Tiefling College of Lore Bard Build Guide
Blending tiefling resilience with unmatched magical versatility, the College of Lore Bard is the ultimate spellcasting controller who always has the perfect answer.
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Why College of Lore?
As a Tiefling College of Lore Bard, you are the ultimate battlefield controller and skill master. Your high Charisma of 15 powers your spellcasting and social skills, while your Tiefling heritage provides crucial defenses. Thanks to your Fiendish Legacy, you gain innate fire resistance, keeping you standing longer in combat so you can focus on manipulating the battlefield without worrying about stray damage.
When combat starts, you will shine by using your Cutting Words feature to distract enemies, using your Bardic Inspiration to reduce their attack rolls or damage. Your Tiefling Darkvision ensures you can spot hidden threats in pitch-black dungeons without giving away your position, allowing you to deploy your control spells exactly where they are needed most. Combined with the extra skills from Bonus Proficiencies, you will be the ultimate utility character both in and out of combat.
College of Lore Features
Bonus Proficiencies
Level 3You gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.
Cutting Words
Level 3You learn to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence of others. When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, ability check, or damage roll, you can use your Reaction to spend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice and subtract the number rolled from the creature's roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature rolls but before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. A creature can't be affected by this feature if the creature can't hear you.
Magical Discoveries
Level 6You learn two spells of your choice. These spells can be from any class's spell list. Each spell counts as a Bard spell for you but doesn't count against the number of Bard spells you know.
Peerless Skill
Level 14When you make an ability check or attack roll and fail, you can spend one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, roll it, and add the number rolled to the ability check or attack roll, potentially turning failure into success.
Recommended Ability Scores
Tiefling Traits That Benefit College of Lore Bard
Fiendish Legacy
Built-in damage resistance reduces incoming damage, keeping your Bard alive longer in combat.
Darkvision
Tiefling 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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Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ♦ College of Lore grants Bonus Proficiencies at level 3
- ♦ Darkvision for dungeon exploration
- ♦ Versatile spellcasting options
- ♦ Jack of all trades with inspiration and spellcasting
- ♦ Built-in damage resistance improves survivability
Weaknesses
- ♦ Low Wisdom — vulnerable to common saving throws
- ♦ May require careful feat selection to optimize
Pro Tips
Use Cutting Words to reduce an enemy's damage roll, protecting fragile allies after your Tiefling fire resistance absorbs any fiery attacks.
At level 6, use Magical Discoveries to grab powerful control spells like Counterspell or Fireball to expand your magical utility.
Capitalize on your Tiefling Darkvision to scout ahead in the dark, using your extra Bonus Proficiencies in Stealth to remain undetected.
Keep your Charisma high; it increases the save Difficulty Class for your control spells, making it harder for enemies to resist you.
Other Bard Subclasses for Tiefling
Other Races for College of Lore Bard
Frequently Asked Questions
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