Aasimar College of Dance Bard Build Guide
Combine the Aasimar's Celestial Revelation flight with the College of Dance's Dazzling Footwork, and you become an untouchable, airborne skirmisher.
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Why College of Dance?
At first glance, an Aasimar Bard yields a mediocre 5/10 synergy rating due to slightly conflicting bonus actions and an awkward starting stat array (STR 8, DEX 14, CON 12, INT 13, WIS 10, CHA 15). However, the College of Dance completely flips the script. This subclass transforms the traditional support-oriented Bard into a highly mobile Striker, and the Aasimar's species traits provide the exact defensive and vertical tools this build craves.
The core of this build relies on Dazzling Footwork. By shedding your armor, you gain an immediate 10-foot boost to your walking speed. When you trigger your Aasimar Celestial Revelation (specifically the Radiant Soul option for flight), that walking speed translates into aerial dominance. You aren't just dancing across the battlefield; you are dancing above it, raining down spellcasting and striking isolated targets.
Furthermore, Celestial Resistance (necrotic and radiant resistance) and Healing Hands offer a crucial safety net. Because College of Dance Bards are encouraged to weave into close-quarters combat to maximize their striker potential, you will take hits. The Aasimar's built-in survivability mitigates the inherent risk of playing an unarmored d8 Hit Die class in melee range.
College of Dance Features
Dazzling Footwork
Level 3While you aren't wearing armor or using a shield, you gain the following benefits: Acrobatic Movement: Your Walking Speed increases by 10 feet. Nimble Defense: While you are conscious, when you roll for initiative and don't have any Bardic Inspiration die remaining, you regain one.
Inspiring Movement
Level 6When a hostile creature you can see ends its turn within 5 feet of you, you can use your Reaction to spend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice and move up to your Walking Speed without provoking opportunity attacks. You move toward that creature, and when you end this movement, you can grant that creature's target a bonus to its next attack roll against that creature by rolling your Bardic Inspiration die and adding the result.
Tandem Footwork
Level 6When you roll initiative, you can spend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice and add the number rolled to your initiative roll. When another creature you can see rolls for initiative, you can use your Reaction to roll one of your Bardic Inspiration dice and add the number to that creature's initiative roll.
Leading Evasion
Level 14When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a saving throw to take only half damage, you can use your Reaction to spend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, add the number rolled to your saving throw, and take no damage if you succeed.
Recommended Ability Scores
Aasimar Traits That Benefit College of Dance Bard
Celestial Revelation
Flight provides incredible mobility, letting the Bard reach otherwise inaccessible positions.
Celestial Resistance
Built-in damage resistance reduces incoming damage, keeping your Bard alive longer in combat.
Healing Hands
Additional healing ability supplements the Bard's support capabilities.
Darkvision
Aasimar Darkvision helps Bards scout ahead and fight in darkness without needing a torch.
Combat Effectiveness
| Level | HP | Melee DPR | Spell DPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | 33 | 3.9 | 7.8 |
| Level 11 | 69 | 3.58 | 10.18 |
| Level 17 | 105 | 3.58 | 13.2 |
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Build Path (Levels 1-20)
Levels 1-4
Your early game requires patience. At levels 1 and 2, you are a standard Bard. Rely on Vicious Mockery and a rapier. Everything changes at level 3 when you select the College of Dance and unlock Dazzling Footwork. Drop your light armor immediately to gain your unarmored defense and the +10 feet to your walking speed. You are now a skirmisher. At level 4, use your Ability Score Improvement to take the Fey Touched feat. This bumps your 15 Charisma to a 16, significantly improving your spell save DC and granting Misty Step, which stacks beautifully with your already enhanced mobility.
Levels 5-10
Level 5 brings Font of Inspiration, meaning your Bardic Inspiration now recharges on a short rest. This is vital because level 6 introduces Inspiring Movement and Tandem Footwork. Tandem Footwork allows you to spend an Inspiration die to boost initiative for yourself or an ally; use this on your party's Rogue or Wizard to ensure they act first. Inspiring Movement is your ultimate striker repositioning tool—when an enemy ends their turn within 5 feet of you, spend an Inspiration die as a reaction to move away without taking opportunity attacks. Pair this with your Aasimar Celestial Revelation flight to simply float out of reach while dealing extra radiant damage on your turn. At level 8, take +2 Charisma to reach 18.
Levels 11-16
At level 11, your spellcasting DPR spikes to 10.18 with 6th-level spells, but your survivability is tested. Level 14 is the cornerstone of your late-game defenses: Leading Evasion. When subjected to an effect that allows a Dexterity saving throw for half damage (like a Dragon's breath weapon), you can use your reaction and a Bardic Inspiration die to take zero damage on a success. This turns you from a fragile dancer into an AoE-dodging nightmare. Keep your Healing Hands ready for emergencies, as your d8 hit die (only 69 HP at level 11) will feel small against Tier 3 monsters. At level 12, max your Charisma to 20.
Levels 17-20
In Tier 4, you are a full-caster with the mobility of a Monk. You gain 9th-level spells at level 17; Foresight is the mathematical best choice here, granting you advantage on all your attacks, saves, and ability checks while imposing disadvantage on attacks against you. This stacks flawlessly with Leading Evasion, virtually guaranteeing you will never take damage from a fireball or breath weapon again. Use your level 16 and 19 ASIs to bump your Dexterity to 18, improving your unarmored AC from Dazzling Footwork and making you an impossible target to pin down.
Recommended Spells
Cantrips
Take Vicious Mockery and Minor Illusion. Vicious Mockery is your bread-and-butter when you can't close the distance, while Minor Illusion offers excellent utility for a striker looking to create obscurement before darting in with Dazzling Footwork.
Level 1-2 Spells
Dissonant Whispers is mandatory. It forces an enemy to flee, provoking opportunity attacks from your frontline. Kinetic Jaunt (level 2) is incredibly thematic for a College of Dance Bard, preventing opportunity attacks against you and boosting your speed even further, pairing perfectly with Aasimar flight.
Level 3-5 Spells
Hypnotic Pattern (level 3) is your premier crowd control. Dimension Door (level 4) allows you to teleport yourself and your party's heavy hitter directly into the backline. Synaptic Static (level 5) is an intelligence-save fireball that debuffs enemy attack rolls, adding another layer of defense on top of your unarmored AC.
High-Level Spells
Otto's Irresistible Dance (level 6) is mechanically strong and flavorfully perfect; force the enemy boss to dance while you strike them with advantage. Forcecage (level 7) is the ultimate single-target removal. Foresight (level 9) is your capstone buff, ensuring your Striker mechanics land every single time.
Recommended Feats
Fey Touched
Take this at level 4. Your starting Charisma is 15, and this rounds it to a 16. More importantly, it gives you Misty Step and Silvery Barbs (or Bless). Misty Step gives you a bonus action teleport, ensuring that if your Inspiring Movement reaction is unavailable, you can still escape grapples or physical traps without wasting your action.
Mobile
Take this if you want to lean heavily into the Striker role. Mobile increases your speed by another 10 feet. When combined with Dazzling Footwork, your base unarmored speed becomes 50 feet. It also lets you avoid opportunity attacks from targets you make a melee attack against, freeing up your reaction so you can save it for Leading Evasion.
War Caster
As a College of Dance Bard, you operate closer to the frontline than a Lore or Eloquence Bard. You need War Caster to maintain concentration on massive spells like Hypnotic Pattern or Otto's Irresistible Dance when you inevitably take a hit. Advantage on Constitution saving throws is non-negotiable for a skirmishing caster.
Gear Progression
Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)
You cannot wear armor or use a shield if you want the benefits of Dazzling Footwork. Focus on acquiring a high-quality Rapier and an arcane focus instrument. If your DM is generous, beg for Bracers of Defense; they provide +2 AC and explicitly work while unarmored.
Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)
Seek out a Rhythm-Maker's Drum +1. This boosts your spell save DC and allows you to regain one use of Bardic Inspiration as an action. Because you burn Inspiration aggressively on Tandem Footwork and Inspiring Movement, getting an extra use per day is a massive power spike.
Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)
Upgrade to a Rhythm-Maker's Drum +2. You should also look for a Cloak of Displacement. Since your unarmored AC might lag behind a heavily armored Paladin, imposing disadvantage on all attacks against you will keep you alive in melee while you strike.
Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)
The Tome of Leadership and Influence is your holy grail. Pushing your Charisma to 22 increases your spell save DC, your spell attack modifier, and the pool of Bardic Inspiration dice you have available to fuel your College of Dance features.
Party Composition
As a College of Dance Bard, your role is a Striker and Skirmisher. You do not have the hit points to be a dedicated frontline tank, despite your high mobility. You thrive in a party composition that features a sticky, durable tank—like a Cavalier Fighter or an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian. They can lock down the enemy, allowing you to dart in, strike, and use your Inspiring Movement to dance away to safety.
You also pair exceptionally well with an Assassin Rogue or a Gloom Stalker Ranger. Because you possess Tandem Footwork, you can spend a Bardic Inspiration die to massively boost their initiative rolls. Guaranteeing that your party's burst-damage dealers go first in the turn order can end encounters before the enemy even draws their weapons.
Multiclass Options
Paladin 2 Dip
Taking two levels of Paladin gives you access to Divine Smite. Since you are already moving in and out of melee range as a Striker, converting your ample Bard spell slots into radiant damage on weapon hits synergizes perfectly with your Aasimar Celestial Revelation extra damage. Just remember you cannot use heavy armor if you want to keep Dazzling Footwork.
Hexblade Warlock 1 Dip
A single level of Hexblade is incredibly potent. It gives you the Shield spell—crucial for an unarmored combatant—and Hexblade's Curse, which expands your critical hit range and adds proficiency bonus to your damage. This solidifies your Striker role without severely delaying your Bard spell progression.
Common Pitfalls
- Wearing Light Armor: Do not fall into the trap of wearing Studded Leather. The moment you put on armor, you lose Dazzling Footwork, stripping away your +10 movement speed and your specialized unarmored defense. Trust the dance.
- Hoarding Inspiration for Attacks: Standard Bards save Inspiration for missed attacks. You must break this habit. Your survivability relies on spending dice on Inspiring Movement to escape melee, and later, Leading Evasion to survive spells.
- Bonus Action Clutter: Your Aasimar Celestial Revelation requires a bonus action to activate. Bardic Inspiration (if handed out normally) also requires a bonus action. Plan your first turn carefully; usually, activating your flight takes precedence so you can skirmish safely.
- Playing as a Tank: Just because you have a decent unarmored AC and Leading Evasion does not mean you belong in the middle of a mob. You have a d8 hit die and 12 Constitution. Strike and retreat.
More Questions
Does Leading Evasion work on Constitution saves?
Can I use a shield with Dazzling Footwork?
When should I trigger Celestial Revelation?
Can I use Tandem Footwork on myself?
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ♦ College of Dance grants Dazzling Footwork at level 3
- ♦ Strong species-class synergy enhances core abilities
- ♦ Darkvision for dungeon exploration
- ♦ Versatile spellcasting options
- ♦ Jack of all trades with inspiration and spellcasting
Weaknesses
- ♦ Low Wisdom — vulnerable to common saving throws
- ♦ May require careful feat selection to optimize
Pro Tips
Activate Celestial Revelation on round one to stack its radiant damage with your Striker playstyle.
Use Tandem Footwork on your party's Rogue to guarantee they get their Sneak Attack off early.
Never wear armor; Dazzling Footwork's unarmored AC and +10 speed are the core of this build.
Save your reaction in Tier 3 for Leading Evasion so you can completely negate dragon breath weapons.
Take the Fey Touched feat at level 4 to round your Charisma to 16 and gain Misty Step.
Other Bard Subclasses for Aasimar
Other Races for College of Dance Bard
Frequently Asked Questions
Is College of Dance a good subclass for Aasimar Bard?
What makes College of Dance different from other Bard subclasses?
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