Variant: Songbooks
Unlike most bards, you do not merely know your spells. Instead, you must learn your spells through a spellbook, akin to a wizard. Your abilities change in the following ways.
Spellcasting
You have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your wishes and music. Your Songs are a part of your vast repertoire, magic that you can tune to different situations. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting, and chapter 11 for the bard spell list.
Cantrips
At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list. You learn additional bard Cantrips of your choice at higher levels, learning a 3rd cantrip at 4th level and a 4th at 10th level.
Songbook
At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing 4 1st-level bard spells of your choice.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Bard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of those spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of bard spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of bard spells from your songbook equal to your Intelligence modifier + your bard level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you're a 3rd-level bard, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 12, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your songbook. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting a spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of bard spells requires time spent studying your songbook and memorizing the lyrics and melodies and rhythms you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your bard Spells. Your magic comes from the heart and soul you pour into the performance of your music or oration. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when Setting the saving throw DC for a bard spell you cast and when Making an Attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +
your Charisma modifier
Spell Attack modifier = your proficiency bonus +
your Charisma modifier
Ritual Casting
You can cast any bard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your songbook. You don't need to have the spell prepared.
Spellcasting Focus
You can use a musical instrument (see "Equipment") as a spellcasting focus for your bard Spells.
Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher
Each time you gain a bard level, you can add one bard spell of your choice to your spellbook. Each of these spells must be a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the Bard table. On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your songbook (see the "Your Spellbook" on page 174.)