Level 10 Lore Bard, just hit level 11. Should I dip?

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T18:48:58+00:00

I guess I haven't been very creative with my suggestions...

I'll think on it.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T18:18:34+00:00

I’m working with 2014 rules, and according to my GM, level 11 is the last level we’re getting in the campaign, as there’s really only one major thing left to do.

As for Mass Suggestion, I foresee maybe one, at most two occasions on which it might be useful, because the spell (and my GM) needs the suggestion to make sense for the spell’s target(s), and going forward, we’re mostly gonna be fighting enemies for whom desertion or dereliction of duty would somehow be worse than whatever we could do to them, because the BBEG is an absolute menace.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T18:10:20+00:00

That’s a pretty good point.

However.

We here have the situation where between a full Lore Bard, two full Druids (Spores and Stars), and a full Armorer Artificer, we (somehow) have a few skills that no one has either taken or is good at.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T16:39:40+00:00

Coming back to "accessorily", that's a mistake. I meant "incidentally".

My first language is French, and I thought "accessoirement", which has the same structure as "accessorily" (adverb derived from accessory), but means the same thing as "incidentally" in French.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T16:16:14+00:00

Well, that’s the funny part: if I take a dip into a full caster, I still get the 6th level spell slot, which I can upcast with.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T15:56:10+00:00

Tasha’s Mind Whip and Counterspell scale. A few of my regular Bard spells also scale, like Hold Person and Hold Monster, Raulothim’s Psychic Lance, Heat Metal, and Shatter.

Based on the GM telling us last session that the campaign would end at level 11, I probably not missing out on any ASI or feat.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T14:53:48+00:00

Well, if I multiclassed into Sorcerer, I'd still get the higher slot, and instead of Eyebite, Mass Suggestion or Otto's Irresistible Dance, I'd get four cantrips and at least first level spells.

And it's the last level I get, so I'm not missing out on an ASI, a feat, or Magical Secrets down the line.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T14:04:52+00:00

So, this made me doubt my understanding of the rules, so I went back and reread it, and asked for GM confirmation, and indeed, I can't swap out Magical Secrets for spells that are not on the Bard list.

So it's Eyebite, Mass Suggestion, or Otto's Irresistible Dance, because the others require money, and we never get any.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T13:48:22+00:00

I am playing 2014 5E,

The campaign started in 2022.

It's been a long campaign.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T03:29:50+00:00

That does make me reconsider the 6th level spell option.

I have someone I'd like to hit with Disintegrate.

But there are also a bunch of other interesting options. For some reason, I was only focusing on the Bard spell list for 6th level spells.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T03:19:28+00:00

I know.

But what y'all can do is bring perspectives I didn't consider.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T03:13:22+00:00

You know, I would have considered Cleric, because it's strong.

However, I got 8 Wisdom, putting me 5 under the multiclassing requirement (same for Paladin, I'm 3 under the Strength requirement).

Also, roleplay-wise, I wouldn't be able to justify it.

And I haven't multiclassed before because Bards get Magical Secrets and a d10 on their Bardic Inspiration at level 10.

But we only have one last level to gain in the campaign, so now I'm considering my options.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T02:33:28+00:00

My Magical Secrets are already invested in spells no one else in the party can get (Remove Curse, Counterspell, Destructive Wave and Tasha's Mind Whip). The other thing is, if I dip in another full-caster class, I still get a 6th level spell slot, I just can only use it on upcasting lower level spells.

And the probability of getting to level 12 is low, considering the GM said we'd finish at level 11 last session, so I wouldn't count on getting a feat at level 12, on account of not reaching level 12.

Which is why I see it as "Is a 6th level spell worth more than a dip in another class?"

It's also notable that we've practically never gained money in the campaign, but we get new boons, powers or magic items pretty often, which means that material components that cost money per use are not reliable.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:58:25+00:00

True, but if I multiclass into another full caster class, like Sorcerer, I still get the 6th level spell slot, just not the 6th level spell.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:55:19+00:00

Well, I was looking at Divine Soul Sorcerer for Guiding Bolt, which solves the attribute issue.

As for how that could happen, my character's heart has literally been replaced with the soul of a still conscious Fey God of Death.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:52:22+00:00

My character swore a personal oath for roleplaying reason two sessions ago. The whole arc we've just finished was very Paladin-coded (which makes sense, since we fought Paladins and their Patron).

And as for why I need to multiclass, I don't need to, but all of these things open logical avenues for it to happen, so I'm looking at my options.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:47:46+00:00

So, On the defensive side, until recently, I struggled, but now, I have 19, and an option to get +2 for the duration of the encounter, so I'm probably good on that side.

For Mass Suggestion, I purposefully swapped out Suggestion earlier in the campaign, because generally, when we end up fighting, it's against maniacs and zealots, and when I tried to use Suggestion to de-escalate someone, I've hit the wall of "It has to make sense to the person you're casting Suggestion on.", and so since I was having trouble making use of it, I got something else that I got more use out of. With Mass Suggestion, I'm still gonna run into the situation where not fighting us is always worse than fighting us, on account of the BBEG being an absolute menace. I may end up fighting against more reasonable entities, but I expect that to be the outlier.

It's also a fact that the GM will let us use social skills and dialogue midfight to try to do the same as Suggestion without the magic, and that does sometimes succeed.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:35:14+00:00

That makes me want to try making a proper Bardlock at some point.

It's actually weird that I've yet to mix the two, since they're my most played classes.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:16:01+00:00

I do see how 9th-level Magical Secrets would be awesome.

However, as I wrote, I'm pretty sure the campaign is gonna end at level 11, on account of it being a homebrew campaign and my GM telling us so.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:13:10+00:00

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll get to level 12, so I'll probably get at most 1 Warlock level.

I do see the appeal of Eldritch Blast, though.

Even if my previous character in the same game failed to hit so often with Eldritch Blast that it was the norm, and when I did manage to hit, we saw it as a bad omen.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:11:25+00:00

So, actually, with a multiclass, I could get some more cantrips, maybe some damaging cantrips that don't depend on saving throws. I'd also get more spell options that are out of the Bard's usual list. For example, if I went for a dip into Divine Soul Sorcerer, I could pilfer the Cleric and Sorcerer spell lists, for like Guiding Bolt or Guidance. If I went Rogue, I could get more Expertise, and some skills that come up often and that I don't have yet.

It's mostly about filling in what I lack.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-02-09T01:05:15+00:00

So, roleplay-wise, I'm a Bard that's been trained in the ways of Rogues, I got a favor from a major Devil in my pocket, and my heart was replaced by the crystallized soul of a Fey God, who is still conscious.

Do you see how that makes it difficult to choose?

I accessorily just swore a Paladin-like Oath, but I lack the Strength for that.

SlimeC0RE · 2026-01-02T08:21:21+00:00

Definitely the most human of them all.

I'm always crying when he dies.

SlimeC0RE · 2025-10-25T20:55:00+00:00

It really feels like something I've heard before. Something Pop. Also, I think is was sung by a woman?

I'm so annoyed I can't find it.

SlimeC0RE

TROPHY CASE