Top 10 D&D 5e Magic Items For Bards: Introduction 00:00 Rules 00:45 10. Glamoured Studded Leather 02:27 9. Hat of Disguise 04:00 8. Wand of Lightning Bolts/Fireball 05:18 7. Gloves of Thievery 06:49 6. Staff of Charming 7:59 5. Staff of Healing 09:24 4. Lyre of Building 11:13 3. Elven Chain 12:54 2. Rythm-Maker's Drum 14:19 1. Instruments of the Bard 16:03 Outro 19:14

perfect timing I was wondering what the best item was to give my bard player as a reward. Thanks for the video!

I just recently gave my Party's bard a homebrewed feature based loosely on the Rhythm-maker's drum. She encountered the horse that once belonged to a great master bard who has since passed away. The horse's name is Rhythm, and as an action, Rhythm can play an enlightening hoofbeat once per day (at will or by request) which acts to inspire a nearby bard of her choice. My big tweak was that the horse's inspiring hoofbeat can either restore one use of bardic inspiration to that bard, or actually give that bard one bardic inspiration die to use themselves (using the bard's own features as if the bard gave itself an inspiration die, for simplicity). At some point I think Bards maybe just have to carry around way too many instruments to get a lot of cool magic item usage... this to me sounded way more fun and interactive.

I love my Doss Lute! All I want it for is that disadvantage on charm effects. The extra spells are delicious cherries on top! My bard has some problems with 🔥

so glad one for my favorite class

Perfect timing! My group is starting Ghosts of Saltmarsh next week and it'll be my first time playing as a Bard!

wish I could like it twice for the ace of spades in the back ground also a big destiny fan !!!!

Elven chain shirt is bedder than glammed Studded leather. same rarity 1 more AC and can very easily hide under normal clothing. Basically Mithril from LOTR.

So I thought I should bring this up, a custom campaign I was in we got into a fight with some goblins on a road attacking some people. When the battle was over the Bard got beaten up pretty badly, some of the people we're killed including another Bard, on the body was a Lute. Our Bard snatched it up immediately and took full damage causing him to go into his death saves. Of course that was the instrument of bards and the DM was just trying to be nice

The Bandor is my favorite mostly because Foclucan Lyrist was a really cool prestige class in 3.5

Gloves of Thievery sing on a bard filling a thief role- but they are great for any party looking to increase their sticky fingers.

Good list I like the staves

FYI, Mac-Fuirmidh and Ollamh look like gaelic spellings, so they would be pronounced Mac-furm-ih (i as in it) and oll-av, respectively.

I'm trying to build a dps bard. It's proving to be very hard tho...

Interesting list... I'm guessing your tables bards play very differently than mine! I dont think the drums are really ever worth it. Bards are experts at boosting effective spell save DC (by reducing enemy saves). Mind Sliver + Unsettling Words + Silvery Barbs + next turn cast a charm from your instrument? That guy down and out unless he rolls a 20 or has legendary resistance. That's like a -15 on his save. I think the sleeper for bards is the Saddle of the Cavalier. You're going to get magic secrets, and let's be real you're going to take find greater steed. The saddle is a huge boon for that, both on offense and defense. That and mounted combatant can make a valor or swords bard pretty scary in melee with auto-advantage on medium or smaller creatures. And it was on the main list but I think of the casters the bard benefits from a ring of spell storing best. Partially because you can make your DM cry by using it to give everyone griffons and also because it leans into your versatile casting options. Also I find bards tend to burn through low level spells much faster than other casters, while not using the level 4+ stuff as often. That's also why I think the Staff of Charming is a trap choice-- you're either going to be using your OMG persuasion modifier or for combat charms, you're better off using a slot and imposing disadvantage with your instrument. I find the biggest threat to bards generally is enemy magic, moreso than melee. You can avoid that somewhat with your Steed and skirmishing, but I value magic resistance of some kind very highly as a bard.

But what about the golden rod? ;)

Surprised Reveler's Concertina didn't make the list

Particular reason the revelers concertina didn't grace your list?

👍🏻

Ignoring charge costs for the rogue? I don't see the logic is that.

Bards aren't rogues anymore in D&D. If I had a Bard and Rogue playing in my game, I'd fund it hard to justify giving some of these items to the Bard over the Rogue.