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As fun as the many different party members inBaldur’s Gate 3might be, none of them take up the Bard class. If you want to fill that game in party balance, why not do so as a College of Lore Bard? This subclass offers a more support-centric option, providing a wide variety of spells and abilities perfect for hindering your enemies. Blind, hypnotize, and insult your enemies into submission while your tank goes in for the easy kill.
RELATED:Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Guide To Bards
But with all of the various debuff options available, it can be tough to decide how to best go about building your character. Sleep or laughter? Hold Person or Crown of Madness? How should you spend your precious Bardic Inspiration?? Fear no longer. Read a little further to learn everything you could need to know about making the best College of Lore Bard build.
Updated May 10, 2025, by Branden Lizardi:Act 3 is full of new things to fight, loot, earn, and steal. Now that the game has been out a while, our overall context has expanded, and secret, harder to find items have become aware to us. As such, we’re updating this guide to include only the best gear, spells, and weapons for your time as a trash talking College of Lore Bard.
College Of Lore Bard Overview
The College of Lore Bard, thematically, shifts focus away from the idea of music and more towardthe idea of storytelling. Words are your weapon more than a song is. This is primarily represented withthe Cutting Words subclass feature, which allows you touse a reaction to hinder enemies.
Beyond that, you’ll also be given access toadditional spells otherwise unavailable to the Bard class.
With that, this subclass is often played ina more defensive, supportive, or utilitarian role.It also gives them access to some potentially powerful spells, opening the door for a more offensive build. Remember that much of this can change depending on your party composition.Don’t be afraid to tweak the build further to make the most of your overall team.
The Best Starting Stats, Species, And Spells For A College Of Lore Bard Character
Building the initial character is vital insetting them up for success further down the class line. While you won’t have access to the College of Lore subclass just yet, we can start laying the groundwork for your benefit later.
Species
Because there areno stat differences between species, none play amajor influence in your class. For this reason,we recommend playing as a human. Their Human Versatility means more skills to be proficient in, supporting the all-arounder style they’re good for. More importantly, it comes with Civil Militia, which will expand your weapon abilities and give youproficiency with a shield.
Cantrips And Spells
Start withVicious MockeryandMage Hand. Vicious Mockery is a Bard-only spell that, while not heavy on damage, caninflict disadvantage on attacks from the target. This is a great way to debuff enemies from the start.Mage Hand is useful in the overall game. It can be, however, replaced with another cantrip of choice if you intend on keeping Gale in your party since he already knows it.
For starting spells, we recommend the following spells for the following reasons:
Reason
Healing Word
Healing spells are valuable, especially if you don’t intend to keep Shadowheart in your party. Healing Word may heal less than Cure Wounds, but it can be used as a bonus action and from a distance.
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
It’s one of the best early-game spells for disabling an opponent for multiple turns
Bane
It hinders multiple enemies at once, which is very valuable if anyone gets surrounded.
Sleep
Its an early-game spell that can potentially disable multiple targets, with limitations, though.
Instrument And Background
The instrument you choose makes zero difference, sogo with whatever one you fancy most.
As for Background, while Entertainer may make sense, Performance and Acrobatics checks are much less common.Instead, try Guild Artisan. Insight Proficiency is helpful in dialogue, and the many opportunities to use Persuasion checks will help with both dice rolls and Inspiration rewards.
Stats And Skills
The recommended stats for a Bard are close but not quite ideal. With that in mind, we recommend the following starting stats.
8
16
13
12
10
By taking one point off charisma and moving it to dexterity, we can get a better Dex score, boosting AC and weapons withoutlowering your charisma modifier. You can then increase your charisma morewith a featlater on.
As for Skills, this willmostly depend on playstyle, but we recommend the following skills.
Performance
Tips To Best Play A College Of Lore Bard
The best way to play a College of Lore Bard is asa powerful supportive role. You want toutilize both your Cutting Words feature and wider variety of spellsto debuff or disable opponents, making them easy targets foryour damage-dealing party members. Stay in the background instead of on the front lines, and choose spells that complement that playstyle.
Don’t dish out Bardic Inspiration. Instead, save it for Cutting Words. This subclass-exclusive reaction allows you toroll your bardic dice as a reaction to an enemy’s attack, ability check, or damage. This can be the difference between life and death in some moments.
Once you reach level 5,be more liberal with your usagesince you canrestore bardic inspiration from a short rest. This pairs very well with your Song of Rest ability, which is essentially an extra short rest.
Go to your character’s info screen and find the reactions panel.Set Cutting Words to ask for confirmationfirst,or you’ll burn through them in early encounters.
College of Lore Bards also getan extra instance of Magical Secrets. For how to make the most of that, consult our Best Spells section below.
The Best Spells For A College Of Lore Bard
Following the aforementioned theme of being a support role thatdebuffs and hinders the enemy, we recommend the following spells. This will behow it looks when you’ve reached a maximum level of 12. For details as to why for each spell, consult the recommended levels to learn each spell in the Level Up Choice section below. Otherwise, pick them at your leisure.
Vicious Mockery,Mage Hand,Minor Illusion,Blade Ward
1
Healing Word,Tasha’s Hideous Laughter,Bane,Sleep,Dissonant Whispers,Magical Secrets(Chromatic Orb),Ritual Caster Feat(Jump,Speak With Animals)
2
3
4
5
6
The Best Equipment For A College Of Lore Bard
Best Weapons
For your main hand, you shouldstart aRapier. Already dealing 1d8 damage, the finesse quality means you can stilluse dexterity as your attack modifier. It also comes with two debilitating weapon skills and Flourish. Flourish lets youmake an attack as a bonus actionand potentially inflict yet another debuff.
For magical options,thePhalar Aluvecan be found early in the Underdark, and it’s an amazing weapon that will carry you to the end of the game.It’s Sing and Shriek abilitiesprovide excellent buffs and debuffs respectively, and it’s one of the only longsword weapons with the finesse quality.
For ranged attacks, we recommend aLight Crossbow. It deals more damage than the starter Hand Crossbow, hitting for 1d8. You can also find amagicLight Crossbow +1very early, purchased from Dammon at Druid Grove,
Best Armor And Accessories
While there are arguably better pieces of equipment available, those will bebetter suited for your other party members, whereas this setup is designed to make the most of your support-role position on the team.The only hard ‘must-have’ on this build is theBoots Of Brilliance.
Cape
Coldbrim Hat
Any condition you inflict on someone also comes with “Encrusted With Frost”
+1 to AC and Saving Throws
Highest AC armor available
Free use of a powerful teleportation spell
Ring
Braindrain Gloves
When you deal Psychic Damage, you also apply “Mental Fatigue.” Vicious Mockery is psychic damage, making for even greater debuffs from a cantrip
Ring of Mental Inhibition
When an enemy fails a saving throw you inflict, they also get “Mental Fatigue.” This, combined with the gloves, make most spell attacks give the effect.
Can restore Bardic Inspiration charges
Shifting Corpus Ring
Provides a free casting of Invisibility and Blur, two great buff spells.
Instrument
Wood Woad Shield
Can cast Ensaring Strike (may conflict with concentration needs). Can swap for a +1 Shield for +3 to AC instead
Your Choice
If you want to swap out defensive cover for extra health and damage, you canreplace the Studded Leather Armor +1 for the Potent Robes.While your AC will be notably lower, it adds yourcharisma modifier to cantrip attacksand grantsTemp HP every turn. We only recommend this if you don’t have a Warlock on your team, however, since they would make greater use of the robe’s effects.
It’s common to weartheBlazer of Benevolencesince it gives Temp HP when you give someone bardic inspiration. But since this build focuses on using Cutting Words instead,we don’t recommend this armor. But if you like how fancy it looks, don’t let us stop you.
If you’d like some easy healing,the Circlet of Mental Anguishwillheal your for 1-4 hit pointsevery time someone fails a saving throw you inflict on them. But given the heavy potential of the Coldbrim Hat in this context, we recommend sticking to that.
TheCloak of Elemental Absorptionis another possible choice, allowing you to reduce incoming elemental damage, and applying it to your next attack. But since the focus is to not get hit, instead of taking hits, it may be better worn by the party tank.
Every Level Up Choice For A College Of Lore Bard
Wanta level-by-level guide for accomplishing this build? Here’s how to do that. Each table will represent reaching that level, citing the new things unlocked andwhat spells we recommend taking. Note that it will skip level one since that is covered above.
Things earned at every level, like more health and a greater number of spell slots, are assumed and willnot be included in the table.
Recommended Spell
Dissonant Whispers
It’s one of the stronger level 1 spells available, best to get early
Subclass (College of Lore)
Sleight of Hand, Intimidation, and Arcana skill proficiency
Crown of Madness
Very helpful when you have one particularly powerful foe in a large group.
A new feat
Feat
Ability Improvement: Charisma +2
Better to do early to improve your spellcasting modifier and DC
Recommended Cantrip
Minor Illusion
Create distractions to help avoid encounters or allow teammates to get into better pre-combat positions
Font of Inspiration (regain Bardic Inspiration on short rests)
Bardic Die is now a d8
Level 3 spell slots
Hypnotic Pattern
Great for disabling multiple targets, even ones you can’t see (invisible)
Magical Secrets (learn 2 non-Bard spells)
Good for stealth, positioning, or escaping trouble.
It’s the most diverse and powerful level 1 attack spell
Level 4 spell slots
Get your Charisma up to 20 now to make the most of the +5 modifier
Level 5 spell slots
Dominate Person
Great control spell. If taking on a healer role, can be replaced by Mass Cure Wounds
Bardic Die is now a d10
Easy defensive option
Mass Cure Wounds
Unless you took that instead of Dominate Person. In which case, take Dominate Person now
One of the best ways to remove problem targets
Counterspell (Magical Secrets)
Interrupt and waste power enemy spells, can be a lifesaving option
Level 6 spell slots
Eyebite
A powerful debuff spell that can be repeatedly cast and offers multiple options
Ritual Caster
Learn two ritual spells. Further diversify your spell selection with ones that won’t eat up spell slots. If this doesn’t appeal to you, consider the Durable feat instead
Otto’s Irresistible Dance
Only thing left to get. It’s one of the funnier debuffs to apply, especially against big dramatic enemies.
Take advantage of hight bonus for ranged attacks
Enables additional narrative and environmental options
