bonus action, you can cast Command without expending a spell slot and take on an appearance of unearthly beauty for 1 minute, or until your concentration ends. During this time, you can cast Command as a bonus action on each of your turns without expending a spell slot.

Countercharm (Level 6)

Countercharm grants you use your action to shred some spicy metal riffs to give your allies within 30 ft. of you advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. You can use Countercharm whenever you want.

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Unbreakable Majesty (Level 14)

As a bonus action, you can assume a magically majestic presence for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. For the duration, whenever any creature tries to attack you for the first time on a turn, the attacker must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it can't attack you on this turn, and it must choose a new target for its attack or the attack is wasted.

Spell Selection

Choosing the right spells is crucial for a Glamour Bard. Focus on spells that enhance your ability to support allies, control the battlefield, and manipulate enemies.

Cantrips

Vicious Mockery: A ranged attack that deals psychic damage and imposes disadvantage on the target's next attack roll.
Minor Illusion: Creates a sound or image that can distract or mislead enemies.
Prestidigitation: A versatile utility cantrip that can create minor magical effects.

1st Level Spells

Healing Word: A ranged bonus action heal that can quickly restore hit points to an ally.
Faerie Fire: Reveals invisible creatures and grants advantage on attack rolls against them.
Charm Person: Charms a humanoid, making them friendly and cooperative.

2nd Level Spells

Suggestion: Plants a suggestion in the mind of a creature, compelling them to act in a certain way.
Mirror Image: Creates illusory duplicates of yourself, making it harder for enemies to hit you.
Aid: Increases the hit point maximum and current hit points of up to three creatures.

3rd Level Spells

Hypnotic Pattern: Captivates enemies in a mesmerizing pattern, incapacitating them.
Dispel Magic: Cancels a magical effect or ends a spell.
Tiny Hut: Creates a dome of force that provides shelter and protection.

4th Level Spells

Polymorph: Transforms a creature into another form, potentially turning an enemy into a harmless animal or an ally into a powerful beast.
Dimension Door: Teleports you and a willing creature to a nearby location.

Magical Secrets

At levels 10 and 18, Bards can choose spells from any class, gaining access to powerful abilities that can greatly enhance their effectiveness. Some recommended Magical Secrets include:

Counterspell: Negates an enemy spell, preventing them from casting it.
Find Greater Steed: Summons a powerful mount, such as a griffon or pegasus, to aid you in combat and travel.
Wish: The most powerful spell in the game, capable of altering reality itself.

Gameplay Strategies

Playing a Glamour Bard effectively requires a combination of tactical awareness, creative spellcasting, and skillful social interaction.

Combat Tactics

Positioning: Stay in the back lines to avoid taking damage and maintain concentration on spells.
Buffing Allies: Use Mantle of Inspiration to provide temporary hit points and mobility to your allies.
Crowd Control: Use spells like Hypnotic Pattern and Polymorph to incapacitate enemies and control the battlefield.
Concentration: Protect your concentration on spells by avoiding damage and using feats like Resilient (CON).

Social Encounters

Persuasion: Use your high Charisma and Persuasion skill to influence NPCs and achieve your goals through diplomacy.
Performance: Captivate audiences with your performances to gain favor and gather information.
Deception: Use your Deception skill to mislead enemies and conceal your true intentions.
Roleplaying: Embrace the charismatic and enchanting nature of the Glamour Bard, using your words and actions to captivate and inspire those around you.

Multiclassing

While the College of Glamour Bard is a strong subclass on its own, multiclassing can provide additional benefits and enhance certain aspects of your character. Some potential multiclass options include:

Fighter: Taking a level or two in Fighter can provide proficiency in medium armor and martial weapons, as well as a fighting style and Action Surge.

Magic Items

Acquiring the right magic items can significantly enhance your Glamour Bard's abilities and survivability. Some recommended magic items include:

Instruments of the Bards: These magical instruments enhance your spellcasting and grant additional abilities.
Robe of the Archmagi: Provides a bonus to AC and saving throws, as well as advantage on saving throws against spells.
Amulet of Health: Sets your Constitution score to 19, increasing your hit points and improving your concentration saves.

College of Glamour Bard: A Jack Black Inspired Build

(Un)fortunately, the reception of our last Jack Black Character Build was well-received. In fact, it was too well-received! The people wanted more! Instead, letâs take Bardic Inspiration (what have I done) from some of Mr. So today, for the 100th post on Dungeon Solvers I present to you a College of Glamour Bard build that oozes the essence of Jack Black.

Class: Bard
Background: Charlatan
Race: Variant Human
Stats: This was done using point buy. Check out this post for more info on point buy!
Skills: Persuasion, Performance, and History
Feat: Actor

tags: #college #of #glamour #bard #5e #guide