Please sell me on why I'd want to ever play a bard, when they seem so weak...

[sophontteks]

I'd never use Blindness/Deafness. It's a CON save, which (to my understanding) is something many monsters you'd want/need to handicap are strong in. It seems far too unlikely to take hold whereas Bane is a CHA save which only demons and celestials are really good at (again as I understand it).

Really doesn't matter. There are no other options for CC spells that don't require concentration. No concentration is the selling point, and con is helping to keep it from being completely overpowered.

Bane is a concentration spell.

[MaxWilson]

Really doesn't matter. There are no other options for CC spells that don't require concentration. No concentration is the selling point, and con is helping to keep it from being completely overpowered.

Bane is a concentration spell.

Well, there's Plant Growth, in some situations.

[Crgaston]

Really doesn't matter. There are no other options for CC spells that don't require concentration. No concentration is the selling point, and con is helping to keep it from being completely overpowered.

Bane is a concentration spell.

Well, there's Plant Growth, in some situations.

There is also Synaptic Static, which is on the Bard list. Hit them with Bane first, so they have -1d4 on the Synaptic Static Int save. Then, in addition to the 8d6 Psychic damage, they subtract (1d6+1d4) from each attack roll and Concentration save, 1d6 from each Ability Check, and 1d4 from each Int save to escape the Synaptic Static effect. Which does NOT require concentration.

These are both more Debuff than CC, though.

[samcifer]

There is also Synaptic Static, which is on the Bard list. Hit them with Bane first, so they have -1d4 on the Synaptic Static Int save. Then, in addition to the 8d6 Psychic damage, they subtract (1d6+1d4) from each attack roll and Concentration save, 1d6 from each Ability Check, and 1d4 from each Int save to escape the Synaptic Static effect. Which does NOT require concentration.

These are both more Debuff than CC, though.

Well I'd be starting off at lv. 8 with warlock 2 / bard 6, so a lv. 5 spell is a ways off, assuming we make it that far. Our campaigns tend to only fo about 5 - 7 levels and we started off at lv. 5 this time

[Crgaston]

Well I'd be starting off at lv. 8 with warlock 1 / bard 6, so a lv. 5 spell is a ways off, assuming we make it that far. Our campaigns tend to only fo about 5 - 7 levels and we started off at lv. 5 this time

1+6=7

There's always Bane + Dissonant Whispers, which upcasts pretty well, and the aforementioned Blindness, neither of which requires concentration.

[samcifer]

1+6=7

There's always Bane + Dissonant Whispers, which upcasts pretty well, and the aforementioned Blindness, neither of which requires concentration.

Warlock 2 - I edited it above to match