Tiefling Bard Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Start with the College of Eloquence at level 3. Silver Tongue guarantees you will never roll below a 10 on the d20 for Persuasion or Deception, making you the ultimate party face with your 17 Charisma. At level 4, take the Telekinetic feat. This bumps your CHA to 18, increasing your spell save DC, and gives you a bonus action shove to push enemies out of melee range, protecting your fragile 12 Constitution.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings Font of Inspiration, allowing your Bardic Inspiration (and Unsettling Words) to recharge on a short rest. At level 5, your melee DPR is an abysmal 3.9; never draw your rapier. At level 8, take the Resilient (Constitution) feat. This bumps your CON to 13 and grants proficiency in Constitution saving throws, which is absolutely mandatory to maintain concentration on Hypnotic Pattern when taking damage.

Levels 11-16

At level 12, use your ASI to cap Charisma at 20. Level 14 brings Infectious Inspiration and your first set of Magical Secrets; grab Counterspell and Find Greater Steed. Your spell DPR at level 11 is only 10.18, so rely heavily on your Pegasus mount to stay out of range while dropping control spells. At level 16, take Inspiring Leader to pad your party's HP using your maxed Charisma.

Levels 17-20

At level 17, you unlock 9th-level spells. Take Foresight to buff your primary martial carry. Your spell DPR barely creeps up to 13.2, so continue focusing entirely on support. Use your final ASI at level 19 to take War Caster, ensuring that even with a low CON score, your concentration on fight-ending spells like Forcecage or Mass Polymorph will never drop.

Cantrips

Take Vicious Mockery and Minor Illusion. Vicious Mockery imposes disadvantage on attacks, scaling your support role. You also get Thaumaturgy for free from your Tiefling Fiendish Legacy, which is excellent for intimidating NPCs during social encounters.

Level 1-2 Spells

Grab Dissonant Whispers to force enemies to flee, triggering opportunity attacks from your melee allies. Silvery Barbs is mandatory for a support Bard. You automatically learn Hellish Rebuke (Level 3) and Darkness (Level 5) from Fiendish Legacy. Hellish Rebuke gives you a badly needed damage reaction, while Darkness provides an emergency escape tool.

Level 3-5 Spells

Hypnotic Pattern is your bread-and-butter level 3 control spell. At level 4, take Polymorph to turn your low-HP fighter into a Giant Ape. At level 5, Synaptic Static targets Intelligence saving throws and reduces enemy attack rolls by 1d6, stacking beautifully with Unsettling Words.

High-Level Spells

Forcecage (Level 7) is the best control spell in the game and doesn't require concentration, meaning you can cast it even if your 12 CON makes concentration risky. Foresight (Level 9) provides an 8-hour, non-concentration buff that gives a party member advantage on everything and imposes disadvantage on attacks against them.

Telekinetic

Take this at level 4. With a starting Charisma of 15 and a +2 racial bonus from the standard Tiefling, you sit at 17 CHA. Telekinetic rounds this out to 18, improving your spell save DC. The bonus action 5-foot shove is vital for a squishy 12-CON Bard to disengage from melee without wasting an action to Disengage.

Resilient (Constitution)

Take this at level 8. A 12 Constitution is a massive liability for a spellcaster who relies entirely on concentration spells like Polymorph. This bumps your CON to 13 and adds your proficiency bonus to concentration checks, keeping your crowd control active when you inevitably take damage.

Inspiring Leader

Take this at level 16. As a 20-Charisma Tiefling Bard, you can grant your entire party 20 temporary hit points per short rest. This acts as a massive buffer, effectively increasing your party's daily HP pool and reinforcing your primary role as a dedicated Support character.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Scrap your starting leather armor immediately and purchase Studded Leather Armor to bump your AC to 14 (with your 14 DEX). Keep an eye out for a Mac-Fuirmidh Cittern, an uncommon Instrument of the Bards that grants access to spells like Barkskin and Cure Wounds.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Acquire a Rhythm-Maker's Drum +1 to boost your spell save DC. This directly impacts the success rate of your Hypnotic Pattern and increases the DC of your racial Hellish Rebuke. You should also seek out Elven Chain to immediately fix your AC issues, setting your base AC to 14 plus your +2 DEX modifier for a respectable 16.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

Upgrade to a Rhythm-Maker's Drum +2. Try to secure an Anstruth Harp, a Very Rare Instrument of the Bards. It allows you to cast Wall of Thorns and imposes disadvantage on saving throws against your charm spells, turning you into a crowd-control god.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

Seek out a Rhythm-Maker's Drum +3 and a Tome of Leadership and Influence to permanently push your Charisma to 22. This maximizes your spell save DC, the damage of your Fiendish Legacy spells, and the effectiveness of your Eloquence Bard debuffs.

As a Tiefling Eloquence Bard, your primary role is Support, specifically through debuffing enemy saving throws with Unsettling Words and locking them down. Because your melee DPR is just 3.9 at level 5, you absolutely need a dedicated frontline to stand between you and the enemy. A Conquest Paladin is your best friend; their Aura of Protection will cover your abysmal 10 Wisdom saving throw, and they can capitalize on the frightened condition.

You also pair exceptionally well with a Phantom Rogue. When you cast Dissonant Whispers to force an enemy to flee, your Rogue gets an off-turn opportunity attack, allowing them to apply Sneak Attack damage twice in a single round. Your Tiefling Darkvision ensures you can coordinate targets with the Rogue in unlit dungeons without giving away your position with a torch.

Hexblade Warlock 2 Dip

Taking two levels of Hexblade Warlock is the classic Charisma multiclass. It gives you medium armor and shield proficiency, fixing your low AC. More importantly, it grants Eldritch Blast and the Agonizing Blast invocation. Since your spell DPR is a low 13.2 at level 17, Agonizing Blast gives you a reliable, resourceless damage option that scales perfectly with your 20 Charisma.

Divine Soul Sorcerer 1 Dip

A single-level dip in Divine Soul Sorcerer provides proficiency in Constitution saving throws (if taken at level 1), eliminating the need for the Resilient feat. It also grants access to the Shield and Absorb Elements spells. Combined with your Tiefling fire resistance, you become remarkably difficult to kill, and Favored by the Gods adds 2d4 to a failed saving throw once per short rest.

• Wasting Concentration on Racial Darkness: Tieflings get Darkness at level 5, but casting it requires your concentration. Bards have vastly superior concentration options like Hypnotic Pattern; don't trap yourself in a dark bubble.
• Reaction Conflict: Your innate Hellish Rebuke is incredibly tempting for damage, but casting it consumes your reaction. If you use it, you cannot cast Silvery Barbs or Counterspell until your next turn, potentially dooming a teammate.
• Trying to Melee: With 8 STR and 14 DEX, your melee DPR at level 11 is 3.58. Never make weapon attacks. If an enemy gets close, use your Telekinetic shove or cast Dissonant Whispers.
• Ignoring Wisdom Saves: With a 10 Wisdom, you are highly vulnerable to crippling spells like Hold Person or Fear. Position yourself carefully behind paladins or take precautions against enemy casters.