Bard Traits

Basic Statistics

Hit Dice: d8
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Three out of list of all Skills
Armor: Light
Weapons: Simple, Hand Crossbows, Longswords, Rapiers, Shortswords
Tools: Three music instruments
ASIs: 5 (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 19th)
Important Ability Scores: Charisma
Subclasses (Colleges): 5

• PHB Colleges: Lore, Valor
• Xanathar Colleges: Glamour, Swords, Whispers

Traits

Support

• Bardic Inspiration (1st)
• Song of Rest (2nd)
• Font of Inspiration (5th)
• Countercharm (6th)
• Superior Inspiration (20th)

Skill 

• Jack of all Trades (2nd)
• Expertise (3rd, 10th)

Adaptibility

• Magical Secrets (10th, 14th, 18th)

College Traits

Lore

• Skills
• Bonus Proficiencies (3rd) 
• Defensive Support 
• Cutting Words
• Adaptability
• Additional Magical Secrets (6th) 
•  Utility
• Peerless Skill (14th)

 Valor

• Weapons and Armor 
• Bonus Proficiencies (3rd)
• Offensive Support
• Combat Inspiration (3rd)
• Offensive
• Extra Attack (6th)
• Battle Magic (14th) 

Glamour

• Defensive Support
• Mantle of Inspiration (3rd) 
• Mind Control
• Enthralling Performance (3rd)
• Mantle of Majesty (6th) 
• Defensive
• Unbreakable Majesty (14th) 

Swords

• Trait Selection
• Fighting Style - 1 option
• Does not change per level
• Weapons and Armor
• Bonus Proficiencies (3rd)
• Offensive
• Fighting Style: Dueling (3rd)
• Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting (3rd)
• Blade Flourish: Slashing Flourish (3rd)
• Blade Flourish: Mobile Flourish (3rd)
• Extra Attack (6th)
•  Defensive
• Blade Flourish: Defensive Flourish (3rd)
• Mobility
• Blade Flourish (3rd)
• Utility
• Master's Flourish (14th) 

Whispers

• Offensive
• Psychic Blades (3rd) 
• Mind Control
• Words of Terror (3rd) 
• Shadow Lore (14th)
• Disguise
• Mantle of Whispers (6th) 

Bard Spells

Innate Caster
Full Caster
Ritual Caster
Spells Known at 20th: 22 (24 if College of Lore)
Cantrips at 1st: 2
Cantrips at 20th: 4
Note: Can take up to 6 spells (8 if College of Lore) from any Caster list.

Spells listed before are only including normal Bard spells.
Spells from Xanathar's Guide to Everything are bolded.

Concentration  

• Animate Objects (5th)
• Bane (1st)
• Bestow Curse (3rd)
• Calm Emotions (2nd)
• Clairvoyance (3rd)
• Cloud of Daggers (2nd)
• Compulsion (4th)
• Confusion (4th)
• Crown of Madness (2nd)
• Dancing Lights (Cantrip)
• Detect Magic (1st)
• Detect Thoughts (2nd)
• Dominate Monster (8th)
• Dominate Person (5th)
• Enemies Abound (3rd)
• Enhance Ability (2nd)
• Eyebite (6th)
• Faerie Fire (1st)
• Fear (3rd)
• Find the Path (6th)
• Friends (Cantrip)
• Greater Invisibility (4th)
• Heat Metal (2nd)
• Heroism (1st)
• Hold Monster (5th)
• Hold Person (2nd)
• Hypnotic Pattern (3rd)
• Invisibility (2nd)
• Locate Creature (4th)
• Locate Object (2nd)
• Major Image (3rd)
• Mass Polymorph (9th)
• Mislead (5th)
• Modify Memory (5th)
• Mordenkainen's Sword (7th)
• Otto's Irresistible Dance (6th)
• Phantasmal Force (2nd)
• Polymorph (4th)
• Project Image (7th)
• Scrying (5th)
• Silence (2nd)
• Silent Image (1st)
• Skill Empowerment (5th)
• Skywrite (2nd) 
• Stinking Cloud (3rd)
• Suggestion (3rd)
• Tasha's Hideous Laughter (1st)
• True Polymorph (9th)
• True Strike (1st) 
• Warding Wind (2nd)

Expensive Material Components 

(Spells marked with * means the components are consumed in casting)

• Awaken* (5th) 
• Clairvoyance (3rd)
• Find the Path (6th)
• Glyph of Warding* (3rd)
• Greater Restoration* (5th)
• Guards and Wards (6th)
• Legend Lore* (5th)
• Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (7th)
• Mordenkainen's Sword (7th)
• Nondetection* (3rd)
• Planar Binding* (5th)
• Programmed Illusion (6th)
• Project Image (7th)
• Raise Dead* (5th)
• Resurrection* (7th)
• Scrying (5th)
• Symbol* (7th)
• Teleportation Circle* (5th)
• True Seeing (6th)

Increased Effectiveness with Higher Level Slots

• Animal Frienship (1st)
• Animal Messenger (2nd)
• Animate Objects (5th)
• Bane (1st)
• Bestow Curse (3rd)
• Blindness/Deafness (2nd)
• Catnap (3rd)
• Charm Monster (4th) 
• Charm Person (1st)
• Cloud of Daggers (2nd)
• Confusion (4th)
• Cure Wounds (1st)
• Dispel Magic (3rd)
• Dissonant Whispers (1st)
• Dominate Monster (8th)
• Dominate Person (5th) 
• Earth Tremor (1st)
• Enhance Ability (3rd)
• Etherealness (7th)
• Geas (5th)
• Glyph of Warding (3rd)
• Healing Word (1st)
• Heat Metal (2nd) 
• Hold Monster (5th)
• Hold Person (2nd)
• Invisibility (2nd)
• Major Image (3rd)
• Mass Cure Wounds (5th)
• Mass Suggestion (6th)
• Modify Memory (5th)
• Planar Binding (5th)
• Shatter (2nd)
• Sleep (1st)
• Thunderwave (1st)

Ritual

• Animal Messenger (2nd)
• Comprehend Languages (1st)
• Detect Magic (1st)
• Identify (1st)
• Illusory Script (1st)
• Locate Animals and Plants (2nd) 
• Magic Mouth (2nd)
• Unseen Servant (1st)
• Silence (2nd)
• Skywrite (2nd)

Area Control

• Confusion (5th) 
• Earth Tremor (1st)
• Guards and Wards (6th) 
• Psychic Scream (9th)
• Stinking Cloud (3rd)
• Thunderwave (1st)

Area Denial

• Cloud of Daggers (2nd) 
• Guards and Wards (6th)
• Glyph of Warding (3rd) 
• Plant Growth (3rd)
• Stinking Cloud (3rd)
• Symbol (7th)

Buff 

• Enhance Ability (2nd) 
• Freedom of Movement (4th)
• Heroism (1st)
• Glibness (8th)
• Skill Empowerment (5th)

Communication

• Animal Messenger (2nd) 
• Comprehend Languages (1st) 
• Dream (5th)
• Magic Mouth (2nd)
• Message (Cantrip)
• Project Image (7th)
• Sending (3rd)
• Skywrite (2nd)
• Tongues (3rd)

Control

• Eyebite (6th) 
• Forcecage (7th)
• Hold Monster (5th)
• Hold Person (2nd) 
• Otto's Irresistable Dance (6th) 
• Power Word Stun (8th)
• Pyrotechnics (2nd)
• Sleep (1st)
• Symbol (7th)
• Tasha's Hideous Laughter (1st)

Curses

• Bestow Curse (3rd)
• Eyebite (6th) 
• Feeblemind (8th)
• Geas (5th)

Damage 

• Cloud of Daggers (2nd)
• Dissonant Whispers (1st)
• Earth Tremor (1st)
• Glyph of Warding (3rd)
• Heat Metal (2nd)
• Mordenkainen's Sword (7th)
• Phantasmal Force (2nd)
• Psychic Scream (9th)
• Shatter (2nd)
• Symbol (7th)
• Synaptic Static (5th)
• Thunderclap (Cantrip)
• Thunderwave (1st)
• Vicious Mockery (Cantrip)

Death

• Power Word Kill (9th)

Debuff 

• Bane (1st)
• Bestow Curse (3rd)
• Blindness/Deafness (2nd)
• Eyebite (6th)
• Faerie Fire (1st)
• Feeblemind (8th)
• Silence (2nd)
• Synaptic Static (5th)
• Vicious Mockery (Cantrip)

Defensive

• Blade Ward (Cantrip)
• Dispel Magic (3rd)
• Foresight (9th)
• Freedom of Movement (4th) 
• Mind Blank (8th)
• Nondetection (3rd)
• Warding Wind (2nd)

Divination/Senses/Information Gathering

• Clairvoyance (3rd)
• Comprehend Languages (1st)
• Detect Magic (1st)
• Detect Thoughts (2nd)
• Dream (5th)
• Find the Path (6th)
• Identify (1st)
• Legend Lore (5th)
• Locate Animals or Plants (2nd)
• Locate Creature (4th)
• Locate Objects (2nd) 
• Project Image (7th)
• Scrying (5th)
• See Invisibility (2nd)
• Speak with Animals (1st)
• Speak with Dead (3rd)
• Speak with Plants (3rd) 
• Tongues (3rd)
• True Seeing (6th)
• Zone of Truth (2nd)

Healing/Restorative

• Catnap (3rd)
• Cure Wounds (1st)
• Greater Restoration (5th)
• Healing Word (1st)
• Lesser Restoration (2nd)
• Mass Cure Wounds (5th) 
• Power Word Heal (9th)
• Raise Dead (5th) 
• Regenerate (7th)
• Resurrection (7th)

Illusion

• Feign Death (3rd) 
• Hallucinatory Terrain (4th)
• Illusory Script (1st)
• Major Image (3rd)
• Minor Illusion (Cantrip)
• Mirage Arcane (7th)
• Mislead (5th)
• Nondetection (3rd)
• Phantasmal Force (2nd) 
• Programmed Illusion (6th) 
• Project Image (7th)
• Seeming (5th)
• Silent Image (1st)

Infiltration

• Disguise Self (1st)
• Greater Invisibility (4th)
• Invisibility (2nd)
• Mislead (5th) 
• Modify Memory (5th)
• Silence (2nd)

Mind Control

• Animal Friendship (1st)
• Calm Emotions (2nd)
• Charm Monster (4th)
• Charm Person (1st)
• Compulsion (4th) 
• Confusion (4th)
• Crown of Madness (2nd)
• Dominate Person (5th)
• Dominate Monster (8th)
• Dissonant Whispers (1st)
• Enemies Abound (3rd)
• Enthrall (2nd)
• Fear (3rd)
• Friends (Cantrip)
• Geas (5th) 
• Glibness (8th)
• Hypnotic Pattern (3rd) 
• Mass Suggestion (6th)
• Modify Memory (5th)
• Suggestion (2nd)
• Symbol (7th)
• Zone of Truth (2nd)

Movement/Travel

• Dimension Door (4th)
• Etherealness (7th)
• Longstrider (1st)
• Teleportation Circle (5th)
• Teleport (7th)

Offensive

• True Strike (Cantrip)

Planar

• Ethrealness (7th)
• Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (7th)
• Planar Binding (5th)

Summoning

• Animate Objects (5th)
• Mordenkainen's Sword (7th)
• Planar Binding (5th)

Transformative

• Awaken (5th)
• Polymorph (4th) 
• Mass Polymorph (9th)
• True Polymorph (9th)

Utility

• Animate Objects (5th)
• Dancing Lights (Cantrip)
• Dispel Magic (3rd)
• Feather Fall (Cantrip)
• Knock (2nd)
• Leomund's Tiny Hut (3rd)
• Light (Cantrip)
• Mage Hand (Cantrip)
• Mending (Cantrip)
• Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (7th)
• Plant Growth (3rd)
• Prestidigitaton (Cantrip)
• Unseen Servant (1st)

Wards

• Guards and Wards (6th)
• Glyph of Warding (3rd)
• Symbol (7th)
• Warding Wind (3rd)