[5e] The Half-Caster Bard

## The Half-Caster Bard
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The Bard character class that appears in the *Player's Handbook* has always seemed somewhat overpowered, compared to the other "full caster" classes (i.e. the Sorcerer).

So, while I'm sure that this revision will not appeal to all players, I have revised the D&D 5th Edition Bard character class as a half-caster. Some features are slightly shifted to fit level progression, and cantrips are retained at 1st level (à la the Artificer). *Magical Secrets* sees the most change, granting bards a limited access to spells of a higher level than their spellcasting level would normally allow.

So: Is this class still balanced?
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##### The Bard

| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips Known | Spells Known |
|:----:|:---:|:---|:---:|:---:|
| 1st | +2 | Bardic Inspiration (d6), Spellcasting, Jack of All Trades | 2 | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Song of Rest (d6) | 2 | 2 |
| 3rd | +2 | Bard College, Expertise | 2 | 3 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 5th | +3 | Inspiration (d8), Font of Inspiration | 3 | 5 |
| 6th | +3 | Countercharm, Bard College feature | 3 | 6 |
| 7th | +3 | Song of Rest (d8) | 3 | 7 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 8 |
| 9th | +4 | — | 3 | 9 |
| 10th | +4 | Inspiration (d10), Expertise, Magical Secrets | 4 | 10 |
| 11th | +4 | Song of Rest (d10) | 4 | 11 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 11 |
| 13th | +5 | — | 4 | 12 |
| 14th | +5 | Magical Secrets, Bard College feature | 4 | 12 |
| 15th | +5 | Inspiration (d12) | 4 | 13 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 13 |
| 17th | +6 | Song of Rest (d12) | 4 | 14 |
| 18th | +6 | Magical Secrets | 4 | 14 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 15 |
| 20th | +6 | Superior Inspiration | 4 | 15 |

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##### Revised Bard features
| Bard Level | Features |
|:---:|:-----------:|
| 1st | Bardic Inspiration |
| 2nd | Spellcasting, Song of Rest |
| 6th | Additional Magical Secrets *(College of Lore only)* |
| 10th | Magical Secrets |
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**Only revised features are included in this document.*

*All revisions are written in* **bold text**.
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### Spellcasting
The Bard's spellcasting ability has the following changes.

#### Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
**At 2nd level,** you know **two** 1st-level spells of your choice from the bard spell list.

**Your spell progression grants you spell slots of a higher level at 5th level (2nd-level spells), and again at 9th (3rd-level spells), 13th (4th-level spells), and 17th level (5th-level spells).**

**To keep this revision to one page, I've omitted spell slots from the Class Table. Refer to the Artificer, Paladin, or Ranger class tables to review spell slot progression.*

### Bardic Inspiration
You gain a number of inspriation dice **equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier (minimum of two).**

### Song of Rest
The extra hit points increases when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 **at 7th level,** to 1d10 **at 11th level,** and to 1d12 at 17th level.

### Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. **A spell you choose must be 5th level or lower, or a cantrip.** The chosen spells count as bard spells for you, **but don't count against** the number of bard spells known.

**At 14th level, you can learn two additional spells of 7th level or lower, and at 18th level, you can learn two additional spells of 9th level or lower.**

**Any spell gained through this feature can be cast once per long rest (or at will if it's a cantrip), and if you have spell slots of the same level, you can cast the spell using those spells slots as well.**

#### Additional Magical Secrets
*College of Lore*
 
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class, and these spells are considered bard spells for you. **A spell you choose must be 3rd level or lower, or a cantrip. Any spell gained through this feature can be cast ***once per short rest*** (or at will if it's a cantrip), and if you have spell slots of the same level, you can cast the spell using those spells slots as well.**