Spells of
the Skald I
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Guide to
Level 1 Bard Spells
By
Darkgolem
Bard spells at low levels have
different values in a bard's career. At low levels, certain
spells are definitely better to have.. however, at high levels,
completely different first level spells are valuable. It's
important to consider changing first level spells at some point in a
bards career, in order to get the most bang for ones buck out of
them. Especially considering these are the largest number
of spells a bard will have.
Like sorcerer's, it's best to get
"dual use" out of spells, if efficient. While not efficient, a
dual use spell is
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=252">cure
light wounds. Cure light wounds functions
in two ways, A: it can heal your friends and B: it is a direct damage
spells against
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=36">undead.
Sure, you wouldn't want to use it to
damage undead, that's a atrocious waste of spell points, considering
how inefficient it is, but on the other hand, it CAN be used for
that. Bard's don't have a lot of options with undead, having the
choice is important. The trick is finding efficient uses of dual
use spells, and that isn't easy.
Once you have a more powerful spell that functions in a similar way
(such as
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=203">charm
monster rather than charm person), consider switching
out a lower level spell for something else, giving a bard the widest
variety of abilities within all his or her spells. Dual function
spells increase this variety more.
style="background-color: rgb(212, 201, 125); vertical-align: top;"> size="-1">Cause Fear
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: medium
School: necromancy
Components: somatic, verbal
Duration: 20 seconds or 6 seconds
Range: medium
Save: will to be shaken instead of afraid.
Target: foe, directional, breakable
Rating: 1
Notes: An enemy becomes frightened. A successful Will save causes the
target to become shaken instead. Creatures with 6 or more HD are immune
to this effect. This spell causes your opponent to run away from
you, and will not resist if attacked. While of some use in
disrupting your opponents, hypnotism and charm person last longer or
affect more opponents. If the opponent should make its save, it
will be shaken instead, for 6 seconds.
style="font-weight: bold;">Charm Person
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: medium
School: enchantment
Components: somatic, verbal
Duration: special (save every 3d6 + 12 seconds)
Range: long
Save: will to avoid
Target: foe
Rating: 3
Notes: Charms an enemy humanoid, which will fight as a trusted friend
and ally. Charmed humanoids get an additional save every 3d6+12
seconds. A successful Will save negates this effect. Humanoids include
kobolds, goblinoids, player races except for warforged, troglodytes,
and more. This spell causes your opponent to fight for you in
combat. It has the very annoying drawback of preventing
completion of events that require you to kill your charmed foe, such as
doors that won't open until all your opponents are killed, etc.
Your foe receives a save when you first cast charm, and every 15 - 30
seconds afterward until he fails. Until then, your enemy will
fight for you. This spell will only affect humanoids.
style="background-color: rgb(212, 201, 125); vertical-align: top;"> size="-1">Cure Light Wounds
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: fast
School: abjuration
Components: verbal, somatic
Range: medium
Save: will for ½ against undead
Target: friend, self, undead foe
Rating: 3
Notes: Positive energy is channeled to heal light wounds of your
target or damage undead for 1d8 hit points +1 per caster level (max
+5). This is a nice spell, but becomes too weak to reasonably
use at later levels (past about level 5).
style="font-weight: bold;">Detect Secret Doors
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: short
School: divination
Components: somatic, verbal
Duration: 1 minute/level
Range: medium
Target: self
Rating: 3
Notes: Reveals secret and hidden doors. An unremarkable but
occasionally useful spell. Once a bard reaches higher levels,
it's not a bad thing to have this spell, there are few first level
spells a bard must have.
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src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album109/Hypnotism.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 250px; height: 174px;" align="right">Expeditious
Retreat
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: short
School: transmutation
Components: verbal, somatic
Duration: 1 minute/level
Range: short
Target: self
Rating: 2
Notes: Increases base run speed by 25%. This is nice, but
a bard really should have haste to use for this benefit instead.
style="font-weight: bold;">Feather Fall
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: short
School: transmutation
Components: verbal
Duration: 6 seconds/level
Area: 15' diameter
Range: short
Target: self, friend, positional
Rating: 2
Notes: Causes an ally to fall slowly, although faster than feathers
typically do. This might be taken at low levels, but around
level 7 one gains access to feather fall items, and a bard should
switch this out. By about 10th level, pretty much anyone will have a
feather fall item.
style="background-color: rgb(212, 201, 125); vertical-align: top;"> size="-1">Focusing Chant
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: fast
School: enchantment
Components: verbal
Duration: 10 seconds/ level
Target: self
Rating: 2
Notes: You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls and skill
checks. At low level, a bonus to hit that stacks with other
buffs (since it is a circumstance bonus) is a big deal.
Unfortunately, this is a self only spell.
style="font-weight: bold;">Grease
Cooldown: 2 seconds
Casting Time: Short
School: conjuration
Components: verbal, somatic, material
Duration:Area: 15' diameter
Range: medium
Save: dc 12 reflex to avoid trip, save every 6 seconds
Target: Enemy
Rating: 2
Notes: Covers the ground with a layer of slippery grease, forcing
targets to make a Reflex save or fall. This spell can be
targeted on a location or a foe. This is a very situational
spell, useful for blocking a narrow approach by your enemies, but not
as useful for a disorganized or melee-oriented party. The DC 12 save
for this spell cannot be changed at this time by any means. A new
save is forced every 6 seconds. Regardless of a creature making a
save or not, they move at 50% normal rate, except vermin.
style="background-color: rgb(212, 201, 125); vertical-align: top;"> size="-1">Hypnotism
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: short
School: enchantment
Components: somatic, verbal
Duration: 6 seconds/ level
Area: 15' diameter
Range: long
Save: will to avoid
Target: foe (area)
Rating: will to avoid
Notes: Gestures and droning incantation fascinate nearby enemies,
causing them to stop and stare blankly until damaged. A successful Will
save negates this effect. Arguably, the most useful of the
non-damaging spell at first level. Note that it may have a hit
dice limit to be found in later levels; this has not been determined
yet by the author of this guide. This spell affects at least 12
hit dice of creatures, and can affect giants and giant-kin in addition
to humanoids.
style="font-weight: bold;"> href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album109&id=Otto_s_Resistable_Dance&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album109/Otto_s_Resistable_Dance.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 250px; height: 174px;" align="right">Otto's
Resistible Dance
Cooldown: 3 seconds
Casting Time: fast
School: enchantment
Components: verbal
Duration: 20 seconds
Range: touch
Save: will to avoid
Target: foe
Rating: 3
Notes: At your touch, enemies feel an undeniable urge to dance and
begin doing so, complete with foot shuffling and tapping. The spell
makes it impossible for the enemy to do anything other than caper and
prance in place. A successful Will save negates this effect. If
you have heighten, this is a great spell at higher levels, and a fair
spell at low levels, since it affects anything normally affected by
enchantments, not just humanoids.
style="background-color: rgb(212, 201, 125); vertical-align: top;"> size="-1">Remove Fear
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: medium
School: abjuration
Components: somatic, verbal
Duration: 10 minutes
Area: 15' diameter
Range: medium
Target: friend, self, positional
Rating: 3
Notes: Instills courage in an ally, granting a +4 morale bonus against
Fear effects. Counters and dispels Cause Fear. This is a neat
spell, and useful at some of the later levels, a benefit in itself for
bard spells.
style="font-weight: bold;">Sleep
Cooldown: 2.5 seconds
Casting Time: fast
School: enchantment
Components: somatic, verbal, material
Duration: 1 minute/level
Area: 5' radius
Range: long
Save: will to avoid
Target: foe, directional
Rating: 1
Notes: Induces a magical slumber to come upon 2d4 Hit Dice of enemies,
rendering them helpless until attacked. Ineffective on undead or
constructs. A successful Will save negates this effect. This
spell can be targeted upon a spot designated by a cursor, but the fast
paced nature of combat makes this a difficult technique. When
placed upon a running creature, it will appear at the location the
creature was when activated, usually missing. Hypnotism is much
more effective for disabling creatures until dealt with in other ways.
This spell affects a flat 4 hit dice of creatures upon each use.
style="background-color: rgb(212, 201, 125); vertical-align: top;"> size="-1">Summon Monster I
Cooldown: 1 minute
Casting Time: Long
School: enchantment
Components: somatic, verbal, material
Duration: 1 minute
Range: medium
Target: positional, self
Rating: 2
Notes: Summons a celestial dog to fight for you for a brief time.
Casting this spell locks out casting any other Summon Monster spell for
1 minute. The celestial dog that this spell summons is useful
for taking the brunt of attacks that would be otherwise targeted on you
and useful for finding opponents around corners. At later levels
it is not as useful but still can find foes that are behind furniture,
placed in the way of suspected traps, and so on.
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