Main Character Honor Mode Build
College of Lore Bard
Main Character (Lore Bard)
Charm, debuff, and tempo control to keep Honor Mode fights predictable.
Origin & Identity
- Race / Subrace: Wood Half-Elf
- Background: Entertainer
- Guardian: Custom Dream Visitor
Wood Half-Elf grants the mobility and stealth perks needed to reposition safely between turns, while Entertainer keeps performance, disguise, and social skill checks on brand for a manipulative Bard.
Class Path
- Main Class: College of Lore Bard
- Primary Focus: Crowd Control & Party Buffs
College of Lore combines Cutting Words with three additional skill proficiencies and Magical Secrets at 6, letting you borrow premier control magic from other lists without delaying Bard progression.
Ability Scores
Point-buy prioritises Dexterity for AC/initiative and Charisma for spell DCs, with enough Constitution to hold concentration through spike damage.
| Ability | Base | Racial | Final | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 8 | +0 | 8 | Dump stat—avoid melee grapples and let party tanks handle shoves. |
| Dexterity | 15 | +1 | 16 | Initiative and AC backbone; fuels finesse weapon off-hand attacks when needed. |
| Constitution | 14 | +0 | 14 | Keeps Concentration checks manageable before you unlock Resilient (Con). |
| Intelligence | 8 | +0 | 8 | Skill coverage from Expertise compensates for the low INT spread. |
| Wisdom | 10 | +0 | 10 | Baseline to avoid common crowd-control saving throws. |
| Charisma | 15 | +2 | 17 | Primary casting stat for DCs, spell attack rolls, and social dominance. |
Spellbook & Cantrips
Use debuffs to collapse enemy action economy, then pivot to emergency heals when fights get scrappy.
Cantrips
- Vicious Mockery — universal debuff that punishes crit-fishing enemies.
- Friends — short-term dialogue swing; clear the charmed target before the hostility proc.
Level 1 Spells
- Cure Wounds — efficient touch heal for stabilising frontline attrition.
- Healing Word — ranged pickup tool while preserving the bonus action.
- Faerie Fire — your early-game advantage engine for Honor Mode accuracy checks.
- Thunderwave — emergency peel when melee packs collapse your formation.
Proficiencies & Kits
Skills
- Athletics — pairs with Enhance Ability for emergency shoves and grapple saves.
- Sleight of Hand — opens every trapped chest before a wipe forces a reload.
- Persuasion — lead face rolls with Bardic Inspiration pre-buffed.
Instruments & Tools
- Flute — free inspire moments for ambience; lean on the expertise vibe.
- Thieves' Tools — Bard takes over trap duty whenever Astarion is benched.
Pick additional proficiencies from Background/Expertise to cover Arcana or Insight gaps depending on companion availability.
Combat Script & Tactics
Rehearse encounter openers so you can compress the deadliest turns before enemies act.
- Lead with Faerie Fire or Tasha's when initiative breaks your way; otherwise hold Cutting Words for enemy crits.
- Bonus-action Bardic Inspiration lives on high-accuracy allies (Lae'zel / Astarion) before they roll.
- Prioritise positioning for wide Thunderwave cones—knockoffs save more HP than healing mid-fight.
Roleplaying Hooks
Play the charismatic tether that keeps the party unified despite darker impulses—every dialogue choice should aim to avoid unnecessary combat on Honor Mode.
Leverage Entertainer fame to soft-scout dangerous hubs, then fall back to Withers for respecs when story beats demand alternate faces.
Main Character — Level 2
- Spell: Tasha's Hideous Laughter — repeatable single-target lock for priorities that resist Sleep.
- Features: Jack of All Trades and Song of Rest land simultaneously; use the former to pad initiative and the latter to reduce camp frequency.
Main Character — Level 3
- Spell: Knock - It's good for passing up some checks later, and none of the other spells I really use enough to care
- Subclass: College of Swords - Ranged flourishes and bow damage will make you a monster
- Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting, doesn't really matter, but we can use dual wield for most the game and then switch to 1 of the strong bows towards the end
- Skill Expertise: Sleight of Hand/Persuasion
Main Character - Level 4
- Cantrip: Mage hand - doesn't really matter, I don't use any of the remaining ones so just get what you feel like
- Spells: Hold person
- Feat: Sharpshooter or ASI dex +2. Either you'll miss more for awhile, or you'll do less damage per hit, up to you really. I would go with ASI since your chance to hit jumps down to like 30-50% for most things right now.
Main Character - Level 5
- Spells: Glyph of Warding